Review of the Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control system

If you need to both purify and humidify the air, you can purchase two different devices. However, you can get by with just one.

The Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control complex has both of these functions, but what it does better and what other features it has will become clear after standard testing.

^* Contrary to popular belief, this is not the time limit after which the device will necessarily break down. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.

The Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control system was delivered to us for testing in a stylish cardboard package decorated with an attractive bow. On the front side of the box, the manufacturer presented an image of the device and its key characteristics. Among them are high humidification performance up to 1000 ml/h, ultraviolet sterilization, low noise level up to 55 dB, air aromatization function, water purification with silver ions, and air purification performance up to 220 m³/h. The recommended room size for best performance is up to 60 m².

Inside the box we found the Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control system itself, a user manual, a service book and quick start instructions. The sides of the packaging included detailed technical specifications, contact information, and product certification information. The box also mentioned the functions of active filter drying, top water fill and the ability to control using a mobile phone.

The Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control complex has the shape of a vertical parallelepiped with rounded corners and is made of matte white plastic. There is a silver manufacturer's logo on the front panel.

Above the top there is a round panel made of black plastic, on which touch buttons and an LED display are located. The indication on the switched off device is not active; we will look at it later, after turning on the device.

The top cover of the housing has a concave shape: it serves as a “plate” for pouring water when refilling the tank. Between this cover and the side walls there is an outlet through which purified and humidified air exits.

The side walls of the device are smooth, without protruding elements or inscriptions.

The air intake grille is located at the rear. Above it you can see the connector for the power cord and a nameplate with the serial number and technical characteristics of the device.

The inlet cartridge has a two-layer design. It contains an H11 grade curved HEPA element and a carbon filter sponge. The first layer traps dust and suspended microparticles, and the second layer cleans the air from harmful organic impurities.

On the left side in the filter compartment there is a container for air aromatization. It contains a porous element, which, if desired, can be moistened with your favorite perfume composition.

Through the air intake grille, air enters the main compartment of the housing, where the cylindrical water filter is located. Passing through it, the air is saturated with moisture, after which it leaves the device through a round grille, behind which the fan is located.

A grill protrudes from the top of the compartment, behind which there is a heating element for drying the filter. Periodic increase in temperature prevents the growth of bacteria on wet surfaces and eliminates unpleasant odors.

The humidifying filter is a blue cylindrical accordion assembled in a plastic holder.

The lower part of the filter is immersed in water, which is pumped by a built-in pump from the reservoir. Moisture rises through the capillaries of the porous element and passes from it into the air passing through the filter.

A plastic tube for supplying water is laid through the lid of the container to the very bottom.

The 8-liter tank is made of transparent plastic, allowing you to easily control the liquid level.

At the bottom of the container there is a cartridge that saturates the water with silver ions. It is designed to prevent the proliferation of bacteria and pathogenic flora.

The user manual supplied with the device is a compact A6 book with 30 pages. Made on thick, glossy paper, it features the high quality printing characteristic of Garlyn products. The numerous diagrams and drawings are clear and legible, and the text, although small, is easy to read.

The user manual included in the kit describes in detail the structure of the device, how to control the humidifier, its functionality and recommendations for caring for it. The document ends with a list of technical characteristics and a table showing possible malfunctions and methods for solving them. In addition, the kit includes a quick start guide, made in the form of a compact cardboard card, as well as a service book.

The control panel for the climate control system is made of dark plastic and is a slightly convex disk rising above the top cover.

Touch control on the Garlyn AirClean V60 features a digital LED display and seven touch buttons located around the perimeter.

From left to right, counterclockwise, the sensors are located:

1. «Intensive humidification»: starts the maximum power mode. A long press turns on the device cleaning mode.
2. “Timer”: by successive presses, sets the time before the device automatically turns off. Available values range from 0 to 12 hours in 1 hour increments; a value of zero turns off the timer.
3. “Mode”: a short press launches the menu for selecting the device’s operating mode. Press and hold to enable wireless network configuration mode.
4. “Power”: the first press wakes the device from standby mode. The second starts the active drying function, the third stops the device and puts it into standby mode.
5. «Humidity»: allows you to set the desired humidity value in the room. Available values range from 40% to 80% in 5% increments.
6. «Power Level»: allows you to select one of four power levels. Pressing and holding turns the Child Lock feature on and off.
7. «UV sterilization»: turns on and off ultraviolet irradiation.

Operating modes of Garlyn AirClean V60:

• «Auto»: turns on by default and strives to maintain the indoor humidity level at 68%. The device first operates at maximum fan power for five minutes, then adjusts the fan speed depending on the hygrometer readings.

• “Health”: in this mode, the device operates at power level III until the optimal relative humidity is reached, which is calculated automatically by the device. When the optimal value is reached or exceeded, the device switches to speed I. In this mode, the UV sterilization function is always active.
• «Night»: the humidifier fan operates at minimum power (level I). All indicators on the display turn off after 10 seconds of panel inactivity.

