Customer Reviews

Graco 4 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I purchased this product from Babies RUS on promotion with a 20% discount and gift cards. However, to date, I've spent the purchase price on this unit on filters (albeit cheaper at amazon with amex wishlist discount).

PROS:
This unit is quiet (on quietmist setting), does humidify a large space, and has a convenient humidity setting/readout, not to mention a large 4gallon tank. So yes, it does its job as it's supposed to.

CONS:
and this is a big CON job. Have you ever wondered why this 4-gallon humidifier is ~$70 when 1-2 gallon quiet mist tanks are going for around the same price? THIS IS WHY: The filters cost about $10 and you'll know it's time to change it when you smell a dead rat every two weeks - you can't cop out and pretend it's not there b/c whatever that filter does soaking in water, it really puts out some foul smell when it's "time to change". Say you'll need a humidifier to operate for 4 months in the winter (most likely way longer), that's 8 x $10 = $80 just to keep this thing going. Moreover, if you read the description of this item, it recommends you clean it EVERY DAY - sorry dudes, I've got a job, wife and kids, i don't need to add a humidifier to the family feeding and cleaning schedule.

I've "downgraded" to a 1-gallon humidifier that lasts the night in a 400sq foot room - that's ALL you need people. Forget the 4-gallon filter-guzzler.

I bought this as a replacement for the Hamilton Beach model which I have had for years. I learned the trick to keeping it from getting smelly....let the tank run out of water but keep the machine running. It dries out the filter. The filter gets smelly when it remains constantly wet. Since we work during the day, this isn't a problem. I fill the tank half-full at bedtime and then ignore it. By 10AM the next morning, the tank will be empty and the fan will blow dry the filter until I fill the tank again, the next evening. Seems to work.

Piece of trash! If you're reading reviews written just after someone bought this thing, ignore them. Sure it's all fine and dandy in the beginning...I have used this humidifier for 2 seasons (total of about 7 months, and have had to replace the cap and gasket 3 times. The new cap they just sent me STILL LEAKS all over the floor, rendering the entire thing useless. I give up! And on top of that, when it DID work, I had to replace the filter every 10 days or so (not every 3 months as they advertise). My friend down the street with the same humidifier has the same problem. After a week or so, it starts turning brown and smelly. And this is despite cleaning the tank and tray nearly every time, and turning the filter each time as recommended.

Let me start off by saying that I never write reviews but I felt the need to share my opinion about this product. I researched a lot of humidifiers before purchasing this one, because it sounded perfect for my son's room. Yes, it worked great for maybe 2 weeks but then I had to replace the filter which is supposed to last 3 months! I had the replacement filter for 1 week and I just threw it in the trash because it smelled like something died in the bedroom. I don't know if it is the New York City water or the poor quality of the filter but for every day use it is just not cutting it. Needless to say my husband is on his way to a store to buy something else!

We live in a very dry climate and have used this to increase the humidity in a two story town home of about 1200 square feet. We've had this product for about 3 months without noticing any defects. It runs constantly and gets filled 2 - 3 times a day to raise the humidity from about 25% to 35% which is adequate for us right now. The tank is very easy to carry and fill - much more so than other humidifiers we've previously owned and the overall size works well in our small home. The fan is a bit noisy on medium or high, but that's to be expected. We turn it off when we are watching TV.

The humidistat works ok if you give up the idea that it accurately measures room humidity and just use it as a rough guide. The humidity will always be higher close to any humidifier so there's not much you can do about it. I purchased a separate meter to measure humidity at various places in the home. I set the Graco for 45% or 50% to get the house around 30- 35%. I'd say it would take two of these units or a much larger one to get a 1200 sq ft home up to 40%. We don't have the room for either.

Here are the cons:
First, the filters can smell pretty bad after a few weeks. I think I read that someone mentioned they smelled like something dead. That fits. Though they seem to have the strongest smell when partially or fully dried out or if you stick your face right over the unit. Most of the time I don't notice it.

Second, I've had to replace the filter after about two months. It was getting crystallized stuff on it. At $10 a pop this can get pretty expensive especially considering that we will have to run it almost all year since we live in a dry climate (Colorado Springs). This means that this product is not a good long term solution for humidifying a home. A bedroom at night perhaps.

