Holmes® FAQ's: Humidifiers
Why should I use a humidifier?
Humidifiers provide relief from dry indoor air, which causes scratchy throats, dry skin, and bloody noses, helps prevent furniture from cracking and provides a healthy growing environment for plant life.
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How do I choose between a warm moisture and cool moisture humidifier?
It's really a matter of preference. The key difference is that warm mist humidifiers add warmth to cold, chilly rooms and allow for the use of inhalants. Cool mist humidifiers offer a cool, refreshing contrast from stuffy indoor air.
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What is the recommended humidity level?
A humidity level between 40 and 50% is recommended. A hygrometer is a measuring device that measures humidity. Hygrometers can be purchased at www.HolmesProducts.com, or your local hardware store.
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How do I set a manual humidistat ?
The humidistat is designed to operate in the 35% to 65% relative humidity range, with the recommended setting being 40-45%. Adjust the humidistat by adjusting the knob clockwise for higher humidity and counterclockwise for lower humidity. When the knob is in the middle position, the humidity setting is 40-45%.
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How do I operate my digital control panel (AccuSet™ thermostat)?
The humidistat and speed settings can be operated by pressing the Mode button. To set the humidistat, press Mode until the display says Auto. Then choose your speed setting and then set your desired humidity level. The humidity setting can be increased or decreased by pressing the + or - buttons. Humidity levels can be changed in 5% increments ranging from 30-65%
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How do I operate my 1Touch® Humidistat?
1Touch® humiditstats can be operated by pushing the mode/off button to select the speed and humidity setting. As you press the 1Touch® button the unit will scroll through the options at each speed. To switch the unit off, simply press the button and hold for 2 seconds.
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What is Microban® antimicrobial protection?
Microban® protection is an Antimicrobial agent that is used to treat the wick filter and the base of the humidifier. Microban® product protection helps inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew.
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Can I use my humidifier in the same room as my air purifier?
Yes.
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Why does the box say "runs up to a certain amount of hours on 1 filling"?
The box rating typically shows output that the humidifier is CAPABLE of producing in a 24-hour period. The amount of time the unit will run without a refill (run time) depends on the combination of the output and the capacity of the unit.
For example: A 4 gallon output humidifier with a 2 gallon tank capacity will run about 12 hours on high before running out of water.
The speed the unit is being operated at and the amount of moisture the room needs will also effect run time. This is why the run time is stated as "up to" a certain number of hours.
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Why are humidifiers rated by room size?
The larger the room, the greater the output that is required to maintain the recommended humidity level. It is simply a matter of efficiency. A 1 gallon output humidifier that tried to humidify a 1000 sq. ft home would never be able to produce enough moisture to maintain the recommended humidity level of 40-50% in such a large area. In order to humidify such a large area the output would need to increase.
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Can I add scents, medication or oils to the water?
No medication should ever be added directly into the water. If you would like to use a mentholatum scented inhalant, then you can place it in the medicine cup of a warm mist humidifier or vaporizer.
We recommend that no scents or oils to the humidifier as we do not or understand the affects they may have on the humidification process. We have created and tested some scent tablets for the water that are available for purchase.
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What features do humidifiers come with?
Humidifiers come with a variety of features that are largely dependent on the type of humidifier.
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What is a humidistat and how does it work?
A humidistat is like a humidity thermostat. Simply set the humdistat to the humidity level you which to maintain. The humidifier will then run as ended to maintain the pre-set humidity level. There are three types of humidistats available through the Holmes® Brand: Manual, 1Touch®, and AccuSet™.
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How do humidifiers work? What are the types of humidifiers?
Vaporizer: Warm Mist humidifier. Typically low output units with very basic features.
Warm Mist Humidifier: A more "sophisticated" version of a vaporizer. A warm mist humidifier uses a different type of heating element than a vaporizer and typically has a removable tank. Some warm mist humidifiers are available with water purification filters that make the unit easier to clean.
Impeller: A cool mist humidifier that uses centrifugal force to create moisture. These are usually low output units with very basic features.
Evaporative Wick Humidifier: Cool mist humidifier that uses a wick filter to produce moisture.
Console humidifier: These are the same as evaporative wick humidifiers but are much larger in size.
Ultrasonic Humidifier: Frequently referred to as "visible mist" humidifiers, ultrasonics produce cool moisture by creating vibrations in the water that break the water into moist vapor.
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What's the difference between a vaporizer and humidifier?
A vaporizer is simply a type of humidifier. Vaporizers produce warm moisture but are typically lower in output and have very basic features. Warm mist humidifiers slightly cool the mist before it is released into the air.
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What happens if my humidifier runs out of water ?
On warm mist units (and most Ultrasonics) the unit will automatically shut off until the unit is refilled.
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What is a hygrometer ?
