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I don’t know about you, but I always have to worry about humidity levels in my home. I live in Southern California, so the weather is always fluxuating. During the summer, my home gets humid and feels musty, while during the winter, my home feels dry and arid. As a result, I’ve had to purchase myself a hygrometer that tells me the humidity levels in my home. Otherwise, I know my house would be in terrible shape! I also have a dehumidifier AND a humidifier. That way, I’m always prepared for whatever weather conditions I encounter.
Dehumidifiers are great for removing humidity and moisture from the air. Many actually collect water from the air, so you have to empty it from a tank at the back of the unit. It gets annoying, but it is really worth the time and effort. When humidity levels are too high, you might experience severe allergies. Your home will suffer too, if you don’t take care of it! Mold growth, stains on ceilings/walls, and condensation on windows/mirrors are all effects of high humidity.
Humidifiers, on the other hand, are used to add moisture into the air. When the humidity levels are too low, you can experience chapped lips and skin, as well as respiratory problems. Your home won’t escape the effects of this either: you may find extreme damage to electronic equipment, your home, or your furnishings – or maybe all three!
If you need to find out just how bad your humidity levels are, simply buy a hygrometer or a humidistat – both of which can be found on air-n-water’s website. Just make sure to keep humidity levels at about 30-50% during the summer and 30-40% during the winter. This keeps you (as well as your house) comfortable.
Unlike most people, I prefer to use an evaporative cooler instead of a portable air conditioner because I live in an area where the weather is always dry. Evaporative coolers are so amazing (speaking from my past 10 years of experience), especially where I live because evaporative coolers add humidity to the room. On the other hand, portable air conditioners remove humidity. That wouldn’t work where I live because it’d be even more dry!
So two weeks ago, my 5-year-old swamp cooler broke and I started to look online and in stores for one that was better and would last me longer. I found the Symphony Sumo-J portable evaporative cooler, so I started to look for information on that. Air & Water provided the most information, as well as the most informative information. However, I found the lowest price on Amazon.com.
I got it after about a week, and I’m pretty happy so far! The unit is working well. It says on Air-N-Water that the unit is best suited for areas approximately 300 square feet in size – which my room is. It comes with 3 speeds, too, so that makes me happy. I plan to use this as a humidifier only once the winter comes. It’ll be very handy. I don’t think I’ll see a huge spike in my energy bill, either, since the unit only uses 150 W. It’s also very easy to clean. The grill slides right out and right back in when I’m done. The only thing is that this unit is actually kind of loud. However, I’m rather used to it, seeing as my older one was louder. Great product!
I’ve always been a fan of NewAir products. I don’t know what it is about that brand, but I’ve purchased so many of its models and they’ve all lasted years. I usually don’t expect that through wear and tear, but I am pleasantly surprised every time. NewAir seems to be exclusively carried on Air & Water Inc, so that’s where I get it every time.
Because I live in Southern California, the weather varies A LOT and I end up using an air conditioner and a heater all in the same week. And with global warming, it becomes rather difficult to keep up with switching the different appliances every day. Plus, it gets quite costly! Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), my NewAir air conditioner recently broke after more than 5 years of use, so I looked at Air-N-Water’s website to find a new one. Apparently, they just put up the brand new AC-14000H, which was perfect for my whole apartment (it’s pretty small, about 500 square feet).
The NewAir AC-14000H is perfect for my every need. It actually features 4-in-1 technology that includes an air conditioner, a heater, a dehumidifier, and a fan all in one. I feel like this unit was made specifically for me! Now, I don’t have to take out the heater all the time because I can just switch the portable AC into heating mode and I’m set! Plus, I live in a city where the humidity levels are off the charts. This PAC makes my apartment feel much more comfortable. Instead of the old R22 refrigerant that my old AC used, the AC-14000H uses the new R-410A, which is more eco-friendly (I’m all about going green!) and efficient. I’ve since noticed that my energy costs have gone down, which makes me extremely happy, of course.
I already recommended this super-awesome unit to a bunch of my friends. They all love the sleek and compact 4-in-1 design. One even purchased hers from www.air-n-water.com right away! Thank you for such an amazing product!
