Discount Sunpentown SF-609 Evaporative Air Cooler with Ionizer

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List Price: $123.00
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I hate weeding through the reviews for evaporative coolers because it seems like the majority of bad reviews are from people who have no clue what they are and what they are supposed to do, a few are from people who can't follow basic instructions, and there are only a handful of legitimate negative reviews that are usually due to defective issues.

I live in Denver, CO. It's dry here and it's the perfect climate for evaporative coolers. I've had whole-house swamp coolers in previous homes I've lived and know many friends with them. In my home, I have no option for a portable or window A/C air conditioner as I spend most of my time in our finished basement and there's not a good option for exhaust. Last summer we got quotes for central A/C but it's a lot more money than I want to spend and I also don't want the electricity bill that goes along with it. We have a whole house fan (not to be confused with an attic fan) that we run in early morning before it reaches 70 degrees and that we run again at night, usually after 9pm, or whenever it gets cool enough outside. Sometimes with an afternoon rain shower we turn it on sooner.

I bought the evaporative cooler to supplement the whole house fan on those reallllly hot days and/or for the middle of the day when we we're not running it due to it being hotter outside than it is inside. The house fan cools the ground floor much better than our basement due to the lack of air flow from our basement windows because of the window well covers we have. Also, this summer I'm pregnant with a due date of August 15th and that doesn't help my comfort situation. Basically, an evaporative cooler is exactly what I wanted and what fit our situation.

Think of it as a fan on steroids. Cold air DOES come out of it. Today it is 88 degrees outside and humidity is 16%... a typical Colorado summer day. I have the cooler about 3 feet away from me and 8 feet away from my husband. I have it on high and I'm actually getting cold. I have it on the "swing" setting otherwise I would probably turn it down. It doesn't guzzle through water too quickly and filling it once a day is enough since I'm not running it 24/7. I use a gallon pitcher to fill it up faster since it holds 10 liters (2.5 gallons). I have an automatic ice maker in my fridge so I don't have any issues running out of ice. I can't think of any features it's missing. It's not too loud even on high it's like a normal fan. There's no smell at all but I do actually change the water frequently and follow the cleaning instructions. Trust me on the smell thing, I can smell anything from very far away ever since I've been pregnant. You can wash the air filter on the back but DO NOT USE WATER to clean the wick. It is meant to be placed in direct sunlight to clean. I think that is why some other people had issues with smell or mold. Follow the directions, please. It has a remote, timers, sleep modes, swing function (just the fan blades inside swing, not the entire unit), warning beeps and visual indicators when it runs low on water (nice feature to avoid burning out the water pump), and an extra place to put ice on top in addition to putting ice in the water tank. You can adjust the blades on the front to direct the air flow whichever way you need to vertically. It also has an ionizer and you can run it as just a fan if you'd like, so no need for a second unit just to get some air circulating.

All in all... this thing does exactly what it says it will do. It's exactly what I wanted. It came assembled, which was a big bonus. It's only 17 lbs and has built in handles on the sides so I can actually carry it upstairs by myself if it's empty, even being super pregnant. It's on wheels to make it easier to push around when I don't have to take it to another floor. It was less than half what other similar units cost for the same tank size and air output.

I've only has this thing for a week. I will be sure to update my review once I've had it for awhile.

UPDATE 6/24 I've found that when I run this thing on high for 8-10 hours per day, we do need to fill it every day or every other day at the very least (depending on if I fill it to the max level... usually I just add 1 gallon when I fill it). However, when I'm running it on medium or low and not using it as much (more like 5-6 hours per day), it can last about a week without needing a refill. I typically don't bother putting ice in anymore unless it's a day with over 95 degree temperatures and I want extra cold air. The only thing I wish it had was an easy way to drain it in case I want to move it upstairs when it's not empty. However, I don't think any model I looked at had this feature (or at least it wasn't mentioned). It has NEVER made the room feel muggy even with no open windows and honestly I don't feel any difference in the humidity in the room. Almost every day it's been less than 20% humidity outside, and I've never seen it get over 30% outside. I'm still happy with this purchase and stand by my 5 stars. I'm glad I got this instead of spending much more on a similar unit.

