Review of the ultrasonic air humidifier Redmond HF2200

In winter, residents of large cities resort to using humidifiers no less often than using heaters. For small rooms, the ability to operate the device for a long time thanks to a large tank, the ability to maintain a stable level of humidity as specified by the user, and an attractive design are especially important.

^* 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 humidifier comes in a dark gray box with a distinctive design. On the front panel, the manufacturer placed an image of a working device and the slogan “Ensure yourself a comfortable climate every day!”

Comprehensive technical specifications are presented on the side walls of the package. After opening the package, we found inside the humidifier itself, fully assembled, an infrared remote control, a user manual and a service book.

The black plastic body of the humidifier has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners. The front panel occupies a large part of the LED display with touch control capabilities. The indication on the switched off device remains invisible. Let's look at this aspect of the device in more detail.

The left side of the front panel is covered with a decorative texture.

On the top removable cover there is a rotating diffuser that directs the steam stream in the required direction. Two nozzles rotate independently of each other, making it possible to direct humidified air to a specific area of the room or to separate the flows even 180°.

Most of the volume of the parallelepiped is occupied by a removable five-liter tank.

The translucent dark plastic from which it is made has a slightly brownish tint when viewed through light.

Humidified air is supplied to the outside through a shaft passing through the tank, and a spring valve is placed at the bottom of the tank, dosing the water flow.

The valve hole is closed by a replaceable demineralizing cartridge filled with ceramic balls. Its purpose is to remove excess salts from water.

Through a spring valve, water enters the working chamber of the humidifier, where it is evaporated using a traditional ceramic piezo emitter. Next to the membrane there is a float with a reed switch, which controls the liquid level and automatically turns off the device when the container is empty.

The Redmond HF2200 humidifier has a “warm steam” function, which allows you to heat the water in the working chamber. The pasteurization effect actively fights against most known pathogenic bacteria, which helps improve the microclimate and makes cleaning the device easier. Additionally, increased water temperature promotes more efficient steam formation.

In a special compartment on the inside of the case there is a small brush designed to care for the surface of the working chamber. Next to it is a round lamp illuminated by LEDs, which makes it possible to view the contents of the tank.

The device rests on four legs with rubber anti-slip pads. There are air intake openings along the perimeter of the bottom panel.

At the back of the bottom panel there is a compartment for the aromatic substance.

You can apply a few drops of your favorite perfume composition to the porous material in a retractable plastic container.

The user manual is printed on thick, glossy paper with excellent quality and is a 20-page A5 brochure.

The brochure is presented in two languages — Russian and Kazakh. The first few pages are dedicated to illustrations that explain the structure, control and operation of the humidifier.

The Russian-language part of the brochure takes up six and a half pages. This part briefly explains the purpose of the device, describes its main functions, and provides care instructions. The final pages of the document contain a list of possible malfunctions with tips for eliminating them.

When the device is turned on, the display shows readings from the built-in hygrometer and thermometer. Under the white numbers of relative humidity and temperature, the current level of humidification is displayed (our device has three of them) and symbols of additional functions.

At the bottom of the control panel there are eight touch buttons illuminated by white LEDs.

• “Warm steam” : turns on and off the heating of water in the working chamber
• “Ionization” : turns on and off the built-in ionizer
• “Intensity” : successive presses select one of three humidification modes — minimum, medium and maximum.
• “Humidity level” : successive presses set the desired target humidity level in the range from 40% to 80% in 5% increments
• “Mode” sensor : allows you to set one of three operating modes  — automatic, children's, night and standard
• “Timer” : allows you to set the time for automatic shutdown of the humidifier in the range from 1 to 12 hours in 1 hour increments
• «Lock» : activates child lock mode
• «Power» : turns the humidifier on and off

Between the digital display and touch buttons there are indicators of additional functions and operating modes. The corresponding symbols are illuminated by white LEDs, with the exception of the “Warm Steam” lamp, which is highlighted in red.

The humidifier comes with a small infrared control panel, powered by a CR2023 tablet.

The buttons on the remote control replicate the functionality of those on the control panel and function similarly. The only additional sensor that is not on the device itself is designed to turn the LED lighting of the water tank on and off.

Before using, you must unpack the humidifier. It is important to remove the porous gasket that secures the float in the working chamber and remove the stickers, with the exception of the nameplate with the serial number and date of manufacture.

The device should be placed on a hard, level and horizontal surface. During installation, it is worth ensuring that the escaping steam is not directed towards wallpaper, decorative coverings, electronic devices and other items that may be damaged by high humidity. It is recommended to avoid placing the Redmond HF2200 near heating appliances and on heated floors.

