Honeywell HCM-6009 QuietCare 9-Gallon Output Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology
by Honeywell
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Honeywell HCM-6009 QuietCare 9-Gallon Output Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology
Customer Review: simple and effective - brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
well today finally i smelled the mold opened it up and the filter was moldy. however then i realized the mold was not just on the filter - it was also on my windows where the moisture condensed so really they did a pretty good job on the protec cartridge and filter coating because i was expecting the filter to get moldy almost instantly and did not expect the room to get moldy. instead they both got moldy after i pumped up the humidity to almost 70% ( from 24% ) in my room.
but thats another thing - this unit will not get you up to 70% and perhaps that is good. i had two of these in my bedroom because one would only get it up to about 50% and to get any higher i would have to either close all the windows or set it to high fan speed at which point it sounds like a jet engine. with two units i was able to get the humidity i wanted with the window partially open and with both units on low fan speed. but really if u want 70% with windows partially open and on low speed you may need 3 or 4 of these in one room ... you probably do NOT want that though because then your room will be covered in mold.
anyway people be complaining that the parts of this unit are not held together by anything. yes this is true. and it is the genius of this design - to remove the tanks ( to fill up with water ) or to remove the tray ( to clean it ) you don't have to do anything at all - just grab the handle and lift it up.
also the design of the tanks is really good actually because the opening is about 4" in diameter so you can fill it up in seconds in the bath tub and also you can put your hand inside to clean the tank.
basically the entire design is such that it allows you to do everything quickly - there is not a single screw or latch or lock or anything that you ever need to operate to completely take it apart and clean etc. the design is pure genius IMO.
the one complaint i have is that there is this little floating bubble thing that detects when the unit ran out of water and shuts the unit off - it malfunctions. sometimes you need to shake the unit a bit for the bubble to come to its senses and realize that the unit is not empty. but its not a real problem just an annoyance ... definitely something that should be fixed but not something that prevents you from using the unit.
if you think this thing is too powerful for your room you are wrong. yes it will put out about as much moisture as it says ( 9 gallons per day ) but to me thats about how much i want in a single room in winter with windows partially open ( open by about one inch ). if you want quiet acoustics you may want to get a pair so u can run them on "low" fan setting. in fact before next winter i may get a third one for my bedroom.
the controls are really simple to operate - just set desired humidity by turning the knob and select fan speed with another knob, thats it.
if you're getting this thing i would recommend ordering a few extra filters ( to replace moldy ones ) as well as a humidity gauge / hygrometer. i use extech hygrometer. i would also recommend that you get a hygrometer that shows dew point that way you would have a better chance of avoiding condensation on your windows which will most likely result in mold.
more expensive honeywell model has an LCD screen that shows the humidity so you would not necessarily need a dedicated hygrometer if you went with that but i like the quick and simple analog controls on this cheaper model. also this analog model has wider range of adjustment than the digital models. one of the digital models can only be set to 55% max and the LCD model to 65% max and i have at times gotten up to 70% with 6009. i also like the large digits on the extech hygrometer ... i only wish i bought a hygrometer with dew point display.
i also have the 6011 model which is same as this unit but with ionizer and i don't know if ionizer is broken or what but i can't tell any difference when its on so to me 6009 is the way to go.
by the way in case you don't know how this humidifier works it just has a wick/filter sitting in water and a fan sucking air through this filter - as simple as it gets which also means that it should be pretty reliable as its pretty much just a motor, fan and hygrostat and the filter is replaceable.
the fan by the way is a monster. it has a complex shape and pulls air very strongly. honeywell also makes turbochargers for audi turbodiesel race car and it kinda shows on this humidifier.
the styling is very tasteful - two close beige tones with the same curves echoing throughout the design from overall shape to handles to knobs. being so big it HAS to be stylish in order not to be an eye sore.
given the dimensions of the unit (large filter and water tanks), the quality of its fan and motor and the simple and logical overall design i feel that for the money it is a steal.
Customer Review: Just What I Was Looking For!!