UPDATE 6/25/2012 We didn't use this thing at all once it got cool out last fall. We drained it (easy to do while not pregnant) and put it in our basement storage closet. When we brought it back out a couple weeks ago, I vacuumed the screen on the back, filled it with water and drained it again to rinse it out. No musty smell or anything and it works just as well as last year. The room we normally are using this in stays pretty cool compared to the rest of the house, so now we're purchasing a wall-unit swamp cooler that is 5500 CFMs, hoping it will keep the entire house cool. The only thing I don't like about this cooler is that it's too short to feel it when laying in bed. You can tilt the blades up and down to direct airflow vertically, but it's not enough for a king size bed that's on a frame and box spring. For those of you wondering the electricity cost is negligible. I don't see any difference in our electricity consumption when we are using it every day compared to when we aren't. However, my husband and I work work full time so we don't use it as much as someone that doesn't work or works from home. I'm still happy with this purchase and thing it's a great portable swamp cooler for the price!

Also, here's a chart that shows evaporative cooler effectiveness based off outside temperature and humidity. I will also post it to the pictures.

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I live in California in the Bay Area. Not much humidity and the weather is typically pretty mild but it does get pretty hot in the summer (90+ degrees). I received the unit on a particularly hot day recently and I ran out and grabbed a bag of ice because i wanted to test this things cooling capability. I set it up next to my computer desk and turned on the cool air function. I was sitting about 5 feet from it and in 5 minutes my arm was freezing cold. I was perfectly comfortable the whole day but if i moved from the fan at all the heat was unbearable. This thing does not cool a room but it will cool the area directly in front of it. Once it cooled down a bit I emptied the water (which was made very easy due to the lightness of the unit) into my bathroom sink and used it that night as a normal fan. Its pretty quiet and the fan is powerful. Ive heard these swamp coolers can generate a musty smell so I make sure to empty it of water when I'm done using the cool air function. I only fill it with water when its extremely hot because the fan works fine for me most days. It's a very nice unit and it's exactly what I was looking for. Better than a fan and more efficient that an air conditioner.

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My wife and I currently live in one of the hottest, driest places in the U.S. -Las Vegas, NV. Our apartment is mostly shaded and facing away from the direct sun, except for... the HOT room. Our office. "The hot room" faces the south-west side and gets beaten by the direct sun. This little unit is PERFECT for that room. It does a great job of turning the hot room (which is also the room we are in the most) into just another room in the apartment. Now I don't rely on this unit alone to single-handedly take on all 110 degree of Las Vegas heat, but I don't expect it to. It simply does what is intended. It brings the temperature down 10-15 degrees in the room that is generally 10-15 warmer than the rest of the apartment.

So, if you live in a region with hot DRY weather (most of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico), these can supplement your AC, put some moisture in the air and take a nice chunk out of your monthly Air Conditioning bill.

If you live on the East coast, the southern states, the Midwest or any place HUMID, DON'T BUY THIS. It wont do a thing and will probably just make the muggy, oppressive heat WORSE. You've been warned... I lived in Miami for 5 years and understand that 90 degrees in Florida is WORSE than 110 degrees in Las Vegas. This is because of the HUMIDITY, not the HEAT. You don't see "swamp coolers" in Florida because they just add humidity to the air, and that would just make matters worse.

For those who may still be a little puzzled by these and seem to think they're some kind of portable air conditioner... they're not. This is a smaller, updated version of the traditional "swamp cooler" that has been in use on the U.S. west coast & southwest for decades. These work great... IN DRY CLIMATES ONLY!

As a kid growing up in central California, the "swamp cooler" was our ONLY way of keeping cool during the hot, dry summers. Back then, everyone had the BIG, dish washer sized swamp coolers on their roofs or hanging out of their windows. Many people still use them to this day. So how exactly does this mini "swamp cooler" work?

Put a fan in a box. Have some little screens (cooler pads) built into the sides of the box. Pump water over the screens. When the fan blows through the wet pads, it creates a nice, cool breeze. Now, Instead of raking out big money to constantly keep the central AC blasting away, this will use the same amount of energy that a regular house fan uses... a mere 60 watts! That's about 1/5 of what an AC of the same size would use! If you have one of these running in the room were you spend most of your time... and turn the thermostat UP in the rooms that aren't being used, you can save yourself some serious money.

There are quite a few features on this version that I think are great. Remote control, timer, "swing" (shifts the air in the same manor that an oscillating fan does), as well as an emergency "BEEP!" that sounds when the water level is low. The sf-609 also has an ION air purifier feature (I honestly don't notice it one way or another). After checking out the manufacture's website, I believe the only difference between the SF-608 & SF-609 is that the 608 doesn't have the ION gizmo.

