Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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Vornado Evap 2 Humidifier
$49.99 + $5 Standard OR $12 Two-Day OR $15 One-Day Shipping
Condition: New

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Something tells me that this would work way better than my Vicks Vaporizer.

"I can breathe easy now, the air is moist"

I bought one on Home.Woot a month or so ago, and I like it.

However, if the fan is on high, it's definitely very loud. If the fan is on low, it's fine though.

Also, maybe it's just how dry my apartment gets, but I find myself having to refill the tank every other night, even though it's set to the lowest setting (40), and even though it's only used when I'm asleep (so somewhere in the range of 8 hours a day).

Edit: I mean I guess that's pretty much exactly what the specs say, but still it's not something I looked at before buying, and it's slightly annoying to be filling it so often, so it's something to keep in mind.

Is low speed quiet enough for a bedroom? Is it a type of noise that is easy to sleep by or is it annoying?

DennisEChung wrote:Is low speed quiet enough for a bedroom? Is it a type of noise that is easy to sleep by or is it annoying?

I have it on low 2ft away from my bed and it's a nice, low hum. I would highly recommend this unit, as I can have it in my bedroom on low/40, and when I burn fires in the living room high/cont works great.

Again, great all-around unit.

jhoff80 wrote:I bought one on Home.Woot a month or so ago, and I like it.

However, if the fan is on high, it's definitely very loud. If the fan is on low, it's fine though.

Also, maybe it's just how dry my apartment gets, but I find myself having to refill the tank every other night, even though it's set to the lowest setting (40), and even though it's only used when I'm asleep (so somewhere in the range of 8 hours a day).

Edit: I mean I guess that's pretty much exactly what the specs say, but still it's not something I looked at before buying, and it's slightly annoying to be filling it so often, so it's something to keep in mind.

I live in a high desert and refill my current humidifier with a gallon a day. I would love to replace the noisy humidifier that I have. How much water do you use every day or every other day?

keeps my cats from shocking me from static electricity build up !

Wick filters, such as the one used in this Vornado, have a tendency to grow slime and other bugs in their moist, warm recesses. They claim "antimicrobial" agents are used to prevent this, but every wick-based humidifier I've owned could dual purpose as a mold colony.

That said, the wick filters are effective at keeping mineral dust from being evaporated along with your water(if you have hard water). The cleanest humidifying solution IMO, is ultrasonic + distilled water.

I'm a big fan (really? groan.)of Vornado and if I weren't moving in two months I'd have already checked out.

galapogos wrote:Wick filters, such as the one used in this Vornado, have a tendency to grow slime and other bugs in their moist, warm recesses. They claim "antimicrobial" agents are used to prevent this, but every wick-based humidifier I've owned could dual purpose as a mold colony.

That said, the wick filters are effective at keeping mineral dust from being evaporated along with your water(if you have hard water). The cleanest humidifying solution IMO, is ultrasonic + distilled water.

Well would using this with Distilled water work well? I used to have a cheap Holmes it worked okay, was really loud and you had to replace the filters every year (sometimes twice a year) because the mold and hard water stains would spread so fast it was ridiculous. It wasn't so cheap after all the filters.

I bought one of these a month ago (for $10 more), and I love it.

In the dryness of Colorado, it will burn through a full tank in 10 - 12 hours; I don't think I've ever seen it drop to low speed if I leave it on auto. But my eyes aren't scratchy when I wake up, and my plants are happy as can be. On high it is loud enough to drown out my roommate, which is a plus, but I admittedly like sleeping to white noise.

I use a few drops of tea tree oil in the water once or twice a week to help keep the wick from growing anything (and it smells good!)

(Edit) Also, Target carries the filter replacements. $12.99 for a two pack I believe.

chaedog wrote:Well would using this with Distilled water work well? I used to have a cheap Holmes it worked okay, was really loud and you had to replace the filters every year (sometimes twice a year) because the mold and hard water stains would spread so fast it was ridiculous. It wasn't so cheap after all the filters.

Distilled water will not inhibit the growth of microorganisms in the wick since the spores for these bugs are in the air. It will only stop the minerals from building up in and around the wick.

