Hunter 34357 3-1/2-Gallon CareFree Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter
by Hunter
|
List Price: Our Price: $69.21 You Save: $60.78 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Hunter 34357 3-1/2-Gallon CareFree Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter
Customer Review: Great Warranty Service
Summary: 5 Stars
We live in northeast Florida - where we have some cold winter days (many more this year than I would have liked). When we moved here from Miami 15 years ago - the first winter it was pretty cold and dry - and we bought 2 Hunter humidifiers - one for the kitchen/dining/living area - another for the master bedroom. They usually lasted 2-4 years - then had various failures (although never any leaks) - and I had always treated them as "necessary disposables" like one of the posters below.
I bought my father one of these a couple of years ago when he moved here - and also bought a new one for us. Now my father is 92 - and the fan on his went nuts this year - so loud I couldn't hear him talking on the phone. Having a lot of time on his hands - he called Hunter - and it replaced his still on-warranty unit for him free of charge. Then the fan on ours went nuts a few weeks later. Had to turn up the TV in the kitchen full blast to hear it while the humidifier fan was running on "low". Called Hunter a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't get through immediately because the place was closed for a day or two during the recent southern snow storm. But when it opened - and I got through and described the problem - it offered to send me a free replacement. It didn't have this exact model in stock (guess this has been a great winter to sell humidifiers) - and it gave me the choice of waiting for when this one would be available (early April) - or getting the cheaper model that doesn't have a digital humidistat. Since we don't need humidifiers in April in Florida - I opted to get the cheaper model as a replacement. Was sent by Fedex Ground - and arrived in 2 days. And the new one is quiet as a mouse.
Note that my experience dealing with the company was extremely pleasant. And that when you get a warranty replacement for a fan problem - you have to send back the power cord from the fan unit and the product ID tag (to keep you honest). But you can save all the other parts and reuse them in similar/identical units. Anyway - I can't say these humidifiers have been as reliable as my Hunter fans (in use for about 15 years - still working perfectly without any maintenance except for cleaning blades) - but the company's attitude about its warranty merits 5 stars.
FWIW - I'm not sure these units would work as "whole house" units in a 3000 sf house like ours in colder winter climates. But they're fine where we live. Even when our nightly temps fell below 30 for 6 nights in a row (kind of unusual for us - we had to go out every morning with pots of boiling water to defrost out bird baths!). One is certainly plenty for a large master bedroom space (place most people will probably use it). And for those of you up north who complain about the degree of humidification - you have to remember that the hotter air is - the more humidity it can absorb. If you keep your thermostat at 65 - you'll get a lot less humidity than you will if the temp is 72 (our winter temp). To avoid spending a fortune on heating - I recommend a zoned HVAC system (we have 4 zones in our house). That way - you can have comfortable bedrooms at night - and not waste a ton of money heating areas you don't use when you're asleep.
Customer Review: To humidify...or not
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healing your Sinuses, I decided that I must get a humidifier to help me with the troublesome ailments of sinuses and breathing problems. So I chose the Hunter 34357 3-1/2 Gallon Care Free Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter after reading many reviews, The reviewers raved about this little number and they - all 5 of them- gave it 5 stars. So I ordered it through Amazon. When it arrived I opened it with excitement and curiosity as I did not know what to expect, I am new to humidifiers. A bit like when you first bring your puppy dog home. And as with a new puppy dog and it's paraphernalia, I brought it to my bedroom. The humidifier is the size of a small kennel. It is not pretty nor ugly; It did not match my bedroom, but it's functional.
As a roommate, however, it takes a bit to get used to.
We first turned it on High, as recommended by the manufacturers. What a racket! The noise was so loud my husband told me in no uncertain terms that I could not keep that noise on. So I turned it to low.
It only has two settings.
I kept waking up throughout the night to the unfamiliar slight sound of sloshing water. But what really startled me many times throughout the night was a loud-ish gurgling sound.
It is winter time and the house temperature is set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit. I am not a particularly cold person. In fact my friends always complain that I keep my house to cool. When we turned on the Hunter 34357 it got cold in the bedroom. I did not like the feeling of been cold in the bedroom.
So like with anything new wether it be a puppy-dog, husband, or a child in the bedroom, it takes a while to get used to it. Just like when I moved to the centre of London, and got used to police sirens, fire-trucks, traffic, car alarms, and lights going on all night.
But there is, however, one major flaw that can not become endearing, and that is the humidity factor.
The optimum humidity level in the bedroom should be between 40% - 50% .
The first night we set the humidity to 40%, but the Hunter 34357's humidity indicator barely climbed up to 27%
I left it on all day the next day, cranking it up to high at intervals, thinking that the room was so dry that it would take longer to raise the humidity level. It barely reached the low 30s by the end of the day.
2nd night on low the humidity level never rose above the low 30%. The noises did not wake me up any longer.
