Customer Reviews

Vicks 1.5 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

We've had this humidifier for about 2 years now and use it only occasionally. The reason we use it sparingly is because it is way too loud. It has a very annoying vibrational noise that can be damped by pushing down hard on the lid. Since I can't stand next to it pushing the lid down all night, we have to put up with the amazingly loud humming. The other problem with this humidifier is that it is hard to clean inside the tube that draws-up the water. It is removable, but you need to have pipe-cleaners to get inside it. The non-removable disc in the lid is also filled with gunk that I can't get out. Save your money!

This humidifier is loud, but more importantly completely drenches the carpet beneath it. Every night I have to put 2 dry bath towels under it to collect the water that would otherwise be saoked into my carpet. Its SUCH A PAIN, not to mention the constant rotations of new dry towels. I guess you get what you pay for, I am going to get a more expensive one next but sure wish I could have saved this $30 from the beginning.

I bought this at Kmart for $21. They had extra filters there, and they're available online. The unit is in my 2-year-old's room and is very quiet. You do have to snap the lid on tightly, but then it stays in place. It used only about 1/4 of the water in the chamber overnight. The instructions recommend a thorough cleaning with vinegar once a week, which I will definitely do. A switch on the body of the humidifier would be nice (there's a dial-type power switch on the cord). I'm sure a $100+ unit would be more attractive and have more features, but for my needs this works fine.

My biggest complaint about this humidifier, is that lots and lots of stores sell the humidifier, but I have found it impossible to find replacement filters. If you do get this humidifier, make sure you buy a ton of filters, because once they are gone, you will probably not be able to find new ones!

This is awful, it is much too loud for use. I can hear it from the other room. Save your money and look elsewhere.

I've had my share of humidifiers, having lived in Alaska, and the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, and the Sierra Nevadas.

I went with this one because I like the cool mist humidifier over the steamers, but I no longer trust any brand of wick filter evaporator (more on that below). This one has proven to be a good little unit for the bedroom, despite the noise. The operation is simple, fill the base with water, put the top on, it drizzles water onto the impeller, which sprays it out, and some of that spray gets forced out the opening. Simple, brute force atomization, which also explains the noise. The base is not spill-proof - when open, it is just a great big bowl, so you really don't want to move the unit while it has much water in it. But this simplicity also means it is very easy to clean, and, even better, doesn't have the stationary, soaking filter to catch and encourage mold. I've gotten used to the noise, apparently a lot of folks can't or won't.

About those wick-style units. I've owned a couple, and the same problem cropped up in both. After the first couple of filters, the unit starts growing mold. The first time, I figured it was because I was buying bargain filters, rather than the anti-microbial filters. But switching to anti=microbial filters made no difference, I would get mold within a day or two of putting a new filter in. So I washed and bleached the unit, and that seemed to add a day to the life of the filter. Finally, I bought a new unit. The first filter lasted right up to the recommended replacement, the second filter lasted two weeks...then came the mold. Once again, new filters lasted one to two days before the mold returned, even with diligent bleaching, vinegaring, and alcoholing. If you've never had a moldy humidifier filter, you never want to smell it, it smells like rotting meat. And you usually wake up to it, because it didn't smell that way when you went to sleep.

If this one lasts the full winter, I'll be super happy. If not, I'll go back to a steam unit. They are pretty fool proof...if you keep up with the weekly maintenance.

Reading the other reviews, you'd think you were making the biggest mistake of your life buying this great little machine. It's not loud at all - I don't know what they're talking about. And it blows a giant stream of cool mist that has helped our newborn breathe freely in the humidity-free Arizona air. Only thing is, and I don't know why, it takes about 3 initial runs before full mist capacity is met. Instructions even forewarn this - it has to get broken in somehow. Well, once you've done that, it's awesome, honestly. Just keep it clean.

I reviewed this product two years ago and have been adding onto my review since then. When I bought it, I specifically was looking for a humidifier that put out visible mist and had a white noise sound.

Usage: My humidifier lasted 2 winters before the motor stopped working (and the metal components rusted out). I used this humidifier generally between late October - Early March and had it on overnight and usually 2-4 hrs during the day.

Reservoir (base): Pro: nice size, runs for about 24hrs on one tank. Relatively easy to clean (it has annoying little decorative grooves in the lid and in the tank that you have to clean with a toothbrush).
Con: Hard to transport when full (I used to just fill it with a pitcher in-between cleanings).

Filter: Pro: easy to remove, easy to find replacement filters, replacement filters are not too expensive. You can get ~3 filters for $2, I happened to find a deal where I got 12 filters for under $20 Con: Filters last 2-4 weeks and need to be replaced.

Settings/Electronic Components : Pro: no fancy settings with this humidifier, just an on/off switch.
Con: Without taking the top of the humidifier completely apart, the motor and components are impossible to clean. In my humidifier the metal components (that hold the plastic wicking component in place) started rusting about a year after purchase. After the second year of use, the components had rusted to the point that the humidifier was unusable/not safe to use. Furthermore, the motor stopped working.

Moisture:The humidifier puts out a decent amount of moisture. Do be careful if you leave it on for a long period of time (say overnight) because things might get a little damp. I never had the floor get wet or soaked, but I've had it happen with other misting humidifiers. If you want a humidifier that puts out moisture without a mist, I recommend the Vicks Cool Mist Humidifier (Vicks 1.0 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier). It is a couple of dollars more, but it puts out no visible mist (though it is a little bit louder).

Sound: The most common complaint with this humidifier that I've seen is that it is loud. It is louder than a lot of the ultrasonic humidifier but (in my opinion) it has a nice white noise sound. If you sleep with a fan or white noise machine on at night, you might like the sound this humidifier makes. The problem I had was that around year two of use, there was a rattling noise which covered up the nice white noise sound. I was able to dampen the rattling noise by placing weight on the top of the humidifier.

Overall, I was happy with the humidifier initially. It puts out a good amount of mist and has a nice sound. I was frustrated that the metal components rusted so quickly (or at all). For a product that is supposed to be filled with water all the time, I'm surprised that this happened. I'm a little surprised it only lasted two years, granted it got a lot of use in that time, but the last humidifier I had before this one lasted over 15 years.

I bought this and am returning it after two days. It is so loud, I thought it must be broken--seriously, like an airplane taking off. It definitely keeps my children awake. I have had a more expensive Vicks product in the past and it was great.

I like this unit. No paper filter issue.... "Wicks water up with air blowing through" This unit has a tube rotating that sucks it up and slings it inside the unit. The fan blows air through the slung water. Just works. Low noise. Less than the gurgle from the gravity fed systems.


Issue.
Scraping noise. The fan rubs the guard as it turns. The guard is not lined up correctly, And the fan blade is out of round.
The fix.
The fan blade is press fit to the motor. Gently pull it down with even pressure. About 1/8" to much will hamper the air flow.
Worked great for me.

**After cleaning the tube use caution to not press the fan down again**

Or you might be able to insert a pc of fine sandpaper. Manually spin the fan.