Summary: 4 Stars
We used to have a big humidifier for many years and it finally just quit working properly...it was about 10 years old. Didn't want to buy another one as I thought that we really didn't need one and didn't want to spend the money at that time for a big, new one. Bad mistake. Over the past few years, I had been telling myself that we needed one through the winter anyway as it was difficult to sleep (the air is so dry in our house), my throat would be sore in the morning and nose would get so stuffed up through the night that I could hardly breathe. I had looked for one for quite some time and had done a lot of research before deciding on this Honeywell model. Our house is quite small - less than 1,000 sq. ft. and this little model does the job on the whole house quite nicely.
Is it the easiest to fill? Not the easiest, but it's far from impossible. We have a deep kitchen sink and a high faucet and I can easily put it under the faucet, balance it in the corner and fill it without any difficulty at all. It's not that hard to carry - sure beats handling a 2 1/2 gallon bucket, which is what I used to do. The handle makes it much nicer and I hold my other hand under the bottom to make it more balanced so it's not as heavy or at least doesn't feel that way. The lid goes on easily and it's stressed to not overtighten it. Not hard to do at all. It does start to drip a few drops when turning it over to place it in its spot but that is not a problem as I make sure that I turn it over right over the unit itself; it slips easily into place and sits securely. The fact that it doesn't have a way to see how much water is being used is not the best, but it's easy to pick up each canister and see how heavy it is - gives you a pretty good idea of how much water is being used and if you need to fill it. You catch on pretty quickly as to how often you need to fill depending on how much you actually use it. Not too hard to do or figure out...just takes a little time.
The unit itself is easy to put together and the instructions are simple to understand in how to prepare it for first use. We have soft water so I'm not too concerned as how often to clean it as I pretty well know from past experience. The filter is nice and sturdy and should last for quite a long time with proper care. If you have hard water, you would want to clean it regularly, though. It may be a little time-consuming to do so, but I don't think that one can complain for the ease of doing it and the money spent for the unit.
I don't run it on the high fan, so the noise doesn't bother us at all. Even on the medium setting, it is not too loud to sleep with it being in the hall area right around the corner from our bedroom. Our old one ran a lot louder than this.
I like the fact that is has casters to make moving it easy. It is a very nice-looking unit, and doesn't take up a lot of space making it easy to put in a smaller space if needed. The fact that the air comes our the front and sides does not bother us at all as we don't sit in front of it. Yes, the air is cold but so was the other humidifiers that we had. You don't place it so it blows on a thermostat and you don't place it so that you sit right in front of it. Pretty simple.
It is easy to assemble, take apart, simple parts, simple instructions to use it and so far has been a great little unit for our entire home!! I am happy with the purchase and would recommend this unit for a good sized room or a small home.
Customer Review: Too much work!
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this humidifier for a little over 2 years and it really does work. I leave it upstairs (where our bedrooms are located) in the hallway and it keeps all three rooms very comfortable. I honestly don't think it is that loud, wall air conditioner units are much louder. I'm a light sleeper and it doesn't bother me (I sleep about 10 feet from the unit).
It took some time to understand the dials...I usually put it on full-blast when I fill the tanks and after about an hour I lower the setting. I hear it click on and off, so I know it is not running continously. Usually the two tanks will get us through the entire night and part of the next day.
My biggest complaints: (and why this only gets three stars)
1) The filter gets MOLDY fast! I've tried using Protex and I've put anti-mold stuff into the tank, I've even tried bleach - but all it does is seem to make the filter fall apart. I think the bleach worked best, but I'm hesitant to use it with a young baby in the house (I'm sure breathing in bleach is pretty bad). If I wash the filter in cold water, it only hastens the filter falling apart. I've found it tends to mold up most if you let it dry out, so I've flipped it over - but nothing helps. It needs to be replaced AT LEAST once a month. I can't find the filters in stores near my house (I live just outside of Philadelphia) so I am forced to spend about 20 bucks a pop to order them online. This really adds up...
2) The unit needs to be cleaned and water added to the tanks pretty much daily. The tanks are large and bulky and not easy to fill (you have to do it in a bathtub). Really, it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes each night to clean the base, rinse the filter and fill the tanks. I got so fed up last winter that I put the unit in storage and bought a small filterless unit for my son's room (in fact, I wanted to buy a small one for my room and that's how I ended up here writing this review).
