AIRCARE - SPACE SAVER 831000

I quite like my aircare console humidifier. It's more than you need for one room, but I'm sure there are smaller ones. You're looking for an evaporative humidifier. They're dead simple devices. A reservoir of water, a fan, and a wick to get wet and blow the air across. You need to keep them clean but they require less frequent cleaning than any ultrasonic units and they don't spread contaminants from the water into the air since they just allow the water to evaporate itself rather than physically atomizing it into the air. You also want to make sure you get the treatment chemical and add the right amount when you fill it. It doesn't take much and lasts a long time so it's not a big expense.

So I'm in Canada, [this is the one I use.](https://www.homedepot.ca/product/aircare-space-saver-evaporative-humidifier-for-2300-sq-ft-spaces/1001565672?eid=PS_GO_140203__ALL_PLA-526641&eid=PS_GOOGLE_D29A_Vendor-Funded_GGL_Shopping_Major-Appliances_Major%20Appliances_PLA_EN__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-297068452945&pid=1001565672&store=7032&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19073043979&gclid=CjwKCAjw49vEBhAVEiwADnMbbKt3KN3ckqYjLh8ulWcbgMko7CH5YEgbABm0U8HYaskPNmVslVrb7BoCXU4QAvD_BwE) It very effectively covers my 1100sq ft apartment in the very dry winter and I find the reservoir lasts about 4 or 5 days. I'm not sure what's available where you are.

It's definitely overkill but I have the 6-gallon Aircare for my 1br apartment. I probably should have gotten the smaller one, but if you have a larger space the 6-gallon should do it.

We run two, pretty much 24/7. I have an Aircare 6 gallon evaporative that uses the 1043 wick, white, upright. I think it's in its 3rd season. I also have an old large Bemis H-12, the similar new model console type are now Aircare, brown ugly, large. I just looked up my order. It was purchased 2004! Neither of these are quiet but do the job, one on each of two floors with woodstoves. Low speed is tolerable but speeds 2 and 3 are intrusive (to me). They both have a humidistat so I don't think it's necessary to hook up to smart controls. The newer 6 gallon is easier to fill (top fill direct dump in water) and more compact, so easier to clean - I roll them to a shower. The old one has a 2 gallon plastic insert that has to be brought to a sink where a hose type thing is pressed under a faucet and run to the insert, then the 2 gal insert is lugged back to the giant 'hamper'. I use Bestair water additives so they don't need much cleaning. However, the wicks need either careful soaking to clean or replacing monthly to 6 weeks with our hard well water. The 1043 wick gets replaced in a frame where the older model's wick comes framed. The frameless is delicate to clean (soak in XL dishpan vinegar/water 50:50). New wicks are about $23. Like most plastic things with fans the designs suck as far as nooks and crannies around the fan. Impossible to be dust free and you need small hands to occasionally wipe the fan blades. Same problem cleaning the grill-like coverings. edit: to remove product link

There are a few high end brands that might be superior, but most are very similar, within their categories. No BIFL humidifiers, and better ones will be costly. For longevity, evaporative seems to be the best type. I suggest you narrow it down to what will work for you and check reviews online. I wanted to add one lower priced gallon size evaporative model for my kitchen area and concluded they all suck and don't last too long. I'm guessing you're looking for a room size, vs whole house. First consider the type: warm mist, ultrasonic, evaporative. Warm mist will cost the most to operate. Ultrasonic often leaves a white dust on surfaces. Evaporative can be noisy due to the fan. Ease of use is key - filling and cleaning, lugging to sink, capacity. Every stinking plastic contraption that deals with air has a ridiculous amount of nooks, crannies, and fins that can be impossible to clean. Check consumables for cost of replacement wicks, filters. I use two whole house evaporative humidifiers along with water additives to inhibit bacteria. One is twenty years old, a Bemis hamper style, now AirCare. In winter they run 24/7 along with woodstoves. Wicks need cleaning or replacing monthly, $25 each. Some can hold up to a vinegar soak to give it another month.

I have an Aircare 831000, 6 gallon supposedly whole house but ok for an open first floor (wood burning fp insert running). It's fine and on year 3 or 4. What I like about this model is that you can pour water directly into the reservoir (I use 1 gal water jugs to which I add bacteriostat). On low it goes through about 3 gallons/day. The fan is noisy above that, so I sometimes crank it when I leave the area. The filters go into a reusable flimsy housing. I carefully soak in vinegar after a month and get another month out of it, about $23. Like anything with a fan these days, the grid areas are annoying to clean. I also have a 21 year old Bemis console hamper type. It's now made by Aircare. Not sure if they make 'em like they used to. Entire filter with housing is replaced. I think the removable tank is 2 gal and I think it goes through more than that per day on low (used on another floor with woodstove). Not sure about current models of this hamper style (Aircare Alliance 5.4 gal) but I dislike hauling that tank to a sink, using a tube at the faucet to fill and hauling it back to the unit. It's also more intrusive looking than the first mentioned white one but seems more solid.

