Sunday, August 4, 2013

Bryant/Carrier FILXXFNC-0021 Cartridge Filter

Bryant/Carrier FILXXFNC-0021 Cartridge FilterThe exact replacements for the original filters that were installed in my Carrier system. The best price I could find anywhere local or online! Great packaging and shipping! I will definitely buy these in the future!

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

The First Years Clean Air Filter Replacement 2 pk

The First Years Clean Air Filter Replacement 2 pkThis pail is pretty good because it doesnt require special bags or anything. I have only replaced the filter once in over a year. I have no idea what the filter actually does, but my daughter's room doesn't smell like poo, so it must be doing its job.

This is the best diaper system. I have 4 children, I used the Diaper Genie with my first 2, then I discovered this product when I had my twins and its great! You don't have to buy expensive, specific bags; you just use regular 13 gallon bags and your done! It's great!

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I have used this diapers disposal system for both my kids. They are 2 and 7 months. It really works great.

The filters should be changed every 3 months. Unless I am reading the price incorrectly, the replacements on Amazon are very expensive. You can get a package of 2 for $10 at BuyBuy Baby.

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It is hard to give a review of this because the fan in the trash can died. The product was as promised.

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What better way to keep from smelling poop from a diaper than using air filters???? Again this is a gift

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Sunbeam SWM5250-UM

Sunbeam SWM5250-UMI purchased this model about 2 years ago. We live in Nothern MN and in the winter it is very dry. This particular humidifier we use in my 4 year old son's room. This past weekend my wife and I awoke to the sound of a fire alarm and the smell of smoke. We quickly got up and I ran for the fire extinguisher in the kitchen. I realized it was coming from upstairs. As I ran through the hallway I saw my son standing there shaking. I ran into the stairwell and saw smoke. When I got upstairs it was filled with thick gray smoke. I went into my son's room and saw the humidifier belching smoke. I immediately unplugged the machine and opened the windows to get a breath. The humidifier malfunctioned. When it runs out of water it is supposed to enter a stand-by mode. Instead it kept operating a nd melted through the bottom, through the area rug, and scorched the wooden floor underneath. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS MODEL HUMIDIFIER! Here is a link to a similar incident with the same model humidifer,

Purchased this unit because of the price and it was filter free. Worked well for a few months and then quit working. The reset light wont turn off. I have followed the cleaning directions as stated in the directions and am now left with a unit that does nothing. Don't waste your money on this. I am never buying another unit from them again.

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I ordered this unit used because I know the hit and miss with humudifiers. First the unit is quite large, the water tank is odd shaped and doesn't hold enough water for me personally. It also leaks a small amount on the rear of the unit directly below the screw, on high I would call the amount significant. Running on setting number 2 or high the water supply last approx 5 to 6 hours. It works well and puts out a decent amount of moisture but I would not purchase again.

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Cheap model, no humidistat, runs continuously until empty. Sounds like a coffee percolator that you can hear throughout the adjacent rooms. Sunbeam should stay with kitchen appliances like their toasters that were the best. Took it back to Walmart. The whole water tank gets very warm, waste of electricity!!

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My mother has one for over 2 years and it worked flawlessly and whisper quiet. Then, filling it one day, she dropped the tank and it cracked around the bottom seam. I went to Walmart to buy another, set it up, and it: 1)was already cracked at the top (which I did not notice until later) and 2)leaked no matter what I did to re-seat the tank and investigate the problem. Returned it to Walmart and used a good clear 2-part epoxy Loctite Megabond Poxy-Pak Fast Cure Clear Two-Part Epoxy, 1 oz syringe to seal and fix my mother's cracked tank. Now her unit works perfectly again. I would definitely buy another, despite recently getting a defective one. It's just continued to work so perfectly for my mother.

Friday, August 2, 2013

4-Pack: Boveda Humidifier 72%

4-Pack: Boveda Humidifier 72%Several months ago, I purchased several 72% Relative Humidity (RH) Bóveda packs to use in a 200-cigar humidifier. Each packet is individually wrapped in cellophane, making it easy to open the correct number of packets based upon humidor size. Bóveda recommends, 2-3 packets for 0-50 cigars and then an additional packet per 50-cigar capacity. My 200-cigar humidor was already seasoned at 72%, but Bóveda also sells 84% RH seasoning packets so I did not season the humidor prior to use.

