Vornado Evap40 4-Gallon Evaporative Humidifier, Adjustable Humidistat, 3 Speed Settings, Coverage up to 1,000 sqft, 4-Gallon Output (24 Hrs), Dual Tank, Perfect for Home, Bedroom, and Large Spaces

This vornado humidifier is truly a life saver. I had a levoit tower $150 humidifier that didn't make a dent in my extremely dry room. We have old radiator heating and a lot of exposed pipes and it gets extremely dry 20% humidity dry. For some reason the dryness was worse this year and I was struggling to breathe, wheezing, I couldn't get my Levoit humidifier to go above 30%-35% even running 24/7 on the highest setting. I decided to try an evaporative humidifier and after a few days of research settled on this one because of the fan and I thought it would reach a better range with my tall ceilings. Within a few hours of using it got my humidity up by 25%. I finally was reaching comfortable levels of humidity and could breathe like normal. I use distilled water as I have a water distilled machine, totally worth it, I haven't had to change the filters yet or dealt with any grossness. I fill 2 gallons at a time usually, and if I want to use less for a shorter amount of time I usually just fill one side instead of both.There is a learning curve to get the containers on without spilling. Instinctively we want to go slow especially because it's full of water, but you have to just lay the containers down on the grove and quickly put them in in one fast movement. Don't need to use force just go quick otherwise water will spill. Once I realized that I haven't spilled it at all or had any leaking issues.I keep it running once the water is done to dry out and dry the wicks. It does make a "glug glug" noise every few hours depending on how high you're running it but I don't think it's loud or bothersome, I barely noticed it at first. The fan sounds like a fan, not sure why it seems people expect it to be quiet, any fan on max is going to make some noise, it's no louder than any other fan I have really. It's not quiet but I don't think it's unreasonably loud, could take some getting used to if you're sensitive to these types of sounds.There was a smell initially, it was off-putting but I was prepared based on reviews. It was the wicks not the decide itself so think it's unavoidable with any wicks. It took a few days to go away but eventually did completely.I'm impressed and surprised by the simplicity of the whole thing really. I'm used to the Levoits that's a bunch of pieces and is a pain to clean, this thing is really simple but functions great. I'm so glad I made the switch. No hate on the Levoit it wasn't the only humidifier I've had but was the fanciest most expensive one and I definitely had higher hopes and expectations for it. Thankfully, this one succeeded where the other failedPhotos are1) the humidity level in my room after this current humidifier was off for a few hours when I wasn't home2) humidity level within 2 hours of turning on the vornado humidifier3) my Levoit humidifier, and even when it was running for hours on high I couldn't get above 34% humidity at most

I've been using this humidifier seven years to keep my musical instruments happy. I struggle to remember the humidifiers I owned prior to the EVAP40 but I recall being frustrated. The EVAP40 was recommended on a musician forum so I decided to give it a try.I really like the design of the EVAP40. It has a large water capacity which is easy to refill. It's easy to take apart and clean. The Low fan setting is pretty quiet. I usually run mine on Medium or High which don't exactly purr like Low but with the health of my instruments at stake I don't mess around. I don't mind the occasional gurgling sound as water flows from the tanks into the base. To me it's a reassuring sound that lets me know it's working.I usually get a month or so out of a set of filters using our tap water which is pretty hard. I don't bother cleaning the filters with vinegar and getting a second use out of them. I chunk 'em and put in a fresh set which isn't exactly cheap but frees up time I can be doing something else. I keep at least three sets on hand in case there's a shortage but so far I haven't had trouble getting them. Vornado usually has a filter sale once a year and I've taken advantage of that a few times.The only feature of the EVAP40 that I have mixed feelings about is the humidistat control. I like the simplicity of the design and it works well for the most part but sometimes it doesn't do what I expect and humidity gets too high or too low and I have to tweak the setting again. A digital humidistat would be nice but also something that could get wonky and break. I've learned to live with the way the EVAP40 works and overall I'm happy with it.I've been running the EVAP40 for seven years and so far haven't seen the need to shop for a replacement. I probably won't look for one until this one dies which might be a while.

I like this unit. Puts out lots of moisture, can operate very quietly on low as well. A few things - there is a series of "bang" noises every 10-minutes or so when the water tension is overcome by gravity and the water comes out of the tanks into the water tray below, sucking in air into the tanks producing a series of popping/banging sounds as the plastic container walls bounce back after losing the relative negative pressure. It sounds like somebody is knocking on my door.Got another unit and it does the same thing. So that unit'll be my outdoor balcony cooler (called a swamp cooler, works great in the desert.) So, I'm trying different things to negate some of the pop/bang sound as the air rushes into the container until it empties sufficiently to repeat (putting a semi hole-block using a rope with a knot in the container fill hole.) Nerding out on it. A challenge.The other thing is minor - wish the water containers had some kind of grip/handle that would aid in taking them down to fill. Other than these issues, I love it. Kinda slippery type of material, hard to get a hold of.It should be easy to clean etc. I put about 5 drops per gallon of bleach in the tanks to help keep the mold/mildew at bay. Seems to help and not smell like a laundry room.