I run an Aircare Evaporative whole house humidifier, uses a giant wick, works well but is loud and pretty cheap (the plastic sides can be bent). No need for a smart switch because it auto-cycles-off when your target humidity is reached.

tl;dr: Get the Levoit 6000S and replace the wicks and filter every 1-2 years. Avoid ultrasonic humidifiers.   Where I'm from, the winters are terribly dry 20-32% humidity typically, over the years I have been trying different types of humidifiers so I have a pretty good idea of which ones are worth it and which ones aren't, I hope I can help people who have to deal with dry air save some money and stress as I wish I had this kind of resource when I was looking for humidifiers that worked.   Here is my quick review of the best ones I've tried. These were all used for a single large master bedroom with hard tap water and ran for 16+ hours a day over the course of 3-5 months during the fall/winter. None of them failed and are all still working but does require proper maintenance, if you are in an area with soft water then the maintence schedule may be better than what I will list below. Some are intended for a larger space, but the goal is to be able to achieve a consistent 50% humidity as my benchmark for a good humidifier. Humidity was tested with two ThermoPro TP55 hygrometers at two different spots in the room away from the humidifier, readings were consistent between the two (as well as with some smaller hygrometers I had left over from 3D printing). The built-in humidity sensors on every humidifier I tried has never really been accurate, they are usually higher by 5-10% compared to the room since they are often inside or right beside the humidification spot.   **Honeywell HWM440WC** Evaporative steam humidifier, this humidifier just uses steam and has no fans, it is pretty quiet, cheap, and works fairly well. I own two of these as they were my first humidifiers. However there are some pretty big drawbacks.   tl;dr: Requires maintenance and refilling often but cheap   **Pros:** * Cheap * Relatively quiet * Warms the room * Easy top fill * Simple 3 switch button * Auto shut off feature * No wicks to replace or clean * No additives needed * Can achieve 50%+ on high setting, low gets to 44-45% consistently at best. **Cons:** * Mineral Build-up is a pain to deal with: With tap water it will eventually develop mineral buildup on the heating element which is a hard plastic-like material. It is difficult to clean off the buiild-up as you don't want to damage the heating element and the space is difficult to work in. I typically soak in it a hot citric acid bath to dissolve and soften the build up then go at it carefully with a screwdriver. This needs to be done weekly if using it a lot otherwise the build up will get so bad it won't run anymore, if using the high setting often it should be descaled every 4-5 days. (If you use distilled you will be spending so much money on distilled water...) * Uses more water than other evaporative humidifiers * Requires refilling throughout the day. On the low setting a full tank running continuously lasts 10-12 hours. Running on the high setting it lasts 7-8.5 hours, ymmv. * Uses more electricity than others   **AirCare Space Saver Evaporative Humidifier** Uses a very large paper wick which absorbs the water and a top mount fan blows air out to humidify the space. The design does have a flaw in that the fan and wick aren't positioned in a way that lets air efficiently pull the moisture out of the wick. This is the cheapest evaporative humidifier of this size. I used bacteriostat additive for each refill to inhibit bacteria growth (imo not really nessecary if you go through your water as fast as me).   tl;dr: Loud but does the job and low maintenance   **Pros:** * Relatively cheap for the capacity * Humidifies the room to ~45% on low setting, medium/high can bring it past 50%. * Large tank, lasts for 3 days or so running continuously on low. * Simple dumb design, just one dial to set desired humidity shut off and one button to turn on/off the fan and dial the speed between low, medium, high. Inside is just a styrofoam bob for auto shut off and a big replaceable wick. * Easy top fill * Auto shut off: Uses a styrofoam bob to push a lever under the lid, when the water level is too low it can't push the lever and the machine stops. * Has wheels which can be helpful if you prefer filling at the tap for a capacity this large **Cons:** * Wick need replacing yearly based on my experience, they are very large and because of the design of it, it is difficult to properly clean all the mineral build up off of it. * Lid is slightly annoying to put on, since the bucket body is not made of very rigid plastic, the little amount of bending can make the lid difficult to seat in place, if the lid was designed better to have alignment pieces built into it then it wouldn't be an issue. * Realistically only usable on low setting if you are in the room, around the same loudness as a typical standing fan. Medium you need noise cancelling headphones and on high you are going to hear it no matter what and it is crazy loud, think hairdryer 3 arms length away. * No easy way to see the max fill line, if you overfill it, there is a drain hole out the back. Best way to see it without removing the lid and be annoyed at putting it back on is to just shine a light at where the max fill line is on the inside. You will be able to easily see the fill line and water level through the opening at the top for filling.   **Venta LW45** Filterless/Wickless style evaporative humidifier. Quiet and simple operation. Extremely expensive for what is really just a plastic bucket and drum. While filterless, you need to use their water treatment or make your own to avoid too much build up of minerals which ends up being more expensive than just buying a new wick every year (so much for the filterless advantage). They also advertise it as cleaning the air, this is mostly just a marketing gimmick imo. Also I've heard the customer support was terrible as they will blame you for not doing proper maintenance with their additives if anything happens.   tl;dr: Avoid, too pricey and mediocre performance   **Pros:** * Quiet * Auto shut off * Filterless * Top fill but you need to remove the lid * Humidifies the room to 42-45%, couldn't consistently keep at 50% or higher * Simple operation **Cons:** * Expensive Expensive Expensive * Cheap material build for the price * Requires using expensive additives on every refill which is very pricey if you go through water quickly * Below average capacity for the price * Requires cleaning every ~10 days * Average humidification for the price   **Levoit 6000S** Modern looking evaporative humidifier that works very well and uses 4 small wicks. Quiet operation and for full functionality and customization you need to use an app on your smartphone. Refill requires taking off the top pieces and using a provided funnel if filling from the tap or if you have a bucket you can just pour water directly into the wide basin. I used bacteriostat additive for each refill to inhibit bacteria growth (imo not really nessecary if you go through your water as fast as me).   tl;dr: Great humidifier, good price   **Pros:** * Great humidification, achieves 50%+ easily on 4/10 fan speed which is still quieter than the Aircare on low. * Quiet * Top fill but you need to remove the top pieces * Durable small wicks, can survive a descale with citric acid and hot water once or twice * Modern looking * Has wheels which can be helpful if you prefer filling at the tap for a capacity this large * Large capacity, requires refilling slightly more often than the Aircare (still can go days) * Comes with a cover for storage * Lots of different features and settings for a humidifier * Viewing window for max fill line **Cons:** * Requires an app for full functionality and best experience, buttons on the machine are still adequate though * Requires buying wicks that are ~$10 more expensive than the Aircare and a filter, but lasts longer as you can descale it once or twice * Cleaning does require running the machine wickless with citric acid water then flushing with plain water, once a month   --- **Ultrasonic Rant** I started with ultrasonic humidifiers but those are just terrible to deal with. The only benefit to them is that they are cool looking and cheap. But if you don't use distilled water it gets mineral deposits everywhere (esp with hard water) and is not good for the air quality. Also their ability to humidify a very dry room is out of the question based on my experience with two different ultrasonic humidifiers in the $70-120 range (could barely hold 42% in a localized area). Highly recommend you stay away from these, they are very common and even if they say "warm mist" it can still be ultrasonic. If they don't say what type of humidifier it is or if the price seems too good, it is very likely ultrasonic.   Edit:   **Carepod Rant**   tl;dr: Avoid like the plague   Since several people have been asking for my opinion about Carepod, here is my 2-cents without first hand experience: They are over marketed, misleading, overpriced and nothing special. They don't specificy practically all of their humidifiers are ultrasonic without digging into the webpage and flipping the tabs to specs which is a major red flag. Their non-ultrasonic ones also has been reported to have issues with overheating and the design appears to be terribly inefficient since it looks like it is just boiling a pot of water (basically an electric kettle you run constantly). They definitely spent a ton of money on advertising and doesn't really innovate on anything with humidifiers. If you have knowledge and lots of experience with humidifiers you will be able to tell a lot of what they say in their advertisement is irrelevant garbage. I equate Carepod to all the other randomly branded humidifiers you find on Amazon except it is priced 3-10x+ more just because they do a lot of advertising and marketing. I do not personally recommend Carepod especially when they make dangerous statements such as "Safe for everyone, even babies" which is only the case if you use distilled water which there will be a significant amount of people who don't know to do that. Also them constantly promoting it is "made by a doctor" and won "awards" (from 2021) is a red flag.

