Hunter 34352 Care Free Humidifierplus 3-1/2-Gallon Humidifier with Exclusive Nite Glo Night Light
by Petra Industries Inc
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Hunter 34352 Care Free Humidifierplus 3-1/2-Gallon Humidifier with Exclusive Nite Glo Night Light
Customer Review: Reduce cold symptoms, ultra efficient, and no ozone by-product
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Hunter 34352 model because this model and higher has the built-in automatic shut-off and refill indicator light. The Honeywell HCM800 is similar to the Hunter model but I decided to go with the Hunter because I saw that the washable wick is made of stainless steel honeycomb layers, coated with an anti-bacterial and anti-mold white paint like substance. This washable wick should last several seasons, but only time will tell as this is my first season using it. I preferred the mechanical humidistat of this model over Hunter's 34357 digital humidistat because my experience tells me that all things digital will fail faster than mechanical sensors because more things can go wrong with digital. Sometimes older and more proven technology like mechanical sensors last longer and are more reliable. It does have its draw backs; the humidistat has around a 5 percent sensitivity error range making it prone to slight under-saturation or over-saturation. This won't work if someone's looking for a high precision humidifier. I bought a hygrometer separately to monitor the percent of relative humidity in my bedroom (keeping it at an optimal 35% to 45% humidity). Many other features like the blue Niteglo light (separate button for light on/off), easy to fill 2.5 gallon water tank (pull the clear, blue tank off the unit, invert it, unscrew the cap and fill with water), auto shut-off when there's no water (will not burn itself out like some other units), 2 fan speeds (both speeds are loud in my opinion so I installed an electric plug-in timer to turn the unit off during sleep), easy to clean parts (all parts are easy to get to for cleaning), does not make any white dust that can collect on furniture, efficient 70 watts max power consumption at high speed setting, and high/quick moisture output has earned it high marks. The unit does need a level surface to sit on as the bottom water pan acts like a dish full of water with an open surface (must remove most of the water to reposition the unit). The last note is that this unit is not an ionic humidifier and does not generate significant amounts of ozone or (O3) as a by-product (the built in fan makes ozone but not in any significant amounts like any other household fans). Anyone with asthma or very young children must not breathe in any ozone because of their hypersensitivity to it. Breathing in ozone is as bad as breathing in dirty city smog. Also, breathing ozone has been known to cause lung cancer and other health related problems, because this is the stuff that commercial industries use to sterilize air, water, and equipment. I highly recommend the use and purchase of wick type humidifiers like this Hunter unit to reduce cold symptoms and prolong the life of furniture, drywall, and paint. It's an excellent investment for our family's health and home.Customer Review: Nice if you like breathing in algae
Summary: 1 Stars
I really wanted to like this machine for several reasons: permanent wick, 'care free' aspect, high output, low energy consumption. Man, what a disappointment this actually turned out to be. There are so many negatives I don't know where to start. OK, here goes. The first thing I didn't like was the dust and particulate junk flaking off the thing right out of the box. I had to take it apart and wipe it down with a damp rag before using...I also had to vacuum my floor right away. Once running it is LOUD....forget using it on high (unless you like the sound of a jet engine). Even on low it is barely acceptable decibel-wise. After is it running you then feel this chill come over you. That's right, a chill. The fan in this thing blows out cold air. Makes sense when you think about it. The resevoir is filled with cold tap water (probably 40 degrees this time of year) and the fan is pulling that cold water into the wick and blowing the fan over the cold water. Yes, your room will be humidified and colder and damper feeling. Not a good thing in the middle of winter. I've saved the best for last. After about 21 hours of use the tank needs refilling so I remove it and decide to drain the tray. What a shock I had at the nice green algae growing...IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS USE!!!! This can't be good for breathing and health. This thing is going back. I've had warm mist humidifiers before and they get algae but not in 21 hours. I expected at least 2 -3 days of use before worrying about algae. If I'm unrealistic so be it but I'll live with dry air before breathing in the gunk this thing emits. Please forgive the rant but this is just one awful product.Customer Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this humidifier on November 10, 2009 from Amazon. This is the third one I've owned in four years. The first on quit working after two weeks of use and was replaced by Hunter. The second one lasted three years which is what I would expect from a humidifier that gets A LOT of use. Today, the one I just purchased several weeks ago today started making an awful loud groan from the fan/pump area. When I initially set it up I noticed the fan was louder than the previous ones I've owned but could live with it. This "groan" is very unsettling. I will be calling Hunter ASAP and demand a replacement. This has the potential to be an excellent humidifier IF it were more durable.
UPDATE: Called Hunter today 01/06/2009 and told them of my problem. The young lady I spoke with asked if I have been cleaning the unit regularly and I replied "yes, I empty out the tray weekly and rinse it out with cool tap water." She replied "OH, you are cleaning it too often...Hunter doesn't want you to clean it more often than every 4-6 weeks." My jaw dropped!!! I told her that the water takes on an odor after a couple of weeks from cooking and such. Essentially a humidifier like this style cleans the air and the leaves the water contaminated. She stated "No, the plastic is treated to kill bacteria and that she personally owns two and has never had a problem with not cleaning her units. I was flabbergasted and just told her to send my replacement unit ASAP. She then said they are on backorder until the 19th of January. Disgusted by this company I said fine. I'll NEVER buy Hunter ANYTHING again.
Customer Review: Permanent if measured in mosquito lifetimes
Summary: 1 Stars
I was going to equate this product to a "steaming pile of crap" but realized that this is worse than that.. There is no steam or in this case cool mist coming out of this one and it is supposed to!
This product sure is care free alright. It stops working so you don't have to worry about care anymore. Not to mention just like other experiences, it floods the hardwood. I had the humidifier upstairs in the bedroom and it flooded the hardwood floor and cracked the ceiling in the room below. I have to pay $400 to get the crack fixed and the entire ceiling repainted.
And all this even after I followed the mfgr. instructions on maintaining this i.e the filter in vinegar+water, clean the tank etc. etc. religiously every month.
Forget about that Night light. That thing stopped working in about 2 weeks. I am now back to my trusted Holmes 1850 which continues to work beautifully and am considering one of those cutesy cow/penguin ultrasonic humidifier for the kid's room.
My recommendation - Save your money. You could do better with a pan of water, a candle and some cheap beer
Customer Review: Defective right out of the box
Summary: 1 Stars
Just took it out of the box and set it up for the first time. It's broken right out of the box. The humidistat is defective and will not allow the machine to turn on. My dry-as-the-desert apartment has an actual humidity level of 25%, but the humidistat on this machine claims the air has a greater than 80% humidity level. (If my apartment had 80% humidity in December, I wouldn't be buying a humidifier!) The machine is designed to only work through the automatic humidity setting -- you can't just turn it on and off. So there's no way to override this error.
Now I have to go through the hassle of re-packaging it and sending it back -- and paying for the shipping! Thank you Hunter, for the hassle, expense, and inconvenience. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.