Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135
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Our Price: $179.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $99.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135
Customer Review: I just don't know what is so difficult
Summary: 2 Stars
Why can't anyone make a reliable humidifier? The AOS7135 puts out a nice stream of warm mist but every other day we were removing white dust from every imaginable surface in our bedroom. I've had ultrasonic humidifiers in the past and none put out that much white dust unless they lacked a filter. The solution by some people has been to use distilled water. Given that this unit costs a lot to maintain (demineralization cartridges and silver ion sticks), spending .89 to $1.88 a day on water is outrageous.
Also, the humidity indicator is worthless. It never went higher than 26% no matter the humidity in the room (other manufacturers' humidifiers I've owned were within 5% of the actual room humidity). That means the humidifier will never turn off. I put a digital hygrometer at the back of the humidifier near the holes that sense the humidity and it read 38% at the same time the humidifier read 26%. If I put a warm wet cloth near the holes in the back of the humidifier the humidity went up to 51% in a few seconds. It works, it is just not sensitive enough to accurately sense the humidity in the room.
So the salesperson at Bed, Bath and Beyond, who seemed very knowledgeable, and the customer support person at AOS both suggested I get a new unit, which I did. Same exact problem. The humidity indicator on the newer unit would never go higher than 30%. Since you cannot set the humidity level on the humidifier lower than 40%, once again, it would never automatically shut off.
I just got a third unit to see if its humidity indicator will work-- it doesn't. When I told customer service about this, I was told to expect that the humidity indicator would be 15 - 20% off the actual humidity level in the room. So why have it and make the consumer pay for it when it is not accurate?
A major bit of poor customer service values: ***WARNING*** - if the warranty card is not sent in within 10 days of purchase, the warranty is voided.
If AOS could manufacture a unit with a reliable humidity indicator and use a demineralization cartridge that worked, I'd highly recommend this humidifier. Clearly, I can't do that now but I'll ultimately keep it because its performance is typical of other ultrasonic humidifiers. Mediocre.
***Update*** I found a water store near me where the cost of a gallon of mineral-free water is .69/gal. As much as I hate spending yet more money on the humidifier, for the sake of our lungs and furniture (and everything else in our room), I decided to start using purified water.
Customer Review: I really wanted to like this unit more, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
After having my eye on this particular model for over a year, but not wanting to spend the $160 it retails for at our local Bed Bath and Beyond, I was ecstatic to find it on their clearance cart for $67 (after coupon). Apparently someone had returned it, and the cashier told me I could return it if I didn't work for us.
Well, now I think I can see why it was returned. It seems to work fine and really cranks out the mist, but hasn't done anything to raise humidity in the bedroom where it's located. We have a humidstat in the room which has been parked at 35% even after running the Air-O-Swiss for several days. I've also noticed "white dust" starting to accumulate on my black computer printer - not good. Also, the humidstat on the unit itself only hovers between 25-26%, which makes me wonder if that's why it was returned. I can live with that, but I can't live with it not raising the humidity AND leaving white dust on my electronics.
I also plunked down another $20 for the replacement demineralization granules and EZ-Cal cleaner, so I could see where maintaining this could get expensive, as I didn't even replace the silver ion stick (another $20).
I was previously using a Vicks/Kaz VS150 which I purchased for $18.99 at our local CVS store. Now I know why our moms used these basic steam vaporizers when we were young - they worked and were a lot less expensive. Placed in the same location, it got the room humidity up to 54% at one point compared to 35% for the Air-O-Swiss. Air-O-Swiss has the advantage in features, capacity and noise level, but the Vicks does what it's supposed to do - raise the humidity!
At this point, I'm looking at returning the Air-O-Swiss and going back to the Vicks. It does a much better job of raising the humidity, is much lower maintenance and leaves no white dust. It's also much easier to fill with a pitcher as opposed to carrying the Air-O-Swiss tank to the bathtub faucet.
In this case, at least for me anyway, basic is better.
UPDATE 6/27/2009: Using distilled water makes a world of difference, as in no more white dust. Fortunately, our next door neighbors had a Kenmore distiller they were no longer using and let us borrow it indefintely. Yes, it adds a few extra steps to fill the distiller and then transfer the distilled water to the Air-O-Swiss, but it is worth it as I was ready to list it on eBay because it generated so much white dust. It also makes the unit almost maintenance-free as required cleaning is minimal now.
Customer Review: how I use this humidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
It's been about 3 years since the first air o swiss. Before, I used Kaz humidifier for the quietest fan, but its filter became slimy. I also used some name brand steam producer but its round pad (which absorbs the minerals in the water) became too crusty too quickly, and even timely changes did not help with having to clean the crud off too often.
First off, the silver stick in aos really works. Together with its water filter, I cleaned the unit twice or 3 times as recommended in the beginning and then stopped cleaning it altogether. Just check the body of the reservoir for crusty deposits or slime with your finger every few water fills. I did not feel anything until yesterday when I found that the original silver stick was finally worn out. That is at least two and half heating seasons.
You do not have to change the silver stick every year. I use it for my children and wife when they sleep. The house has hot air heating and some sort of humidification was necessary in winter. I start the unit when the heating at night becomes necessary (northeast NJ) and stop using it when heating season is over. I start with fresh filter cartridge every heating season. The water around here is also soft. I just ordered refill box of filter granules to save money.