The added ice tray on top really is kind of nice too and helps to feed melted ice water over the pads. This will bring the temp down another few degrees, and every little bit helps. Having an automatic ice maker in your fridge will help keep the top tray fed. If you don't have one though, you can away make ice the old fashioned way with empty drink containers. Adding ice really isn't essential though, but it does help a little and can get you closer to AC-like coolness. Another trick I use is to put 2-1 gallon water jugs in the fridge and use them to keep my water nice and frosty.

About the only thing I don't like about this unit so far is that it's a little "plasticy" & seems kind of cheaply made. For $100, they could have made it a little more sturdy. But then, that's how it goes these days... It's pretty much (or in this case COMPLETELY) impossible to find products that are built to last. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

At any rate though, I'm happy with this purchase. I would recommend this to anyone in a dry climate who spends a lot of time in a small to medium sized bedroom.

Stay cool ;)

Honest reviews on Sunpentown SF-609 Evaporative Air Cooler with Ionizer

This unit is design for about a 12 X 12 foot room and can help a hot day be livable. Being able to add ice into the water trough and an ice pack into the top can lower the temperature 5-10 degrees (F). The only minor draw back is it increases humidity, my doctor would not call it a negative, which on an extremely hot day can make you feel sticky. This unit is really good in desert/low humidity geographic areas.

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This little baby does a fine job of cooling down a room in a dry climate. The water tank does need to bee filled quite often (every 1-2 days) and it "beeps" rather loudly five times when it is running low, which I find pretty annoying. I don't think you get much benefit form adding ice, since most of the heat loss occurs during the evaporation process (from liquid to vapor) rather than from warming ice cold water. I usually add 2-3 teaspoons of bleach per gallon of water. This does cause some chlorine odor (like at a community swimming pool), but I prefer that over having any mold, mildew or bacteria growing in the tank. The rear filter is easy to remove, but putting it back in takes some work. I'm still not convinced that the "photo-catalytic" filter piece does anything (it just looks like a regular piece of nylon mesh to me). The remote is pretty nifty (I just wish they included the two AAA batteries it requires). I also wish it would remember its last setting (Its default start setting is High Fan only, and I prefer Low-Med cool ionized air, so I have to press about five buttons every time I turn it on to get the setting I like). But all of these complaints are relatively minor. I am still pleased with my purchase and recommend this product.

Holmes HAPF30 Replace Filter Reviews

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List Price: $16.99
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Does the job. Small size fills with allergens much faster than a large unit. For the small size it works great but plan on replacing every 90 days if you use your unit constantly.

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I bought my first Holmes HEPA air filtering machine more than a decade ago, and have been satisfied enough not to have bought any other brand since then, although I have had four Holmes air filter machines since then.

The first model I bought (I think it was the 220) is apparently discontinued, but it would be no exageration to call it a life-saver. I bought my first one because I lived in a house with a HEAVY chain smoker. Even though rated for only a single small room, that little sucker grabbed enormous amounts of smoke and the white paper on the filter blackened within weeks from particulate cancer-causing material which it saved me from inhaling. The next two filter machines I bought for a house which was infested with black mold. The one closest to the worst mold area blackened very quickly, while the second one, further from the mold, only grayed somewhat in the same time period -the filter was very obviously cleaning potentially deadly black mold spores from the air.

The model I have now uses the HAPF30 replacement, and it is doing "light duty" compared to the first three I owned. I would have given this five stars except that I have the very distinct impression that this particular filter replacement is less efficient than the earlier ones I owned -the filter has grayed with use, but I don't have the impression that the color change has been due entirely to grabbing airborne pollutants; I suspect (but don't have any evidence) that the filter is catching carbon which is being blown forward by the fan or else is catching dust which the negative ions generated by the machine itself have caused to fall.

Despite my suspicion that this is less efficient than earlier models, I still rate it four stars because I know that it is filtering SOMETHING out of the air, and I trust the Holmes brand -they have earned my confidence through many years of arduous work. (I've never experienced any mechanical problems with one, either, until long, long after the warranty has expired. These things are real workhorses.) If the fans on the machines are kept to low settings they are fairly quiet, but at high speed they genrate quite a bit of noise, which can be a blessing in itself since the machine can act as a "white noise" generator to mask *noise* pollution, too.

