The good:
This humidifier works really well at raising the humidity level in a house quickly. We have always struggled to reach even 25-30% humidity during the winter months. This unit, even on low, quickly raised the humidity in the house to an acceptable level. In terms of fan speed, I find the two lower settings to both be decent in terms of noise level. No complaints with the noise level. We tend to run the system on the lowest setting, but even the second setting is tolerable in our family room where we watch TV. Our filters last about 6 weeks under constant use, before starting to develop a slight moldy smell. That is based on soaking the filter once a week, versus every time the tanks need refilled, as indicated in the maintenance instructions.
The bad:
The two water tanks do not drain simultaneously. The second tank remains full until the first one is empty. As others have noted, the water tanks do not sit in the base housing such that both tanks can drain as needed. It seems to be a poor design, as the second unit regularly fails to start draining when the first one is empty. Instead, the unit just shuts off as if it is out of water. This happens probably 6 out of 7 days a week, so I end up having to check the unit every morning and evening and reseating the second tank to get the unit running again.
Were it not for this frustrating issue, I probably would have given the humidifier a 5 star rating, but it is very irritating to have the unit routinely shut off when the second tank is full. A humidifier that isn't running isn't very effective.
Buy Honeywell HCM-6011i QuietCare 11-Gallon Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology!