Third, and this is a minor issue, there is no shutoff when it runs out of water. It does indicate "LO" on the display, but if it can sense that it's out of water, why not shut off the fan? There's no harm done other than the use of the electricity and the fact that it dries the filter out so it takes time to get it to reabsorb water before it starts adding humidity again (I didn't want to deal with the mess of transporting a wet filter from the sink or moving the humidifier.)

I'm sorry about the people that have had defective units, but so far ours seems sturdy. We will be moving soon and will install a whole house humidifier into the heating system, so this has worked fine as a temporary solution.

We bought one of these six years ago when they were Hamilton Beach 05521. It just failed due to a humidity sensor malfunction. I'd say I got my money's worth! After another thorough search to see if there is something better -- well-- I ordered 2 more from Amazon. We live in the Colorado Mountains; and let me tell you, our unit got a workout every winter season. We have very hard water, and I just fill the tank right out of the tap. Yes the filters get crusty after a couple weeks of heavy use and need to be changed. I've never had a problem with odor; but that could be because there is never stagnant water in the pan. This unit easily moves 3-4 gallons per day as claimed in our dry climate.

I've read through the reviews of this unit, and there are some legitimate concerns raised - namely filters and maintenance. Here are a couple tips. Turn the filters over - bottom to top -- weekly and replace often. Don't buy filters from BabyAge. What a rip off operation! They sell filters for less than 8 dollars; but then charge 9 dollars EACH to ship. I'm surprised Amazon deals with them. Search for filters for Hamilton Beach 05521. I just bought 8 filters from [...] for $47.95 delivered! Secondly get a little jar of Vaseline and liberally lube the lid seal and the flow valve frequently. The container will always seal and the flow cutoff will operate properly. The only other maintenance I do is just to clean the unit when I change filters.

I use this for my toddler when he is sick thru out the winter months, or when I have sinus headaches. I would say on avg. 4-5 days out of each month we pull it out and leave it running thru out the night and nap times.
Yes, the filter turns brown after a few days of sitting in water and it will cost you $10 to buy a new one. No you do not need to do this once a month unless you are running this thing all day and night, and if you are, I would suggest the user purchases one of those Ionic Sticks that keep it clean, and those only need replacing once a yr and are cheap. Or, you can do like me and easily clean the filter with diluted vinigar to extend its life, something I'm not sure if all of the reviewers know about. I buy a new filter once or twice a yr and I am fairly paranoid about mold! Twice a yr is def sufficient for the use we get out of it, and putting $20/yr into a 5 star humidifier is worth it for me. The instructions say to rinse the tank every 24 hours, I probably do it every 2 or 3 days instead, but it always seems fine. I either pop it in the dishwasher or drop a Tablespoon of bleach in there and rinse it out with a rag and water-- never takes me more than 3 min.
It has never leaked onto the carpet which was my big concern when I purchased it b/c the tank is so huge!
Most humidifiers need regular maintenance b/c of the possibility of mold. This tank is great quality, holds an awful lot of water, and gives a quiet little purr that puts our family to sleep. Love it!

This is a great little humidifier. The controls are simple and intuitive. I love that the water tray is dishwasher safe so I can easily clean and sanitize it. Yes, you have to replace the filters - just like any evaporative humidifier - but they are inexpensive and easy to replace (amazon has them for $9.99). The capacity or the water tank is just right - small enough to fill easily, but large enough that you don't have to constantly refill it. We bought this intending to use it in the baby's room, but ended up using it in our room to replace a much more expensive "ultrasonic" humidifier that was impossible to clean and much less effective. I plan on buying another one for my son's room.

My husband and I did a LOT of research before finally settling on buying this humidifier. We read reviews, looked at descriptions and all that jazz. Although there were a couple negative reviews for this product we decided to purchase it anyway because of the great value, and we made an excellent choice. The filters are cheap, it's quiet, and it does a great job. We live in Utah and the climate here it extremely dry. We have both been sleeping loads better and we don't wake up with dry throats and cracked lips anymore. I say do your research and find the best deal for the price. This was ours.

I agree this is a very quiet unit on the low settings. Even the high isn't bad. Very easy to fill, love that and really puts out alot of moisture into the air. Best price for sure on Amazon and I too researched until I was almost sick and the reviews on many other sites say this is the one to get. Glad I did. We really like it.