Bionaire BWM0400-U Warm Mist Humidifier with Galileo Wireless Climate Center

• Provides warm soothing moisture
• Room Size: large (up to 650 sq ft.)
• Run Time: up to 38 hours
• Galileo Wireless Climate Center measures the environment and communicates with the humidifi
  
  

We had the same "reset" problem as described above by other customers, and what we found is that when you plug it in (with a full tank of water), just start it on the LOW setting first, until the steam starts to come out, then you can put it on the HIGH setting (or leave it on LOW if you wish).

We figured out that if you go straight to HIGH to get it started, the machine shuts off (reset light comes on). It seems to get too hot too fast or something is too sensitive inside the machine. If you start on LOW, let it start steaming, then increase it to HIGH, we don't seem to have the reset problem.

We've only had the unit for a week... Let's hope it will hold up ok!


Nice Remote but Burping/Churping Noise   January 20, 2004
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I've had this humidifier for about a week and use it at night in my bedroom. The remote is a very nice feature and will maintain the pre-set humidity level but there have been nights were it could not reach the setpoint and therefore stayed on all night. The only other drawback is that it makes this burping, churping noise while it boils the water. This can take some getting use to especially if you're use to sleeping dead quiet nights.


Returning it back   October 27, 2005
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Too bad I didn't come here first, at epinions nobody had the reset problem but I sure did. It's too bad too because this thing is a technological marval... except it's defective from the very start.

My water is somewhere between hard and soft but more to the soft side. I read that using distilled or water with no mineral content will allow the boiler to boil less and therefore not trip the automatic shutoff.

I now quote from the review of a Sunbeam on this site:

"A vaporizer only works well if the mineral content in your water is "ideal", so you may have to make simple adjustments if the water doesn't boil (add salt), or if it boils too rapidly (add distilled water). This will prevent "spurting", boiling over and overheated reservoirs."


The problem is it is ridiculous to buy a water distiller for a unit that already has a good filter in it already! The unit boils like the bejesus on low, putting it on high pushes it over the edge and it shuts off with the red blinking "reset/refill" light. I tried 4 times and even called tech support (they were pretty clueless, are you listening Bionaire?).

It's really a pity too because the humidistat can be placed away from the unit and it wirelessly communicates to make sure the room is evenly humidified.

I think the problem is that the water does not go high enough in the tray and you can't tilt it to fix the problem (most warm mist are designed that way for some reason.


Problems with quality control   April 9, 2007
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I had problems with this unit right out of the box. I experienced the reset problem, but there are two reset problems you should know about.

1. On the initial run of the unit, you need to ensure that the reservoir where the heating elelment sits has enough water in it. Bionaire tells you to fill the actual water tank, seat the water tank and wait five minutes. If you simply pour water into the small internal reservoir, you can bypass the initial continual reset problem.

2. The other type of reset problem is the one that the reviewer named "Workout Queen" (from Canada) experienced. That is when the unit runs perfectly fine for about a month or so but then the unit will continually reset when you initially set the unit to "high". Yes, turning the unit on low will work and it will run, however, I have not been able to get the unit to engage into the "high" setting. Like the Queen said, the element gets too hot and then resets.

It appears that it's a quality control issue because Bionaire is simply sending me another unit without any fuss at all.

This unit used to be the recommended humidifier for musical instruments (like harpsichords and other string instruments) but you need to get the darn thing to work first.

It bubbles and boils irregularly so I probably wouldn't want this in my bedroom. Better to have a constant drone in the background, but I suppose that is probably an individual preference.

Also, you must realize that it boils the water to get the vapor/moisture out. So it will use up much more electricity than a cold mist unit (Kaz, Holmes etc.). Also, since it heats up, you might not want to leave this running if you're out of the house. Yes, it is supposed to shut off when the water is empty, but with these other quality issues is this a feature that you would really trust?

On the plus side, the unit is wicked easy to clean and fill. And the digital humidistat is nice (if it is indeed acurate). There is only one filter to replace and it's supposed to last quite a while. The one issue that gets me nervous is the warning notice for handling the filter:

"Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Hands should be cleaned immediately after handing the filter. If contact with the contents of the filter is made with skin, rinse with water. This product is not intended for human consumption. If ingested, do not induce vomiting and seek immediate medical attention."

Great day in the morning! What the heck is that thing made out of and what planet did they get it from? The best part is the "if ingested" part. Ha! Have you LOOKED at that thing? It's big solid plastic donut looking thing with plastic bars around the filter area. It's HUGE! Who, in their right mind would want to wrap it up in puff pastry and bake and eat it? Maybe someone might accidentally put it in the candy dish on the coffee table, but even then... it's HUGE!