This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/AIRCARE-831000-Space-Saver-Evaporative-Humidifier/dp/B00WAC9VKQ It evaporates about 3 gallons a day.

This is the answer! They are the best. I have 3 from Aircare two 6gallon and one 3 gallon. I go through about 2 wicks a year for each of them. So easy to clean and maintain!

Just looked at the aircare ones and the first and last one are such an eye sore I personally wouldn’t even consider them. You would need to be 80 yrs old with a home that matches that age for those to not be hideous! Lol That second one isn’t an eye sore. Not that any of the humidifiers are good looking but I find some less ugly than others.

They are, but I have had two running for multiple years between them. I had a large Air Care - i’m not sure why - but the fan mechanism leaked all of its lubricant and corroded badly. I assume user error haha. But even it lasted 3 years! Now I have my ~5yo Air Care running in our upstairs, and we got a new Vissani 6 gal this past year.

Size of the area is important. I have gone through many humidifier over the years. I have hard water and don’t want to buy distilled water. So I do not use cool/warm mist/ultrasonic. I use evaporative. It’s a simple design with a wick and fan. Add bioterioststic treatment to the water to prevent mold. Replace the wick as needed. 1. Look for a unit that has third party filters/wicks. 2. Look for a unit that is easy to clean. 3. Has the capacity you need That being said, I use an aircare console MA1201. It’s easy to fill and clean. Has 3.6 gallon capacity. Have had it for 4ish years. It generally keeps my home comfortable. I am looking to replace it with the space saver model which has a 6 gallon capacity. Keep in mind these are simple devices. They are well priced and do exactly what they are made for. There are no apps, pumps, ai, or other gizmos to break.