As raney2 suggested, there are options to disinfect the wick continuously via an additive. I have never tried this, but tea tree oil sounds pretty innocuous. Exercise caution over what chemicals you add to the humidifier's internals. There is always a possibility that a foreign substance could damage the humidifier or find its way into your lungs.

chaedog wrote:Well would using this with Distilled water work well? I used to have a cheap Holmes it worked okay, was really loud and you had to replace the filters every year (sometimes twice a year) because the mold and hard water stains would spread so fast it was ridiculous. It wasn't so cheap after all the filters.

a couple of drops of bleach in the tank nuke thems 'lil buggers, but don't overdo or your room will smell like the YMCA pool

(Edit) Also, Target carries the filter replacements. $12.99 for a two pack I believe.[/quote]

How long does a wick last? 1/4 of the total price for 2 wicks seems high!

Amazon has replacement wick 2 pacls for $8.20 + free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/MD1-0001-Vornado-Humidifier-Wick-Filter/dp/B000P79A9A

Bought this last month. Use it every night in my huge bedroom. Works great.

A word of caution: if you have COPD and/or emphysema a HUMIDIFIER is what you want, like this one. DO NOT use a Vaporizer named product! The Vaporizer will have the effect of drowning you if you're sleeping in it. Learned the hard way...

Another word of caution, for people with compromised immune systems a wick humidifier like this is not appropriate. The molds and other impurities that grow on the wicks can be very dangerous to susceptible people. Those persons should use a warm-mist humidifier, as even an ultrasonic model does not kill all of the contaminates.

we bought 3 from home.woot before the holidays (one for each bedroom). can definitely tell the difference in the mornings! have to run on low fan. fan on high is too loud (and auto tends to run on high fan also). have to refill the tank every other night - our winter weather has not been super cold or dry yet. have been checking the wick for growth of yucks, nothing yet...

For those who are concerned about bacteria, here's an article on how to clean wick humidifiers.

fuzi719 wrote:Another word of caution, for people with compromised immune systems a wick humidifier like this is not appropriate. The molds and other impurities that grow on the wicks can be very dangerous to susceptible people. Those persons should use a warm-mist humidifier, as even an ultrasonic model does not kill all of the contaminates.

Steam and warm mist humidifiers are the *worst* of the major types for mold spore growth. No-heat ultrasonics are the least. Wick filters are in between depending on the state of maintenance on the filters.

In all cases, a few drops of bleach, a tablespoon of vinegar, or any of the naturally antimicrobial additives like camphor or tea tree oil will drastically help cut down on the spore growth. Also - for all humidifiers, plan on frequent cleanings (i do mine weekly.. depending on your home/ how much use yours gets, it might need to be more often than that, to keep the various colony-hosting plastic parts clean and clear)

Bought this during a Woot-Off. It's great. As to mold or other growths, the instruction book is very clear about how to clean the machine. It's easy to do. The humidifier works great in our bedroom. We refill every day, clean every other day, change filter one every6 weeks.

Vornado products are the best! We have four of their air circulators (fans). If I had anywhere to put this I'd be all over it. I still have a Vicks vaporizer and I'm in total denial it's at all disgusting.

Anyone know what the humidity settings are?

I'm thinking of getting one to keep my guitars in a proper environment, which is 45 - 55% humidity.

Hahaha! I live in a NYC apartment and I actually embrace the buzz generated by portable heaters, fans, air purifiers and humidifiers. The low hum acts as white noise and helps me drift off to sleep. As the old adage goes, where you stand depends on where you sit. Or sleep.

I'm in for one. Moist air and noise! What more could a city boy ask for? (Heck, maybe I'll get two.)

