Venta LW45 Airwasher 2-in-1 Humidifier and Air Purifier in B

German engineering triumphs over dry air and impurities. The Venta 45 works at least as well as advertised. The air is perfectly humidified and cleaned. If you're tired of paying for pads and wicks (I have very hard water and it cost me $200\year for wicks and solvents), this machine will pay for itself in 2-3 years. The large reservoir means a lot of time between fill-ups. Easy to clean; the recommended Venta water treatment additive is a MUST for it to work properly.

It has been over 5 years since my original purchase. I now own dozens of these either in my homes or in my laboratories or offices. I use the LW25's in guest rooms or smaller rooms and the LW45 (and now the new 6 series). I have to say the Venta is the best of all humidifiers, on all points. It has the most intelligent and easy disassembly of any humidifier I've owned, making cleaning it a simple breeze. It is quiet on high speed and pumps out a LOT of humidity.Every single component is EASILY replaceable and very inexpensive, direct from Venta Germany (with free shipping). No other humidifier on the market has every single component replaceable. NONE. Something breaks on ANY other humidifier...you must buy a whole new unit.These are pricey for what they offer and has rather simplistic technology... but they ARE effective and very quiet. If I was going to space on a long journey, you would want to take one of these. With the minimal amount of moving parts and components, this has a very low failure rate, and in the rare situation when it might fail, at least you're not at a total loss and can easily replace the failed component. However I have used mine 24/7/365 for over 5 years and JUST this year in 2019 I replaced a single motor in my LW25, for $30 direct from Venta.For me, dust levels around all of my robotic and computer equipment was a major focus of effectiveness. In my laboratories maintaining the precise humidity is critical for the specimens. I had purchased over 23 other humidifiers and none of them compared to the Venta.Some reviews complain about the grime or "white crust" in the humidifier after a few weeks. This is your poor quality hard water mixed with dust that the Venta has collected from cleaning your air. This is not some magical biological production from the Venta. Cmon people, simple science. You do not have to purchase the bacteriostatic agent from Venta (the cleaning fluid) although I recommend it because it is better for the plastic (less chemically abrasive) and reduces the amount of any algae or bacteria in the unit over time. If you are cheap you can always buy a $3 bag of pool shock (Calcium Hypochlorite) and mix half a TSP with 1 gallon of water. The $3 bag should make approximately 3500-4000 gallons, so as long as you store it properly, it will last you a lifetime. Apply 30ml of the Calcium Hypochlorite (pool shock) mixture to your (already filled with clean water) Venta. This will assist in bacterial reduction but it is more chemically abrasive than the Venta fluid. I have used this method in a couple of my laboratory units and this has not damaged them over several years, however if you dose too much of the Calcium Hypochlorite, the area will smell chlorinated like a pool/spa.Keeping the unit from any direct sunlight also helps tremendously in preventing any bacterial buildup.If you choose to not use anything at all, over time you will experience calcification on the inside, the dust being captured by the fans will eventually fall into the water reservoir and eventually the (over time) fishy smell of the algae and bacteria will attract fungus gnats. Real swampy ecosystem without cleaning. Just like any humidifier on the market. Except that this one is easily cleaned...and again, has all replaceable parts.For my home...With 1 LW45 Venta inside a 600sq ft room, there is a large difference in reduction of airborne dust and smells within 15 minutes. Sinuses feel much clearer with humidified air. This means no crusty boogers and a less likelihood of snoring. Specifically during Winter when the heater is running more, the humidity in the house plummets, causing dry nose and dry lips, the Venta units fix that. Simple science people. So for $400 you get cleaner air which is better for your skin and lungs and no crusty boogers or snoring from your spouse. I'd say that's $400 well spent. Only wish I'd have purchased the white one.

After using this product for over 1 year... I will be purchasing another one for my apartment. It is soooo easy to fill with water and no filters!!!!! It lasts the whole day and helps clean the office air.Highly recommended!!!! The ease of use makes it worth the expense.

So it is a bowl of water, with some plastic disks, half submerged, rotating on top of the bowl.While device is fairly quite, and seems to consume little electricity, functionally - it is just a humidifier, and not an efficient one.I do not get an idea of how it cleans air. When it supposedly catches particles of dust on the rotating surfaces, where do those particles go? To the water bowl? When I would expect some residuals in water visible upon changing. Stay on disks? When I would expect disks to change color, and loss functionality over time.I put the unit in my living room next to the wood-burning fireplace, hoping to a) improve humidity in the room, and b) clean air, as the fireplace often blasts smoke inside the room when adding logs. I do not feel any air quality improvement, water in the unit is as clean as when it poured from the tap, and disks are as white as the day I first took unit out of the box. Humidity level is currently less than 40%, with the Venta Airwasher/Humidifier on max (3) setting mostly 24/7, and me adding water to the top level every day.

This humidifier worked great but I am unsure about the long term cost. I assume the high price point is due to the "filterless" aspect. While it is technically filterless, you still have the ongoing cost of water treatment. I also found out that using softened water created a "salty" residue that was not easy to clean off of the discs. It does a great job at humidifying larger rooms where needed, however, I am not sure it is worth spending the extra money, having to treat the water every time you refill the tank with water. The long term costs might make this much more expensive than using a cheaper humidifier with replaceable filters that do not require water treatment. Might just be a matter of preference.