For my 200-cigar humidor that was about half full, I placed six packets around the humidor. Having used multiple different humidifying methods in the past, I was somewhat skeptical that these packets would maintain proper humidity. However, over the course of about eight weeks the packets maintained a stable humidity of 72-71%. For my first refill, I added a seventh packet and found that the humidity stayed in the same range for almost eleven weeks. I should also mention that the RH only dropped a few percentage points around the two-month mark, so I would imagine they would maintain a decent humidity for at least several more weeks if you cannot find immediate replacements.

Overall, I was impressed with the Bóveda 72 packets. They are extremely simple to use and do an excellent job of maintaining a proper RH. Cost effectiveness would be my major complaint. These packets are not inexpensive considering how long they last and the number required for an average sized humidor. There are other less expensive humidifiers on the market; however, most require more than opening a wrapper and placing them in the humidor.

The individual packs are available in five different relative humidity levels: 65, 69, 72, 75, and 84%.

Bóveda packets are ready to use and do not require activation, water, or opening.

Bottom Line:

While not perfect, the Boveda 72 humidity control packs are an excellent, easy method to maintain humidity in most desktop humidors.

I have tried all the gels, tubes, and standard humidifiers out there. These are a bit more expensive, but they do the best job. And when they are keeping the humidity of $500 of tobacco in check, I spare no expense.

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Product was exactly as advertised and arrived promptly. Will repurchase from this vendor again. Need six more useless words to meet review requirement of 20.

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I wanted a simple way to keep a humidor at the propery humidity. These are the best thing since sliced bread for ease of use.

***Be careful thought, these packets are NOT FOR SEASONING a humidor. Boveda makes an 84% packet just for seasoning that 1st time, and then you use these 72% (or whatever percent you prefer) from then on.

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I've used Boveda packs for over two years now with excellent results. My first experience was using a packet with a humidifying bag and I continued with that for at least 18 months with excellent results. Since then My collection grew and I purchased a humidor, which I seasoned with Boveda 84% packets and have maintained with the 72 and 69% packets. Boveda's support has been outstanding. They've taken great care of me!

Kaz Incorporated V3900 Germ Free Cool Mist Humidifier

Kaz Incorporated V3900 Germ Free Cool Mist HumidifierWe used to have a Crane duck humidifier (that worked really well) in our toddler's room, but it broke when I dropped it earlier this winter. I bought this Vick's humidifier as a replacement because it "Sanitizes the water with UV Technology while reducing up to 99.9% of bacteria, mold, and spores". This was a big selling point for me, and I thought it would be worth the cost. We have been using this humidifier for 2+ months, and I am very disappointed for the following reasons:

1. We need a humidifier because the winters are very dry here. My son's skin tends to be dry, his nose especially. It does not seem like this humidifier is helping at all. His skin and nose are just as dry. This humidifier puts out "invisible, moisture-balanced air", so it just feels like a cool fan blowing, and you can't actually see the mist. I'm not sure if being able to see (or not see) the mist makes any difference, but something isn't working because it is still too dry in his small room.

2. There are three levels: High (max moisture), Medium (moisture maintenance mode), and Low (sound sleeping mode). So yes, this humidifier is pretty quiet, but only on the "Low" setting. I thought I could just crank it up to "High" to put more moisture in the air, but on that setting the humidifier is too loud and my son is unable to sleep through it. So I tried "Medium", which is a little loud, but still not helping with the dryness. I have tried "High" during the day/"Low" at night, and also "Medium" all the time, but it is still too dry in his room.

3. We use a sound-only baby monitor in our son's room. When the humidifier setting is on "Medium" or "High", we are unable to hear anything through the monitor except the humidifier. It's not that big of a deal for us (because we don't really need to use the monitor for our toddler), but take this into consideration if you are buying this for an infant's room.

4. This 1-gallon tank is supposed to last for up to 24 hours. It does, but only if you leave it on "Low" all of the time. When left on "Medium", it has to be refilled every 16 hours, approximately.

On the plus side, it is easy to fill, and the reservoir does seem to stay cleaner than the Crane did. These are the only reasons that I did not give it 1 star. I really wished that this worked better for us because the idea of a humidifier that helps to reduce the amount of bacteria in the air is really appealing.

