How to fix a humidifier that doesn't steam
Vložit
- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- Ultrasonic Humidifier: amzn.to/2ger67Y
Vaporizer: amzn.to/2feOVaR
Venmo tip jar: @AndrewDIY
Very easy fix, you'll get a steamy room in no time! Be careful not to damage the heating rods while removing the mineral build up.
If it doesn't work, remember you can find temporary relief with a steaming hot shower!
*Well-made, delivered quickly, and easy to install with **Fastly.Cool** . I may be imagining it, but it seems quieter than the 14 year-old unit that I pulled out. Of course it was noisy at the end due to failed bearings, so hard to compare.*
Great tip I've done this before. Instead of having to scrap them, first fill the tank with vinegar and let it set about 2 to 3 hours minimum. The longer it sets the better. Then remove the top as he has shown here and dump out all the broken off pieces the vinegar broke apart. This way you don't damage the heating element rods and it cleans it more thoroughly. Rinse off everything extremely well to get rid of the vinegar and your good to go. I do this every year before first use and we have had ours for almost 8 years and it still works great even with our hard water.
Ryger330 , lucky with mine the black stuff drops in the tanks by themselves and not attached to the rods .... good advice with vinegar but what ratio of mix ?
Ed Momeni because your not activating the machine by plugging it in or anything, I use a 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar mix. That way you don not have to use a ton of viunegar but it's still strong enough to cut through the guild up.
This saved me so much trouble and pain!!! My toddler can't breath, we can't afford a replacement. I'm so thankful for this, thank you!!!
I followed your instructions and it still didn't work, although it was finally getting hot. Dug around a little bit more online and someone suggested adding a pinch of salt to the water. Holy cow, it worked almost instantly.
Thank you for this video! I'm just sharing in case anyone else has this same problem.
My original intention for this humidifier was to use it for plants that require high moisture levels. After using it in my room, czcams.com/users/postUgkxtD9aJ2m6GU-X1IChQxjn9l31K1A7Kpwj however, I think that's where it is going to stay in the fall and winter season at least. The increased humidity in my room made the room warmer and more comfortable. I had first ran the humidifier for 4 hours with the timer setting for it. After the first hour, I checked my room and can feel the difference. When the full 4 hours was up, I checked again and noticed that the humidifier was shut off as it is suppose to. The moisture level never seem to get passed 56/57%. I then let it run until all the water is used up, which it wasn't all used up. There are still some left in the base that you are not suppose to add water to. I filled up the water tank all the way again, being careful when removing it from the base. Some left over water may spill out. After putting it back on and setting the unit to auto, I let it operate. It didn't stop running, rather I don't know if it did at any point since I didn't check it regularly, for 24 hours after which the water in the tank ran out. The moisture reading never passed 56/57%, which may be a good thing for me. Being situated right next to my bed, the noise was not very noticeable with the occasional water gurgle from time to time as the unit ran.
Love the 2 min quick advice. Clearly a timeless video as i’m watching this 9years after release.
Thanks good video. One bit of advice is dont use distilled water. Without any minerals the water is not conductive and has no ions thus will not steam. You need the minerals. As a matter of fact if your water is too soft you need to add minerals to it. This can be a ccomplished by adding salt (sodium). Salt will dissolve and supply the necessary ions to allow electricity to travel between the 2 rods, therefore allowing the water to convert into steam. The salt is soft and will not contribute to hardness and cause scaling on the probes.
Did a google search after cleaning all the buildup off the rods and various medical groups say to only use distilled water in these humidifiers and vaporizers because of potential harmful bacteria that can travel in the steam. Sounds weird but I just decided to use the distilled water with a pinch of salt and the humidifier started up right away.
Thank you
Thank you! My son's been really sick and we've been using his humidifier every night. It stopped working and I was afraid I'd have to buy a new one. This saved us some money!
I just tried it. I took it apart, cleaned it, and it really worked! The only other thing I did was added a pinch of salt to the water as it was suggested on the vaporizer. It steamed almost immediately. Thank you for this video!!!
Thank you! The salt worked!
Very helpful, and I appreciate the calm, pleasant, & to-the-point knowledge! Our humidifier started to make odd noises and smell strange. I had opened up the unit with the intention to clean it, but wasn't sure what the rods were supposed to look like, and whether the layer on it was indeed buildup that could be cleaned off. This CZcams gave me confidence to clean out all the chunky deposits and it is working well again. Thank you!
