Duracraft DWM250 2-1/2-Gallon Warm-Mist Humidifier
by Duracraft
|
Our Price: $47.88 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Duracraft DWM250 2-1/2-Gallon Warm-Mist Humidifier
Customer Review: Ahhh...finally some peace and quiet...
Summary: 5 Stars
The last time I had a steam vaporizer type humidifier was when I was an infant suffering from a chest cold. Since then I have had a variety of those ultrasonic types. I'm glad I was able to return to the old tried and true steam version at last.
First and foremost, this steam vaporizer humidifier is EXTREMELY quiet. At its LOW setting I can not hear it running. On the HIGH setting one can hear a very pleasant sort of low volume white noise like distant rain falling which I found will actually help me fall asleep faster! On both settings there is an occasional gurgle sound as water leaves the reserve tank and refills the tank that holds the water to be boiled. It's virtually unnoticeable.
This humidifier can easily be dissembled into several pieces for cleaning which might take you, at most, about 20 minutes of your time every few weeks or so. However, I've been using filtered water from a Brita pitcher in it and it has not needed any cleaning now after almost two months of use.
The nice thing about this unit is its simplicity of construction. There is no motor powered fan in it that can eventually malfunction or begin to make noise when its bearing lubricants fail. The steam it produces simply rises out of the top to humidify an area of up to 700 square feet which is about one or two average sized rooms. It is perfect for a bedroom.
It's tank of water will easily last for 12 hours on the LOW setting and will get you through most of the night if set on HIGH. No need to worry in the event that you run out of water during the night...the device will automatically shut itself off if that happens.
However, don't expect it to work immediately. On LOW it will take about ten minutes before the steam is being produced. On HIGH it will take about five minutes. After steam is being produced on either setting, you will still need about another ten minutes or so before you can "feel" the improved humidity in the air you are breathing...a small price to pay for the restful quiet and many years of reliable performance this device will provide you with. I doubt if I ever had an ultrasonic humidifier that lasted more than two years.
You will be glad you got this device...I was and will never go back to the old ultrasonic humidifiers again.
Customer Review: Duracraft humidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this humidifier in March, after having suffered through too many dry winter nights. Now I really wish I'd bought one sooner! For $25, it's a relatively painless purchase, and it's made quite a difference in my comfort while sleeping - less stuffy noses and fewer nose bleeds.
It's not super fancy, but it makes steam, which is really all I wanted in a humidifier. We tend to use it by turning it on high a little before bed, and then turning it down to low before sleeping (on high, it won't make it through the night - which is too bad, but something I planned on when purchasing a humidifier of this size). Doing things this way, we use about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the tank each night.
Yes, you have to fill it every night, but it's really quite painless to do. The tank detaches, you fill it, you pop it back on. Easy! And yes, you do have to press the little "start" switch, but it's seriously half a second's worth of "extra work" - not the major issue some reviewers have made it out to be. I saw a review that suggested it was hard to know when the machine was on, particularly in the dark - but I think it's actually quite easy. When the humidifier is on, the light comes on. If for some reason your light was defective, it only takes a moment for the machine to make some steaming sounds, and every now and then, the water burbles. (This was slightly startling at first, but now I find it kind of comforting.) Also, you can easily feel the steam with your hand over the machine if you give it a moment to get started. Basically, if you have turned the dial to "low" or "high" and pressed down the "start" switch, the humidifier is working. That's really not so hard!
Definitely clean the unit periodically, as instructed by the manual. We didn't at first, and the mineral buildup and sediment was kind of...really icky.
Overall, this is an inexpensive humidifer which makes steam and works through the night on a low setting, which is what I wanted and expected from this purchase.
Customer Review: Simplicity
Summary: 3 Stars
After a long and arduous search for the perfect humdifier, I finally settled on the simplest of them all.
Pros: Extremely quiet, lightweight, compact, low maintenance, simple operation.