I clean the units (have 2) before they are put away for the year. I used to clean them with half/half mix of water and vinegar. AOS says their cleaning powder is a must, but vinegar solution has worked as well. There really isn't that much to clean anyway. I called them to see if they approve the vinegar solution, but they never answered back. I guess they want to keep you in dark. However, I bought the powder this year, feeling a bit generous for the units that served well so far.
AOS is expensive, and it seems some people did not have good experiences with them. As for me, I shop around for lowest price (including shipping). For example, Acehardware is selling accessories at fairly low price and with free shipping. The Allergybuyersclub, another example, does not sell refill granules. Buying from Amazon's list of seller also helps, I believe, because you have the power of being able to review. Keep the receipt and if the thing breaks (it will break soon if it is defective), return it with the Amazon's generous policy. Don't laugh at my praise of Amazon, I know. But the Amazon in my pocket is a huge peace of mind.
I give 4 stars for fairly expensive filter and not being able to fill from the top. Hope this helps.
Customer Review: Dissapointing: Does not increase humidity beyond 20 -27%
Summary: 2 Stars
Having tried Enviracare humidifier which did not raise humidity levels in my NYC apartment I bought AOS 7135 at Bed Bath after having read all the great reviews. I was disappointed to find out that it does not even work in small apartments of NYC and did not raise humidity levels beyond 20% when it is cold outside and the heater is on. The very reason to buy an expensive humidifier is to raise the humidity levels in the dry winter months to a comfortable 40-45% level.
I was apprehensive about the white dust mentioned in some of the prior posts. Suprisingly I saw no white dust at all however the humidifier does not work well in my living room, which is well within the sq. ft that company claims for the product. It works fine in my tiny bedroom (15.5 X 10) if I keep the bedroom door closed and the bathroom door closed. It was able to achieve the 45% humidity levels that I desired and set in the bedroom. I also have a separate digital hygrometer that measures humidity and temperature levels. But in my living room the best it got was 20% when it was cold outside and the heater was on. If I turned the heater off the best it could get was 27% which is still dry. 40%-45% is the desirable and recommended humidity levels. Even last week, the weather outside has been gorgeous and my heater has been off for more than a week and I had the humidifier going full blast 24/ 7 and the humidity level shown on AOS and my separate digital hygrometer never rose above 27%. I have pretty good insulation in my apartment and no windows had been opened. The humidifier was placed in the center of the room per company specifications. I called the company 2 weeks ago and they gave me steps to reset the humidifier but that did not work. Called them again and they had no answers. So I am going to return it to Bed Bath. I am disappointed that they claim it works for 600 sq ft and yet that does not seem to be true.
Other than the very important criteria that it does not raise humidity levels beyond 20% when heater is on, I had to fill the tank every 10 hrs since I had it set at high in an effort to increase humidity. Wish for this price they would make something that actually raised the humidity levels at least to 45% and also where the tank would last at least for 24 hrs. On the plus side, it is very quiet, I saw no white dust and it is fairly easy to clean. Too bad that for the price it fails to deliver on what it is supposed to do for the sq footage that the company claims.
Customer Review: Nice, if you don't have carpeting and high ceilings apparently
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this, on sale at BB&B, based on its #1 ranking in Consumer Reports and reviews on Amazon. I have problems with dry sinuses in the winter and my doc recommended a humidifier.
It was relatively easy to set up, but don't plan to use it right away - you have to soak one part for 24 hours!!!! I loved(notice the past tense) the design, digital humidity display and the various push button adjustments that you could make. Here are my problems with this product:
(1) The aforementioned 24 hours before you can use it. That info should be displayed on the box, not after you buy it.
(2) It did leave a white powdery residue everywhere.
(3) Never achieved humidity level higher than 35%, despite following all of the instructions to the letter.
I sent an email to the company, asking what the problem was, but no reply yet. I talked to a customer service rep yesterday and explained that I couldn't get it above 35% (supposedly it can achieve whatever you set it at in a 650 sq foot room)
She ran me thru the various issues for setting up, which I explained I had followed to the letter. Then the SHOCK - Do I have carpeted floors? Well, yes, I replied, many people do (and that wasn't one of the trouble-shooting questions in the back, by the way). She told me that if you have carpeted floors, it will be harder to achieve the 45% humidity level I was looking for. Seriously?
Next - Do I have high ceilings...yes, I do in that room, but it is still not even close to the 650 square feet, and since I have white residue everywhere, one would think that the mist is settling lower than those ceilings...
She suggested I move it to different places in the room. I did that last night and managed a paltry 28% humidity. I even closed the door, as she suggested...but it was the worst showing so far.
So I returned it this morning and went in search of the #2 on Consumer Reports list - the Sunpentown SU 4010. Couldn't find it, and I ordered it from Amazon today. Went out and bought a cheap replacement until it gets here.
I recommend this product if you don't have high ceilings, carpeting, want your door closed and don't mind the white residue (in fairness, there is a "workaround" for that, but I never got to it.
If you have any of the above, stay tuned and I'll let you know how the 2nd one does. I also ordered something to measure the humidity in the room..just to be sure.