Venta VS 350 Digital Humidifier
by Venta
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: VentaBrand: Venta
Product features:
- Venta 1035036 VS350 Manual Humidifier
- VENTA AIRWASHER LLC
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Venta VS 350 Digital Humidifier
Customer Review: Help for those having problems with this unit
Summary: 4 Stars
I have owned several humidifiers, including the highly rated Hunter 34357 3-1/2-Gallon CareFree Plus Humidifier with PermaWick Filter and Slant/Fin GF200 Germ-Free 2-Gallon Warm-Mist Humidifier.
The Hunter did not humidify well in winter, but I loved the warm mist Slant-Fin humidifier and felt good about the germ killing UV. However, cleaning it was an absolute nightmare. After a week of use, the scale buildup was so bad that it required vinegar and a good half hour of scrubbing with steel wool to clean. If you live in a place with hard water like I do, I would not recommend the Slant Fin model unless you find daily cleaning therapeutic.
The Venta 350 and 370 models eliminate the cleaning chores necessary with all other humidifiers by encapsulating everything in a "maintenance free box" that you replace once a year. The box also eliminates germs and the white dust that other ultrasonic humidifiers spew out. This sounded like the answer to my prayers, so I bought one to replace my Slant Fin.
My Venta 350 worked great until one day, as many others have experienced, it just stopped working. It would mist for a few minutes and then shut off, even when the humidity knob was turned all the way up. Sometimes it wouldn't mist at all.
When this happened, I called Venta and they gave me instructions on how to fix the problem. That was several weeks ago, and I haven't had a problem since. I thought I would share the instructions they gave me here, for others who might be having the same issue.
If you are having problems with your Venta 350 or 370 shutting off for no reason, try this:
1. Unplug and remove water tank
2. Carefully remove white maintenance free box and pour water out in the sink (tip the box forward)
3. With a damp cloth, wipe off the metal contacts until any corrosion is gone (you may want to try alcohol and/or sandpaper if water doesn't work)
4. Wipe off the metal contacts inside the humidifier
5. Dry off the interior of the humidifier and the outside of the maintenance free box
6. Reseat the maintenance free box and attach the water tank
7. Plug in the humidifier and turn on
Obviously, Venta needs to fix this defect in the next generation of this brand new model. When they do, the Venta 350 will deserve its "maintenance free" designation.
Despite this issue, I think the Venta 350 is an excellent humidifier. This small bit of maintenance pales in comparison with the weekly maintenance necessary on most other humidifiers in places with hard water. I will update this review if the problem returns.
UPDATE 4/08: No sooner did I write this review than the unit stopped working again. The cleaning instructions did not fix the problem this time. I took the unit back to Bed Bath Beyond and they exchanged it for a new one, which is still working (knock on wood). My parents' unit also stopped working due to corroded contacts. Clearly, Venta really needs to address this problem. I think a product recall is warranted. For those whose unit is still working, I would advise being very careful not to move the unit while water is in it. If the contacts get wet, they will corrode faster. I plan to call Venta to see if they have any plans to address this problem. I will update this review again after I speak to them.
Description of Venta VS 350 Digital Humidifier
1.2 gallon capacity / No need to clean, just replace maintenance free box / Covers 600 square feet / No bacteria, viruses or germs / Simple operationKitchen and Housewares