JAPAN – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioning & Thermal Systems Corporation have announced that they are to launch eight new 2015 models on the 1st of September in its range of “roomist” humidifiers for the Japanese home market. Among the new models are two fan-powered steam type units which both feature a humidifying capacity of 350 millilitres per hour (ml/h) and which have undergone a complete model change for the first time in eight years. The six other models, comprising three fan-powered steam type and three hybrid evaporative warm-mist models, are updated versions of current models.
The company claims that their new fan-powered steam type humidifiers have undergone significant improvements in design, operating facility and maintenance ease. Stated design changes will include slimmer width dimensions and the addition of two new colours to the range: white and pink. Mitsubishi further claim that the new models are now easier to operate through the addition of retractable handles, which should make it more convenient for carrying the unit, replenishing or removing water, etc., while the adoption of a larger display panel should guarantee greater user-friendliness. The company also states that maintenance has been enhanced through the adoption of a new structure that reduces protrusions inside the unit and a standard-equipped ion filter that should curb scaling.

Three other new fan-powered steam type models, including two with a humidifying capacity of 600ml/h and one with a capacity of 1,200ml/h, have also been newly upgraded with the addition of an ion filter as standard equipment. As with earlier models, all of the new units feature “double plasma bacterial removal” functions: one suppresses viruses and airborne bacteria through the release of plasma ions, and the other uses a special filter to capture bacteria and mould.

All of the fan-powered steam humidifier models adhere to MHI’s proprietary system in which vaporization is achieved simply by heating the water absorbed by the vaporization cloth, thus reducing the possibility of scalding even in the unlikely event that the unit were to topple over. MHI futher boast that all of the systems have a short start up time, the units are claimed to be fully functional only about 1 minute after being switched on. Another selling point for the company is the fact that the humidifiers also consume minimal energy and are quiet, with a stated noise level of 27-29 decibels.

MHI’s three hybrid evaporative warm-mist humidifier models offer humidifier capacities in a range from 500 to 850ml/h and integrate two distinct systems: the first is a vaporizing system in which a moist humidifier filter is fanned to induce humidification, while the second is a warm-mist vaporizing system in which a moist humidifier filter is placed in a warm air current to induce humidification. At low humidity, humidification is achieved by warm-mist vaporization, while when the preset humidity level has been reached, the unit switches to vaporization mode and adjusts the amount of humidification. The units can also be set to “ECO” operating mode, which means that the heater is shut off and power consumption is reduced by roughly 90% compared to its normal operation.

MHI state that all their hybrid evaporative warm-mist humidifier models come equipped with a function enabling sequential operation with MHI’s SRK-SS Series room air-conditioners. Signals (ON/OFF) are sent to the humidifier to control the preset humidity level through the use of a humidity sensor on the air-conditioning unit. The final update to the units is a LED display on the front panel which flashes red to indicate to users when water replenishment or cleaning is required.