Customer Reviews

Air-O-Swiss 7533 Demineralization Cartridge Refill (3 pack)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I agree with some reviewers that refilling the cartridge take a little extra hand-eye coordination, and is a bit time-consuming and definitely more of an annoyance than you want to deal with re: a humidifier.. I found that just snipping off a corner of the bag allows a little more control in pouring the granules. I also plug up the center cavity with a wad of wet paper towel. Wet towels are better than dry because the grains will stick to the wet paper more readily when you pull it out.

All this being said, I'm writing this review to underscore an option that the instruction manual mentioned, and which I've learned to swear by. USE DISTILLED WATER in the reservoir. It's 59 cents a gallon or cheaper at your local giant-grocer. No white powder whatsoever, and you never have to clean the tank with Air-O-Swiss's gimmicky powder cleaners. Using distilled water, you can just unscrew the water-purifying cylinder from the reservoir cap and throw it in the garbage (or, if you're hate throwing anything out, just put back in the box which you most likely saved and are keeping in the basement). I'm a lawyer and a skeptic by nature, and I don't think that the "purifying beads" do anything substantive. Even a fresh filter leaves that white powder. Frankly, I think that the money saved in not buying the company's custom-designed external expenses is far outweighed by the money spent on "fancy" distilled water. I can't help but think of the cost of printer ink when I think of these water filters; you buy the base unit (printer/humidifier) for a good deal, not realizing how much more money you will be forking over in the maintenance of the darn thing.

This is a humidifier, after all, not a life-support machine. There are two options; dealing with the vaguely annoying white powder, or spending a little extra money on something that will avoid the nuisance of cleaning up the white powder. Personally, I prefer spending my money on store-bought distilled water than some chemically questionable "white beads" (what are they made out of, anyway?? Are they recyclable? Is there any data on how much these bead actually "purify" the water? And does the production of these beads use non-renewable resources? Don't ask Air-O-Swiss...they won't tell you). On the other hand, I know how distilled water is made. And I can tell you from personal experience that using distilled water keeps the humidifier in tip-top, brand-new-looking shape. When the "clean" light on my unit comes on, I just reset without thinking. There's nothing to clean. You could use distilled water for years and still have less buildup than one or two uses of regular tap water (filtered or otherwise, I would argue).

Well, enough of my ranting and raving in favor of distilled water. I think I've made my feelings clear. In response to the reviews from members who complained about the high cost of filter replacement in their hard-water environments, this is my "perfect" solution to you. Take it for what it's worth.

My air-o-swiss is sucking up atleast 1 filter every month. Recently, I bought the refill packs. Having used them 3 times, I feel that it was a wise decision. I get the same performance from the filter, for 1/4th the price.

As of he refilling part, I found it quiet easy. While emptying the filter, shake the filter in the trash can. Most of the "stuff" will fall off easily. You can wash off any that clings to the filter. Shouldn't take u more than 30 seconds to do this. When it comes to filling up the filter, I make a very small cut in the plastic bag with a scissor. This gives me better control on the flow of the granules. I fill up the outer chamber first and then the inner one. Any slight over flows, I wash it off.

All in all, it takes 3 minutes tops. Well worth the effort.

I agree that the cartridge was not easy to fill -- the beads are a little tricky to get into the cartridge (they sort of stick to each other and to the bag they are in and to your hands, so it takes awhile to get them packed in).

However, the cost savings definitely makes up for the slight trouble -- 3 separate cartridges would range from approx. $36 - $45, while this package of 3 refills only cost $19.00! Well worth the extra 5 minutes every 3 months.

I'm not sure what the fuss is about as to why some people think it's such a big deal on performing the refill. The process for me couldn't be easier -- none of the "messy" situation mentioned by other reviewers. It's fairly priced and does what it's supposed to do economically.

Here's what I do, upon dumping out the old beads, I simply rinsed the cartridge and placed it on a wet paper towel (that way, even if any beads escape, they get stuck to the paper towel instead of rolling all over the place). Next, I cut a small hole in one corner and start filling the cartridge. It's THAT simple. All it took was 5 minutes of my time, and it saved me a bundle by not replacing the entire cartridge. No mess. No fuss. No regrets.

Hi,
If you want to buy and cart home distilled water bottles fine. I currently am using 2 of the ultrasonic Air O Swiss and one air washer to humidify my home. I figure I am putting out about 3 to 5 gallons of water to humidify my home to 40 to 45%. The replacement beads are cheaper by far. The biggest problem is unscrewing the cartridge for me. I just ordered new cartridges because I could not open the original ones shipped with the humidifiers. I also have the beads. Straight off you can easily unscrew the top of the cartridge. Take a hint if your cartridge is all one beige color it is impossible to unscrew the cartridge to refill without taking a pipe wrench to it and damaging the plastic. The new cartridges have a beige bottom and a white screw on top. They unscrew easily!! The new replacement minerals have a styrofoam plug to plug up the center hole. Hope it works. I think the air washer is a great idea but the overall output is not as much as the ultrasonics. So it ultimately is your preference. Hauling gallons of distilled water is not my idea of a frugal alternative.

The water in the tank does not flow into the base nearly as well with the replacement mineral pack. I followed the installation instructions and presoaked it as recommended. The new media seems to get packed inside the filter and obstructs the flow to the point where the warning light that says the filter needs to be changed is constantly flashing even though I just changed the media.

Its alot easier to fill then thought of, and its cheaper than buying the complete filter. Beads kinda stick to each other and if not careful can make a mess trying to get the excess out of the bag, but overall.. I give it 5 stars.

I read through quite a few varied reviews about purchasing the replacement pack and then decided to go ahead and order it. Knowing to be aware of the tiny beads and to plug the mid section with a moist paper towel helped a lot. I actually found the refilling quite easy and quick and so it was definitely worth the little effort to save the money compared to purchasing the entire cartridge.

I bought these replacement packs as they are cheaper than buying the entire prepacked cartridges, however, after fumbling trying to pack the filter beads into the cartridge, I would *NOT* recommend going this route.
The problem is that the filter beads absorb any amount of water in the air - even inside the sealed packs they arrive in - and swell, so that you are trying to coax swollen, wet, sticky beads into a small annulus of the cartridge without getting them into the center - the small amount of money you save is not worth the effort involved.

Reading some reviews that it is hard to replace the beads probably set me up to be frustrated. Well, it's not so hard. Certainly worth the cost savings. You will be quick to find that after getting the cap off the cartridge (kinda took a bit of working on that - it does just unscrew)the center of the cartridge should be "taped off" or blocked in some way to make it as easy to pour in the new beads. I think next time I am going to fill a small balloon with just a bit of air, then stuff it in the middle hole to prevent spillage of the new beads. Go for it!