When I received this humidifier, I was very pleased with the design, how efficiently it used water, and the fact that the UV light killed 99.9% of the germs. The noise emitted from the humidifier was minimal, but I found the blue light on the dial annoying. Still, that complaint was minor. All things appeared well until I awoke this morning to find that the towel the humidifier was sitting on was soaking wet. I've always been careful with placing a humidifier on furniture and never had a problem with one leaking. That all changed with this unit. Not only do I have a faulty unit, but now the top of my good wood furniture is ruined! I believe this humidifier hasn't been out too long, and I would recommend waiting to purchase it until all the kinks have been worked out!

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Bought the Vicks 3900 humidifier (with the UV light) and used it every night. The instructions suggest replacing the filter once every 1-3 months. The filter developed mold and dirty buildup within about 1 month. The unit began to to emit a moldy smell soon after. The humidifier basically becomes a mold growing and spraying unit unless you keep up with cleaning and buying new $12 filters every few weeks.

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Bought one of these for baby's room, had it for a year, no problems. Just bought 3 more. Have a humidistat, these do in fact raise the humidity, I've measured it. Though keep in mind a humidifier is not going to cure your baby's nasal/respiratory completely and may not help at all...but these do provide humidity. Never had any problems. Some reviews mention "leaking"...the only way this will leak is if you somehow get water in the fan assemble inside, then it drains out some holes on the bottom(did this accidentally while cleaning it--there are signs telling which way to drain it to avoid this), otherwise there is no logical way these can leak...it has to be user error.

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We have gone through a bunch of humidifiers. This one si great. It isn't totally silent, but quiet enough that our 20 month old sleeps through it. The tank is also one of the easiest I have seen to fill. The filters are relatively cheap. $20 for three at amazon.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Santa Fe Compact 2 Whole House Dehumidifier (4033600)

Santa Fe Compact 2 Whole House DehumidifierMy previous rental house in the rainy Pacific Northwest had a dehumidifier in the basement that kept it toasty dry so I was sold on the concept.

So I bought the Santa Fe Compact 2 for my new house running for around 2 months now.

Regarding function: It totally dried out the 800 sq ft basement. Before humidity was around 68%, the dirt in the crawlspaces was saturated, and there were beads of water under the plastic sheeting laid over the soil. Now the dehumidifer is holding the humidity down at 49% and the soil in the crawlspaces is dry. It's probably keeping moisture down overall in the house as the furnace exchanges air between the basement and the other floors, however, I haven't done any objective testing to see if this is true.

Regarding installation: I purchased the Santa Fe ceiling suspension kit and have the unit hanging from the basement ceiling joists. This works well at stopping any vibration. I can't normally hear it from the main floor although obviously your mileage may vary depending on the flooring material in your house. On a really quiet night I might hear it switch on and off, however, it's actually quieter than my 16-year-old furnace and the furnace condensate pump.

I ran the supplied condensate hose down to the furnace condensate pump. I needed to buy a $1 hose clamp (from the 'Orange Store') to properly secure the hose to the dehumidifier. It would have been nice if Sante Fe had included that. It's important to make sure that the hose immediately slopes away so water does not build up around the outlet, and also to make sure that the unit is level. At first I must have had some water flow back into the unit because it dripped out the bottom of the unit casing after an hour. Once I corrected the hose and leveled the unit everything was fine.

Regarding appearance: Overall the unit has a sturdy feel. I wouldn't describe it as beautiful appliance however it is definitely solidly engineered which I think is appropriate for basement equipment. It's presently listed under "Kitchen" on Amazon (which they might adjust at some point) however I would not put it in a kitchen or anywhere in a finished part of the house; there are other more appliance-looking dehumidiers that would be more appropraite for those locations.

I purchased this (not from Amazon) and I will tell you this thing really works. Previously, I owned an LG which was the absolute nosiest piece of junk I have ever purchased. I have a finished basement in a suburb of Philadelphia. I don;t have a huge problem with moisture, but I do have my fair share. My LG would work so hard to remove the little moisture that I had.

I found this unit and spoke to a distributor about why these were so much money! I thought that a $250 dehumidifier was sufficient for my basement, but the truth is that these cheap models just end up running up your electric bill, aren't really that great at dehumidifying, and break relatively quickly. If you get a few years, you're lucky.

I was tired of re-buying an appliance every few years, and I am a big believer in "you get what you pay for" so I decided to try this beast out. I was able to score this unit for $999 with Free Shipping from a distributor. I don't think they are allowed to advertise it lower than the MSRP but they gave me a great price considering they routinely sell for between $1100-$1200 pretty much everywhere you look.