Distilled water usage, while a viable solution, is incredibly expensive. Since the best price I can find online is $1/gal at Sam's Club, using this humidifier could cost $2/day. So in one month, the water will cost more than the humidifier---FOR ONE ROOM!!!! Also, think about dragging 14 gallons of water home per week! At 8lbs/gallon, that's 112lbs/week. Well, at least you won't need a gym membership anymore, you've got the weightlifting and aerobics covered!Caveat Emptor.
I've had all types of humidifiers and have settled on this type of evaporative model as the best compromise. Ultrasonics work great, no filters, no noise, no bacteria, but you HAVE to use distilled water or put up with incredible amounts of white dust on everything, so much that it will collect on and visibly dim your TV screen in a week---I was stunned. Probably 10 times normal dust! So there's the $60/month per room!
Warm mists are basically fan powered Petri dishes and tend to over-humidify.
IMHO, I'd use this evaporative humidifier with tap water, use some type of water treatment/antibacterial solution and change filters religiously--$12-15/year---YMMV.

Beware filters like this, they get nasty quick! You can buy no-name brands cheap, but you've got to keep an eye on it for any mold and change immediately.

I had the same thought regarding using distilled water (purchased from the store). Way too costly. However, I have a water filter ($15 from Lowe's) on my shower, so plan to use that to fill this booger up. That, along with a smidge of vinegar/tea tree oil, will hopefully keep the thing relatively mold free.

Best advice for filter mold...
I've heard the tea tree oil, but the easiest thing that I've seen (and done) was to let it dry out.

Every other day, keep the thing on even for 6 hous after it's used up all the water; it will then dry out, and it will cut back on the problems (we still ended up with dry rot, but that meant you had to change the filter every 3 months instead of every 2 weeks).

Now I use an ultrasonic, but the last ultrasonic I had didn't notice the water was too low and melted itself
Hopefully the GermGuardian unit does better!

galapogos wrote:Wick filters, such as the one used in this Vornado, have a tendency to grow slime and other bugs in their moist, warm recesses. They claim "antimicrobial" agents are used to prevent this, but every wick-based humidifier I've owned could dual purpose as a mold colony.

That said, the wick filters are effective at keeping mineral dust from being evaporated along with your water(if you have hard water). The cleanest humidifying solution IMO, is ultrasonic + distilled water.

Thank you . I will avoid all wick bc eww

cole103 wrote:Distilled water usage, while a viable solution, is incredibly expensive. Since the best price I can find online is $1/gal at Sam's Club, using this humidifier could cost $2/day. So in one month, the water will cost more than the humidifier---FOR ONE ROOM!!!! Also, think about dragging 14 gallons of water home per week! At 8lbs/gallon, that's 112lbs/week. Well, at least you won't need a gym membership anymore, you've got the weightlifting and aerobics covered!

you can get distilled water at most aquariums for around 20 cents per gallon. You do have to bring your own container though.

Edit: consumer aquariums, not the family attraction kind.

baybei wrote:Something tells me that this would work way better than my Vicks Vaporizer.

http://www.ivillage.com/cool-mist-humidifier-or-steam-vaporizer/6-n-145210

Aquariums/fish stores sell/use rodi filtered water not distilled water.

DennisEChung wrote:Is low speed quiet enough for a bedroom? Is it a type of noise that is easy to sleep by or is it annoying?

My wife and I are big fans (um cuz that's what it is, a fan) of evaporative-style humidifiers precisely because they're loud. It's terrific white noise, and uses way less electricity than the fancy, quiet ones.

My big issue with this is capacity. Filling humidifiers all the time is a pain. Might pass on it in favor of a two-galloner…

Nightspore68 wrote:Anyone know what the humidity settings are?

I'm thinking of getting one to keep my guitars in a proper environment, which is 45 - 55% humidity.

40, 45, 50, 55, 60, & continuous

wootlurking wrote:I live in a high desert and refill my current humidifier with a gallon a day. I would love to replace the noisy humidifier that I have. How much water do you use every day or every other day?

We have one we bought at Bed Bath and Beyond several months ago and like you we live in a high desert and have to refill at minimum every 2 days, however I usually fill each day before it gets empty. Since it's a small unit, that doesn't surprise me though.

OctaviousMonk wrote:Aquariums/fish stores sell/use rodi filtered water not distilled water.

Which might be even better because rodi water has EVERYTHING removed from the tap water (as opposed to filtered water which still has some things in it like flouride, etc.)

In for two. My house is dry as heck in the winter time (Minnesota) because of the sort of heating system we got. These should help immensely.