Humidifiers / AIRCARE
AIRCARE MA1201 Whole-House Console Evaporative Humidifier
Twelve gallons a day for a whole house, from a tank you refill three times a day.
Overall score 7.3/10
Pros
- + 12 gal/day is genuine whole-floor humidification — nothing else here is within a factor of five
- + A real digital humidistat with 5% setpoint granularity, an auto fan mode and a dry-out cycle
- + Evaporative, so no white dust, no distilled water and no aerosolised tank water anywhere in the house
- + Casters, a wick-change indicator and a $23 commodity wick that every hardware store stocks
Cons
- − The 12 gal/day output and the 3.6 gal tank are irreconcilable: run it at rated output and you are carrying water to it three times a day
- − 80W of fan noise at speed 4 — this is not a bedroom unit, and AIRCARE publishes no decibel figure at all
- − Wick life is quoted by AIRCARE as one per season but by Home Depot as 30-90 days depending on water hardness; on hard water that is $70-90 a season in $23.09 wicks
- − Prices for the identical unit range from $149.99 at Sylvane to $187.99 on AIRCARE's own store — shop it, do not accept the first number
- − No antimicrobial or demineralisation stage in the box; both are accessories AIRCARE sells separately
AIRCARE MA1201 Whole-House Console Evaporative Humidifier review: what the specs say
Twelve gallons a day for a whole house, from a tank you refill three times a day. At $173.99, AIRCARE's 2011 model sits in the middle of the range — the humidifiers we compare run from $19.79 to $299.99. It scores 7.3/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Output at 10.0/10 — actual moisture put into the room per day in gallons or mL/hr, judged against the coverage the manufacturer claims — not the square-footage number on the box. The weakest is Quietness at 4.0/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: the 12 gal/day output and the 3.6 gal tank are irreconcilable: run it at rated output and you are carrying water to it three times a day; and 80W of fan noise at speed 4 — this is not a bedroom unit, and AIRCARE publishes no decibel figure at all. Every specification on this page comes from AIRCARE's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| Humidification Technology | Evaporative console — a four-speed fan pulls air through a large MAF1 SuperWick belt standing in the reservoir |
| White Dust & Mineral Aerosol | None. All the mineral load ends up in the wick, which is precisely why AIRCARE tells you the wick life depends on water hardness. Tap water is the intended input |
| Tank Capacity | 3.6 gal / 13.6 L in removable bottles |
| Rated Output per Day | 12 gallons per day — the highest rated output in this comparison, and more than three times what the tank holds. Hitting the rated figure means refilling 3.6 gallons roughly three times in 24 hours |
| Quoted Runtime (and at which setting) | "Up to 36 hours" — that is 3.6 gal over 36 h, i.e. 2.4 gal/day, which is one fifth of the 12 gal/day rated output. The two headline numbers describe opposite ends of the fan range |
| Rated Room Coverage | Up to 3,600 ft² in tight construction, or about 2,500 ft² average per AIRCARE's own literature. Sylvane's listing for the same unit reproduces the figure with a typographical error (36,600 ft²) |
| Humidistat | Real closed-loop digital humidistat, adjustable 25-65% RH in 5% increments, with an auto mode that varies fan speed to hold the setpoint plus a dry-out mode and auto shut-off. The most capable humidity control in this set |
| Noise | Not published as a decibel figure by AIRCARE. It is an 80W fan moving enough air to evaporate twelve gallons a day — speed 4 is loud, and this is a living-room machine rather than a bedside one |
| Filters & Cartridges (Annual Cost) | MAF1 SuperWick belts. AIRCARE's own guidance is one per season, but Home Depot's listing for the MAF1 states wicks "can last anywhere from 30 to 90 days, depending on the quality of your water", at $23.09 each. On hard water that is $70-90 a season, not one $23 wick |
| Cleaning Burden & Dishwasher-Safe Parts | Console-sized. The reservoir base is wide open and easy to wipe, the bottles unscrew for filling, and there is a dry-out mode — but nothing is dishwasher-safe and a 3.6 gallon standing reservoir is the largest body of stagnant water here if you let it sit |
| UV / Antimicrobial Claim | No UV and no built-in antimicrobial stage. AIRCARE sells a bacteriostatic treatment and demineralisation cartridges as separate accessories; neither ships in the box |
| Mist Temperature & Burn Risk | Cool, invisible vapour at room temperature. No heat and no aerosol, but the sheer size and a 3.6 gallon water load make it a tipping hazard rather than a burn one |
| Connectivity | No wireless connectivity — digital control panel with a control lock |
| Material | Plastic console cabinet on casters |
| Warranty | 24 months |
Compare AIRCARE MA1201 Whole-House Console Evaporative Humidifier With
Cheaper Alternative
Honeywell HCM350 Germ Free Cool Mist Humidifier (HCM350W / HCM350B) — $89.95
Premium Alternative
Levoit Superior 6000S Smart Evaporative Humidifier (LEH-S601S-WUS) — $249.99