While it was a little frustrating to put together as the plastic parts need to snap together and you need a screw driver to wedge the plastic base for the top to fit properly. Make sure you wait 30 minutes after filling, for the wick to absorb the water, as the fan won't work. Also be sure the over hang on the back of the wick filter is hung on the over hang at the back of the base unit. But we started with 34% humidity and in less than 24 hrs it came up to 50%. We used level 3 on the fan, as the higher levels are noisy, but at this level and result for what this product is supposed to do, it was great. Easy to fill, no taking out bottles, just pour into the reservoir. The humidistat on the unit registers too high. I put tape over it and use my small humidistat to measure the humidity. They could have left this part off. Anyway if you want the humidity to raise quickly, this is your item. A lot better than the old filter belt circular kinds.
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I have had this unit for several years. It has outlasted all "Sears" brands and models.
Secrets to making it work: I use the 1041 wicks. Every two weeks or so, I take it into the bathroom, pull out the wick and using a hand held shower, spray off the wick thoroughly. This helps lower the mineral build-up and the wick lasts longer. Also I change wicks about every two months. So I need about three for the heating season.
Yes the electronic "humidistat" doesn't work. Simple, I set the unit to a higher humidity than what is displayed. When I want to run it, I turn the unit on. When I want it off, I turn it off. And I use a separate humidity gauge. This one works wonderfully:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F0RBI8/
Taylor 1523 Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer and Hygrometer
As for noise, I only run it on the 2, 3 or 4 level. Yes, you can crank it up, but just like any fan, the more you crank it the louder it gets... and I can hear the TV just fine even when this is running...
It's much easier to carry a bucket of water to this unit to fill it up than clumsy bottles to drag out and carry elsewhere.
GREAT humidifier and I've had this one for several years and if I need another one, I'll hope to get another one of these.
Here's another hint. Don't mount it on the wheels that come with and then put the entire unit on a towel or carpeting scrap. Also helps if you spill a bit of water when filling.
Do NOT forget the bacteriastat either, but be careful when using this additive, as always. And yes, it is normal for the wick itself to be about half dry (at the top) and half wet (at the bottom). The entire wick does NOT need to be saturated soaking wet for this to work as the "well" of water is only the few inches at the bottom...
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I paid 113 USD for this unit. It was awkward to use, and felt cheaply made. It did a fine job humidifying the house but the humidistat was broken. Its humidity reading would not drop below 50%, when other humidistats in my home were indicating 30%. According to it, the humidity level was about 60% ! I have found a review elsewhere indicating the same problem. I returned it and bought a unit for 70 USD that works much better.
Honest reviews on Essick Air ED11 800 Euro Console-Style Humidifier, White
I followed the instructions by filling the tank, turned on high, and never let it run dry. By mid day 2 the wick was 3/4 dry. The unit on high was so loud that it can be heard on all 3 stories of my house. In their defense, this was my first humidifier. It's going back tomorrow.
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We've had one humidifier for 2 years and another for a year (put on on top floor and one on main floor). My only complaint is the sensor is too close to the unit so reads higher than it really is. We wrapped something around the sensor to keep it running. Works nicely and the sound level is perfect for us.