A hygrometer is used to measure the amount of humidity there is in a particular area. Hygrometers can be found at your local hardware store or on this web site.
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What is Teflon® coating?
Teflon® coating can be found on warm mist humidifiers. It is the same coating that can be found on many non-stick cooking products. On warm mist humidifiers, minerals from the water often collect on the heating element, the Teflon® coating makes cleaning the humidifier easier.
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What is the average filter life of a wick filter? How often should I change my filter? How do I know my filter needs to be changed?
We recommend you replace your filter every 4-6 weeks, depending on usage and hardness of water. In some evaporative cool mist humidifiers we have included a Filter Check® indicator that monitors when the filter needs changing.
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Can I purchase a reusable filter?
We do not have a reusable filter available through
www.HolmesProducts.com.
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Does water quality affect filter life?
Yes, absolutely. The harder the water, the shorter the filter life. This is because minerals will get trapped in the filter over time and cause the filter to lose its ability to wick.
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Why does my wick filter turn colors?
Wick filters help remove the impurities found in general tap water. These impurities cause the filter to change color as they get trapped in the wick. As more and more minerals become trapped more of the filter will change color. Eventually the filter will no longer be operating the humidifier effectively, which means it is time to change the filter.
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How do I store wick filters?
If it is necessary to save the filter, make sure the the filter is completely dry before storing. A filter stored when wet, will grow mold and mildew while in storage.
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Can I run my unit without a filter?
Evaporative Cool Mist humidifier cannot be run without the use of a wick filter. However, ultrasonic and warm mist humidifiers that use a water purification filter can be used without the filter.
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How often should humidifiers be cleaned?
We recommend cleaning humidifiers weekly, more if it uses hard water. Recommended cleaning products are: Undiluted vinegar, Lime Away, Holmes® Cleanse Clean® Or Bionaire® Clean Away™ Solutions. Vinegar is the weakest of the options and Cleanse Clean®/Clean Away™ solutions are the strongest.
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How do I clean my cool moisture humidifier?
Always turn the unit off and unplug before cleaning. Remove the water tank and wick filter, then empty any excess water from the tank and base. Fill base with Holmes® Cleanse Clean® solution to remove mineral build-up. Soak for 20-30 minutes before thoroughly rinsing the base and re-installing the wick filter.
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How do I clean my warm moisture humidifier?
Always turn the unit off, allow it to cool and unplug before cleaning. Remove the water tank and empty any excess water from the tank and base. Fill base with Holmes® Cleanse Clean® solution to remove mineral build-up. Soak for 20-30 minutes before thoroughly rinsing the base and heating element with warm water. Clean the tank by adding one teaspoon chlorine to 1 gallon of water. Let soak for 20 minutes, making sure all surfaces are wet. Rinse thoroughly until bleach has been removed and replaced with fresh water.
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How should I store my humidifier when I am not using it?
Clean and dry the humidifier thoroughly as directed in the Owner's manual. Be sure to leave the water reservoir cap off the unit when in storage. If the unit uses any filters, it is best to remove the filter before storing. If the humidifier has a permanent filter it is best to thoroughly clean the filter before it is stored.
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Why is the water not being used? Mist output minimal to none?
If filter has not absorbed water, wait 15 minutes before starting humidifier. If mineral build up in tray, then clean unit as instructed in owner's guide. If filter needs to be replaced, then purchase new filter at your local store or through
Jarden Store
. If humidistat set too low If your unit has a humidistat, it is possible that the humidistat is set below the current room humidity.
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Water leaks from the tank?
If rubber tank ring is missing or improperly placed, then remove tank cap then replace/reposition the ring. If cap not tight enough, then tighten cap.
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Filter turning brown?
If filter needs change, then purchase new filter at your local store or through
Jarden Store. If short filter life in areas with very hard water, filters will need to be changed more frequently.
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Film on tank?
If mineral deposits collecting on tank, then clean unit following owners guide.
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Water cloudy?
If filter needs to be replaced, then purchase new filter at your local store or through
Jarden Store. If using warm water to refill tank, then refill tank using cool water.
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Very tight tank cap?
If over tightened cap, then add liquid soap to cap gasket to ease opening.
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Crack in Tank?
Hot water will cause tank to pressurize. Fill tank with cool water.
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Refill/Reset Light Illuminated?
If water tank is empty, then refill tank. If unit does not reset after refill, then switch the knob to the reset position. Follow Owner's Guide for Reset instructions. If there is scale buildup in tray, then remove tray and flush out residue. If there is scale buildup on heating element, then remove scale from heating element.
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Should I put hot or cold water in my humidifier?
Always use cool water in your humidifier.
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Why is condensation building on the windows?
If there is condensation is building on the windows it means the humidifier is producing too much output for the space it is humidifying. If a humidistat is being used, then you can try lowering the humidistat setting. If not, you may need a lower output humidifier for the desired space.
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