Air-O-Swiss AOS 2055D Digital Air Washer

What makes the AOS 2055D so special?

Digital versatility. You can now control the comfort level in your room using the built-in digital nerve center of the AOS 2055D. Never before have you been able to set an Air Washer to achieve your pre-selected level of room humidity. Simply press a button on the front of the unit to set your desired humidity level in 5% increments. The large digital display shows the current relative humidity in your room, so you can monitor how quickly the AOS 2055D adds moisture to the room to achieve your optimal level of humidity. The digital display is also an easy way to be confident that the AOS 2055D is delivering consistently reliable performance.

Air Washers clean the air while they humidify.

These products have been available in the United States for many years, but for the longest time the technology was stagnant. Air-O-Swiss started selling Air Washers in the United States in 2001, and it’s fair to say that they have revolutionized the product. The AOS 1355N Air Washer was a great start, with its detachable water tank and the inclusion of the patented Ionic Silver Stick to keep the water free of bacteria and viruses. The AOS 2055 improved upon the AOS 1355N by adding a pre-ionizer that dramatically improved air cleaning performance, effectively redefining what an Air Washer can and should do. This pre-ionizer feature left competitors scrambling to keep pace with the clever innovations of the product engineers at Air-O-Swiss.
Now, while the competitors are still playing catch up, Air-O-Swiss has introduced the AOS 2055D and once again expanded the definition of what an Air Washer should be. Air-O-Swiss calls themselves the world leader in Air Washing and Humidifying Technology, and with products like the AOS 2055D, it’s not a hollow boast. We like to say that Air-O-Swiss leaves other Air Washers in the dust, literally!

What makes an Air Washer better than a regular humidifier or air cleaner?

Humidifiers and air cleaners are standalone devices which individually can nicely control one aspect of your indoor air environment. Air Washers are two-in-one devices, and the Air-O-Swiss Air Washers have been designed with equal priority given to both functions. You get great performance with a minimal amount of worries because maintenance is easy and there are no filters to replace. The only part to replace is the Ionic Silver Stick (ISS), and it needs to be changed just once a year.

Why is humidification important?

A humidifier adds moisture to your room environment to help make you more comfortable. It is also a smart decision for your health. Dry air causes the moisture membranes in your body to dry out, and can lead to a higher rate of infections and illnesses in your respiratory system. So, it makes good sense to keep the moisture level in your room at a healthy level of around 50% indoor relative humidity. A good humidifier lets you add moisture to your room to achieve the right humidity level. All good humidifiers can accomplish this objective, and your body will benefit. However, not all humidifier manufacturers understand that the moisture being added to the room should be free of bacteria and viruses. If the moisture being added is not clean, it may be harmful to you. Air-O-Swiss uses their patented ISS to make sure that the moisture being added to your room is free of bacteria and viruses. The ISS keeps the tank and reservoir water clean by releasing aqueous silver ions that protect against over 650 types of bacteria and viruses for up to one year of continuous use.

How does evaporative humidification differ from misting humidifiers?

The Air-O-Swiss Air Washers use an evaporative method to add moisture to your room. Unlike the Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Humidifiers, there is no mist that you can see. As a result, the Air Washers cannot be adjusted to force large amounts of moisture into your room quickly. However, since there is no mist being generated, there is no risk of minerals such as calcium and magnesium being circulated in your room. This means that you do not need to use a demineralization filter to remove such minerals from your water. Minerals can be a source of “white dust” in humidifiers. With Air-O-Swiss Air Washers, white dust is not an issue.

What are the "digital" features of this unit?

Air-O-Swiss Air Washers are designed to continually add moisture to your room to maintain a comfortable 55% relative humidity level. The AOS 2055D’s digital capabilities now let you decide the level of moisture that you want to maintain in your air. If you would prefer, say, 45% or 65%, just set the desired level using the digital control panel, and the AOS 2055D will achieve and maintain that level for you.

Air Washer Operation and Maintenance

One of the ingenious aspects of Air Washers is they use the water for double duty. Not only is the water adding humidity to your room, but it also assists in cleaning dirt and dust particles from your room. Here’s how: inside Air-O-Swiss Air Washers is a disc assembly that is composed of sixteen “humidifying/cleaning discs” which have small scoops built into them. These discs are connected to a motor which rotates the discs at a constant speed. The bottom halves of the discs are immersed in water that is contained in the unit’s base reservoir. As air is drawn into the Air Washer through a powerful, neatly silent fan positioned near the top of the unit, it passes over the rotating discs. The discs are made of a special ABS plastic that collects water droplets on them, which expands the surface area for collecting dirt and dust. As the air containing dust is circulated past the discs, the plastic and water molecules on the disc trap the particles. The particles are then captured in the base of the unit, so the air that is returned to your room is much cleaner than the air that entered the Air Washer. Air-O-Swiss ionizing Air Washers (AOS 2055 and AOS 2055D) take it a step further by using the pre-ionizer to add a negative charge to particles. This helps tiny particles to bunch together so they are more easily captured by the positively charged humidifying discs. This ionizing feature allows particles as small as 0.5 microns to be captured.

The rotating discs agitate the water. This helps to evaporate the water at a reliable pace. Think of water standing in a dish in your room. If left alone, the water will eventually evaporate, but it will take a long time. Now think if you held a fan next to the water, and maybe stirred the water constantly. This would make the water molecules more active and speed up the evaporation process. Well, Air Washers use a more sophisticated but fundamentally similar process.

The detachable water tank holds enough water for over 12 hours of continuous use. The AOS 2055D is designed to deliver up to 3 gallons of moisture per day to your room.

Maintenance is easy. The base of the unit should be cleaned after two weeks using a warm water and white vinegar solution (or EZ Cal powder from Air-O-Swiss), and a small brush is provided inside the unit to periodically clean the ultrasonic transducer membrane. The only replacement part is the ISS, which should be replaced after one year of use.