02-10-2008, 05:27 PM
Just went throught this buying process myself. Ended up with two Bemis by EssickAir humidifiers, model H2-400 (on sale at $88 each). Each one is rated to humidify up to 2500 sq ft, but as others have pointed out it is the frequency of refilling you have to watch out for. Each unit has only one 2.5 gallon tank, so I'm refilling them daily. I have one on the first floor and one on the second floor, as in my experience (YMMV) a single unit no matter what capacity just doesn't humidify a two-story house adequately.
Very quiet (I run them on the lowest fan speed), and they don't make the immediate area feel drafty. I had previously recommended the Lasko 9 gallon (model 1150) units but the water reservoirs turned out to be leaky so I returned them. Also , they were noisy and definitely made the room feel drafty. BTW, make sure you get a unit with auto-shutoff when the water runs out-the Lasko didn't have that feature.
Bemis by EssickAir also makes similar models that feature two 2.5 gallon water tanks (models 696-400 and 4D7-300, for example), so that would certainly reduce the frequency of your refills. In a single-level home one of these units might do the trick. Good luck!
Very quiet (I run them on the lowest fan speed), and they don't make the immediate area feel drafty. I had previously recommended the Lasko 9 gallon (model 1150) units but the water reservoirs turned out to be leaky so I returned them. Also , they were noisy and definitely made the room feel drafty. BTW, make sure you get a unit with auto-shutoff when the water runs out-the Lasko didn't have that feature.
Bemis by EssickAir also makes similar models that feature two 2.5 gallon water tanks (models 696-400 and 4D7-300, for example), so that would certainly reduce the frequency of your refills. In a single-level home one of these units might do the trick. Good luck!