Thanks for making this so long ago. It was exactly what I needed today, eight years later. Salute
Thank you so much! We have all been so sick and needed the humidifier and it just wasn't working. I cleaned and got distilled water, problem solved! I wasn't even sure anything like this would be on You Tube, so glad I looked.
Wow thank you so much for this video. I couldn't find any useful information anywhere on the Internet on how to fix my humidifier until I came here. I already have two broken humidifers and really didn't want to buy another one. I had to take apart a hello kitty humidifier from the bottom and there was this disgusting build up and cleaned it right up. I turned my humidifier back on and it was humming quietly.. It's been loud before it broke down and it's working beautifully again!
Thank you! I've started thinking of these things as disposable, buying a new one every year. One scrub with an SOS pad and all is well! Thanks so much!!
FYI, don’t touch the elements to see if they are heating while plugged in. You will get shocked. Lesson learned the hard way.🙄
Thanks for the fix. I didn't find the scaling that you discovered in your demonstration, but taking it apart and rinsing off the heating elements got it working again. Our congested kitty cat thanks you!
I recently bought a Vicks Vaporizer and used it 1 week...
But decided to clean it after seeing BLACK flakes in Tank
The tool needed to get inside is a Torx T10 bit...
I got inside and started cleaning heating elements (RODS)
Used a Dremel type tool with small wire brush to clean them
When I tried to remove rod noticed screws that hold rods
So remove Night Light Cover and backed out screws
Removing rods makes it easier to clean them correctly
Inside of BLACK housing was pile of flakes to wash out
When replacing rods snug electrical connections with T10 Screws
Taking care not to strip thread -- but rod should not turn
A clean vaporizer it one that works well :)
I bought a used one and it would heat up but not put out steam. Mine was a newer model that had a black casing around the rods and star screws but I was successful with a flat tip screwdriver. There was scaling that I scraped off with the flat top screwdriver and wala! It works! Thanks a bunch. Will help my daughter's asthma and our allergies :)
Pamela Barker did You add salt to the water? Usually that's what happens when it won't steam for me. Regular table salt works
Brandon I didnt but will try that next time! Thanks
Pamela Barker no worries!
I have a Walgreens brand humidifier and the heating unit is different then the one you showed however, once I watched your video, I realized that the heating element on mine was a round one located on the bottom of the unit. I could not remove it so I took a screwdriver and scraped the hard water deposits off of it and it worked!! thanks for your post...gotta love CZcams!!!!
Yes, helpful, I plan to try this. I do have hard well water, never thought of that, thank you. I will pick up distilled water and try again after cleaning. A great assist. Great video! I don't know how to rate, but I give this a 10.
I get the feeling that this particular model is faulty across multiple models. I've stumbled across 2 of these and the first one I assumed to be broken. But this second one had exactly the same issue. So either I'm doing something wrong or these particular models suck.
Edit: I did what he said and it worked fine, just wait about 5 minutes and you will start to see steam, it makes very little noise but that's better compared to it not making any before. Thank you.
Chase H.
P
i have this. it's been 5 years and it is still working fine! but now i know where the "black stuffs" are coming from. thanks for the tip!
I have a Walgreens brand vaporizer. I used a 5/64 Allen to remove the star screws. It has the same type of rods that are attached with 2 larger star screws under the nightlight. I didn't have to removes them though, the scaling was only half way up the rods. I also cleaned out the black casing, had a lot of crud too. Used distilled water and added a pinch of salt. Works now. Thanks. I thought I was gonna have to buy a new one.
I was about to go shopping for a new vaporizer too, but this will save me a time and money. Thanks for sharing this video!
got a second hand one of a different model ( no 99A vaporize ) ! cleaned it before use ! it had far more mineral build up !! i cleaned new and install it back and it works real fine now !!
Cleaned the heating rods as instructed, vaporizer works perfect! Thanks a bunch!!
Thx for the video man! I was about to throw mine away until I saw this. After cleaning the rods I added a pinch of salt to the water for good measure. It works like new now! 👍
THANK YOU! The black compartment around the heating unit of mine was so full of calcium buildup that there was no water in there! I had to take a screwdriver and break it out. I was careful with the heating part though and gently removed the excess by hand from it. Thank you so much for the great advice on how to clean this!
