 "Good product" | 2008-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A14DAOG3DQJVEO |
| My wife has went through throat cancer so she needs humidity in the air. Therefore we constantly use a house humidifier and this is the second one of these we have had. Very good product!!! |
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 "Humidifier HLSHM3500" | 2008-04-06 |
| - Reviewed By moishl2 |
| Excellent Humidifier, Easy to care for. I can keep my unit (1500 sq. ft.) at 40% RH. |
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| "Great Humidifier!" | 2007-01-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: ACTBY7IR9JZ87 |
This thing holds a *ton* of water. Between the tanks and the base I'd estimate at least 7 gallons. In addition to that, it can really pump out the humidity in dry environments -- at least the 8 gallons/day that it is rated at, and more in extremely dry settings (this type of humidifier increases in humidification capacity as humidity decreases).
A word about the Filter Check meter -
This is actually a very small hygrometer integrated into the grill of the unit. It works great when the humidity of the surrounding area is in the normal range (35-45%), but becomes less accurate in extremely low humidity. In dry environments, the humidifier will be unable to fully saturate the exhaust air (due to the shear volume of the water that would need to be evaporated & heat that must be absorbed from the surrounding environment to do so), so the meter will read low no matter what the condition of the filter is. It's a nice idea to have the meter, because in a normal setting it will tell you the saturation level of the water that is exhausted from the unit, but in an extremely dry environment, just ignore it. For example, in my office, the humidity level is approxmately 25%, and on the high setting, the humidifier cannot evaporate enough water to put the meter into the "good" range. On the low setting, where the air spends more time in contact with the wick, the meter will swing to "good", but the overall volume of water that is evaporated is lower on this setting, so I never use it. If you live in a dry environment, use common sense - Has the wick turned to a pile of goo? Is it so full of minerals large portions of it are no longer moist? Is it growing mold? Is the wick hard to the touch (from minerals)? Does the humidifier go through less water than it should (< 6+ gal/day in a dry environment on high)? If the answer to all of these is "no", then you probably don't need a new filter. |
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 "Holmes HM3500 good, but has serious flaws" | 2006-11-06 |
| - Reviewed By try4it |
| This is fundamentally a good design in terms of overall performance as a humidifier. The faults lie with the design of the tanks. By creating a visually pleasing tank, they made a bad mistake in designing the handle on each tank, and creating a tank that cannot stand up by itself while it is being filled. The handle is not very strong, and is designed so that it is almost impossible carry a full tank of water with one hand, without dropping the tank. And there was a mistake in the thread design on the screw-type fill cap on the bottom of the tank. The threads on the cap do not match the threads on the tank. It is close enough to work, after a lot of tedious attempts. But it is very easy to install the cap so that it leaks, which can make a mess as soon as you try to carry the tank right side up (after filling it). And after adding biocide to the water your hands will be very slippery, making it almost impossible to carry the tank with the crazy handles. This is probably why it is a discontinued model. Too bad, because other than these faults, it is a very good performing humidifier. |
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| "4 Years and going strong" | 2006-03-25 |
| - Reviewed By sbraith |
This is my fourth winter using this product and I can't say enough good things about it. This unit has made it through 2 moves without any malfunction or damage. I do use a little bactriastat in the water to cut down on cleaning. I simply wash it all out in the spring and dust it off in the fall.
Contrary to some of the reviews below, I only change my filter once a year. I've noticed that the filter indicator gague takes a while to register so if you let the unit run for a half hour or so, you can get an accurate reading but again, I don't see the need replace more than once a season with city water. The tanks are heavy so if you can't lift 20lbs or so you should get a smaller unit but I love the fact I don't have to fill this more than twice or week or so. I have never had any problem with tanks sealing, although I do leave the caps off when I store it for the summer to make sure the tanks get good and dry. They can be a little tricky to thread but once you get the hang of it it's quick and simple.
As for control, I usually set it somewhere in the middle and leave it on medium, no scientific meters here. If it feels dry, I crank it up. If the windows get a little condensation, I crank it down. It keeps us comfortable all winter...even in Minnesota. In short, It is a little noisy and you'll need to get used to the occasional glug-glug sounds it makes but for my money, I'd buy this unit again at twice the price I paid.
One other tip, look to stock up on filters in the spring. Many retailers clear-out this merchendice in the spring and you can often find filters at 50% off or more if you're looking. |
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| "almost happy" | 2005-12-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2SK5GTFTFQBUL |
| I did a lot of online research before buying this model and brand and thought this would be good for a large house.(if i was happy with it I would buy another one). Everything went fine until I refilled the tanks for the first time. The yellow (low water) light came on and would not shut off even with the unit FULL of water. It seemed to be putting out the moisture fine so I ignored it. I checked to see if something was obstrucing the off switch arm, etc. to no avail. I called holmes cust. support????????.The lady said their computers were down that day, took my phone # and said someone would get back to me within the next 24 hrs.(that was about 3 weeks ago), no response yet!!!!! Also, this unit only puts out about 6 gallons a day--probably because it keeps shutting off, weather the fan is on high or medium and with the humidistat all the way up. It is noisy on high, but I expected that if its going to put out that much moisture. I keep this unit in a large open room and have not been able to raise the humidity above 35% in a months time ( I check it with a reliable dig. hygrometer). I believe the problem is where the shut-off limit switch is located-- should be on the OUTSIDE of the unit !!! The only other negative I have is the wick filter. Besides being somewhat expensive, it seems to disintegrate after about 3-4 weeks. I don't see much of a plug-up problem , but gets sloppy and saggy and leaves a gap that lets in non-moist outside air!! Seems they could have designed a better system than this. But then we woulden't have to buy their filters as often ,would we??. I would love to hear from one of the tecs at Holmes !!!!! |
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 "Very Disappointed" | 2005-12-15 |
| - Reviewed By callmedaisy |
My first issue with the Holmes HM3500 8 Gallon Console Humidifier was when it came out of the box. One of the wheels was broken, and Holmes insisted I sent them $17 for new ones rather than providing any sort of customer service. Amazon agreed to take it back, but until the new one ships in a month or so, I can't live in a house without a humidifier.
