Instruction: Answer the given question by extracting information from the supporting document.

Input:
Question: How often do you have to buy new parts? Filters? Etc. And what do they run you each year?
Document: i have  a new generalair 990-13 humidifier installed  2 months ago, its working but the moisture reeder in the house reeds dry air even i have turn humidistat to its max. should i connect it to hot water? or buy this product? my house is only 930sf
If you decide to use it make a commitment to check/change it every year.The parts are relatively cheap on amazon and I keep a spare humidistat, solenoid, and filter on hand.So functionally I'd give it 5 stars as it is working well now that I keep it cranked up. But four stars as the humidistat should not have quit after 2 years.
Paid $480 total for install and parts and the unit and I should have just bought 4 vicks vaporizers to get the same job done for 1/5 the price.. sucks when they over promise and under deliver.
He installed one of the new ones with the metal backing and it is working once again. This is the third humidistat since I purchased the unit in 2010. Rating adjusted back down to four stars.
Bought and installed this in January 2014 in a new house; 2,000 sq ft. We live in Utah, at 6500 ft and it is very dry. We had it set to ~40% for the remainder of winter and it kept the house noticeably more humid and comfortable. I did not have a hydrometer to measure that it was actually getting that humid though.We did a knowledgeable but non-professional (homebuilder, property manager did it) installation and it took about a day's worth of work.
He replaced the part and once again the humidifier works perfectly. I've adjusted my rating back up to five stars, as this was not an issue with the humidifier itself.Edit #2: Nov 2013. The humidifier worked for a few days at the start of this years heating season, then stopped working. Another call to the HVAC company and it turns out that the humidistat that was replaced last year is not working.
However, you can also install the humidifier to run when the fan is on without the heat (you&#8217;ll need to use the hot water for this).
Hard to install, costs more to have it installed than actually to buy, because they don't give clear directions on wiring the unit, even my tech said that.It works sometimes, sometimes not, and it's made of the crappiest of plastics, not much metal here.FIrst week was great, but now it gets about 25% humidity on average in a 1500 sq foot home that is sealed well.
The newer windows in my house don't get cold enough for condensate but the older windows, even though they have aluminum storm windows, are not tight enough and get cold enough for condensate.From my experience:- One filter a year is ok. You can try to wash it but remember it's a clay/bentonite paste on that metal frame so it's easy to knock if off if you get the least bit aggressive with it.
I did check on the price of the part for the Aprilaire, that had failed on the AirKing, and it was under $30. By the way, I contacted AirKing for information on parts and got no reply, I don't think much of their customer service.I recommend the Aprilaire for their very good design and ease of installation. I especially like the built in baffle to open or close the air flow depending on the season.
Answer: Depends on whether you have soft water or not.  I have soft water that runs through the filter.  After one year the build up was almost nothing to be concerned with...........so I kept the original installed.  But, I keep an eye on it monthly and replace it with a new filter that I bought via Amazon for $13.00 (just in case).  On the other hand, a person I know has hard water and the filter has to be replaced yearly to include the automatic water shut off valve.