Holmes HM5305-UC Warm Mist Humidifier Review

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(More customer reviews)I believe this item has received unfairly low ratings from other purchasers.Perhaps these reviews are from purchasers who have never owned a humidifier before, or who didn't bother to read the directions.I have owned three different humidifiers over the years, and this one has been overall the best.

I would agree the tank shape could stand some redesign. Like most humidifiers, you turn the tank upside down to refill, thus the top of the tank is best designed to conform to the shape of a tub or sink, so that it stays upright on its own while filling.This one does not do that, but it is still possible to prop it against the end of the tub to refill.

As for the other comments that have been made, of course it makes a gurgling noise.Water is dripping down into the base in order to be converted to steam. I have had the unfortunate experience of owning a humidifier that sounded like an 18-wheeler driving through my house--and believe me, this one is QUIET.
The only knocking noises I've heard were when the tank emptied while I was asleep and I didn't shut it off, AND I hadn't cleaned it in a very long time.

And of course the heating element is going to be hot right after you turn it off, and yes it could char a piece of wood if it came in contact with the heating element.The instructions CLEARLY STATE you must allow the heating element to cool before cleaning or refilling.I cannot imagine why someone would set something wet down on a wood table, or how the heating element came into contact with wood of one reviewer, as the heating element has a surrounding plastic framework that makes it difficult if not impossible to place anything directly against the heating element. Perhaps the user modified this plastic housing in some way.

Also, the tank cap has a mechanism that, together with the humidifier base, controls the amount of water that flows out of the tank.The only way this could malfunction and send water everywhere is if the cap was not screwed on properly (and just like a bottle of soda, if you don't screw the cap on properly, the bottle will leak), or if it is not placed on the base securely.

I have not found the recommended cleaning to be an issue.But then, I use the recommendations as a guideline, not a requirement.How much you cleaning you have to do depends on the condition of your water and your performance expectations.

The recommended "daily" cleaning is basically to remove the base reservoir and dump out any water and accumulated sediment.I actually only do this about once a week, and I have very hard water (lots of clay sediment and calcium.I cannot drink tap water, its that bad.)The recommended "weekly" cleaning is to fill the base reservoir with vinegar and soak for 20 mins, and wipe down the heating element and surrounding housing to remove any calcium deposits.I actually only do this about every 3 months.Sometimes I actually have to chisel off the calcium from the heating element!And with all this obviously poor maintenance, I have noticed no diminished performance!

I'm not sure what the 'reboot' requirement is, stated by one reviewer.The instructions clearly state that you should turn off the humidifier when you remove the tank for refilling, or when you are cleaning.This makes sense.Leaving it on without the heating element resting in a reservoir of water is like putting an empty pan on a hot stove burner.It will damage it.But turning it off for the few moments required for filling or cleaning is sufficient.No further effort is required.And I really don't understand how one is personally offended by an inanimate object.

As for the size of tank, and how long it lasts, that all depends on the settings you use, and the size of your room.The 36-hour timeframe advertised by the manufacturer is at the unit's lowest setting, as most manufacturers do.I keep mine set on low speed, with the humidity percentage at about 60%.This lasts 24 hrs.I definitely notice a humid feeling when walking into my bedroom where I keep the humidifer.My bedroom measures about 12' x 18', but I keep my bedroom door open always so the humidity isn't just staying in my bedroom alone.The packaging states accurately that this humidifier is intended to serve a medium-sized room, not a whole house or very large rooms.

I really love the fact that this model does not require filters. I've had humidifiers that require filters, and of course you can never find the filter when you need one, and they are often very expensive.I've also had a humidifier that advertised no filter required, then upon reading the fine print inside the box, learned that while a humidifier was not REQUIRED, it really needed one to function properly.

I replaced my last humidifier with this one because the lat model I owned had no controls other than on/off, and pumped out so much mist it soaked everything around it, and was a cold mist model that did not keep the calcium deposits inside the reservoir--everything that got soaked by the mist ended up with calcium residue on it that was impossible to remove.