Recently, I purchased a dehumidifier for my home from www.air-n-water.com. I wasn’t really sure exactly what I had wanted, so I took a look at the website and found that the prices were cheaper than other websites I found, including another appliance store (I’d rather not mention its name or anything about it, other than its initials CA…) and Home Depot (this I was surprised about). I found the website and looked around. They have a helpful dehumidifier guide and even a “compare” page that shows the ones they recommend! I basically came down to two dehumidifiers, so I contacted Air & Water through their online chat service. The person I got was very helpful and managed to help me decide on the exact model I wanted based on the features I was looking for, as well as the location where I am living (apparently that makes a difference, too – something I would not have known about had it not been for this website). The website itself is great, and the customer service is excellent as well. And not to mention the actual dehumidifier. I am ready for the summer! Thank goodness for Air-N-Water.
Usually, I go onto websites like Amazon.com to find reviews and understand how good these units I like really are. Yet, when I was looking at portable ice makers, I didn’t find the website to be very helpful. Thank goodness that I somehow ended up finding Air & Water on Google! This site really helped me determind exactly which portable ice maker would be right for me. They have such a helpful little chart on one of their pages that shows exactly which features each model does or does not have. I’m more of a visual person myself, so the chart was really, really helpful. I eventually picked the NewAir AI-210SS. The reviews for this unit were very informative, and I wasn’t surprised at all when I got the unit – which is a good thing.
The unit works fairly quick; it makes 12 pieces of ice within about six minutes. And with a stainless steel finish, I’m not even worried about this unit giving out anytime soon. What I don’t like is that it can’t store ice, which can be a little inconvenient. But it’s not a big deal because I can just turn it off if it’s making too much ice too quickly. Plus, I believe it uses the melted ice water to make new ice, so I don’t have to worry about always refilling the tank! If I needed another one, I’d definitely get it from here.
Even though springtime is almost over (we’ve only got a month and a week left!), pollen and other allergens are still floating around in the air. This really bugs me because I never want to go out! And even when I stay home, I’m still prone to having an allergic reaction to dust (or sometimes mold, if I’m unlucky). I’ve tried air purifiers left and right – but it was so hard to find the right one. Thankfully, Air-N-Water has an air purifier guide that helped me target the exact conditions I wanted to get rid of. It turns out that even though many air purifiers filter out all allergens, they don’t always do it well. But there are some that actually target smoke, odors, allergens, pollen, or mold!
I read through the entire air purifier guide, and let me just say that the people at Air & Water are really informed! I found the perfect unit for me while looking through the guide about allergies and asthma. I bought the Airgle 750 air purifier, and I love it. It doesn’t use up a lot of energy, so I keep it on 24/7. It’s not too loud, which is a common problem among air purifiers. Since using this air purifier, I am happy to say that I have been feeling much healthier and my whole house has been smelling fresher. And best of all, an air purifier doesn’t make me sleepy – that was something I had to deal with all the time when using over-the-counter allergy medicine. PLUS, ground shipping was free! Nothing beats saving money. Overall, I’m a very happy camper. Take a look at the air purifier guide – you won’t regret it!
Since this is an Air and Water review blog, I thought it would be nice to write about a new water dispenser I ordered last month.
I grew up with Sparkletts water dispenser in my kitchen. My parents spent quite a bit each month to have the Sparkletts brand water jugs delivered to our house, and our delivery man would actually come into our kitchen and set up the jugs for us. Today water dispensers (or water coolers, as they’re also commonly referred to as) are becoming popular again as people realize the important of drinking clean, fresh water. In fact, I think the ubiquitous water cooler is pretty common in most offices in this country.
I’ve noticed that there are generally 2 different types water dispensers – floor standing and countertop. The freestanding ones are a little more expensive than their tabletop counterparts, but you can get a larger jug on the floor standing models which means less jug changes overall.
Since my wife and I still like the convenience of having hot and cold water at the push of a button, we chose to purchase a water dispenser for our apartment. We looked at several different manufacturers, and were surprised by the selection. Some of the more popular brands we found were Avanti and Vitapur on the low end side to super high end ones from Aquaverve that cost well over $1000. We did find a good mid-range model from a brand called Clover. But the next step was to decide whether we want a bottled or point-of-use model.
In recent years we’ve all become aware of the large waste associated with plastic water bottles and jugs, and seeing as we now live in super eco-conscious San Francisco, we decided to purchase a point-of-use water dispenser – specifically the Clover D14 hot and cold point of use water dispenser. Unlike bottled water coolers, this unit doesn’t use or reuse plastic bottles. Instead, it hooks up directly to your water line. Installation wasn’t that simple, though; we had to have our apartment maintenance guy come help us set it up. However, we can’t say enough good things about this dispenser. It looks sleek, works well, and is much nicer than some of the Sparkletts models I grew up with! The cost was less than $300 shipped, so not too bad at all.
