About a month ago I replaced my
Vicks Vicks V425 Nursery Cool Mist Humidifier 1.2 Gallon Humidifier due to a mold problem. The humidifier was being used in my daughter’s room. With the mold growing in places that weren’t reachable, I couldn’t allow it to remain in use. I only had the unit for about two months and didn’t want to replace it with a similar unit. I went to the store and examined the different types of humidifiers. I finally settled on another cool mist humidifier. This time it was the Crane Adorable Frog Humidifier.
Why a cool mist Humidifier? (Lifted from my Vick’s review)
Well, according to our daughter’s doctor: A humidifier helps keep the air moist while she sleeps. This helps keep the nasal passages moist and prevents them form drying up. The moisture helps keep germs form taking up residence in her nose and keeps her healthy. In other words: The moisture will keep my little girl from getting sick.
The doctor did mention to avoid the Warm Mist Humidifiers because they really don’t help keeping the germs away. With that he didn’t need to say any more, we were off to get one (actually, my wife sent me for it).
What is in the box of this humidifier?
The packaging of this humidifier is not too exciting. The frog was already assembled and was stuffed inside a Styrofoam shell. The manual was also in there. There was nothing else in the box.
How does this humidifier assemble?
This unit has more pieces than most standard humidifiers. I’ll start with the base. The base is green and looks like the lower half of a frog. It has four tiny feet sticking out form it. On the bottom of the base are four rubber feet and an opening for the fan to take in air. The back of the base has the power cord and the power switch. The front has an orange to green led. Below the led light is a dial to adjust the power. The top of the base has a tub in it. The tub has a nebulizer on the floor, a shaft to allow air flow, and a post with a floater ring and a stopper.
The tank is the next part. It is clear and has a single opening, on the bottom of it, and a tube running through it. The opening allows you to fill the one gallon tank. It gets sealed with a special cap. The cap has a button, that when pressed, allows water to drain from the tank. When the tank is in the base, the button is pressed in and water fills the base. Now that tube that I mentioned is to allow the vapor to reach the top of the tank. Another thing about the tank is that it has a handle that makes it very easy to carry it. Once the tank is filled, it gets placed on top of the base. There is no locking device to keep the tub secure. Its weight keeps it in place as well as a lip around the rim of the base.
Now, let’s get to the top of the unit. The top is a green shell that fits onto the top of the tank. The shell has the frog’s eyes. On top of the eyes are slits to allow the vapor to exit the unit. The top shell fits onto some groves on the tank. Once in place the frog is assembled and you are ready to use the humidifier.
How does this humidifier work?
This unit is unlike most humidifiers this unit is different. Most humidifiers use a spinning disk and a suction tube to create vapor. This unit is an ultrasonic device and uses a nebulizer instead. The nebulizer is a tiny disk on the floor of the unit. When it is on it will vibrate so fast that it creates a mist. At the same time the fan is running and pushing air thought that shaft I mentioned. Air fills the tub chamber and forces the air up, through the tube in the tank. Finally air comes out the openings on the top of the frog’s eyes. At the same time the mist that is created is being pushed through the top of the unit. This is how we get our vapor.
Now there was that floating ring that mentioned earlier. It has a magnetic disk in it. When the tub is filled the ring floats on a shaft. (The little stopper mentioned earlier, prevents it form floating off the shaft) When it hits a certain area, the magnet triggers the unit and tells it to turn on (assuming the power switch is on). The led that I mentioned earlier, will switch form orange to green when the unit activates properly. While the light is orange, the unit will function. Think of it as a safety device that prevents you form destroying your humidifier.
Finally, the dial on the front is for power. The higher you turn it the more vapor you will get. The ideal spot for the dial is where the vapor exits the top and doesn’t create a cloud that falls to the floor. If you have this falling cloud then you won’t get the room to be come more humid. Every day is different so you will have to adjust daily.
Besides that there is noting else to it when using this unit.
How I clean out the unit.
Every morning I drain the unit of all water. Then I dry off all parts that I can reach with a towel. The tank is tricky. I force as much of a towel inside to get all the water I can. Since I can’t reach the entire inside, of the tank, I keep the cap off and allow it air dry. When drying the tub, I am very careful around the nebulizer and can be more forceful on the rest of it. Once in a while I will make a vinegar solution to make sure that no mold or bacterial will grow on the unit.
What I like about the unit.
I really like this unit much better than my old unit. So far there has been no mold growing on it. It also does a good job at making my daughter’s room more humid. I live with forced air heat and the house can get very dry. When I turn the unit on and then check the room later, I can notice a difference from the rest of the house. I really feel that it does a good job. I also like that it has the safety device (the floating ring) and that it has a control dial on it. I feel that these help make the unit as good as it is.
What I don’t like.
Nothing so far. If something comes up, I will update this review.
Final Thoughts
I would highly recommend this unit. Besides the Frog, Crane makes many other styles of humidifiers. I am sure that they are all the same design style as this one. It find it to be a very good unit.
Thank you for reading.
Brett
NOTE: I have a device called a nebulizer; I use it for Halloween to make fog in a bowl. It works on the same principle as this humidifier. That is why I referred to the “tiny disk on the floor” as a nebulizer.
BabyEarth
Meijer
