Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(24 customer reviews) 46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Does the job, but not quite 5 stars,
January 10, 2005 M. Groves (Layton, UT) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essick Air 696-400 Variable Speed Whole House Humidifier (Kitchen)
The good news is, it humidifies. That's what I bought it for and that's what it does. The level of humidity is adjustable, allowing the unit to automatically cycle on and off as needed. And yes, you can adjust the fan speed, but getting it anywhere near the upper range makes it sound like a B29 taking off. IT'S LOUD! I leave it on med-low and it's not bad at all.
It has two plastic 2.6 gallon water bottles and at the med-low fan speed I use, I go through about 1 bottle per day. It keeps the rooms close to it quite comfortable, but rooms farther away don't get much. Your mileage will vary depending on humidifier location, floor plan, and normal air circulation.
As far as being built "sturdy" (as one reviewer pointed out), I have to disagree. The entire housing is made of plastic. Without the water bottles in it, it's so light that on a hard floor it easily rolls away with the lightest bump. Unless you are on carpet, I recommend NOT installing the castors that come...Read more
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
poor quality,
February 5, 2009 B. Ellis (Claverack, NY) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Essick Air 696-400 Variable Speed Whole House Humidifier (Kitchen)
ON the plus side the unit is capable of putting a lot of moisture into the air. In the first 24 hours of running it put almost 15 gallons out.
The negatives stack up fast mostly due to poor finish quality.
1) The stain on the top cover has drip marks on it and portions of it look like a chemical was spilled on it removing its luster.
2) The back of the unit is not stained but is white and in the directions its says to leave the unit 4" from any wall which means you do see the back of the unit. The hinges on the back which hold the cover in place and stick up were not painted and they are clearly visible.
3) The unit is made of plastic which is to be expected. However the panels of the unit are so thin that they were all warped. The top is ill fitting at best and the front panel has a clear bow to it.
4) Its loud on anything more then the lowest settings you cannot carry on a conversation on the telephone in the same room with it.
To sum...Read more
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Piece of Junk,
February 8, 2008 Lawrence Burkholder (Loudon, TN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essick Air 696-400 Variable Speed Whole House Humidifier (Kitchen)
The product arrived damaged, not from shipping damage, but from packing at the factory. Too damaged to use. Dealer said they didn't want it back. It's a good thing, because it was replaced by a unit that wouldn't run. I took the fan unit (which wan't damaged) out of the damaged unit and put it in the second unit and it runs, but only at a low fan speed. Anything higher causes too much vibration noise. Also, both units we received were poorly finished, with the base being several shades lighter than the cover, which matches the picture on the box. It looks like they only gave the bottom one coat of stain. Thanks to the dealer who refunded our money. My email with complaints directly to the manufacturer got no response.