Thank you!!!!! I thought I was just going to have to buy a new one!! Great tips!
Ty,daughter sick and getting bloody noose. Was going to have to buy new one. Thank you very much.
Chemistry/Physics question (not sure which): Say those little black bits of scale are floating in the water while the machine is boiling and steaming. Will those bits of scale (carbon, calcium, magnesium or whatever they are made of) become aerosolized in the steam that releases from the machine (forcing users to breathe in the scale)? Or, does steam *only* contain h2o and cannot carry bits of metal/impurities along with it?
If you're like me and can't get yours open for whatever reason try adding a teaspoon of baking soda and letting it run. The minerals will fall off and end up in the tank, after an hour it should be working well.
Also a warning to those that plan to clean the heating rods directly, leave it unplugged for an hour or more first they will be extremely hot otherwise.
Mine will not open at all :( ness help just bought it and it’s not working
Dang that worked very well its running!!! after almost smashed the thing..
Brilliant , I have a different model ,I had same problem , 1 tsp of baking soda I added its working like new , thank you so much !!!!
Great video!!! I do this every year now, and these humidifiers keep on working! Thank you for posting!
Where do you get the electrorods
Did you get electrodes, if yes pls.share from where?
Thanks a lot. I was going to throw out my humidifier and buy a new one. Your video saved me money.
I'm going to try this in a bit. you make it look sooo easy!! Thank you for saving my daughter from coughing at night! you're my hero!!! 😘
Salt in the water helps too. Thanks for your help.
Wow! I was about to go buy a new one! Amazing thanks for the tip !! Saved me money!
This fixed our problem, thank you! Now I know why my parents kept that random gallon of distilled water in the closet!
You Sir have helped me out! Thanks for the post, I almost bought a new one!
Thank you! And…. You kind of remind me of Bill Murray from SNL. 😁👍🏼
Thanks for posting this! Just fixed mine now using this video. She's steamin' again! Had waaaay more buildup than yours, too.
Yay!! I was so sad and thought i would have to throw mine out! And since im so sick i dont trust myself driving i was just gona sit in front of a boiling pot of water for a while till i got better enough to drive out to buy a new one lol. But this saved mine and even throws out more steam now then i remember. Thanks a million!
Omg why didn't I google this years ago. Thanks for the vid, sir! Worked perfectly
Thanks for the cleaning tip..
I have the same model. It is working but the green light went out. Can it still be used?
Thank you! I'm going to try this on my humidfier as well as my floor steamer. I thought they were both ruined. Hopefully this will save them.
I have that same model and I've had it for 6 years and it still works fine
Thanks so much for your video. I was going to throw mine out but now I can save the money and fix it myself
Thanks man used this video to get our humidifier ready to roll! Appreciate u
The problem is not that the scale over the heating posts do not conduct electricity [well enough] ... the problem is they don't conduct heat well enough. Nonetheless, this video points out an interesting and *FUNNY* aspect of these kinds of dehumidifiers. The manuals say hard water (or add salt to the water) makes the units generate *MORE* steam ... *EVEN TOO MUCH* steam. And that's true in the sense that the boiling point of hard water or salt water is lower than pure/distilled water. *HOWEVER* ... as this video correctly notes ... every variant of water except pure/distilled water deposits scale on the heater elements, which reduces the ability of the heater elements to heat the water. Talk about a gotcha!!!
This was EXTREMELY helpful!
helped me so much!!! the amount of crap I found inside I was shocked!!!! thank you!!!
Thanks, I've bought maybe 3 of these in the past and just tossed them when they stop working. The most recent one stopped and now i have a chance at saving it and potentially prolonging its lifespan.
thanks! My model was slightly different but I tampered the rod a little bit and it worked again!
When I saw the amount of scaling and started peeling it off I couldn't believe it wasn't just paint or some kind of protective ceramic coating, and was worried I was breaking my vaporizer. Nope. It works like brand new now.
your advise on how to repair allowed me to take it apart. I did remove the rods because the connection were corroided. Cleaned the contacts and the rods and put back together. unit works fine Thanks for your post
The pinch of salt after cleaning worked thanks soooo much😊😊😊
Thank you for this video I have a vicks humidifier and want to remove to clean it internally
Wow! yes this really helped me,thank you! I was about to buy a new one until I saw this video. You saves me a couple bucks.
