Having been directed to an evaporative type humidifier, I became intrigued with the basic design of the Venta and AirOSwiss models. Both use fans to draw air over water, with turning discs passing through the water with tiny grooves and bumps on the discs to vastly increase the surface area over which the water evaporates. No heat to worry about drying out and automatically shutting off, and no bubbling water from a warm mist unit. Also, no droplets of water accumulating on nearby carpet or furniture as you would see with an ultrasonic humidifier. Also, no swampy mold accumulating in the 'swamp style' Honeywell unit that uses a wicking method to draw the water up into a sponge to then be evaporated, leaving a wet sponge to grow all kinds of stuff. The pros and cons are pretty clear:
Pros: No heat to worry about if the unit runs drythe fan keeps running but so what? It's just a fan; also no to worry about overheating when it runs dry, no ultrasonic misting to leave water droplets on carpet/furniture, easy to clean, no filters to be replaced. No wicking sponge, so the discs are easily removed and cleaned and no 'swamp thing' accumulating in the wet wicking sponge as in other units. Also the water seems to trap small air particles so that there is an actual cleaning function. Air is drawn IN through the TOP of the unit, blows over the plastic turning discs, and comes out the sides.
Cons: Evaporative, which means it cools (fine for the desert country, not so good in winter in the Midwest), no heating, and the fill valve on the water tank is the stupidest location you can imagine, so that at best you can fill it only 3/4 full. Also, it won't shut off when water runs out, so power will be consumed with no humidification happening. See below for the one last 'con' relating to the warranty.
The other con: They SAY on their website they have a 10 year warranty, yet when I got this thing from Bed Bath and Beyond the plastic shaft inside had corroded over time and was crumbling. It was a major effort to get these guys to agree to replace it. It is NOT SAID on their warranty, but apparently the 10 year warranty does not apply to the rotating disc set (surprise!) inside. I told them they had better put that in writing if they don't want to tick off a lot more customers other than me. They eventually replaced it but it took a number of emails and phone calls, so this is not exactly the fastest responding company I've seen. Also note, the 10 year warranty does NOT apply to the water tank and its part . . .that's only 3 months.
For or more, the above limitations cut it to a 3 star, even though it's a reliable humidifier that cranks out the humidity from the unit with no filters and very little maintenance. As a personal aside, I can't stand the reviews which deride humidifiers because their hygrometers show no change. Humidifiers can only be evaluated by how quickly they put water into the air . . . the ultimate humidity change in a space is dependent on the room's air flow, items of absorbency, and atmospheric conditionsnone of which are in the control of a humidifier! This item definitely puts out the water into the air.
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I've been an Amazon customer for years and have never written a review until now.
I purchased this unit less than two years ago. It now sits on the sidewalk, waiting for the garbage man to pick it up. How did it come to this?
The first day it arrived I put it together, turned it on, and a loud clacking noise came from within. Disheartened, I called the company, who misdiagnosed the problem and offered to send a new part. After studying the workings of the unit, I made an adjustment to the "pre-assembled" hub, and the clacking went away. So it worked. For a while. I called them and cancelled the part.
After a few months of use, it started rattling intermittently. This never stopped, I just got used to it.
A few months after that, I turned the unit on and, nothing. Wait. A. Few. Minutes. And it turns on. Not sure why, but, okay, fine, now I have to wait 5 or so minutes for it to turn on after I, er, turn it on.
Winter ended. I cleaned the unit and put it safely away.
The next winter came and I brought it down, filled it up and turned it on. A half-hour later I noticed a pool of water had formed around the unit. Upon further inspection, I noticed the tank was leaking from the seams of the (poorly designed) water-tank. But there's a warranty!
I called the company, and explained that the adhesive had come undone and water was leaking out of the seam. She told me that no, there was a hairline crack in the tank, caused by me, and it wasn't covered by warranty. But I could buy a replacement tank for $30. I also mentioned the rattling. She said it was caused by something else I did, but I could buy replacements for that. Finally, I told her about the delay in power-on. This is the doozy she told me: It was sensing the humidity. It turned on when the air needed it.
Ha!
I should have stopped there. Maybe argued with her. Asked to speak to her manager. But at this point, what's another $30 after spending $240. I begrudgingly ordered the tank and dealt with the unit's rattling and its newfound "humidity-sensing" powers.
A few months later, I caught the unmistakable smell of melting electronics. You guessed it, the AIR-O-SWISS 2055 had finally given up the goat. A little over a year of use and it was kaput.
Not having any luck with their "customer service" representatives over the phone last time, I thought I would write to them through their website. I found the proper form and filled it out, spending a lot of time and thought detailing all that had happened since the purchase of their product (which was still under warranty).
I never heard back from them.
The AIR-O-SWISS 2055 stayed in our apartment for a few months after this, gathering dust. I intended to call, or write a follow-up, or thought maybe, *gasp* they would answer my initial claim. None of this ever happened.