All in all, a very good model.The only thing I would like better is a domed-top model that could rest easily in the tub for refilling.

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Product Description:
Perfect for medium sized rooms the Holmes Warm Mist Humidifier runs up to 36 hours per filling. No filters to replace and microban antimicrobial product protection insure carefree use.

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Holmes HM630-U Tower Humidifier Review

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(More customer reviews)In the past, I have been very disappointed with humidifiers.Either they leak or don't seem to do much of anything.However, this Holmes U Tower humidifier is sleek in design and has a few nice features such as:

- The two filters are easily accessible at the base of the unit.

- The tank is easy to handle, fill, and not too heavy to carry. If you have a small sink, you can always fill this slightly long tank in the bathtub or by using a teapot or water jug.

- You have the option to set the humdifier manually on low, medium, or high humidity continuously or you can set it to automatically go on at low, medium, or high at a pre-set humidity level. If you use the automtic feature, then the unit cycles on and off like a thermostat would (although it does that too frequently for my taste).

- In addition, the display shows the humidity of the room the unit is in, which is a nice feature.

- The humidity level increases pretty fast, which is not typical of other units I've experienced.

- According to the manual (I haven't tried this feature), you also have an hour timer option of setting the unit to turn on or off after so many hours.This means, for example, you can program it to turn off 5 hours later or turn on 5 hours later.

- The unit has a small footprint (see cavaet below), so it doesn't take up much floor space.

With regard to the operation of the unit, you must remember to press and hold the on/off button to turn off the unit.If you unplug the unit, the humidifier returns to its factory default settings so you'll have to quickly reprogram it every time.This is exceptionally easy to do, but some might find this annoying.

One very nice feature that remains in operation when turning off the unit from the front panel but leaving it plugged in is that the humidity of the room is always displayed.Obviously, you lose this benefit when you unplug the humidifier from the wall outlet.

When setting the unit to the automatic feature that enables it to operate like a thermostat, the unit may cycle on and off every few seconds or minutes depending on the humidity of the room, which means you'll hear the fan cycle on and off repeatedly.If this is likely to disturb you while sleeping, then just put the unit into manual mode as I find you can never have too much humidity in the winter anyway.Of course, make sure you have enough water in the tank to run all night.The tank is rated to hold water for 36 hours of continuous use.However, I have only been able to get 10 hours continuous use on a tank at the highest humidity setting - so keep this in mind when leaving the unit unattended.

I ordered the wick filters from the manufacturer because they are hard to find elsewhere; even though Wal Mart and other local stores carry the Holmes line, they don't necessarily sell all the filters for every model.The filters arrived promptly within a few days.

The box says the unit comes with a 5-year limited warranty but the pamphlet inside says a 3-year limited warranty.I called Holmes at 1-800-546-5637 and they confirmed it was actually a 3-year limited warranty, so don't be swayed by the box advertising.

There is one caveat that you might consider important, although this would not deter me from buying the unit.Since this unit is a tower model, it is easier to knock over (especially on an unsturdy surface such as carpet). You might want to take this into consideration in case you have young kids that run around or large pets that might wreck havoc in your house--meaning you may have to alter the placement of the unit to account for this scenario.My observation is that the chances of knocking this unit over are somewhat higher than the squat-to-the-floor models I'm so use to and which have been so ineffective.

Overall, I am very impressed with the unit compared to the four other humidifiers I've had previously.I had a Vicks humidifier, a different Holmes humidifier, a Hunter humidifier, and another one whose name I can't remember.I've always been less than satisfied, so this is a nice change. I've been so pleased with this unit that over six months later, I ordered a second one.

Update October 2010 - Finally one of my unit's humidity sensors failed.However, since I've had this unit for several years that is to be expected.I can still use the unit to increase the humidity in the room but I just won't know what the humidity level is unless I look at my second humidifier.

