Canopy or other easy to clean humidifier?

[erv917]

Does anyone have this or another super easy to clean humidifier? I have all but given up on humidifiers because they are such a pain to clean and maintain, but this one sounds like it might be just the ticket. Apparently you just have to change a disposable filter every month or two and you can pop the other parts in the dishwasher. Is this too good to be true? Anyone have any IRL experience?

[twowhat?]

I went down a similar rabbit hole on humidifiers recently!

First, wanted to share this article on the different types of humidifiers, including the drawbacks of ultrasonic humidifiers: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/co...f-humidifiers/

That's just one easy-to-read article. There is TONS of medical literature on the effects of breathing in moistened air from an ultrasonic humidifier...not good. And totally makes sense because these humidifiers put EVERYTHING in the water into the air.

Anyway for that reason we decided on an evaporative humidifier (probably you came to the same conclusion) and thus began my search for one. Canopy is a basic evaporative humidifier made fancy by the UV light and the aroma options and the style. But I didn't choose Canopy for a couple of main reasons: 1) I needed something with the capacity to humidify a much larger area - our whole house - and 2) I didn't want to pay all that extra for the looks and the aroma. And I decided that while the UV light is nice, there are plenty of other things you can do to keep your filter clean.

Here's what I got: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004S34ISA...m?ie=UTF8&th=1
I got the larger version which says it works for spaces up to 3600 sq ft. I was SKEPTICAL. Our house is 4000 square feet, 2 stories. I bought just one unit to try it out and see what I thought about cleaning/etc. My thoughts:

1) It's a pipe dream to be able to change the filter every 45 days. There is NO way unless your house is already decently humid and you're not needing to put a ton of moisture into the air and you have super soft water. If you're putting a lot of water into your air, the minerals in that water are going to end up on the filter. If you have hard water, it's worse. It's not practical to use filtered water or bottled water because this humidifier pumps out a TON of moistened air. We go through probably 4-5 gallons of water each day. 5 gallons!!!! I would like to draw that 5 gallons/day from the tap. It boggles my mind how much moisture our house needs and what a difference it is making to our breathing, bloody noses, asthma, and skin. Read on for filter tips!

2) Our house is larger than this humidifier's capacity; however, I've been impressed at the ability of the humidifier to still keep our house at over 40% (we have hygrometers build into our thermostats - one upstairs and one downstairs). 4000 sq ft house, 35-40 degree dry day, and this one unit is able to keep humidity levels above 40%. I do have to run the fan speed higher, and it can be noisy, but we run it at a higher speed at night and during the workday when I'm away in my office. On warmer days, this humidifier easily keeps our entire house at 60% if we want it to. Note that I don't think the hygrometer on the unit itself is the most accurate - it's positioned too close to the unit. So I use our thermostat hygrometers instead.

3) Moist air rises (think evaporation). So there's no need to circulate any air beyond the humidifier's fan. We place it downstairs in an open area of the home, and it humidifies both downstairs and upstairs...in fact humidity levels are usually better upstairs (see: moist air rises).

4) I'm planning to buy the "mini" version for the master bedroom, where we also have a large air return. That should take care of the struggle on colder days.

5) OK let's talk about filters and cleaning and mold, etc! the 3.6 gallon capacity of this humidifier means we are adding fresh water twice a day for our large house. That leaves little chance for water to sit around...it's constantly cycling from the tank to the basin to the filter and then evaporated. I haven't seen any mold growth on our filter HOWEVER...

6) The filter has to be cleaned or replaced often. There is NO WAY I could see this lasting 45 days because of the mineral build-up. I have been cleaning our filters about every 10 days. As mineral builds up, the filter loses its capacity to absorb water, so the humidifier decreases in effectiveness until a clean filter is in place. Filters are expensive...and it seems you should buy the brand name filters only and not the cheap replacements.

7) You CAN clean the filter. Here's what I do: every couple of days I flip the filter upside-down in the humidifiers to help distribute the mineral build-up (and thus, the parts of the filter that dry out because it can't hold water anymore). Every 10 days I do a full humidifier and filter clean. This humidifier is SUPER simple. There's a basin at the bottom - rinse out with vinegar and water. There's a single tank. Rinse out with vinegar and water. Then I take the filter to the bathtub and soak it in 50% vinegar/50% water. Lay it flat, and flip it over several times to allow the vinegar to fully penetrate both sides. Let it sit for at least a couple of hours, flipping every 30 min. Then rinse well (a shower head is good to help knock off those loosened mineral deposits) and let dry completely. I just bought 2 extra filters (AirCare brand) so I can rotate them between cleanings. The vinegar removes the mineral deposits and the filter is almost as good as new to use again. I am imagining that I can probably get at least 4-5 uses out of a single filter this way. That's the ONLY way I see a filter lasting 45 days...is if you clean it.

8) There is no getting around cleaning an evaporative humidifier but this AirCare one is simple in design - looks just as simple as the Canopy but without the UV light. And the sq ft capacity is much higher than the biggest Canopy. I feel like the benefits of an evaporative humidifier are totally worth the upkeep. Yes, we do have to clean our filters frequently but that's because we are putting so much moisture into the air and cycling so much water through (if you have a water softener, you could probably get away with less frequent filter cleaning). I like that we are cycling through water so quickly because that means it's not just sitting around in the humidifier. Some may find it annoying to hav to refill the tank twice a day, sometimes 3...but I'm OK with that for the same reason - cycling water through quickly, and not having unused water sitting around.

9) HIGHLY recommend this bare bones cheap evaporative humidifier! Can't speak to longevity yet though.

10) HIGHLY recommend an evaporative humidifier PERIOD! Life. Changing.