Worked! Did it in 15 minutes- thanks for the video 👍🏼
Holy shut ballz batman this thing is working better than when I got it. Little messy but no grit no gain. Thanks a lot
I have a similar model to the one in the video - after I opened it up it had scaling almost 1/4" thick!
it worked for me i couldn't be happier I went to buy another last night and walmart didn't have it!
Thanks your video was very helpful and I enjoyed how you discribed the problem.
Thank you. I was able to fix our humidifier.
I like your presentation quick chosen words and to the point and lots of info Thanks I have a honeywell and will give it a try and let you know :-)
I have a Vicks vaporizer and in the past it stopped working as well and I noticed it worked a tiny bit better when I was able to shake some of the hard gray buildup out of the small hole in the bottom, so I tried opening the top with the same two screws but apparently I have a different model because when I undo the screws, the blue top comes off, but I still can't get to the heating element...the top may snap off but it may not snap back on...
So, I broke it open. I knew I was breaking it but I had to know why it wouldn't open and I discovered the issue. Although the heating elements were a good half inch from the surrounding plastic, the buildup got so bad it literally cemented the heating elements to the surrounding plastic...so much so that the heating element broke in half before it was willing to break loose from it's calcium prison...
Lisa Lundgren "had to know"...you are my kinda gal!
Thank you for taking the time to post this!
This is awesome. It worked just as you described. Thanks for helping me save money.
Thanks for the knowledge..
Good information and easy instruction!
Thanks for the tip. I will give it a try. Great explanation.
Thanks so much!! I almost threw it away!! Works great now!!
Very helpful, thanks. What are the elements made out of? They seem porous, like there's a carbon component to them, plus the black smudge they leave on your fingers. Also wondering if that scale can deposit on the inside of the elements at all?
I did exactly as you did (in fact I've been cleaning my Vicks vaporizer like that for a while now. I have one that is less than two months old, I cleaned it and now it just shorts and you smell burning plastic.
Worked like a charm
Great!! Thanks I didn’t know what to do
Thank you for showing this, I did not realize how much build up I had , I thought gray was its original colour until you started pealing .... its black !!!!! lol ... I'm soaking in vinegar , Im too scared i may damaging them !!!! Again, Thankyou!
Thanks! I didn't the heating elements could come out
Ok. Had a ton of crud. Removed it. Worked great for a day. Now it's less than optimum performance. Any Suggestions? Even used distilled water.
Terrence Keefe a pinch of salt with the water
My Vicks Vaporizer works well after followed these steps.. great!! thank you...
Thank You for your handy video and instruction. very helpful!
The limescale in calcium never peels off like that for me I have to Surf mine with white vinegar an equal parts of water and let it sit for at least an hour or two and then scrub with steel wool
Worked like a charm! Thank you!
Looks pretty simple…thanks!
After cleaning the green light won't turn on but there is steam coming now. I had SO much build up on the two metal parts and inside them were fully plugged too, so maybe it's just too far gone?
I will be trying this tomorrow night thanks
thanks boss! saved me some 💰
Thank you
Thank you Sir
I know it is possible that I was not answered but ...
Does anyone know what the rods are made of? or if they sell them somewhere?
Great video! Very helpful & informative! 10 out of 10
What is the name of the tool you use to take the screws out of the humidifier?
Thanks for sharing. Can't believe how Easy that 1 rod came out, I've broken about 4 of those suckers b/c they're so dern Fragile, mercy. Can't help but wonder if those rods could be made out of a different type of material?... What about aluminum? I'm thinking the manufacturer would've used aluminum if it would work, but they likely used the carbon(?) type rods b/c they had to, otherwise Why would you use such a brittle, fragile(& cheap?) material?... They remind me somewhat of carbon motor brush material, but w/ some metallic material combined w/ it. take care, - Leeroy
Awesome tip. I will try that. Thanks a bunch. ☺
Kevin Murphy FTW. Did you know he did some writing for some other shows, like the Sonic cartoons?
helpful and thorough but I'm gonna try setting it in distilled white vinegar first. If I have to take it apart I might just get a new one thank you
how did that work?
Can you gently remove the scale with vinegar?
Almost threw this thing in the trash and bought a third one but will try and fix it now and see if it works.
thank you sir