Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers - Honeywell TrueSteam Humidfier Delays

I've been monitoring the availability of this humidifier and the ship date has been pushed out several times from October to now mid January. I spoke to my local contractor and he said Honeywell had a problem with one of the units which was causing delays. Does anyone have any info on what this problem may have been? Just curious if it had anything to do with the unit it self or if the unit was causing problems with the ductwork/dampers.

Edit: I found some information about how a sub-supplier had delays with a component to be used in this product.
http://www.cleanairsystemsinc.net/humidifiers.html

Hey Derick,

Yeah, the are on a back order, I was going to order one for myself, but I'm going to wait till next year to get one.. I might as well get another year on my flow-through since it's only a year old.

How's the house doing with the stand alone unit so far?

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, and keep in touch!

Hi Jay,
The standalone unit I'm using is placed on the main floor directly under a return vent (about 8 feet away). I'm only using my air exchanger every other day in the nightime and I was able to get my RH level above 30%. I really wish I had a DC fan on my furnace so I could run it continually but I don't, so it only runs when there is a call for heat. I have to fill the humidifier twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

The standalone unit I am using is the Honeywell SureSet™ Warm Mist Humidifier HWM-260.
http://www.kaz.com/kaz/store/product/c5d9c9f19bd2ba42c7e530f574ee3add/
I bought it a few years back and it works great, but the heating element accumulates mineral deposits and is very difficult to clean. I think I might have to soak it in CLR. The product is discontinued probably for that reason.

As far as the TrueSteam goes, I think I'm going to wait until next fall since the larger TrueSteam units are pushed out into February and probably more like March. I just hope the cracks in my Hardwood decrease this summer.

From this thread http://www.hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=157181 www.hvac-talk.com forums, user CleanAir posted:
From the horse's mouth....

"Believe me, we want to ship product as much as you want to receive it. But we will not release product until it is 100% ready (- needs to be 100% to Honeywell's high quality product standards the first time). Honeywell goes through a robust process on developing and launching new products with our engineering, factory, and sub-suppliers (probably one of the most robust new product development processes in the industry). We drive as fast as possible, without compromising our quality standards. We have a great product in TrueSTEAM. It has been exceeding all of our tests in performance. Demand is 10X our original expectation - so there will be a lag as we initially ramp up the line to catch up and fill all orders. We should clear all orders by February/March on a first in first out basis, then be in a healthy on-going stock position into 2008 and beyond. "

Here is some detailed information from the horses mouth on where the truesteam is at and why it was delayed.
http://www.cleanairsystemsinc.net/images/site/TrueSTEAM%20Update%20Feb%2020th,%202008.JPG

The standalone unit I am using is the Honeywell SureSet™ Warm Mist Humidifier HWM-260.
http://www.kaz.com/kaz/store/product...530f574ee3add/
I bought it a few years back and it works great, but the heating element accumulates mineral deposits and is very difficult to clean. I think I might have to soak it in CLR. The product is discontinued probably for that reason.

You said it all right there. We have tried some steam units over the years and Yes they work real well. FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS HERE. then they are jamed up . Had to take all of them out and put other kind in. So if your other unit did that to you Id forget the steam kind there

You said it all right there. We have tried some steam units over the years and Yes they work real well. FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS HERE. then they are jamed up . Had to take all of them out and put other kind in. So if your other unit did that to you Id forget the steam kind there

The TrueSteam is supposed to have a heating coil that is "easy" to clean.
Incoloy 600 Heating Element
This robust material, commonly used in the water heater industry, helps inhibit mineral build-up by expanding and contracting as it operates.

I'm not sure what material the HWM-260 heating element is made out of but I'm hoping honeywell has learned from this one and has it improved for the TrueSteam. I'm looking forward to hearing how it performs in the home.

Why don't you just spray it with PAM or some silicone - nothing sticks to that

I'll assume your kidding :)

Constantly evaporating Pam in my home might not be so good for my kids. Its why I turn on my range vent when I cook.

I'll assume your kidding :)

Constantly evaporating Pam in my home might not be so good for my kids. Its why I turn on my range vent when I cook.

I agree with you on that! Lot of stuff in there we shouldn't be breathing when it heated up.