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This Holmes filter was exactly what I needed for my air purifier. I use my machine daily & I recently couldn't find the filter in any local stores. It works wonderfully.

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I RECIEVED THE WRONG PRODUCT. THE PIC DISPLAYED FOR THE PRODUCT IS CORRECT BUT WHAT I RECIEVED IS TO SMALL AND DOESNT FIT AT ALL. I RECIEVED A 16216/HRF-C1/HAPF30 WHEN THE PIC DISPLAYED IA A HAPF30 HEPA-TYPE A FILTER HAS 3 CROSS BARS AND 2 HINGES FOR ATTACHING TO BASE UNIT.

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It's roughly the same size as my old one. On my old one there are slots for a bracket to hold the filter in place. This one doesn't have that. The other thing is that the material on the intake side is different than is shown in the picture. It comes black, and is really rough. The one displayed is an off white color so you can tell when the filter is dirty. This one I suppose I can just guess? Air doesn't move the fastest through it either. My old dirty one moves as about as much as the new one.

Cheap Boveda One Step EZ Humidor Seasoning Packet

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I liked the simplicity of using these for the seasoning process on my humidor. YOu simply oder the proper number of packets, drop them in and wait 14 days. The downside is the 14 day waiting period. For myself it was no problem since I was traveling extensively and could wait, but if you were in a hurry more traditional seasoning methods would have been much more effective and quicker.

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The Boveda Seasoning Packets are perfect for easily seasoning your humidor. I have seasoned 3 humidors so far with perfect results. Just make sure you use the correct number for your size humidor. This can easily be found on the Boveda website. I also highly recommend using the Boveda Humidity Packets to keep your humidor at optimum humidity after the seasoning.

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I have a couple of small, wooden humidors. For years I have been fighting a losing battle trying to keep my cigars fresh. A few months ago I received an expensive box of cigars as a gift and, true to form, they have gradually been getting dry after using those "pillow packs" that you dunk in distilled water. After reading on the subject in some online cigar forums I decided to take action! First of all I didn't know it was necessary to season a wooden humidor. I bought one 84% seasoning pack, a dozen of the 72% packs, and a digital hygrometer. I began with my Fireside Desktop humidor from Cigar.com. Throwing the hygrometer in there with my cigars and pillow packs showed the humidity was 45%. Dry as a box of Triscuits! I took the stale cigars out and put the 84% Boveda pack inside. After a week I took a quick peek at the hygrometer which read 65%. Today was Day 14 and I opened the lid. The Hygrometer indicated 69% humidity, just like the Boveda instructional video claims (68-70% after 14 days). Now I'm going to put my cigars inside with a couple of 72% packs, since they're so dry to start.

One thing I learned from the cigar forums is that you can regenerate the Boveda packs when they're dried up. You can't soak them in water, but you put them in a humid environment such as suspending them above a pot of hot water for several hours. The Boveda folks don't advocate this practice, probably because it suppresses sales, but the cigar aficionados say it works great.

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A perfect product for humidor seasoning and a great seller. I recommend the seller and the product for your cigar needs.

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My humidor is always constant at 80% because of this. It's a 100-150 cigar humidor so I put 2 packs in after wiping down with water and it has remained constant for several months.

ProTec Humidifier Tank Cleaning Cartridge Reviews

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I'm a medical professional and Mom of 3 kids. I researched this product extensively before using it. I thought I would share what I found: A clinical study was conducted in 2006, which showed this product was extremely effective at killing germs and mold in humidifiers (Journal of Water and Health, vol 4.2, 2006). Also, it's shown to be very safe and 100% natural (based on natural silver technology...the active ingredient in the cartridge is actually used in many drinking water filters found at the "big box" stores.) One point to mention: it doesn't remove minerals. If you get stains in your humidifier from iron in your water you'll need a demineralization product for that (or use filtered or distilled water). I use it and highly recommend it.

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At the end of the winter season when most of us use a humidifier, we must face the daunting task of cleaning the humidifier before storing it (until next winter).

If you have been conscientious about using a water anti-bacterial additive once a week, then the end of the season cleaning job will not be "too" bad. If not, well, this chore will be more demanding and time-consuming.

