Vornado Evap40 4-Gallon Evaporative Humidifier

If you want a good reliable humidifier for your space this is the one to buy. I wanted an evaporative humidifier for a number of reasons: they don't produce a residue like the ultrasonic humidifiers and cool/warm mist humidifiers can. They won't over-humidify a space like the other types can -- air will only take on as much humidity as it can hold, and evaporation slows the closer the air gets its potential saturation level. And to ensure that over-humidification doesn't happen this humidifier also features a humidistat that will switch the unit off if the humidity exceeds the level where you set it. I bought my Vornado three years ago because it's such a simple design. The top fan unit, 2 water supply jugs, the reservoir pan, and wicks. Nothing fancy at all, just like the best evaporative humidifiers I've used in the past. As far as I'm concerned the simpler the design the less chance of something breaking. At the lowest two fan speeds the unit makes hardly any noise. Even the highest fan speed I don't think it is overly loud -- I sleep fine with it running in my bedroom. My recommendations for this humidifier: Purchase a humidity meter to monitor the levels in the room so you can better dial-in the Vornado's humidistat to your preference. Use distilled water. You don't have to, the humidifier works fine with regular tap water. But in the long run distilled water will give much better and consistent results. Have at least one if not two new wick sets sitting in reserve. That way when you have to replace them you can do so right away, then order another replacement. To combat/prevent bacterial growth -- use copper. Don't waste money on additives to combat bacteria. Copper works great as an antimicrobial and keeps bacterial growth in check (that is, zero). Preferably copper mesh (usually available through garden stores), but pennies will work fine (wash them clean before using them). The problem with pennies is, over time, the copper plating will get 'used up' and then it'll be the zinc core exposed to the water (this took about a year when I first used them). Zinc is supposedly antimicrobial as well, but I didn't want to chance it, and copper-less pennies look disgusting :) . I have a six-inch strip of copper mesh in each water jug. I have never had issues with bacterial growth in the jugs nor in the reservoir nor on the wicks while using copper as an antimicrobial. Regularly clean your Vornado, including vacuuming off any accumulated dust. Be especially diligent if you use only tap water and not distilled water because limescale will accumulate in the pan and on the outer surfaces of the water jugs. I run mine 24/7, except when its humidistat setting shuts it down or while cleaning the unit. The humidistat is sort of finicky, it's not really "exact" so much as the best way to set it is if the room is too humid, turn the humidistat until the unit powers down, then wait. I realized I had to finesse the setting over a period of days, fiddling between shutting down and turning on, until I got it set just right. Once I did get it dialed in I never had to worry about it again. I recommend purchasing a humidity monitor if you really want to watch those levels. For those first three years I used tap water, which works fine. However my tap water has a high mineral content, which means the evaporative wicks harden with limescale rather quickly -- as in a matter of days. At first I was rotating wicks once a week -- I'd have one pair of wicks working, then swap it out and soak the wick in vinegar water to disperse the minerals, rinse it out, then swap it back in the following week while I de-scaled the second wick pair. Problem is, over time, the wicks deteriorate from the vinegar soak cycles. As in they start falling apart. They re-mineralize quicker the older they get. And the ability to control mineralization continues to deteriorate over time. I purchased new wicks every three months just to keep up with the deterioration. I finally decided to switch to distilled water. The humidifier uses about 2 gallons of water a day so purchasing distilled water off-the-shelf is not an option, that's too expensive. I purchased a home distiller and distill 2 gallons of water a day. I also purchased an empty 2.5 gallon jug to have 2 gallons of distilled water ready for when one of the Vornado jugs empties. I fill the Vornado jug, then distill more water into the 2.5 gallon jug. Sure, it's a little extra work, but the benefits outweigh the inconvenience. One month after the switch to distilled water the humidifier wicks have remained supple, they are not mineralizing at all. To be honest I'm not sure when I'm going to have to replace the wicks, I've been running the same filter set for a month and they're doing great. I'm sure, over time, I'll figure it out. Already I can see I'm on track to saving a lot of $$ not having to replace two pairs of wicks every three months. Home-distilled water is a lot cheaper than purchasing it off-the-shelf. It is definitely worth the added cost to purchase a small home distiller. I know my distiller will pay for itself in less than a year compared to what I was paying for replacement wicks and vinegar. I am on my second Vornado EVAP40. The first one died after three years of constant use. The power-cord wire corroded with oxidation inside the unit which increased the resistance on the AC wire until it cooked its insulation and the unit quit working. I contacted Vornado customer service and explained the situation. I sent them the pictures they requested. Vornado honored their 5-year warranty and sent me a brand-new unit. Vornado is amazing and stands by their product, I have nothing but good things to say about them, their customer service, and this humidifier. If my unit had been out of warranty I would have purchased another one anyhow because it is that good compared to all the other humidifiers I've tried over the years.