It’s almost summertime again, and I need to stay cool. Having recently moved to the San Francisco Bay area and just realizing that air conditioning isn’t something a lot of people have out here, I’m now in the market for a new unit. Although most Northern California days are pretty breezy and foggy, some summer days can be a little stuffy. I also tend to need an air conditioner in order to sleep well at night, and it’s a necessity for me.
My first idea was to get a powerful window air conditioner, but after speaking to my landlord and being told that it would be out of the question, my only choice was to get settle for a portable unit or suffer through the summer heat.
While a lot of independent review sites praise units like the Royal Sovereign ARP1000ES portable air conditioner for its performance and ease of use, I found that most units like that one are just plain ugly. As somewhat of a design nerd, I needed something that not only looked great, but would also be able to cool my small 200 square foot bedroom sufficiently. After doing a few Google searches online, I came across some sleek-looking Sharp portable air conditioners and was impressed by one of their newest units, the CV-10NH. With 10,000 BTUs of cooling, it can supposedly cool a room of up to 250 square feet. So does it deliver?
After ordering my unit online, I’m glad to report that it does a great job. It’s quieter than most portable air conditioners, and this specific model comes with a remote control plus a dehumidifier function that can be used separately. A huge selling point was the piano black finish. It’s definitely the best looking air conditioner I’ve seen. Some reviewers say they have owned their Sharp portable air conditioners for years, which speaks well of its durability.
Amazon.com hosts the most reviews for the Sharp CV-10NH portable air conditioner. But given that it’s a new unit, only 16 owners posted detailed comments at this site. Epinions.com has reviews of a similar model, the CV-P10MX, but not for this one. Because there seem to be no expert reviews or comparison tests of this unit, Amazon.com is the only place to find reviews for this portable air conditioner.
Usually I would jump at the chance at purchasing any product from Amazon (I love my Prime membership), they’re not carrying this unit themselves. You can only get it through merchants selling their products through Amazon. I was, however, glad to find that Air and Water, a store I’ve purchased from before and had great experiences with, was offering the Sharp CV-10NH at a competitive price. Online Air and Water reviews are almost all positive, so once again, I had a great shopping experience with the company. Plus I’m loving my new portable air conditioner!
I’m a total DIY person. I do a lot of home repairs and maintenance on my own home, and I often shop at 2 big name home stores (I’ll just call them “L” and “H.D.”).
I’ve shopped at both stores (both online and brick and mortar) and have received excellent service and poor service. Although I like to support independent retailers, sometimes I just can’t ignore the big box stores when have something that’s almost half off what a “mom and pop” store would be charging.
But I digress. My nightmare started 2 weeks ago when I need to purchase a ceiling fan for my home office. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy – just a simple, industrial-looking ceiling fan. I went onto H.D.’s website and found the one I wanted. The advertised large discount was documented and included in the sale.
The next day the order was placed on back order and 2 two days later the order was cancelled by H. To make matters worse, the record of the original order in my online account was altered so that the terms and advertised discount vanished.
Obviously I called customer support to ask why they were still advertising an item for sale when they didn’t have the item and would not be getting the item in the future. They were of no help whatsoever. It’s been 2 weeks now and the same product is still available online with the advertised special. The ceiling fan can be purchased but does not and will not exist.
In any case, out of sheer frustration, I ended up buying a similar product through an independent online retailer – www.Air-N-Water.com. I’ve had good experiences shopping with them in the past and I actually got a pretty decent discount on the ceiling fan I wanted.
Space heaters are convenient home appliances that are used to heat a confined area such as a room or personal space. These appliances come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Each type has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but most people I know tend to use electric models instead of fueled ones due to safety and convenience. Here’s a brief overview on both:
Electric space heaters are safe and easy to use, making them the most popular choice among consumers. They’re almost 100% efficient in converting electricity to heat, but the money spent on generating a unit of heat can be high if it’s not used correctly. I’m sure we’ve all heard stories about how these things can start fires, but rest assured that most models are now equipped with safety tip-over switches to prevent any heat or fire related mishaps.
Fueled space heaters, on the other hand, are less common but still available. These space heaters are usually powered by kerosene, natural gas, or even wood. The biggest advantage of fueled heaters is that they can easily warm up a large area. Many people are wary of using these heaters because they give off carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. I personally prefer to use them outdoors for this purpose.
If you’re looking to purchase a space heater to add supplemental heat to your home, consider the pros and cons of each type.
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