Vornado 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier

by Vornado

Product Features

• Portable humidifier adds moisture to up to 3 rooms
• Two removable, easy-fill 2-gallon water bottles
• 3-speed fan; variable humidity setting
• Measures 20 by 13 by 12 inches
• 5-year warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.4 x 11.6 inches ; 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00006C7HL
• Item model number: HU1-0015-10
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,339 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Through its unique Vortex circulating air system, this portable humidifier puts out enough soft, humid air to condition several rooms at once. Alleviate suffering from colds, asthma, or dry skin by adjusting the easy-to-use controls: three fan speeds and six humidity levels allow the humidifier to soothe any situation. The lowest fan setting is bedroom-quiet; the highest setting evaporates four gallons of water in 24 hours. Once the desired humidity level is reached, a control can be set to maintain that level. The two 2-gallon plastic bottles are virtually leakproof and spillproof, have wide mouths for easy filling, and permit water-level monitoring. The humidifier's two wicks are treated to inhibit bacteria growth and need to be replaced every 60 to 90 days. Should the water run out, the humidifier keeps running to dry out the wicks and further inhibit mold. The humidifier measures 20 by 13 by 12 inches and can be easily disassembled to move from room to room, even when the water bottles are full. --Ann Bieri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vornado 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier, February 27, 2003

By 

H. Row "in1ear" (Arvada, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vornado 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier (Kitchen)

First to address the Glug noise. THUS FAR It is no louder than pouring a glass of milk from a plastic one gallon carton.

There are certain brands that I'm loyal to. High on the list is VORNADO. I've paid for and thus own several of their home products and NO, I'm not an employee of Vornado. Just enthusiastic to find stuff that works great!
...The VORNADO 4 Gallon Multi Room Humidifier WORKS as claimed. It gives you a range of humidity and has a three speed fan.

Several features that deserve mentioning:
1. The bottles are high guage flexible plastic similar to plastic milk cartons. They should last forever BARRING any damage such as shrapnel punctures, etc. They are rectangular in shape, lay on a flat side to fill, and have a over size opening to facilitate filling. We have a long stemmed kitchen faucet with a "hose". I set the bottle on the counter and fill it. I timed the fill time - 1 1/2 minutes PER bottle at a slow flow of water. The bottles will lay flat in a sink if you prefer. The bottles tip in easily to the base unit for operation
2. The design is fully functional. It's easy to fill, the "power unit" comes off by lifting, the bottles tilt out for removal, and easily tip back in without worrying about gaskets and such to misalign and cause spills. It is NEAR spill proof. Unless operator error is the problem.
3. Because of the design it is easily portable AFTER taking off the power unit and the two bottles. THere IS water left in the "pan". Either move carefully or drain this out prior to moving it.
4. The design also lends itself to keeping the unit clean. Accessibility is very good to surfaces that may accumulate the usual ickies.

Any Downsides? The wicks are expensive. I've seen the price of the wicks fluctuate by 30% SO WATCH FOR SALE PRICES on the wicks! DO NOT LET THE WICKS DRY OUT COMPLETELY, the manufacturer points out that this will shorten the life span of the wicks.

This product is so much easier to use than our old hard plastic, single bottle unit. It would invaribly leak because you didn't seat it just right. It would dump water vapor quickly into a room, and literally soak bedding. The single bottle was of less capacity so it didn't last as long and was miserably heavy. It also was exceptionally noisy and cumbersome.

All of these shortcomings are solved with the VORNADO 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier.

I'm exceptionally happy with this purchase!
John Row

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Dreaded Glug-Glug, September 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Vornado 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier (Kitchen)

After reading the reviews here and elsewhere, I decided to give this humidifier a try. It lasted less than one night.

The glug-glug of air entering the water bottles is both louder and more frequent than the two other brands I've tried (Honeywell and Bionaire), and we found we couldn't use the humidifier in the bedroom. In truth, I could sleep through the noise, but my wife couldn't, so we returned it the next day.

Two other negatives: first, the unit both looks and feels like it is made of cheap, thin plastic; it's a fairly ugly addition to the bedroom.

Second, the water bottles are surprisingly awkward to fill. The bottles have very narrow openings (no more than about 1" in diameter) which greatly restricts water flow into the bottles (there has to be enough room for water to flow in and air to flow out - the only way to do this is with a slow water flow). The review that estimates 1.5 minutes per bottle to fill in the kitchen sink is probably accurate. The two other humidifiers I've used had MUCH larger openings (3" probably) so you could hold the bottle under the tap in the tub and fill a 2-3 gallon bottle in only a few seconds. Also the Vornado bottles have no cap - just an opening - so carrying a full bottle is a little more exciting than it should be.

On the other hand, except for the glug-glug, the unit is very quiet. Also, the capacity is much larger average, so if you want to humidify more than a room, this might be a good choice.

Bottom line: if you need a high-capacity humidifier AND you can tuck this one out of both sight and sound, it might be a good choice. But, for the bedroom - especially the bedroom of a light sleeper - look elsewhere.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE DIFFERENCE IS AMAZING!, April 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Vornado 4-Gallon 4 by 4 Multi-Room Humidifier (Kitchen)

I purchased this humidifier to relieve some of the snap-crackle-pop that is generated in a house that has a heater running all winter. We couldn't touch our pets without static shock, the 4-legged critters were getting dander, the human critters were getting dry skin and stuffy noses...all common problems during winter in Alaska. Having tried several different models of humidifiers over the years, I am confident to recommend this Vornado.

The moisture is somewhat "soft"...no drenching and soaking everything around it, no mold. The highest setting is a bit loud...we use it only to rapidly "up" the level of moisture and then turn it to medium until bedtime. On low, this thing is incredibly quiet. I am baffled by the reviews complaining of the glug-glug noise. Unless you are a very light sleeper, this brief sound is trivial...(hardly like "drums in the bedroom" in my opinion) but not everyone has the same level of noise tolerance, I suppose. In this quiet home (just 2 adults and some non-talking pets) it goes unnoticed.

The unit is very easy to fill. I place the bottles in the sink and fill them straight from the faucet. The top of the unit lifts right off, which makes it easy to clean.

It seems that we are having to change the wicks every 4 weeks or so. Amazon.com sells them cheaper than any other place I've found and it is advisable to keep several packs on hand (the unit uses 2 wicks at a time.) The inconvenience of replacing the wicks would be my biggest "grumble"...but it's well worth it to have fewer sinus headaches and the benefit of moisture in dry, heated indoor air.