Customer Reviews

Bionaire Galileo« BCM4530-U 4 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier

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The Product data on this page says "Other items by Holmes". Not sure what that means; this is a Bionaire humidifier with a remote sensor/controller. The feature set it great; it's quiet, cool "mist", no white mineral deposits/dust in the room, etc. But it also requires a complex weekly cleaning, expensive wicks regularly, cannot output much humidity (the wick dries out instead of keeping up) and the wicks are fragile.

The weekly cleaning includes sanitizing the water resevoir, scrubbing out the base, removing and deliming the float, and reassembling all. The wicks are fragile but also are harmed by minerals in the water, so replacements may be needed every month or two, at about $6 per when you can find them.

Humidifier technology still has room for improvement. This is one of the better units out there, due to the remote sensor (so the room is measured, rather than the air around the unit), but it's not just a plug it and forget it model.

I purchased this humidifer primarily for my guitars. ONe of them started to warp, so I had no choice but to get some form of humidification.

I live in new york city, and here we have an old steam heater where my apartment is 80 degrees or warmer if I don't leave the windows open.

I run this 24/7 on high, and the humidity barely raises. Yet it runs out of water in 12 hours, so I have to refill it twice a day. When I wake up, there's no more water.

I'm not sure if the hygrometer on the unit is completely off, or leaving the windows open renders the humidifier useless (the open windows are on a seperate area, relatively far from the humidifier.

Time will tell.

But this is definitely of nice quality and craftsmanship.

The tank could be bigger!

And I use a a lime scale remover, but I never have any 'white' sediment at the bottom to clean, nor is there anything to clean whatsoever (I check every week, there's NOTHING)

I'm assuming it's due to new york city's wonderful water quality, so I have no mold or anything to clean. And I'm sure the lime away works with inhibiting it as well.

I bought this to take care of my piano. I don't trust the in-piano humidifiers; humidifying the whole room is a MUCH better idea.

The "Galileo" idea is excellent for this: put a remote sensor near the piano, and keep the humidifier across the room. Voilà! Even consistent humidification!

Oh, but wait ... the humidity sensor is wildly miscalibrated, off by 10% or more. The fan, while not deafening, is loud enough to be quite irritating. The filters grow mildew quite quickly, and sometimes need monthly replacement -- especially if the humidity is not too low and the fan runs only occasionally. The rubber seal on the tank wears out over time.

Good concept. Flawed execution.