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The 7147 is the quietest humidifier we have ever owned. It has easy to read digital controls, and the humidistat stays within one degree of one that also hangs on the wall in our bedroom. The filters do their job nicely and the warm mist setting keeps the room from feeling clammy.
The only issues I have with this humidifier is the way in which it is refilled. The oddly shaped top tank lifts off the pedestal control base and the refill opening is on the bottom of the tank. When you lift the tank off the pedestal daily to refill water drips everywhere as the tank sits in a pool of water. You then flip over the tank and remove the fill cap, which also happens to be connected to the filter! When you pull the filter out (which is filled with water) it drips everywhere! You then hold the oddly shaped tank upside down to refill. Since the top is now the bottom, and it is not flat you cannot set down the tank to refill. You also must contend with the nozzle where the mist sprays from, making a refill quite a challenge without getting everything around you wet!
Then you must re-insert the filter cartridge to seal the tank which displaces water. Since there is no fill line, it is easy to overfill the tank, and when the water is then displaced by the filter as you close the tank it squirts out! A simple opening on the top could have easily eliminated this problem!
The filler issue is the reason I rated the item a four out of five. It could and should be much better! Also, the controls do not remember previous settings once turned off, so you must reset your desired humidity level and fan speed each time you turn on the machine. It would be nice if previous settings were remembered!
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We have been so pleased with the performance of the original Air-O-Swiss AOS 7145 Ultrasonic Humidifier Cool Mist in our 300 sq.ft. bedroom that we decided to upgrade and put the 7145 in our son's room. The AOS 7147 is identical to the 7145 with some excellent additional features. I love the controls that provide; readings of the current humidity level, ability to set the desired target humidity level, and the ability to pre-heat the water to improve efficiency.The one thing about which I have a minor complaint is the mist output level control. The 7145 has a dial control that allows for a continuous adjustment of the mist output. The 7147 touch controls provide only 3 absolute settings: low, high & high+. Frankly, I prefer the continuously variable mist output control of the 7145.
We are relegated to using well water which pretty much "eats up" wicks in evaporative type humidifiers, forcing frequent and costly replacements several times in a season. The mineral cartridge included with both the 7145 & the 7147 (but not needed where water is soft) does its job in treating hard water so the humidifier works as intended.
In the end I find this to be a product well worth the cost. Maintenance is easy, expensive replacement wicks are unnecessary, and the humidifier is reliable. I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially where hard water is an issue.
(Update 02/18/13)
Still using this daily without any problems. Still gives whisper quiet operation (the less expensive 7145 is a bit noisy, but not loud). Because of its very quiet operation, this 7147 would be an excellent choice for a baby's or child's room. I did not mention in my original review that the humidifier flashes an icon when it needs cleaning, a nice convenience. I use the Air-O-Swiss EZ CAL Cleaner and Descaler A7417 for thorough cleanings, but I find a regular rinse & brushing under warm water minimizes the need for this.
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Researching humidifiers on Amazon was a somewhat tiresome exercise. Almost all products I looked at are subject to very serious complaints, most importantly noise, leakage, and lack of reliability. I decided to go with the AOS 7147 because most reviewers agree that it is really quiet, and because I liked the clean look and the features.Here is what I can report after about a week of usage (will update if anything changes over time):
Noise level: Both my wife and I are extremely noise sensitive, but this unit can operate in our bedroom without affecting our sleep. Yes, there is a bit of a humming noise, but it is barely audible. Also there is a bubbling noise once in a while when water flows out of the tank into the tray. All-in-all, it seems about as quiet as can reasonably be expected.
Effectiveness: We use the auto setting that lets the device decide the target level of humidity and the output level. This works very well and hassle free, keeping the room comfortably moist.
Warm mist setting: I would recommend having it. Without it the room feels cool and damp. Even with using it there is a bit of a cooling effect, but it is acceptable.
Filtering/water treatment: We did not see any white dust around the unit, which was a concern.
Reliability/ease of use: No problems so far, straight-forward to operate, everything works as intended. I will post updates, if something comes up.
Look: Matters more than you would think, because it is supposed to be three feet away from the ground and away from both heating and return vents. Inevitably it will end up in a rather visible place. This unit has a bit of a techy, but overall relatively neutral look, better than most.
In summary, I am very happy with this unit.
Update: some tips on reducing the humming noise. Put a tray underneath the unit, then a thick sponge pad or similar cushion underneath the tray. The cushion dramatically reduces the noise level. The tray is very important. We first put the sponge directly underneath the unit, and that totally screwed up its moisture reading. We could watch the moisture level reduce from 50 to 49 to 48... to 37 in a few minutes and the unit cranked out steam like crazy. It seems that the unit needs to be placed on a hard surface to read the moisture level properly. Once we put a tray underneath it, the reading works normal again.
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Love this product. Bought 2 of them for my kids rooms. I was tired of using the cheap humidifiers and the expensive filters that needed to be changed about every other week. The silver component in this humidifier is much better to have and I love the fact that is machine can do hot or cold mist and you can increase the humidity output. Very pleased with this product.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Air-O-Swiss AOS 7147 Ultrasonic Humidifier - Warm and Cool Mist
The AOS 7147 is the first ultrasonic humidifier model I've owned that didn't fail midway through the cold winter and early spring months. (Neither the SPT 4010 nor the Crane "teardrop" models has gone the distance.) The AOS 7147 lasted long enough for me to put it in storage for the summer and use again the following November.It has a ton of settings and features that enable you to tailor it to your specific needs. And it's got enough capacity to completely humidify a one bedroom apartment. There's a tiny little bit of noise, but you have to be near it to hear it.
It does have a couple of annoying glitches though.
Perhaps it's because of the high iron content in my tap water, but those granules in the cartridge seem to fail after just one month's use or so, and need replacement. And the way they fail is annoying: The "empty" light comes on even though there's plenty of water in the tank, meaning that the granules are no longer allowing the water to soak through. If this happens while I'm asleep, I don't find that out till I wake up the following morning with a parched throat and stuffy nose, and find that the air has been dry as a bone all night. There ought to be an audible alarm for the "empty" condition. I suggest keeping a second cartridge prepared (soaked for 24 hours) and ready to go at the first sign of failing granules.
The humidistat should not be relied on for the first hour or two of operation. Perhaps because of moisture from refilling the tank, the humidity can read way too high when you start the humidifier. It can take quite a while for it to settle down to a correct reading. If you use the heater feature, that generates more moisture and it will take even longer for the humidistat to settle down. I own a separate hygrometer and I rely on that for setting humidity levels until the AOS's own humidity meter settles down.
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