I like the design and operation of this humidifier. In fact, I have two of them. Ace Hardware gave me extra-fast delivery -no complaints with Ace. The machines humidify very efficiently, put out a lot of moisture, and (unlike many others) are reasonably easy to maintain. Normally it will run fine on low or medium fan settings. Forget about the high fan speed; it sounds like a helicopter taking off.
The first one I bought worked fine some of the time, but generally would not start up again after the humidistat controller automatically shut it off. Through much trial and error, I figured out that you have to center the wick precisely on its hanger rail that runs along the inside of the water chamber so the float aligns correctly. Great -problem solved, although poorly explained in the brief instruction sheet.
Then, at the beginning of the second winter dry season here on the high plains, the motor began to squeal, seize, and stop, especially at low speeds. On high, it would slowly start and then scream for a while and finally run -except it practically shook the unit apart and made it dance along the floor. After a day or so, it would no longer start at all. Clearly the bearings in the motor were shot.
I was about to junk it, when I thought to check the warranty. Sure enough, the warranty ran for a year. I had eight days left!!
I contacted Essick Air via email and a very nice customer service rep put me onto the person in charge of the warranty work. This second person sent form emails that were curt and blunt, but, in fairness, did address my problem. Getting the return papers could not be done via email, and took about two weeks to arrive by snail mail.
Alas, I would have to return the fan power head (they call it the "chassis") to them for repair. This, even though an authorized repair shop here in Denver is less than a half-mile from my condo.
I bought a large shipping box, packed the unit well, and lugged it on my back five blocks to UPS. $33.00 to send it to the factory (in Georgia, I think?), but they promised to reimburse me (and did).
About a month later, with no communication, the chassis arrives back here in my original packing, repaired with a new motor. However, I open the carton, take out the chassis, and it falls apart in my hands! Yup, it's repaired, but not screwed back together. The screws are lying loose in the bottom of the box and all four screw holes are stripped. The electronics have fallen out and are dangling from their wires.
The prospect of sending it back yet again is now so daunting that I take it into my little work closet and actually reassemble it myself, more or less, and screw it together with larger screws. It was one of those two-hour deals where you wish you were four-handed with long, narrow, double-jointed fingers. I have no idea if all the inside pieces are back in their actual slots or not, but it seems to work OK for now. Pray it does not catch on fire some day.
I contacted Essick Air's customer service rep just to tell them about the poor repair and got a very passionate apology and a promise to take it up with higher-ups and get back to me. I did not ask for it, but thought I might actually get a new "chassis" out of the deal. I'm not really comfortable with my backyard repair job.
Of course, after that I heard nothing ever again. The higher ups had obviously ducked the problem.
Maybe it's the fact that I am a retired marketing executive and know better myself, but it amazes me that a national company with a famous brand name would not treat me a little better when fulfilling the terms of a warranty. The customer service person could not have been nicer, but after that the treatment was suspicious, curt, abrupt, and, well, unsophisticated.
The documents I was sent were full of warnings and self-protective disclaimers, but showed little concern for my broken product or my work returning it: if they found that I did not really have a warranty claim, I would have to pay for shipping both ways ($33.00 out, and, were I so foolish to want a broken fan unit, another $33.00 back). Or I could pay for repairs in advance.
All this "attitude" and they had not even looked at my problem yet. The unit as I described it to them was pretty clearly broken, it was obviously a burnt out motor bearing, it must have happened more than once. I felt strongly that they were trying to get me to give up on the warranty. The whole approach implied that I was nuts for even bothering them and probably trying to cheat them. All this for a $10 motor!
From my point of view, of course, it's about a $150 item that ought to last longer than a year. Much longer.
Oh, yeah, that second one I bought? It arrived, brand new, with a squeak in the fan that even I can hear -and I'm partly deaf. Not quite loud enough to send back though, so we use it on a lower floor. Could never use it in the bedroom. Other than the squeak, it works great. Will it last a year? Stay tuned!
Very few humidifiers work as well as the Bemis. I would recommend it to everyone. There is one cautionary note: Be sure to check the tank and reservoir every day. Five gallons of water do not last very long,so pay attention. This way the owner will have good, clean humidity. The unit is easy to take apart and clean.
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Mine too arrived with a cracked cabinet. The manufacturer's packaging apparently allows the contents to shift enough that the heavy fan assembly can crack the flimsy cabinet. The crack is at the right rear corner and extends about eight inches from the top. It is a clean crack with the separated pieces fitting together without gaps. I used two inch transparent packing tape to seal it shut and the crack has nearly disappeared. I had initially decided to return the item but opted to keep it rather than hassle with return shipping. A replacement wick shipped separately would also have to be returned otherwise.
