41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still going strong after six winters in northern Ohio, April 14, 2005
This review is from: Holmes HM3500 8-Gallon Console Humidifier (Kitchen)
When we bought a five bedroom house in 1998, winter was fast approaching. I hate a house with low humidity. Petting the cat turns into animal torture, and walking across carpet and touching a metal doorknob always ends with a nasty surprise. Then there's the lousy feeling when you wake up with a plugged nose, crusty eyes and a sore throat from breathing dry air in a cold house.
We keep our Holmes 3500 on the ground floor in the entryway next to the living room where we have a wood burning stove. Rated to handle homes up to 1700 square feet, this model easily handles our 2400 sq feet. With three speed settings and large capacity twin tanks, the 3500 goes 24 hours between refills even with the woodstove running in the dead of winter. (The woodstove removes air from the home, which pulls dry outside air into the house.)
At the highest fan setting, the 3500 is a little noisy, but it pumps out the moisture. We typically run it on low or medium during the day, and then use high at night to saturate the air.
A small plastic humidistat was included with our unit, and we keep it at the other end of the house to be sure we're getting an accurate reading. For us, the comfort level is simple to determine. If the cat sparks when we pet him, we need more moisture. No question, using a quality unit like this results in fewer colds, better sleep and lower heating bills. Our thermostat stayed at 67 degrees all winter, and even lower at night, and we were comfortable.
What impresses me most is the durability of the unit, with one exception: the plastic handles on the tank of our unit were loose when we unpacked it, so we used superglue under both handles to bolster their adhesion to the tank. It might not have been necessary, but I didn't like the way the handles flexed when carrying a full load of water across a Pergo floor.
Our city water is on the hard side, so we usually replace the wicks every two weeks in peak season to maintain efficiency and comfort. BTW, Amazon has the best price I've ever found on wicks for this unit, so look no further.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 Years and going strong, March 25, 2006
This review is from: Holmes HM3500 8-Gallon Console Humidifier (Kitchen)
This is my fourth winter using this product and I can't say enough good things about it. This unit has made it through 2 moves without any malfunction or damage. I do use a little bactriastat in the water to cut down on cleaning. I simply wash it all out in the spring and dust it off in the fall.
Contrary to some of the reviews below, I only change my filter once a year. I've noticed that the filter indicator gague takes a while to register so if you let the unit run for a half hour or so, you can get an accurate reading but again, I don't see the need replace more than once a season with city water. The tanks are heavy so if you can't lift 20lbs or so you should get a smaller unit but I love the fact I don't have to fill this more than twice or week or so. I have never had any problem with tanks sealing, although I do leave the caps off when I store it for the summer to make sure the tanks get good and dry. They can be a little tricky to thread but once you get the hang of it it's quick and simple.
As for control, I usually set it somewhere in the middle and leave it on medium, no scientific meters here. If it feels dry, I crank it up. If the windows get a little condensation, I crank it down. It keeps us comfortable all winter...even in Minnesota. In short, It is a little noisy and you'll need to get used to the occasional glug-glug sounds it makes but for my money, I'd buy this unit again at twice the price I paid.
One other tip, look to stock up on filters in the spring. Many retailers clear-out this merchendice in the spring and you can often find filters at 50% off or more if you're looking.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Humidifier for the House -- But Costly Filter, December 31, 2004
This review is from: Holmes HM3500 8-Gallon Console Humidifier (Kitchen)
This is real good one , except the fact that the filters needs to be replaced every 4 to 5 weeks , which is almost 12 dollars . I have used some humidifers in the past and all of them never needed have the filter changed for weeks.
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