3rd day the humidity level rose to 35% at some point. I got excited, but then it plummeted at night again.
It was 27% by the 3rd morning.
We are sending it back on day 4. Our humidifier does not humidify. We are getting the AIR-O-SWISS 7135 Ultrasonic Humidifier. Hope this is the right one!
Customer Review: There Are Worse Things Than Changing Filters
Summary: 2 Stars
I've owned this for an entire season and used it daily during the heating season. Here are some things I wish I'd known before buying a humidifier: First, unless you buy a really big unit, you'll be filling it twice per day (no matter what brand you buy -- it takes a lot of water to raise the humidity level in your house. Second, this unit (and I expect most other brands) can only raise your humidity 5 - 10% during cold weather. I can only get about a 10% increase from this unit in my 800 sf apartment -- far less than the size ratings would have you believe. I know this because I have a humdistat in my apartment to measure actual humidity levels. Okay, these issues apply to all humidifiers, so I can't hold that against the Hunter humidifier, right? Well, read on...
I gave this model two stars because, without a filter to change, the entire unit gets crusted with lime deposit from our city tap water. Even the top grille is covered with unsightly lime. It is almost impossible to remove it all. A replaceable filter would catch most of the lime, eliminating the need to take this thing apart every week or two and scrape/soak the lime off. Without the filter, the lime gets everywhere inside the humidifier. I'll be surprised if the unit makes it through a second season because of the mounting lime deposits -- the fan is already a bit noisy. The digital humidistat is a waste and a terrible design. Once the unit reaches the the desired humidity level and shuts off, the humidistat measures 10 - 20% above the actual humidity level, preventing the unit from turning back on. You must set the humidity level way up just to get the unit to run. On warm days, you end up living in a steam bath because of the high humidity setting. On cold days, it doesn't matter much because you can only raise the humidity 5 - 10% depending on the size of your home. A simple on/off switch would actually be an improvement over this design. I've been using a second hand-me-down humidifier with a replaceable paper filter to supplement this unit on cold days, and I think it works better. Next time, I'll get a model with a replaceable filter.
Customer Review: the solution
Summary: 4 Stars
I had one of these humidifiers for just under 5 years when it failed. When I was about to reorder, I saw negative comments and thought that maybe I should see what else came out over the years. I researched and tried several other brands. In total frustration, I reordered my tried and true and felt like an old friend arrived when it came.
I live in an extremely dry heat environment. Without a humidifier, my lips crack, my skin itches, my hair is impossible and I wake up with a bloody nose every morning. With this -- none of those problems. It is in my bedroom and on "low" is much quieter than any other tried. You cannot see the mist come out, but it is definitely working. I do not have any problems (nor ever did) with wetness on the floor near/around it. I keep it on the floor and since the floor is wall-to-wall carpet, I put it on top of a carpet sample as safety mat.
Cleaning is easy unless you let water stagnate when it's off. I have never had problems with build up on the permawick filter, and I usually clean it with a vinegar solution when I turn it off for the season -- I certainly do not clean it daily.
The only reason for my 4* rather than 5* review is that I'm not sure the humidifier is registering properly. I've talked to the customer service at Hunter. It seems that under 20% it registers "lo" instead of a reading. I have mine set for 45%, and it never gets there. The old one registered at that level for years without hitches. Was the old one high, or is this one low? With the old one, I used to leave the door of the room open, so some would get out, but it still met the 45% setting. This one only gets into the 30%+ area with the door closed off. I suspect that it's registering low. Some day, I'll test it. In the meantime, it is doing it's job very well.
Customer Review: A great product for allergy sufferer
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my Hunter 34357 for four weeks now. It has been a great product so far. It helps reduce my respiratory allergy and helps me sleep better since the first night I have it running.
I love the digital himidistat that maintains my desired humidity level 24/7. The low fan speed is still loud but I get used to it now. 3-1/2-gallon tank is good enough for several days. The niteGlow light is nice to avoid kicking the unit when walking in the dark.
I was skeptical about Hunter humidifiers because others complained about water dumping into their floors. I bought 34357 model with hope that Hunter fixed the problem with new tray designed. It appeared that the new design fixed the problem.
I would like it to have a third speed on the low side so it can run low and more quiet constantly instead of on and off quite often. The whole unit would be more stable if the tray is thicker. I worry that the tank handle will break when I carry a full tank of water. It can be built with better design or material.
Northern Californa had a bone dry week last week and my bedroom area feel really comfortable but not my living room and family rooms areas. I bought this unit to humidify the whole house but it couldn't handle the 1800sf house.
Despite the things that need improvement, I give it 5 stars since it helps me sleep well for four weeks. I have been suffering with sleep less nights for years so you can guess how happy I am now. I didn't loose sleep even in the week of 20% humidity.
I Just ordered a second unit for my sister who also suffer from allergy.