Humidificador lo estaba utilizando en mi recámara. Los resultados fueron muy malos. Terminé regalándolo.

There is really no assembly. After you remove the packaging it is already assembled in the box. Because it is evaporative rather than cool mist, it does a much better job, and no risk of white deposits all over your furniture. Filling is easy, and I have been running it continuously with only the need to fill one of the two tanks daily. It preferentially depletes one tank before starting on the other. There is a fan, so there is some noise, but it’s white noise and I don’t notice it. (Same level of noise as my Honeywell air purifier.) It is twice the size of a cool mist humidifier, so it is about as big as anyone would stand for as a tabletop item. But, being evaporative, it does not need to produce a directed stream, so you can actually put it anywhere and get the health effect you need. My only (minor) issue is that the construction means that all four sides need to be about 6 to 12 inches from a wall in order to permit filling and proper air circulation without having to be constantly moving it. I love this thing.

I did a lot of research before replacing my 4 year old dead humidifier. I find it very annoying that things are built to fail after the warranty is up. We love our Vornado humidifier. No LEDs to fizzle out after a year. No lugging jugs of water to pour down a spout. This product is easy to use and easy to clean. It is far quieter than our last dud. I love the two large containers that are easy to remove and fill. We have no trouble placing the containers back in, no spilling. It does glug now and then. A non issue for us. The fan is quiet. On the first level I can hardly hear the fan. On the third setting the fan is noticeable but not interfering with the T.V. or conversations. Also the wicks (filters) aren't expensive to replace. This humidifier is far and above our favorite. Love it!

I am in love with this humidifier! I have lived in dry climates for the past 20 years, both in Colorado and Arizona. I have tried many different humidifiers and they all had problems: they were hard to clean, made dust over everything, didn't accurately control the humidity in the air. This Vornado is the best of the best! I highly recommend it for the following reasons: 1) It keeps my home, and especially my bedroom just the right humidity. It is easy to adjust. At night, I close the door and set it to just humidify my bedroom. In the day, I open the door and turn the fan on high to humidify the rest of my 950 sq. ft. apartment. It does a fine job! I have humidistats in each room to verify the humidity level. Plus, I can tell because my home is more comfortable and no static electricity. 2) It is so quiet! I really don't understand those who say otherwise. I sleep like a baby with it running right next to my bed. 3) It takes tap water. No expense of constantly buying distilled water. 4) No dust! This is a huge plus for me! It is so clean! 5) It is easy to clean. No small crevices and crannies where mold could grow like other humidifiers. Clean, flat lines. So well-designed. 6) It is easy to fill and when full lasts 5-7 days. Again, great design! I am a 73-year-old woman, and I can fill and carry each jug by myself. The jugs are designed to fill and load easily with no spillage and no mess. It is worth every penny. I have never been happier with a humidifier, and I can tell a difference in my dry eyes, sinuses, and skin. Thank you, Vornado, for making such an excellent product.