Winix AW600 Triple Action Humidifier with Plasmawave

The Winix AW600 Triple Action Humidifier raises the bar for humidifiers. I never thought that I would be excited by a humidifier, but the Winix AW600 generates clean, humidified air that makes a world of difference, especially with the dry heat of winter. The "Triple Action" refers to the fact that the Winix AW600 not only humidifies the air using evaporation from rotating discs (which does not produce the white dust sometimes generated by Ultrasonic humidifiers, that is humidifiers that use vibrations to kick water molecules and sometimes mineral deposits into the air) but also cleans the air through two technologies: (1) a combined carbon/HEPA filter that removes particles and volatile organic molecules from the air and (2) Plasmawave technology that generates positive and negative ions that also clean the air. The Plasmawave technology can be easily turned on and off with a button. The unit has a colorful set of LEDs to indicate above 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% humidity. The "auto" mode runs the unit on Medium fan to keep the humidity is in the comfort (green LEDs) zone --- 35% - 60%. Importantly, the fan is quiet but powerful, and the Winix AW600 is energy efficient using a maximum of 17 W, which is much less than a single 60 W light bulb. The rotating disks and tank are treated with a special CleanCell coating to reduce the growth of bacteria or mold by 99% compared to the tanks of traditional humidifiers. The water tank slides easily from the bottom of the unit for quick and easy refill. On medium fan the unit runs for 24 hours without a refill. Unlike other humidifiers, the Winix AW600 has an advanced carbon and HEPA combination filter to generate clean, pure air. The combined carbon/HEPA should be replaced approximately once a year. I am really pleased with the performance of the Winix AW600. In summary, it is a great humidifier with advanced features based on Winix's experience with air purifiers that is important but not present in other humidifiers.

The principle of cold air evaporation humidification is well proven, and the original maker of disc stack based units, Venta, is charging a huge premium for their devices, which are virtually unchanged (some minor tweaks aside) since decades. At a somewhat lower pricepoint, there is finally competition. For humidification purposes, Winix' AW600 works just the same as a Venta LW25. Other than Venta‘s true and tried cashcow the Winix has the added benefit of air intake filtration by means of both HEPA and activated charcoal filter mats. But, and that's a big but, it's very hard to keep the disc stack build-up free if you use anything other than distilled water, which will drive cost up in no time. The Winix AW 600 evaporated up to 2 gal of water in 24hrs in daily use in Palm Springs dry desert airy Winix claims that the disc stack can be washed in the dishwasher - which will cover the entire stack in a dense white layer of calcium buildup.In the end, you will need to either use distilled water, or run the device with a water treatment just like the Venta, and use expensive cleaner solution every other week to remove calcium build up.

Seemed good at first but when I checked the tank after running it for a day, non of the water had been used up. When I looked closer, I could see that the gear that drives the discs wasn’t even close to touching the gear on the discs. Seems someone miscalculated in the design and they decided to sell these units regardless. Also, I can see that the motor assembly housing that is supposed to drive the discs sticks out slightly and it catches the disc handle. So even if the discs were spinning, it would be hitting the disc handle on each rotation. I like the theory of this unit since I’ve had so many other humidifiers that sucked in other ways so I really wanted this design to work. But they really screwed the pooch on the main disc component. I’m going to call them and see if they can send out a new gear shaft that may be able to make up for the spacing between the gears and allow it to spin. Otherwise maybe I can make an adapter out of plastic to fit around the shaft that will make up for the gap. I hate sending things back bc most likely they’d send me another unit with the same issue. At least if I fix it I know it’s done right. But for 200$ I really shouldn’t have to. Ugh.

I bought it looking for a Humidifier that also have some good air purification system and Winix seems to be a reliable brand. The product has nice design, materials and finishing. It looks good in your bedroom or living room. Besides the design it is easy to operate with nice touch buttons and you can add water without fully removing the reservoir. The Plasmawave technology is a plus for someone looking for a Humidifier. That was the good portion... In the product description it says "HumidiPür features a 3.17 Gallon per day humidification capacity" but in my case after 2 days I see some reduction in the reservoir and my bedroom still at 25-30% only HR... Running at max speed (you cannot define the humidity level you want) with all doors closed in this small bedroom it got to 35% after hours... I have a central heat air system and that is why I need humidifiers. This Winix AW600 was not able to deal with it... my old ultrasonic humidifier was able to get to 55% pretty easily (I was using it before the AW600 at the same conditions). It might be a good air purifier but a very bad humidifier... not sure if the discs inside spins a little faster if the results would be better... they turn so slowly even at max speed! I would love this if the humidifier really works... now I am returning this AW600...