The item has few parts so assembly is straight forward enough. Do ensure that the wick is hooked to the cabinet along the wick's top and that the foam float is in its place at the bottom of the cabinet. Another reviewer noted that a replacement filter did include the extended wick retainer to hold the float and rod assembly in place. The wick retainer may be easily removed from an old wick and installed on a replacement wick. I know of no easy way to remember to do so before discarding an old wick. Perhaps I should tape a note on the wick while I'm thinking of it.
Kinks in the filler hose restricted water flow to such a degree that I had to hold the assembly to the faucet when filling the bottle although I confess that reducing the water flow to a more moderate rate solved the problem. I do tend to be impatient at times. The bottle can rest solidly on the floor while filling this is a plus. The filled bottle weighs a bit over 20 pounds but user-friendly handles at top and bottom allow easy carrying. After thinking it was missing from the shipment, I spotted the bottle's black cap at the bottom of the cabinet's black interior. Also look for the black rubber gasket that helps seal the cap to the bottle. After inserting the filled bottle into the cabinet, it took about fifteen minutes to empty into the cabinet's reservoir.
The initial emptying was accompanied by periodic gurgling noises as air bubbled up through the remaining water in the bottle. Two subsequent fillings confirmed that the gurgling noises will continue. The child in me finds these noises amusing and pleasant. Although I have no pets, it seems likely to me that pets may react to the noises in unpredictable ways and it might be wise to observe their reactions. A good sized dog could topple the humidifier without much difficulty so having a 5-gallon wet-dry vacuum at hand might be a precaution to consider.
Another reviewer commented that the bottle's cap is replaceable should it fail to function because of mineral deposits. If my cap reaches that state, I will try soaking it in vinegar before spending money on a replacement. Seems worth a try anyway.
On its highest setting, the fan is noisy enough to mask quiet conversation, nearby jackhammers, and, possibly, World War III. The medium fan setting is also noisy and the lowest setting noticeable. I will soon move the unit away from my living room to a hallway near the other end of the apartment.
I used a Caliber III Digital Thermometer Hygrometer, also purchased through Amazon, to gauge the humidifier's effectiveness. Before switching on the humidifier, the relative humidity level was below the gauge's display limit. Within an hour of running the Essick Air H12-400 at high speed, the gauge indicated 27% humidity at 68.7° F in the living room. A bedroom at the other end of the apartment had reached 20% humidity at the same temperature by that time. The noisy box was certainly putting moisture into the air.
I live in South Dakota and have hot-water baseboard heat. The outside temperature has been between below 10° F since I first turned on the humidifier. After twelve hours of running mostly at the lowest fan setting, the unit has raised the humidity level to 40% in my apartment. I expect that level to climb as the carpeting, mattresses, and soft furniture have absorbed their fill of moisture and stabilize. It hadn't occurred to me before this moment that bone dry furniture may be more likely to be set alight by an errant spark than furniture in a more humid environment. I have no evidence that this is so but it does help to justify the purchase in my mind.
So far I am pleased with my purchase and would recommend it with the caveats expressed above. I also recommend the Caliber III Digital Thermometer Hygrometer. I've also ordered, through Amazon, three inexpensive Western Digital Analog Hygrometers to place around the apartment to see how well the humidity is being distributed. I'm hopeful that having such information will help me determine the optimal location for the humidifier.
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We needed a full-house humidifier, and this does the job nicely. It is easy to fill, and very quiet on the lower settings. When you crank it up, it does get noisier, but when it's really dry it certainly works faster. We have it in the hall next to our bedroom, and it doesn't bother us at all. One thing that may get a bit confusing is that this model does not have a 5 gallon basin. Rather, it has a 2.5 gallon basin and a 2.5 gallon removable tank. It comes with a hose that fits snugly over a faucet which I love because I can stand the tank on the floor, feed the hose into it, and fill it hands-free. Nice.
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I bought this humidifier to combat the low humidity of NorthEastern Winters. My house is 2,400 Sqr Ft and this unit is stretched to keep the humidity above 40%. The highest speed is quite noisy and can only be used at night or when we are away. I recommend it but only for smaller homes.
Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful. Unfortunately, I was looking for a tea pot that my wife could use to make tea. When it showed up, it had a label that said "not for drinking purpose." It should have said that in the listing. I have checked many of these that were listed as not for drinking. This did not and yet it did list that it was solid brass. I thought brass was good for potable liquids. It is too small to be practical as a steamer. It is also made in China.
