Avalon Premium Humidifier & Diffuser

I think this is a great cool mist humidifier. Check below for some common issues people see and how easy the fixes are, really this unit is great. First off, a quick word on different humidifier types. Ultrasonic humidifiers are a newer idea in humidification, and they're best in small areas as they're basically silent to humans- a speaker blasts the water with a noise too high-pitched for human ears which essentially shakes a fine mist of water into the air. Ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers are therefore the superior choice when it comes to bedrooms, baby rooms, and the like. And this is a fine cool mist humidifier. Pros: -Great, selectable volume. At max output this unit absolutely billows steam and could probably empty its whole tank in a couple hours, while at lower settings it can easily run for 10+ hours. I've had to learn to underfill the tank as I rarely even get close to the bottom during any given night. -Rotating misting hood. Turn the "hat" portion any direction you choose. -Selectable LED lighting includes a "carousel" mode that alternates between colors in an attractive manner, as well as individual color selection, and it even turns off. When I have guests I leave the carousel mode on as a night light, it works wonders. -Diffuser basket lets you add essential oil or other "smell-goods" (think Vapo-Rub or other mentholated products). -Basically silent. Depending on how stable your surface is you should hear next to nothing from the unit aside from the occasional gurgle of water replenishing the bottom steam generation box. Cons: Unit is a little difficult to clean. You have to take off the misting hood, pick up the water tank, and then you notice there's a significant pool of water in the base unit. So to clean the unit and ensure there's no bacteria building up, you need a third hand to grab the base unit and get it to the sink without spilling it. This isn't terrible, as you could leave the base unit and only clean it out one a week or month depending on your needs, but as part of my morning ritual I rinse all three pieces and leave them in the tub to try. The diffuser basket is a bit weak. It comes with a sponge which you should probably throw out immediately as it's a germ magnet. I tear off a thumbnail-sized piece of paper towel each night and use that to soak up a few drops of essential oil. Since the basket doesn't heat up, a few drops is all it's going to use. The scent therefore is very mild, akin to just leaving some oil out in a dish. The basket is also fairly flimsy, you have to be careful pulling it out. I cracked mine on the first day, and it's currently held together with a bit of clear tape. Not a deal breaker, the diffuser still works, but it's barely a feature. The LED unit only has one button, which cycles through all the light settings (including "off" and "carousel"). It would be nice if the unit had two buttons- "lights on/off" and "change mode". Having to press the buttons 10 times a day seems like a lot of wear and I'm counting down the days until it breaks. Overall: I think this is pretty much a perfect cool mist humidifier for small to medium rooms. Easily creates 10+ hours of steam almost silently, and does it with your choice of color modes and diffused oils. Highly recommended. The following troubleshooting is mostly covered in the manual, but I'd just like to copy it here because some reviewers seem to have issues and I'd like to point out how easy the fixes are. Problem- Unit is noisy. Fix- Most often, this is caused by the unit being mounted on an unstable surface. The ultrasonic system is basically a speaker playing a noise that's too high pitched for you to hear, so imagine a stereo speaker mounted on the same surface- if it's wobbly or flimsy the unit will cause it to rattle. Problem- There's a thumb-sized loose part in the tank. Fix- This is a replaceable ceramic filter, which has accidentally fallen off inside the tank. Fish it out and put it back on the filler cap, ensuring it is properly attached. If your filler cap is damaged or you cannot retrieve the part, or if the cap leaks due to the broken part, ask for a replacement.