This is one of the worst products from an awful company with the most terrible customer service I have ever had the misfortune to come across. Unless you're a wealthy masochist who wants to pay top dollar for shoddy goods and condescending customer service, avoid this--and anything made by AIR-O-SWISS--at all costs.
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I received this from Bed Bath & Beyond tonight and I just got it up and running. They did not have this model on display at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I did not quite have a chance to see this on display before buying. And I traded in an Air O Swiss 7135 humidifier for this, and I am not sure if that was a wise decision.
I am giving this unit 3 stars for now... But if I do not like the performance after trying this for a week, I will return this unit without any hesitation.
Why did I buy this unit? Several reasons.
1 My experience with the Air O Swiss 7135 humidifer overall was not-so-bad. I owned a Venta humidifier and that turned out to be a disaster.
2 The 10 year warranty. I reckoned anything with a 10 year warranty must be well-built and durable. At first glance, this unit does not see too durable. Not sure if this unit will last 10 years as touted.
3 The air cleaning function. My wife is having a baby very soon, so I figured something to clean the air would be useful.
4 This unit does not require much spending in terms of replace parts and the such. There is no filter to replace. You only need to replace the silver ionizer stick once a year.
My gripes.
1. The unit is BULKY. It's almost bulbous in shape. And it's not too light either. I think the UPS mailing invoice said the package weighed over 20 lbs.
2. This unit operates using a fan. That means some users may find this unit noisy, especially when running on high. (Two settings available.)
3. The water container is too small compared to the overall size of the unit and it is very cumberson to use and fill up. First, the cap is located on the side of the container. WHY? It is awkward to hold the container as you fill it on its side. Second, the container is IMPOSSIBLE to fill up fully. I spilled water trying to fill this up and I was only successful in getting it filled maybe 80% or so. The container is shaped in an awkward way making it impossible to fill up fully. Third, as you try to put back the container into the unit upright, there is water leakage. The spring equipped water spout which feeds the unit water could use better washers for sealing. I am disappointed that a unit that costs as much as this has such shoddy craftsmanship/design.
4. The humidification discs seem difficult to clean and not too durable. They will crack if I drop them. That is a given. They have slits, grooves, and crevices built into them. I am not looking forward to the prospect of using a brush to get all the debris out. No wonder Air O Swiss sells the humidification discs as a spare part.
Honest reviews on AIR-O-SWISS 2055 Ionizing Air Washer & Humidifier
I purchased this humidifier online from the Air-o-Swiss website. It arrived clearly misassembled and damaged. I can't believe they didn't look in the box before shipping it to me (the IRS could straighten these guys out, too). After figuring out what was wrong, I sent emails with photos and explanations, had many discussions, and was told they would get back to me. They never did and are now after 30 days refusing to let me return the unit. After repairing it myself, it doesn't produce enough humidity to get a forced-air heated room up to 30% RH (45% is recommended). It does evaporate the whole reservoir overnight, so I think the problem is simply that it only holds one gallon. Need a larger reservoir, but the problem there is you have to fill it. Also, a humidistat is a must-have. As a sidenote, if you need to get a separate hygrometer, go digital, analogs are inaccurate no matter how often you calibrate them. Finally, my best advice is just get a furnace-mounted whole house unit and skip these portable units if you're looking to increase humidity by more than a few percent.
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For details, including photos of the internal workings of this evaporative humidifier, look for the 2055 AirOSwiss reviews done elsewhere on Amazon which has plenty of images of the inner workings. To summarize, it's an evaporative humidifier which works by drawing air in through the top via a fan then over a disk pack of about 10 slowly rotating plastic disks which dip into a pool of water, then the air exits the side carrying the humidified air.
Pros: No heated element to worry about overheating when it runs dry, no ultrasonic misting to leave water droplets on carpet/furniture, easy to clean, no filters to be replaced.
Cons: Evaporative which means it cools (fine for the desert country, not so good in winter in the Midwest), no heating, and the fill valve on the water tank is the stupidest location you can imagine, so that at best you can fill it only 3/4 full.
The other con: They SAY on their website they have a 10 year warranty, yet when I got this thing from Bed Bath and Beyond the plastic shaft inside had corroded from time and was crumbling. It was a major effort to get these guys to agree to replace it. It is NOT SAID on their warranty, but apparently the 10 year warranty does not apply to the rotating disc set (surprise!). I told them they had better put that in writing if they don't want to tick off a lot more customers other than me. They eventually replaced it. Also note, the 10 year warranty does NOT apply to the water tank and its part . . .that's only 3 months.
For $260 bucks or more, the above limitations cut it to a 3 star, even though it's a reliable humidifier that cranks out the humidity from the unit with no filters and very little maintenance. As a personal aside, I can't stand the reviews which deride humidifiers because their hygrometers show no change. Humidifiers can only be evaluated by how quickly they put water into the air . . . the ultimate humidity change is depending on the room's air flow, items of absorbency, and atmospheric conditionsnone of which are in the control of a humidifier!