3) The unit MUST be level. Last winter someone in the house decided to pull the humidifier from where it was in the hall bathroom halfway out into the hallway (I leave it in the bathroom so water doesn't get all over when I fill and clean it). The back of the unit was in the bathroom, about an inch higher than the front of the unit (where the dial is located). Well, I was downstairs and I hear this dripping noise...within five minutes the paint in the dinning room ceiling had bubbled out. I ran up the stairs, one tank had fully emptied, the other was 3/4 empty. The way the unit is designed, the tanks "open" if the water level in the base goes down. The well in the base is about an inch or so high, so water was spilling from the base and the tanks were emptying as if the caps were open. Sigh. This, combined with the high cost of filter replacement and the ache in my back filling and lugging the jugs, is precisely why the unit went into the attic. And why I am probably not going to climb up there and retrieve it.
Basically, this is a good deal if you don't mind the work maintaining the unit - if I had to clean three or more small filterless units each day - I might prefer to take care of this one bad boy and get it over with. Also, depending on the size of your house, and your output needs - this puppy CAN kick (I've forgotten to turn it down and walked into a sauna in my upstairs, replete with wet windows).
Customer Review: Works as intended with great output
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used many different humidifiers over the years ranging from warm mist (higher electric bills, more difficult to clean and maintain), ultrasonic (I had a lot of white dust with these units), and cool mist (medium size units, which all broke over time). Most of them stated large or medium rooms, and would never really get the humidity level up quickly or maintain that level easily throughout the day. This one definitly has the output to do so and has been comparatively quiet compared to the ones i have used prior. The fan blower is actually not a regular fan with blades out (which was on my old model, and was very very loud on the highest output setting), this one is bearable and the fan is more of a wheel fan (i guess that is what they call it) with the blades internal (which makes it quieter and preferred for me). Anyway, the output is great on this if that is what you are looking for and this one actually shuts off when it hits the humidity you set (something my older ones never did, since it never output this much humidity they would always stay on).
The cons to this is the fill tanks, I believe someone else mentioned this as well. They are NOT shaped very well for ease of filling and transportation (and have sharp edges), so becareful when you do fill them cause they get slippery as well and can crack easily if dropped. Another one is the overall size (it is fairly large with wheels to help move around the house if needed), but the size helps this humidifier have one of the highest outputs as well for the price.
Also note, the air blows out cool (since the water is cool) and blow out the sides in almost a full 360 degress through the sides (more like 270 degrees around). so don't expect the air to blow through the top on this model (like my other units used to do).
Stock up on some wicks as well, not sure how long they will hold up (maybe 1 month each at constant use before needing replacement - they say 2-3 months but i dont' believe them, since mold can grow on them if used too long), I bought 4 for this winter season.
Hope this helps someone.
I couldn't be happier with this compared to the previous ones i have used in the past, now let's hope it lasts.
Customer Review: It works; but...
Summary: 3 Stars
The humidifier does get the humidity up; but, the water jugs are awkward to fill and to get seated in the unit.
The flaw described by earlier reviewers about removing the tank caps seems to have been addressed - there is a spring loaded button and the cap is knurled and also has what I can only describe as finger tip grips.
The rounded tank does make it tricky to fill all the way up. (I need to use a one quart pitcher to finish filling it even in the kitchen sink)
The 2 tank design is nice in that each tank holds about 30 pounds of water (approx 4.5 gallons x 7 lbs/gallon) and is probably better to handle than a 9 gallon (60 pound tank) would be. But, I cannot get the knack of seating both tanks so that when one empties, to other releases its water. I come down in the morning to a unit that is not doing anything because it ran out of water in one tank (but the other tank was full). When I remove the empty tank and the full tank settles in, the unit wakes up and starts doing its job.
The side discharge does create a cold wind (even on low and ten feet away) and the high fan setting is loud but at least is a white noise.
Also - the indicator lights go off when the unit is off due to lack of water (I expected a red light but this works too). I recommend that when the unit has been off due to lack of water, you flip the filter - this seems to help prolong the filter life.
Feb 15 2009 Update:
Now that I've gone thru disinfecting the unit, I know that each tank holds 1.5 gallons of water - therefore, the filled weight per tank in approx 12 pounds.
I've discovered the knack for loading the tanks so both get used up - after seating each tank, unseat and reseat the blower unit.
After doing the bleach and water disinfecting, the caps are very tricky to remove. I'm hoping that vasoline will do the trick.