There is provided an air treatment apparatus comprising an evaporative humidifier comprising an evaporator assembly. The evaporator assembly comprises at least one evaporative element that comprises anti-bacterial fibres, wherein the anti-bacterial fibres comprise metallic silver.

A humidifier for which the cleaning of a water tank is easy includes: a water tank which is mounted inside a housing and stores water; a humidification member which is immersed in the water stored in the water tank and performs humidification; a water container provided with an opening/closing valve which is opened and closed to supply water stored therein to the water tank; a water container support member which is detachably mounted to an upper part of the water tank and on which the water container is seated; and a water supply control member which is mounted to the water container support member and opens and closes the opening/closing valve so that the water can be supplied from the water container to the water tank.

An evaporative humidifier including a wicking filter reduce the proclivity for mold growth using one or more of: a disinfecting light emitting diode (LED) and at least one sensor adapted to determine whether water is present in a particular area of the device and to operate a fan or blower while water is present. A method can include operating a blower that passes air about or through a humidifying wick that has been made wet by a supply of water; determining a first absolute or relative time at which the wick ceases to be made wet by the supply of water; and automatically deactivating the blower at a second absolute or relative time, wherein the second time is later than the first time by an amount of time sufficient to cause the wick to be dried by the blower.

There is provided an air treatment apparatus comprising a body, an air flow generator housed within the body that is arranged to generate an air flow, an evaporator assembly removably disposed within the body and that is arranged to introduce water vapour into the air flow, and a water supply system that is arranged to provide water to the evaporator assembly. The water supply system comprises a water tank assembly that is separable from the body, the water tank assembly comprising a water tank having a tank opening. The tank opening is configured to allow the evaporator assembly to fit through the tank opening and the evaporator assembly is configured to fit within an interior volume of the water tank.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the generation of directed vapor from a liquid source. Vaporization takes place within a device capable of confining boiling to a geometrically small volume, and expelling it as heated vapor via capillary vaporization. The foregoing is accomplished through the use of a lightweight compact and portable personal vaporization device that generates heated vapor by the flash boiling of small volumes of aqueous liquid in a safe and energy-efficient manner. The flash boiling takes place at the interface between a disk heater and a non-fibrous wick that receives liquid at one surface and generates vapor that is collected and pressurized in grooves at an opposing surface. In an alternate configuration, a heat distributor may be used between the heater and wick. The apparatus and methods are directed toward personal humidification for comfort and therapeutic purposes in the case of aqueous liquids, but may also be used with other, non-aqueous liquids.

A particle growth apparatus includes a temperature-controlled humidifier coupled to a water-based condensation growth system. The humidifier may include a tube of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer and surrounded by a region containing water or water vapor. The apparatus includes a wetted wick and wick sensor in the condensation growth system, configured such that the gas sample flows through the sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer tube into the condensation growth system.

Methods and apparatus for vaporizing liquid from a liquid source into the surrounding environment, are disclosed, where the apparatus comprises at least one manifold comprising at least one liquid port formed by a through-hole and at least one ridge structure, wherein the liquid port is in fluid communication with the liquid source and the one ridge structure. At least one vaporization port is included in a planar structure connecting a first side of the structure to a second side, in fluid communication with the at least one ridge structure and the surrounding environment, wherein fluid flow through the liquid and vaporization ports is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the structure, and the ridge structures are substantially parallel to the plane of the structure. At least one heating element is present that is in thermal communication to the at least one vaporization port and at least one ridge structure.

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a whole-house humidifier system including one or more evaporative, unpowered, vertical-air humidifiers. Each humidifier includes a plurality of element sleeves suspended by flat support panels above a built-in water reservoir. The bottom tabs of the reservoir are inserted into the floor register opening for location. The system also includes a cover with windows along a top edge that control the direction of air exiting the system. The position of the cover is controlled by its fit to the outside edges of the water reservoir. A dedicated water supply feeds water through a float valve to control the water level in the reservoir. The element sleeves can easily be cleaned but require no external air duct since air flows up through the center of the humidifier.

An apparatus for diffusing a vapor from a liquid into an air space. The apparatus includes an elongate outer tubular member having at least one outer vent opening defined thereon; an elongate inner tubular member received within the outer tubular member for a close rotatable fit therewith, the inner tubular member having at least one inner vent opening defined thereon that may brought into at least partial alignment with the at least one outer vent opening by rotation of the outer tubular member and the inner tubular member relative to each other; a connector portion adjacent one end of the inner tubular member and being operable to removably connect to a liquid container; an elongate cavity defined by the inner tubular member that is open to the connector portion and the container but closed at an opposite closed end; and an elongate wick received in the cavity and extending beyond the connector portion, the wick being operable to transmit by capillary action liquid form the container to the cavity.

A Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system is provided having airways configured to direct airflow towards a confined area, the system comprising a humidifying unit having a tray disposed in the airways and configured to hold water therein, the tray is so disposed in said airways such that the water humidifies the airflow in said airways controlling thereby the humidity level in the confined area.