This is the first year I have used this product. It is a plastic cage that holds chemicals which promise to keep your humidifier clean. You simply put this thing in your humidifier water tank and the miracle happens. The manufacturer recommends replacing it every month or so. I bought two for our 4 month humidifier/winter season. That seems adequate.

This item looks like something we used to put in our dishwasher to keep the water from spotting... although I am sure the chemicals inside this thing are different.

Anyway, you want to know if it works and is it worth the price.

Yes it works. My humidifier IS cleaner than what it would be without it. Is it worth the price? That depends on the value you put on your time and how hard you are willing to work at the end of the humidifier season to the task of cleaning your humidifier before storing it. I think this "ProTec" product will make the job of cleaning your humidifier very fast and easy. Is that worth $10? That is up to you. What makes this a good investment is knowing your humidifier is being KEPT clean during the months you are using it.

Would I buy this "ProTec PC cleaning cartridge" next year? Yes, I would.

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These work great. I find I don't have to change the filter or clean the humidifier as often as I do without using one of these. I feel they are worth it.

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I went through a LOT of expensive filters before I found these little gems. I was doubtful at first if they would help, but after I put them in all three of my humidifiers, every single one now goes much longer without me having to replace the filter. Definitely worth the cost.

Works as advertised from my experience.

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We've been using these for the last two years in my dad's Vicks humidifier (that we connect to a mask that goes around his tracheostomy). Since he has an open tracheostomy, it's important to us that the moisture remains clean. So far so good no sign of green mold in the humidifier in the years we use it. We do change the clearning cartirdige every 4-6 weeks and we protect the bulk of the humidifier from sunlight so that may be helping to prevent bacterial or fungal growth.

Reviews of Air-O-Swiss Refurbished U650 Ultrasonic Humidifier - Warm and Cool

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Its a good product. I've had a number of humidifiers in my life. This one is pretty good. I would not have purchased unless it was the refurbished price. Full price it too much.

I live in AZ and its low humidity. Be ready to fill the tank every 2 days.

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I bought this humidifier to replace another Air-O-Swiss we had. The previous model was great, but we have hard water and it made a mess and finally ruined our machine. I tried to keep up with cleanings, but it was inevitable that it got all gunked up. The machine was great though for its output of mist. With this new machine I have vowed to only use distilled water. A month into it and no white film anywhere. The machine runs like a dream and looks brand new even after a month. It is worth every penny to put in distilled water. I worried about about buying a refurbished machine, but so far, so good.

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It was the first time I bought a refurbished item so I was hesitant ay first. Luckily the item held up to the expectations. I've had it for more than 3 months and continues to perform well.

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Was worried about spending this kind of money for a humidifier, especially a refurbished one. So far I haven't had any issues, works great, no white dust or soaked floors. I was a little proactive though, using my PUR water filter to filter the water, even though the water here is very good. Also I placed a small fan right next to the humidifier pointed up, to help disperse the water vapor better.

Best Boston Floor-Upright Space Heater, White (25986) Deals

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It's as cold as a meat locker where I work. I even had maint. come and close the 4 vents around my desk and still froze. I had a little heater but I could set it chest high, 6 inches from me and I'd still have to wear a snuggie! This heater is FANTASTIC!!! It warms the entire area, and I've found myself turning it down and eventually off, because I feel like I'm in a rotisserie.

It works great, it's small and compact, and it's not loud and annoying! GET ONE! :)

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This worked well with 5 days/week use for a few years. I like that you can lay the heater on its side to heat more floor area. However, recently as I've been laying it down for floor heat, it has been making a lot of noise. About 2-3 weeks later, it just doesn't work at all anymore. Too bad.

It's not the best heater I've ever used (I'm usually either cold or too hot with this heater no good medium), but it's pretty good.

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This little heater is powerful enough to heat a small room in a very short amount of time. I have used many space heaters and this is easily one of the best. The only drawback is that it is somewhat louder than others in its class but what you get in heat makes up for the noise. I recommend this product and would definitely purchase again.

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Heater is very small, with minimal heat output. Might be appropriate for a bathroom. We bought this heater for a 110-sq-feet room in a basement. Not all the walls are insulated, but all the walls are underground and/ or insulated. Can't feel any difference, even with the heater on its highest.

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Bought this so I could stay warm at my desk at work because our office seems to be located in Antarctica some days. It's a nice, small unit but it's powerful. I never have to put it on the high setting for the fan because of that. The cord is a decent length. Perfect for under a desk or cubicle.