Our Honeywell humidifier has been working perfectly for years. One trick I haven't seen mentioned here is filling the tank exclusively with RO (reverse-osmosis) water. This keeps the mineral deposits down to piratically nothing, meaning that things (pet hair, dust, etc.) don't really stick to the fan blades. After each winter season I spray the fan with compressed air and throw the filter away. We usually go through two filters per winter season.