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Product Description:
The smart Tower design of this Holmes Humidifier is perfect for medium sized rooms. It will run up to 36 hours per filling and features Arm & Hammer odor removal.

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Holmes HWF100 Humidifier Replacement Filter, Set of 3 Review

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(More customer reviews){NOTE: the Holmes HWF100 and Bionaire BWF100 are interchangeable}

I bought a bionaire humidifier that uses 2 of these wicks.They're a necessary evil, because the humidifer wont work without them.

My humidifier (a Bionaire BCM645) is basically a glorified self-refilling water bowl, with a pair of wicks dangling down into the water in the lower backside of the unit ... the wicks absorb water upwards, and the humidifier (basically a vertical tube with an exhause fan up up equipped with a humidistat) draws airflow in crosswise through the body of the wicks down below in order to blow humidified air out the top ... it's a simple design that sorta works.

The problem is that mineral deposits build up in these glorified (and overpriced) sponges, and they lose their ability to wick water upwards fast enough to keep up with the rate of evaporation ... the result is that they become dried out and crusty (and slowly stained with mildew), and only stay wet on the part that's dipped in the water.

Now, here's the annoying part, and why I only gave this product 3 of 5 stars ... they're needlessly fragile by design.The manufacturer WANTS you to keep reguloarly buying replacement sponges, just like inkjet printer manufacturers want to keep selling you overpriced ink cartridges.Even though I have fairly soft water, and use a carbon block filter, these wicks only seem to last me about 2 weeks per pair, by default, before they lose their ability to absorb/wick moisture and/or fall apart.Perhaps someday someone will make longer-lasting reuseable cloth replacement filters, but as of this writing, there dont appear to be any available ... because it's against the manufacturer's fiscal interests to make and sell such.

You can save money 2 ways:

1) SHOP AROUND:you can save as much as 50% by shopping around for the cheapest supplier, and scoffing at any implied manufacturer product loyalty.How ?The replacement filters for Holmes (HWF100) and Bionaire (BWF100) are functionally identical and interchangeable.They come 6 to a package (3 pairs).

2) RINSING: These wicks are rather fragile - resist the urge to wring them out when rinsing them, or you'll damage them. Instead, fill a sink with body-temperature water, let them soak for 5-10 mins (to let the deposits soften & par-dissolve), then gently press them flat (while submerged) a few times. Then drain them (dont wring them) and reinstall. That should extend their performance by another week or so. Each subsequent rinse will yeild only half the benefit though.At best, you'll be able to double their lifespan.

Bottom line: I dont really recommend these wicks ... but if your humidifier requires them, there isnt much choice.However, if you use the tips I listed above, you can save up to half the cost, and make them last as much as twice as long.

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Product Description:
Maintain healthy indoor air quality with this three-pack of replacement humidifier filters. They install easily and feature a reinforced outer layer for extra durability. To help humidifiers run more efficiently, the filters trap mineral deposits from the water, plus they come treated with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and Microban Antimicrobial Product Protection for enhanced performance. A new humidifier filter should be installed at the beginning of each season and replaced every two to four weeks depending on usage. The filter works with Bionaire humidifier models BCM4600, BCM645, BCM646, BMC5520, BCM5520RC, BCM5521, BCM4600, BCM5520RCU, BCM6000, BCM6010, BCM6010RC, BCM6610RC, BCM7203, BCM7203RC, BCM7204, BCM7205, BCM7207, BCM7305, BCM7305RCB, BCM-7305RC, BCM7306, and BCM7307. It also fits Holmes humidifier models HM729, HM729G, HM630, HM7204, HM7305/RC, HM7306, HM6000, HM6000RC, HM6600, HM6005HD, and HM4600/HD. The three-pack of humidifier filters measures approximately 5-3/5 by 4 by 7-4/5 inches.

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