Customer Reviews

Honeywell HAW500 HydraPure Air Washer 2-in-1 Air Purifier and Humidifier

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

...or alternatively quality control issues. I had, like the previous review, a leaking problem. It's a sneaky problem which I am almost 100% sure of is related to the filling cap on the tank. The problem with the vertical tank is that the only thing that prevents too much water to enter the basin is the vacuum created in the tank when the water leaves it. If that vacuum is disrupted the water will just continue to flow into the basin until it overflows. In this case it's the cap that is not sealing properly. The seal gradually loosens over a couple of hours until something gives way and the water starts flowing out. So if the unit looks fine when you set it up you might wake up (hopefully) around 2 am in the morning with a wet floor. I am on my second unit now which seems ok but its being monitored closely and sits in a rubbermaid container until it proves its not a bed wetter anymore. I spoke with the distributer (Kaz) who claim that this model does not show any excessive amount of warranty claims. I am not sure if they would ever to admit to anything else though. Another potential issue I found is that the disc that are spinning inside the unit ([...]) are sometimes a bit mis-aligned. For instance one of the discs might be too close to the edge and generates a scraping noise. You can remedy this by just removing one of the discs from the axle.

Aside from these flaws I think the unit works great when in working order. The dics turn nice and quiet in the water basin and the fan is silent enough on the lowest setting. It keeps the humidity well and when it reaches the desired level it shuts off saving both electricity and on the noise levels. The unit can be set on continuous use which the manual calls "automatic". Unfortunately its not very specific about what that mode does, in my opinion it just seems like its permanently on regardless of the environmental humidity. This would be useful in the summer when the humidity is high enough for the unit to shut down but you still want to benefit from the units filtering qualities (pollen, dust, mold, etc.)

I like the fact that it has a washable filter that does not need exchanging. You have the option of an additional disposable coal filter to catch smells but its not mandatory.

The display is nice and crisp and with a pretty blue back light so it's easy to control in the dark should you need to. The display shuts off after a few seconds so you don't need to worry about that glare that some products create from persistent led's and back lights.

All in all its a good product (when working), but has some design/quality control issues that might want you to think twice, or at least make sure you have a good return policy if you are affected by these issues.

I ordered this with high hopes and quickly became very disappointed. After the first day it began to leak excessively all over the floor. I took the unit apart to look for any obvious signs of a problem but found nothing. Put it back together again and within a day, it leaked again. I decided that I must have just gotten a "lemon" so I opted to replace it with another identical unit, which Amazon did replace very quickly-I had a new in 3 days! After the 3rd day of running the unit, it too began to leak excessively. Luckily, I had set the unit in a large rubber maid container so it did not leak all over the floor. I think there is an obvious manufacturer defect with this unit that must have been overlooked. I am currently searching for another product that is also an air cleaner & a humidifier all in one but am not having much luck. The design and concept of this one is very similar to the design of the Air O Swiss air washer. May give that one a try.

I've used this product for almost 4 months now. I have had no problems with leaks or anything else. It works great. I live in an apartment, and only use it in my bedroom. Now that allergy season is here, I definitely notice the difference. My room is just fine, and pretty allergen free. When I walk out of my bedroom, I start getting a stuffy nose and sneezing from the allergens. It also does a good job in keeping my room humid.

Thought this would be a great product but was proven wrong. It is hard to clean the water tank. It also does not accurately adjust to humidity desired.

This product has been discontinued and the remaining units are being sold at fire sale prices although it was once intended to compete with premium air washers costing several hundred dollars. My disappointment is attenuated by having obtained the product at a steep discount. My floor was flooded on the first day I set up my device. The only way I can see to avoid a repeat of this problem (there is no obvious flaw in the tank) is to only fill the tank part way so that even if it empties fully there is not enough water for the basin to overflow. You might think that this would require me to refill the device frequently but the device consumes surprisingly little water, which must be regarded as a serious flaw in a product whose main function is humidification. Curiously, the packaging claims that it has "50% more humidity output than competing AOS 2055 model...." I purchased an AOS 2055A a month ago and have both air washers running in the same room (both on high speed with a humidity hovering at 35%) and my AOS is putting out at least twice as much moisture as the HAW500. Two factors may explain this: First, the packaging states that "Output performance may be reduced when the unit is operated with the Odor-Lock filter pre-filter." This pre-filter is optional (which is good because it is no longer available in the US, costs nearly $20 if ordered from Canada, and must be replaced every 3 months) and one really has to wonder why they bothered to include it. The second factor is that air washer performance improves somewhat after some residue builds up on the air washer disks (however, I'd be amazed it this improves performance dramatically). The packaging also states that the HAW-500 "runs up to 3 nights or 24 hours per filling," and given that the tank holds about a gallon of water it is the one claim I still believe (sigh). Competing products put out 2-3 gallons of water a day.

Most air washers claim to purify air merely because the damp rotating disks sweep larger particles out the the air. Honeywell instead chose to include a HEPA filter as well as the optional carbon/zeolite pre-filter to filter the air BEFORE it even enters the air washer chamber. The downside to this choice is that the airflow is significantly impeded by these filters and, additionally, the "air washing" feature becomes largely redundant. The purification benefits of air washers are quite modest but the flow rate through the HAW500 HEPA filter makes this suitable for "a single closed room up to 38 square feet." However, a room of 38 square feet is so small that if you wanted to lie down in it you would need to position yourself on the diagonal. Given this trivially small air purification benefit Honeywell should have simply left out the filters so that the unit was more effective for humidification.

The design has a few positive features. Like all air washers, the rotating disks allow for a higher evaporation rate than a design that uses only a wick. This means that a smaller fan may be used so energy usage is lower and noise levels are minimal. This product has three fan speeds and is tolerably quiet even on the highest setting. The rotating wheels also prevent the water in the basin from being a stagnant breeding ground for mold, etc.

If the unit didn't leak and it put out moisture at at least double the rate I have observed I would have given this product a 4 star rating. Instead, I suggest you consider other air washers--Honeywell seems to have had ample reason to discontinue this model.

Some reviewers have stated that their units make an occasional scraping noise that they attribute to the rotating disks making contact with the side walls. My air washer started making these noises after a few days of operation. I placed a small amount of vaseline petroleum jelly on the center of the axle that holds the rotating disks and this promptly eliminated the noise problem.

This humidifier leaks.my sons nose drys and bleeds in winter so I thought this would work at night but hated it.it is hard to fill water and leaks a lot .for the price Its very bad, I wish they could make some justice ffor the customer . It also makes weird noise and sometime it is so annoying . For this price you can for sure find a better product.

The unit would not work after only 1 month of use. This was not worth the money or the disappointment.

in the pic online, the unit looks like a reasonable size for a bedroom, but this thing is huge! it's probably large enough for a small apartment! It does do what it says it does; cleans and humidifies the air... I can't tell yet how it will hold up, but so far so good.

This product works great. My only complaint is that the plastic gears inside sometimes rub on each other making an annoying squeaking noise. Other then that its really quiet when running and it really helped with my allergies.

We have forced air at our new home, and it is so dry. This helps keep the air moist, shuts on and off automatically. It is so quiet, I need to check to make sure it is on. We have an open concept first floor, and It keeps the whole area comfortable. I do wish it held more water, needs refilling daily.