Below it are indicators of operating modes and functions:

• «Cleaning mode»: lights up when this mode is activated.
• «Humidity»: lights up when the target humidity value is set.
• «Wi-Fi»: turns on when connected to a network and flashes while connected.
• «Health»: indicates the activated mode.
• «Auto»: indicates operation in automatic mode.
• «Timer»: indicator for activation of the auto-shut-off function.
• «Child lock»: the control panel is locked.
• «Night»: indicates operation in night mode.
• «Intensive humidification»: indicates that the function is enabled.

Below the function symbols is a four-segment humidification power indicator.

When you turn off the device, it goes into active water filter drying mode: humidification is turned off, and the running fan removes excess moisture to prevent the growth of bacteria. At this point, the backlight color changes to red and a warning symbol appears on the digital display. To interrupt the drying process, press the «Power» button again.

For control from a smartphone, the manufacturer recommends the Smart Life application — Smart Living (Volcano Technology).

This well-known and popular application is already familiar to us from previous reviews of various equipment. At the time of creation of the material, it had been downloaded more than 10 million times and had a high rating — 4.8 out of 5 possible based on 730 thousand reviews. Smart Life supports hundreds of different smart devices, combining them into a single ecosystem.

To activate the application, you must register by confirming your email address or mobile phone number. After this, you must accept the terms of the user agreement and read the privacy policy.

To fully interact with the climate control system, you must provide the application with access to geodata and the ability to detect devices in the environment. In addition, Smart Life requires permission to send notifications.

After the climate control system is connected to the power supply, it automatically goes into pairing standby mode. Although there is an option on the control panel to manually enter pairing mode, we didn't use it. After selecting “Add device”, an image of the complex and the “Add” button appear on the main Smart Life screen.

The connection procedure does not take even a minute: the user only needs to enter the SSID and password for the wireless network and wait until the “Successfully added” message appears.

After this, on the main screen we see our climate complex and can open the control page.

The app screen displays large numbers showing the current relative humidity level measured by the device. Below are the control buttons. Using the «Operation mode» slider you can set the desired humidity level. Similar to the control panel, you can select values from 40% to 80% in 5% increments.

The «Countdown» slider is designed to set the automatic shutdown time. Below it are buttons for selecting automatic modes: “Auto”, “Health” and “Sleep”. However, a small cosmetic error should be noted: when entering manual settings, a button with an incomprehensible inscription “dp_mode_cancel” appears here. Next are switches to control the Heat, Filter Reset (which is actually an auto-clean mode) and Lock functions.

The Smart Life application not only provides the ability to control the climate control system via a smartphone. It also allows you to create different scenarios, turning Garlyn AirClean V60 into a full-fledged smart home component.

After setting up your device, the program automatically suggests several ways to optimize its use. For example, you can set the device to automatically turn on if the humidity in the room drops below a specified level, or, conversely, turn it off when this parameter reaches a comfortable value.

The app is known to access information about the user's location, which can also be useful when creating scenarios. One of the screenshots above showed a rule that automatically turns off the humidifier if the user leaves the room.

Full use of all the functions of this control method is possible only with a constant connection to the Internet: the device interacts with the application through the Smart Home cloud service. If you have problems connecting or accessing the service, you won't be able to use smart features.

Before installing the device, you must select a hard, level and moisture-resistant surface, far from furniture and other electrical appliances. It is not recommended for use on carpets or other deep-pile flooring, or placed near heat sources or in direct sunlight.

The manufacturer reminds you to completely clean the device of shipping materials and advertising stickers before using it. The device must not be put into operation until it is fully assembled.

Before turning on, the humidifier reservoir must be filled with water. This can be done by removing the device body and pump cover, or through the hole in the top cover for easier access, without exposing the control panel to moisture.

The manufacturer does not provide specific recommendations regarding the water used, however, based on experience testing similar devices, it is recommended to fill the humidifier with distilled or filtered water.

The Garlyn AirClean V60 climate control system automatically turns on in a mode that independently regulates fan power, trying to maintain an optimal humidity level of 68%. Unlike ultrasonic humidifiers, it does not spray aerosols, but naturally increases the humidity in the room. It is pleasant to use and easy to breathe.

During operation, the translucent tank is illuminated in green and blue, and when problems arise, such as emptying, the backlight changes to red.

If the humidifier runs out of water, the red indicator on the control panel lights up and the device enters filter drying mode and then automatically turns off.

The device can operate continuously, but every 72 hours it requires a pause to dry the water filter. To do this, the number “72” is displayed on the control panel. It is recommended to start the drying mode by pressing the “Power” button and wait until the procedure is completed.

Every three days, you must empty the reservoir and rinse it thoroughly by hand, as the use of a dishwasher is prohibited for this procedure.

After using the water filter for a long time, scale and dust may accumulate. To clean it, you need to remove the filter from the housing, rinse it with running water and dry it naturally. It is important to avoid using sharp or hard objects to avoid damaging the surface.

The HEPA filter should only be cleaned with a dry soft brush; do not wash it.

