Venta LW15 Original Humidifier Black - Filter-Free Evaporative Humidifier for Spaces up to 300 ft²

I've had the Venta LW25 for about 2.5 years now. It has been trouble free and works well humidifying the air and cleaning the air. You need to add the Venta water treatment, once every two weeks when you clean the unit. I simply "rinse" it out and use a paper towel or cloth to wipe it out. Once a season I use the Venta cleaner. It is a bit tough to remove mineral deposits, but otherwise it is very easy to fill, use, rinse. When you clean it after two weeks you can see the sludge in the bottom of the tank of debris it has pulled out of the air. For my house, which is forced hot air, a full tank usually lasts 40-48 hours unless it is extremely cold, then it lasts 24-36 hours. (other types noted below, even with larger tanks would be a max of 24 hours). We usually leave ours on the medium fan speed and it is a nice background noise. If it is really cold or if the unit ran out of water for a while, we use the high speed which still isn't too bad. I've used boiling water (dangerous & energy hog), cold air filter types (filters grow mold in a matter of weeks), and ultrasonic for years.I've been using various types of humidifiers for years (20-30 years) due to sinus and/or winter allergies. If I don't use a humidifier in winter, I also get bloody noses, which I haven't had since I've been using this unit, so that is a good sign that it is humidifying the air. I got tired of trying to clean the boiling water types and the energy bills. Looking at the cold air filter type, It can't be good to spread mold around the house and cleaning it was also troublesome and replacement filters are costly regardless of the brand. As for ultrasonic, they worked the best of the other three BUT they ruined several pieces of furniture and some wood flooring from their "white dust" mineral laden output. Granted the water in my area is mineral laden but I can't do much about that. I also found it to be a pain to clean it weekly, very tough to get into all the nooks in cranny's of the brands I've had. Of the three styles, I liked the Ultrasonic the most, but I can't live with the damage they have done. As for the Venta - it is much easier to refill, I use a pitcher, easier to clean than any of the other styles, and I have to fill it less often because the tank holds more water. Unlike other types, it automatically shuts off when it is out of water.YES it is more expensive than a lot of other humidifiers on the market, but in the end both my wife and I are very happy with the unit. Also, worth considering is there are no filters to replace, so if you do the calculations over a few seasons, the VENTA starts to look pretty competitive. You need to purchase the water treatment, which a bottle lasts most of the season, and the cleaner solution for use once or twice a season. For a season, these both cost less than one set of filters which typically last 2-4 weeks. The cold air filter type humidifiers are kinda like the Razor blade business, they often give a away or sell the handles cheaply, but they get you with the replacement heads (filters).All in all a great unit. Good size water tank for extended use, no filters to replace, comparably easy to clean. Obviously I'm a fan of the VENTA 25 units. I recently purchased the larger VENTA 45 for the living room!

A year ago I bought the Venta Airwasher (White, 5524536), no longer available. This model is the update of that version. So below my review of the older model, followed by an update.Original review (March 2013)-----------Just so you know where I'm coming from, here is what I'm looking for in a humidifier:(1) The heft to reasonably humidify a 200 square foot room,(2) The capacity to only be filled once a day,(3) Something that isn't going to get mineralized or become a bacterial soup,(4) Something the looks nice, and(5) Something with a built-in hygrometer.A product that offers all 5 of these doesn't exist. I thought I had found it in the Staedler form (I had the Hera, but I imagine the William is similar). The deal breaker for me was that the built in hygrometer just didn't work -- the number never budged. Maybe I should have tried a replacement, because on paper it meets all 5 criteria. (The Staedler form avoids bacteria with an Ionic cube - who knows whether that works or not).I also tried the Broksonic Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier, which nails looks but misses many other requirements. (I've posted a review).Here is how the Venta stacks up:(1) Power: raised the humidity in my 200 square foot room very easily.(2) Capacity: needs to be filled once a day when running at max speed.(3) Comes with demineralizing / antibacterial solution for the water, plus a special cleaning agent to be used twice a year. (For what it's worth was also rated as a top choice in a very rigorous German test.)(4) Looks: well, hmmm, it's not ugly although no great beauty. Worth mention it's not huge and bulky so not terrible.(5) No built in hygrometer, although I've concluded it's better in most cases to have an external hygrometer since in any case a hygrometer built into the unit can't be that accurate.So 3.5 out of 5, but the 3 things it does it does really well. I'm going to give it another 2 weeks, and if it continues to perform I will eventually buy another. So far I am not in love but very satisfied.Update: It has been 3 weeks now and the unit is working well. It raises the humidity in a small room to 40 percent, and runs about a full day at the highest fan setting. A quick note: there is anti-bacterial fluid that you should buy with this: Venta Airwasher Venta Water Treatment (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P9BY2E/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1). This prevents bacterial buildup and should be added every two weeks. In between you don't need (shouldn't) clean or flush the unit (i.e., replace the water completely -- you just top it up). Around a week to 10 days the water does develop something like soap scum build up. But this is normal. When you give the inside a quick clean and gentle scrub the buildup comes off easily. Not ideal, but every humidifier has to be cleaned. This at least reduces it to once every two weeks and prevents bacterial buildup in the meanwhile.Update March 2014---------------So the older unit just gave up recently. Simply wouldn't start. I've got to admit that I was a bit disturbed by this. I went for the "made in Germany" mystique, and assumed this was built to last. But, on the plus side, there is a two year warranty, and they were incredibly efficient in honoring it. They had mailed me a replacement fan within the week.As it turns out, I stand by my positive review of the earlier model so we bought a second unit (the LW25) for our second bedroom. It' basically the same unit with an ever-so-slightly sleeker design. But otherwise everything else is the same. To recap the key fact: you must buy the cleaning and treatment fluids with this kind of unit. Since there is standing water in the reservoir and you only top up most days, it's essential and makes the unit easier to clear.