Air-O Swiss Humidifiers - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Pizza · 03-19-2012, 08:54 PM

I'm looking at getting one but im not sure if they are really worth the price. $200 for a base model. Is there anyone out there who own one?

REDVAN · 03-19-2012, 09:43 PM

I have a couple.

Pretty noticeable IMO, but I have a dry house.

They are also cool to stop and stare at...

Northendzone · 03-20-2012, 08:05 AM

is putting one on to your furnace an option?

kermitology · 03-20-2012, 08:21 AM

I have the blue one. I like it.

TurnedTheCorner · 03-20-2012, 08:22 AM

I got the second model at Christmas. Love it. Makes a noticeable difference, and very easy to clean and maintain.

CKPThunder · 03-20-2012, 11:00 AM

We have the blue one. It is an excellent device and very quiet. If you don't have a water softener, you should replace the demineralization cartridge as suggested or even a bit earlier. We found that if we left it in a bit too long, we'd get residue on our blinds and such.

kermitology · 03-20-2012, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CKPThunder

We have the blue one. It is an excellent device and very quiet. If you don't have a water softener, you should replace the demineralization cartridge as suggested or even a bit earlier. We found that if we left it in a bit too long, we'd get residue on our blinds and such.

I just got mine in January, and I've noticed a lot of residue that sort of looks like dust over EVERYTHING in my condo.

Pizza · 03-20-2012, 06:55 PM

Good reviews so far, but im curious if it's that much better than a $70 or $80 one

what was the appeal of getting the air o swiss?

OldDutch · 03-20-2012, 07:57 PM

Just ordered mine at Costco.ca. Will fill in when I get it this week.

CKPThunder · 03-20-2012, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pizza

Good reviews so far, but im curious if it's that much better than a $70 or $80 one

what was the appeal of getting the air o swiss?

We bought one Air-O Swiss and one $60 one from Babies 'R US when we kids were born. The $60 was fairly quiet in the beginning but it's quite loud now. We can't use it in our daughters room cause it's too loud for her. The Air-O Swiss one is still quiet and working quite well. It will also stop once it hits the humidity level you have set it to but since Calgary is so dry, it rarely hits that level.

Both humidifiers are spewing out residue though so we've had to be more diligent in terms of cleaning and maintenance.

Is it worth that much more than our other one? Tough to say. I figure if we are still using the Air-O Swiss at this time next year, it will be as we probably would have had to replace our other one at least 2 times by then.

BCGirl · 03-21-2012, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pizza

I'm looking at getting one but im not sure if they are really worth the price. $200 for a base model. Is there anyone out there who own one?

For the price difference go with the blue. And get it from Bed Bath and Beyond. If you find you don't like you can return it there anytime, or if something goes wrong with it they will return it. You can get the grey model in white and has a touch screen which is pretty sick, but for the $200, go with the blue model. Both of the two you have there have the same amount of output for water @650 SQ. Feet but if you are into the 'looks' aspect of the humidifier, then grey.

Pizza · 03-22-2012, 12:00 AM

the grey one is actually $250 because of the digital functions it has (timer, humidistat)

I'm actually thinking of spending more for this one which is an "air washer" that picks up large particles in the air. Plus it's easier to maintain and there's no filters except for that silverstick you buy to prevent mold growth

BCGirl · 03-23-2012, 11:23 PM

Air washer is great especially if you, or someone else has allergies because it does help to reduce the amount air particles. Cool thing with the air washer is because when it pulls in the particles, they don't go back out for you to breathe in. However it won't humidify as much as an actual humidifier because it's more an 'air cleaner' vs. 'humidifier.'
If you are finding that you are getting that 'white film' as some people find, make sure you are using filtered water. It is actually powdered calcium and mineral deposits, so the more filtered your water is will actually help quite a bit. I do know some people though that are just out of luck if they are in a horrible place for water quality.

TurnedTheCorner · 03-23-2012, 11:41 PM

Just as an update, I'm almost 3 months in with mine. I realized I should have used the de-calcifying cleaning solution a little more regularly than I have been upon checking the manual, but I haven't encountered problems because of it. 32 oz of boiling water plus the solution, mix, pour into base unit and let soak for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly afterwards. Simple as can be.

I also just switched the granules in the filter cartridge - a bit of a pain, but not excruciatingly so. It's almost soaked again for 24 hours, I can start using it again in the morning. They also offer complete replacement filter cartridges if you don't want to bother switching the granules yourself. I got one pack of replacement granules (comes with enough for 3 changes), and one cartridge. So I think I will switch them once more with this cartridge, and then switch to the new one in the summer.

So with cleaning and maintenance, it adds maybe $25-$30 a year, and the new hydro stick seems to be about $30. So $50-$60 + tax annually for maintenance and upkeep.