Information about regularly replacing filters is not provided by the manufacturer in the documentation. We did not find replacement kits for this device on the official website.

The power consumption and noise of the device depend, of course, on the operating mode.

Activation of the UV illumination does not have a noticeable effect on the power consumption of the air purifier; it remains within the measurement error. When the heater is operating (in filter drying mode), the device consumes 225 W, and in standby mode, energy consumption is less than 0.1 W.

At minimum speed, the air purifier noise is barely audible during the day, but can be disturbing for sensitive people at night. At medium speed, the fan noise is quite noticeable, but does not interfere with normal communication in the room. At maximum power, the noise level is a little annoying, but it is possible to communicate without raising your voice.

The reservoir holds up to 8050 ml of water; after the empty signal, about 920 ml remains in the tank. This gives a useful volume of the device of 7130 ml.

The maximum humidification capacity is 445 ml/h, which is significantly higher than the average ultrasonic humidifier.

To determine the maximum performance of the device, we connected a ventilation pipe with a diameter of 260 mm and a length of 1 meter to the outlet grille. Using an anemometer, the air flow speed was measured at 17 points, which gave an average speed of about 1.3 m/s. This corresponds to a productivity of 4.14 m³/min or 248.35 m³/hour.

In practical tests, we tried to empirically measure the effectiveness of humidification and evaluate the effectiveness of air purification using Garlyn AirClean V60.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the humidifier under real conditions, we tested it in a room with a size of about 18 m² and a ceiling height of 2.5 m. The experiment was carried out in March in St. Petersburg, when the central heating was still on and the temperature without ventilation reached 25 °C.

To exclude the influence of external factors, we tightly closed the doors and windows, and thoroughly ventilated the room between tests. Air temperature and humidity measurements were carried out automatically, and there were no people or animals in the room.

The device was turned on in automatic mode and left for a long time until the water in the tank ran out. The measurement results are presented in the graph.

Starting in a room with a humidity of about 33%, the humidifier continued to function for almost 16 hours before the tank was empty. During the test, the humidity in the room slowly increased, reaching an impressive 86.9% by the end of the test. This is an excellent indicator of the efficiency and durability of the device.

Result: excellent.

But the device demonstrated the longest operating time, of course, at minimum power.

At “low speed,” the humidifier improved the room climate for approximately 37 and a half hours, maintaining humidity at 51%-53%.

Result: excellent.

To evaluate the filtration efficiency of the Garlyn AirClean V60, we conducted an experiment in a hermetically sealed test room measuring approximately 2.1 x 2.1 x 2.4 meters, which is about 10.5 m³. We filled the room with smoke created with the help of a smoke generator we made ourselves, to a level where “you can’t see the fingers of an outstretched hand.”

The concentration of suspended particles was measured using an optical sensor SDS011, capable of detecting PM2.5 levels up to 999 μg/m³ and PM10 up to 1999 μg/m³. These data were used as maximum.

To compare the speed of air purification using the device and naturally, we repeated the experiment by turning off the air purifier and observing how quickly the particles settled without special intervention. The results obtained are presented in the graph.

AirClean V60, operating at maximum performance, reduced PM2.5 pollution to 50% of the maximum in 14 minutes, and to an acceptable level of 30 μg/m³ in 17 minutes. Larger PM10 levels fell even faster.

Twenty minutes after starting at maximum power, the amount of PM2.5 and PM10 dropped to a safe level of 12.9 and 8.3 μg/m³, respectively. At the same time, with natural sedimentation, the level of pollution remained at an extremely dangerous level: 836 and 984 μg/m³, respectively.

The results obtained were less effective than air purifiers with filter classes H12-H13, but the AirClean V60 successfully copes with airborne microparticles due to its basic functionality. However, its main advantage remains air humidification.

Result: good.

In the next test we check the performance of the minimal — night program.

In the lowest mode, the efficiency of the device, of course, decreases, but remains very decent. It took 37 minutes for the AirClean V60 to reduce the concentration of PM2.5 particles to 50% of the maximum, and after 55 minutes of operation the concentration reached a safe 10 μg/m³. As in the previous test, PM10 particle pollution decreased noticeably faster.

Result: good.

Garlyn AirClean V60 is the perfect combination of air purifier and humidifier. Thanks to natural humidification technology, it avoids the creation of water mist in the room, which is inherent in ultrasonic devices. Its capacious reservoir ensures long-lasting battery life, and adding water to the device is easy and convenient.

In our hands-on testing, the Garlyn AirClean V60 demonstrated strong air humidification performance and good particulate control performance. The main functions of the device are complemented by ultraviolet air treatment, a filter drying system and color illumination of the tank.

In addition, this climate control system is compatible with the Tuya/Smart Life ecosystem, which ensures convenient control via a smartphone and integration into a smart home.

However, we note that the design of the tank is not very convenient — when it is completely full, it can only be moved in parts.

Pros:

• gentle humidification and air purification
• large tank volume
• filter drying system
• UV treatment
• Compatible with popular smart home ecosystem

Minuses:

• a device with a full tank is difficult to carry