Works, but requires a lot of maintenance

I have had this humidifier over a year so I can attest to its durability.

The first humidifier lasted about 4 months then died. Hunter gives a 5 year warranty on the product, and it must be costing them a lot, especially on this unit. The big problem with the unit and the reason why so many motors burn out is that this unit does not have an auto shutoff feature. The fan and the water pump are tied to the same motor. When you run out of water or let this humidifier run dry, the fan does not have water to pump and can therefore turn more easily. The fan just starts spinning around at MACH 7 without water. If you catch it and put water back into the unit while its running, you can hear a sudden drop in RPM's of the motor as the pump starts working on the water again, and the fan goes back to safe speeds. This seems to be what killed the first unit. The second unit I've had has worked for 8+ months and has not burned out the motor yet.

Unfortunately, the second unit's light has stopped working, much to my 2 year old daughter's dismay. It appears the metal connecting the light to the power just rotted away, perhaps from water damage. It is a thin wire connecting the light to the power and just didn't seem to last.

The unit is difficult to clean and I've found that I need to put as many pieces in the dishwasher as possible, including the metal filters, even though they don't recommend this. The vinegar solution they suggest to clean the filters just doesn't work for me here. I have a lot of hard water in Colorado and the deposits just won't come off any other way. The unit is very effective when clean. I just wish they had included an automatic shut off to preserve the motor life.

I'm looking into the Venta Airflow humidifier to replace this one, but it is very expensive. I've heard good things about them though and they get a 10 year warranty. If you have the money, I'd look into this unit.