My second issue occurred within a week. Suddenly, one of the two tanks lost its ability to seal, so it leaks all over the place. I would call Holmes about it, but they obviously don't have the faintest idea what customer service means, so I'm not going to waste my breath or my time. Simply put, with so many faulty parts, I don't know what will happen if the unit stops working during its warranty period, but I suspect that it won't be pretty.
The gauges on the Holmes HM3500 leave a lot to be desired, too. You can't set the unit to shut off at a specific humidity (like 45%). Instead, there's a slider that goes from more humid to less humid, although I haven't the foggiest notion what they consider more or less humid. When it's set in the middle, the humidity in my house registers 55%, so I suspect that the most humid setting would turn your house into a rain forest.
There's also a gauge that tells you how clean or dirty your filter is, so you'll know when to buy a new one. On the first day I ran the Holmes HM3500, the filter never registered as being in "good" condition. Furthermore, even though I have an air purifier in my house, the filter gauge is notifying me that it's time to change the filter after one short week of use. I realize that filters may be cheaper if you buy them from Holmes directly, but I'm not about to replace a filter every week for as long as winter lasts, especially since I doubt the accuracy of the FilterCheck unit.
As another user pointed out, the tanks on this unit aren't easy to refill either. I've owned humidifiers prior to this, but none of their tanks or handles have been so awkward. And when you add the weight of three gallons of water, it nearly becomes impossible to maneuver them from the bathtub back to the humidifier without worrying that they're going to slip out of your hands. Needless to say, I would not recommend this for anyone who has chronic pain, arthritis or back problems.
Granted, the air in my house is more humid now, but after a week, my filter needs to be replaced, one of the wheels on the bottom of the unit is broken and one of the tanks leak. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel about this unit in a month since I hate it and its manufacturer already, but I'm hoping that the new unit won't be as faulty as this one. |
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| "Best humidifier I've found" | 2005-12-12 |
| - Reviewed By ka_wray |
| This humidifier is great. I've had it for about a month. I knew when I saw it that it was going to put out a lot of moisture - it has an output area that is about 6 inches in diameter. Got back from a vacation last weekend and the humidity in the house was about 15% - after running this on low fan, high humidity for half a day it was up to 40% - based on a humidistat on the other side of a 15x20 room. It's loud on anything but low fan, but low works well unless you need to humidify a room really fast. |
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| "good but has a few issues" | 2005-12-07 |
| - Reviewed By eebet |
| Good points--this unit can go 24-36 hours without refilling the tanks, and seems to crank out decent moist air. Bad points--each 2+ gallon tank when full, weighs about 20#. Handling a filled tank is not for the arthritic or weak-armed;it's good for building biceps. Tank "handle" allows only fingers in it. Fan on high is a bit noisey. Also the occasional glug-glug, glug as the reservoir fills is, at first, disconcerting--sounds like a drain backing up, or if you've a cat--the cat is about to dislodge a hairball! Overall though, it seems to do its job. Filters are cheaper on the Holmes website, in quantity. |
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| "Still going strong after six winters in northern Ohio" | 2005-04-14 |
| - Reviewed By bobbymack |
When we bought a five bedroom house in 1998, winter was fast approaching. I hate a house with low humidity. Petting the cat turns into animal torture, and walking across carpet and touching a metal doorknob always ends with a nasty surprise. Then there's the lousy feeling when you wake up with a plugged nose, crusty eyes and a sore throat from breathing dry air in a cold house.
We keep our Holmes 3500 on the ground floor in the entryway next to the living room where we have a wood burning stove. Rated to handle homes up to 1700 square feet, this model easily handles our 2400 sq feet. With three speed settings and large capacity twin tanks, the 3500 goes 24 hours between refills even with the woodstove running in the dead of winter. (The woodstove removes air from the home, which pulls dry outside air into the house.)
At the highest fan setting, the 3500 is a little noisy, but it pumps out the moisture. We typically run it on low or medium during the day, and then use high at night to saturate the air.
A small plastic humidistat was included with our unit, and we keep it at the other end of the house to be sure we're getting an accurate reading. For us, the comfort level is simple to determine. If the cat sparks when we pet him, we need more moisture. No question, using a quality unit like this results in fewer colds, better sleep and lower heating bills. Our thermostat stayed at 67 degrees all winter, and even lower at night, and we were comfortable.
What impresses me most is the durability of the unit, with one exception: the plastic handles on the tank of our unit were loose when we unpacked it, so we used superglue under both handles to bolster their adhesion to the tank. It might not have been necessary, but I didn't like the way the handles flexed when carrying a full load of water across a Pergo floor.
Our city water is on the hard side, so we usually replace the wicks every two weeks in peak season to maintain efficiency and comfort. BTW, Amazon has the best price I've ever found on wicks for this unit, so look no further. |
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