Only clean, cold water (+10 to +40 °C) should be poured into the tank. When using tap water, it is recommended to first let it sit for 24 hours. It is not allowed to add cleaning agents, aromatic oils and perfume compositions to the tank. If you want to use the aromatization function, you need to apply a few drops of liquid with the selected aroma to the porous material in the retractable container located at the base of the device.

Our device has four operating modes: standard, night, children's and automatic.

In the «Automatic» and «Children's» modes, the humidifier maintains room humidity at 55%. If the values of the built-in hygrometer fall below 45%, the device switches to maximum humidification intensity, and when a critical level is reached, it stops working.

In the «Children's» mode, the ionization and «Warm steam» functions are disabled. It is worth noting that manufacturers of this type of household appliances do not have a consensus on the usefulness of these functions for children's rooms. In some devices in similar modes, these functions, on the contrary, are forcibly activated.

In “Night” mode, the device automatically operates at minimum power, regardless of the hygrometer readings, and the water heating and ionization functions can be turned on manually.

«Standard» mode involves manual control of all functions and settings.

Even when operating at maximum power, the noise level created by the humidifier is barely noticeable: this device is strongly recommended for installation in the bedroom for people with sensitive sleep.

If the water supply in the tank is depleted, the humidifier activates a warning signal on the control panel and automatically turns off.

To start cleaning the humidifier, you must, of course, turn it off from the network and empty the reservoir and working chamber of water.

It is recommended to clean the device body with a soft, damp cloth or sponge; if necessary, you can use a mild detergent. To prevent marks and streaks from appearing, it is recommended to dry the case.

The water tank and demineralizing cartridge should be rinsed with clean running water. There is no information about the lifespan of the cartridge in the manual, and the option to purchase it separately is also not provided. It is likely that the cartridge will be used throughout the entire three-year lifespan of the device.

The emitter membrane is cleaned with a soft brush included in the kit. The use of sharp or hard objects is not recommended to avoid performance degradation or damage to the device.

When cleaning the device, do not use rough cloths, sponges, abrasive materials or chemically active substances.

Power consumption depends on the selected humidification mode.

Ionization adds an additional 3.5 W to power consumption. In standby mode, the humidifier consumes less than 0.1 W, and when the Warm Steam function is activated, consumption increases to 246 W.

The noise level produced by the device during operation does not depend on power and is about 35 dBA. Redmond HF2200 is a quiet device.

The built-in thermometer and hygrometer pleased us with their accuracy: the values displayed on the display did not differ from the measurements of our laboratory instrument within the error.

When filled to the brim, the device's reservoir holds 5040 ml of water. An additional 430 ml can be placed in the working chamber.

The maximum humidifier output obtained in our hands-on tests was approximately 296 ml/h. This figure is not high for this class of devices.

To assess the real efficiency of the humidifier and study the impact of its main modes on the indoor climate, as well as to determine the duration of operation of the device with one refill, we tested in a room of about 18 m² with a ceiling height of 2.5 m. The experiments were carried out in winter conditions in in a central heated room in St. Petersburg, where the temperature without ventilation reached 27 °C.

In order to minimize external influences, doors and windows were tightly closed. After each test, the room was thoroughly ventilated. Temperature and humidity measurements were carried out automatically, and no people or pets were present in the room.

After turning on the humidifier in automatic mode and activating the “warm steam” function, we left it in operation for a long time, waiting for a notification that the water tank was exhausted. A graph with the measurement results is presented below.

Starting in a room with a humidity of about 36%, the device worked until the tank was empty for almost 18 hours. All this time, the humidity in the room rose, reaching 77% by the end of the test. The achieved result cannot be called a record, but with prolonged operation in this mode, the device is able to saturate the atmosphere in the room with moisture to a comfortable level.

Result: good.

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

At “low speed,” our humidifier improved the room climate for approximately 37 hours. The maximum relative humidity achieved in this test was 49.1%.

Result: good.

The Redmond HF2200 ultrasonic air humidifier has a pleasant, simple design, low energy consumption and convenient operation. The large volume of the water tank allows the device to operate for a long time without the need for frequent monitoring, providing owners with confidence that the water in the tank will not run out in their absence, for example, during operation.

Practical tests carried out showed that the performance of this humidifier was below record values, which confirms its intended use in small rooms.

The built-in hygrometer provides the device with the ability to maintain a set humidity level and automatically stop working when humidification becomes excessive. A nice addition to the main functionality is the “warm steam” mode and air ionization.

Also nice is the ability to control the humidifier using an infrared remote control. However, it is worth noting that this model does not have a control function via a mobile application and cannot be integrated into a smart home system.

Pros:

• large tank volume
• convenient control
• stylish design
• built-in hygrometer
• air ionization function
• warm steam function
• remote control

Minuses:

• not very high performance