Cons: LOw capacity
All in all, it's a great buy for the buck. I'm overall pretty satisfied with it. It is by far the quietest humidifier I've ever owned. I often have to check the mist output to make sure it's on. I love how there are no filters or pads to replace; simple and low maintenance.
I only wish they made this product with a greater capacity. It will only operate for a couple of hours on high before refilling. In order to make it through a night's sleep, you must keep the setting on low. I live in a home with very dry winter heating where the humidity level is about 20% with no humidifier. In order to maintain optimal humidity level in my bedroom through the night, I'll run it on high until I acheive desired humidity. Then I'll refill the tank right before bedtime and keep it on low to last through the night. It's definitely cumbersome, but I accept the compromise for how quiet it is.
If you have a medium/large room, I do not recommend it. I've noticed it's been ineffective in my living room, which is only about 400 sq ft. It works fine in my bedroom, which is less than 200 sq ft.
In summary, perfection does not exist. The humdifiers with larger capacities and all the bells and whistles were either much noisier or required regular replacements of mineral absorption pads and/or filters. If your top priorities are quiet and low maintenance, then I doubt you'll find a better humidifier, esp. at this price. Just be prepared for daily multiple refills.
Customer Review: A little marvel of engineering
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not your mother's humidifier. Of course if, as a child, you enjoyed melting wax crayons in a noisy jet of superheated steam, you will be disappointed.
The air is dry here, and my wife and I would frequently awaken with dry, sore throats and sinus headaches. We decided to experiment with humidifying our bedroom. After researching the pros & cons of warm mist units vs cool mist units we decided on warm mist. We also factored in how much money we were willing to risk on this experiment (about twenty-five bucks).
I wish I could say that we have never had another sore throat or sinus headache since using this unit, but we are definitely more comfortable.
I am totally enamored of the thought and engineering that went into the creation of this inexpensive and helpful device. The only thing I am disappointed in is the listing of the unit as "2-1/2 Gallon". I think it is misleading. I think most consumers would assume that this refers to the reservoir capacity, which is actually 2-1/2 QUARTS (yes, I measured). All I can do is speculate on why this is labeled as it is. Nevertheless, on the "Low" setting it goes all night without needing refilling, with plenty left over. I haven't needed to run it all night on "High" so I can't offer any comments on run-time in that setting. If you fill the heating chamber tray before you set the reservoir in place, you can get more operating time out of the unit.
This unit is pretty quiet - the sound of a little water boiling, and an occasional burble as water from the reservoir recharges the heating chamber. We are completely satisfied with this unit.
Customer Review: Still Going Strong
Summary: 4 Stars
Purchased this in September 2008, and it still works great. The tank does not hold 2.5 gallons, but frankly, I don't want to carry a 2.5 gallon tank back and forth. The current tank size works fine if I use the Low setting overnight. The High setting does drain the tank fairly quickly and you'll hear the bubbling when the water is running low; otherwise, the noise is very minimal. The tank design is great because it sits flat in the sink and does not have to be held like rounded tanks. The button is no problem. You know it's running if you see/feel the steam. I usually press the Start button after each refill, but I'm not sure whether that's necessary.
My original review from Sept 2008:
Have only used this for one week, but so far, I'm happy. Finally - a flat reservoir that doesn't have to be held while being refilled! I appreciate the simple design, and it's virtually silent except for the occasional bubble. True, the description is misleading, since the reservoir holds closer to one (1) gallon, but one tank gets me through the evening, so it isn't a problem - especially if using the lower setting. There's no humidity thermostat, so it's either on or off; again, not a problem, just a comment.
Two winters ago, I spent $40+ on a fancier model and returned it when it stopped working after 2 months. Last winter, I spent $65 on an even fancier model with a remote; I returned it because the performance was terrible. I was thrilled to pay under $20 for this model, and it's performance has been great this past week. I think it will be fine with proper maintenance; if not, there's a 5 year warranty.