After it was delivered I couldn't wait to get it hooked up. I have it sitting on a table and have the drain hose run into my condensate pump for my house heater/ac. These models do not have buckets to dump. They are so efficient and dehumidify so fast and so well, that it would fill up the bucket possibly every couple of hours.

The musty smell in my basement is now gone and the thing hardly ever runs. Initially, it did seem to run a bit in order to extract all of the excess moisture in the air, but now I rarely hear it turn on (more so in the summer than winter).

I definitely recommend you buy one of these models. I fully expect this to be the last dehumidifier I ever have to buy.

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Holmes HWF100-UC3 Humidifier Replacement Filter, Set of 3

Holmes HWF100-UC3 Humidifier Replacement Filter, Set of 3{NOTE: the Holmes HWF100 and Bionaire BWF100 are interchangeable}

I bought a bionaire humidifier that uses 2 of these wicks. They're a necessary evil, because the humidifer wont work without them.

My humidifier (a Bionaire BCM645) is basically a glorified self-refilling water bowl, with a pair of wicks dangling down into the water in the lower backside of the unit ... the wicks absorb water upwards, and the humidifier (basically a vertical tube with an exhause fan up up equipped with a humidistat) draws airflow in crosswise through the body of the wicks down below in order to blow humidified air out the top ... it's a simple design that sorta works.

The problem is that mineral deposits build up in these glorified (and overpriced) sponges, and they lose their ability to wick water upwards fast enough to keep up with the rate of evaporation ... the result is that they become dried out and crusty (and slowly stained with mildew), and only stay wet on the part that's dipped in the water.

Now, here's the annoying part, and why I only gave this product 3 of 5 stars ... they're needlessly fragile by design. The manufacturer WANTS you to keep reguloarly buying replacement sponges, just like inkjet printer manufacturers want to keep selling you overpriced ink cartridges. Even though I have fairly soft water, and use a carbon block filter, these wicks only seem to last me about 2 weeks per pair, by default, before they lose their ability to absorb/wick moisture and/or fall apart. Perhaps someday someone will make longer-lasting reuseable cloth replacement filters, but as of this writing, there dont appear to be any available ... because it's against the manufacturer's fiscal interests to make and sell such.

You can save money 2 ways:

1) SHOP AROUND: you can save as much as 50% by shopping around for the cheapest supplier, and scoffing at any implied manufacturer product loyalty. How ? The replacement filters for Holmes (HWF100) and Bionaire (BWF100) are functionally identical and interchangeable. They come 6 to a package (3 pairs).

2) RINSING: These wicks are rather fragile resist the urge to wring them out when rinsing them, or you'll damage them. Instead, fill a sink with body-temperature water, let them soak for 5-10 mins (to let the deposits soften & par-dissolve), then gently press them flat (while submerged) a few times. Then drain them (dont wring them) and reinstall. That should extend their performance by another week or so. Each subsequent rinse will yeild only half the benefit though. At best, you'll be able to double their lifespan.

Bottom line: I dont really recommend these wicks ... but if your humidifier requires them, there isnt much choice. However, if you use the tips I listed above, you can save up to half the cost, and make them last as much as twice as long.

This was delivered 2 weeks later than promised and it is not the same filter as shown in the photo. It is a cheaper version and did not have the round button attached to the filter like the original has. It had a plastic square that could be attached anywhere but really won't stay put when attached so I just left it off.

Fortunately, just by stuffing the new filter into my machine, it worked Ok. I really hate returning stuff. It is just frustrating when they show a picture and you receive something else.

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I have a hard time finding filters for my Sunbeam cool mist humidifier. These are a little long, but when trimmed they work fine. They come 3 to a pack and the unit needs 2 filters at a time, so I buy 2 packages at a time.

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Walmart in my area, St. Louis carries the same filter but has Sunbeam package Filter # hwf100 / sf235 for $8.00 for the 3 pack. The package says different Humidifiers that it will fit. Holmes & Sunbeam are 2 of them.

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I have had a Holmes tower humidifier for several years and it requires two of the HWF100 filters. This particular model forces air through the bottom at the back and through the filters out the top. I guess like most filters, the top of the filter dries out quicker than the bottom where water is absorbed. To get a longer life from the filters I reverse the filters top to bottom about 2 times per week. This extends the life of the filter about 2 times. Other brand filters don't live up to the quality of the Holmes HWF100. Prices vary so shop around.

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