Package indicates wilter might need to be chaged once a season

It all depends on a couple of factors.

First is the type of humidifier your using. Portable or whole house connected to the furnace. Steam, ultrasonic or filter. Your unit's instructions is the best guide as to how often you need to clean it and this can vary from every day to once a heating season.

My recommendation is to watch and clean the unit as soon as you see scale forming. Then in the future, reduce this to just before you see scale forming.

The second is the type of water you are using. Hard tap water is the worst and usually will require every day for small portable steam or ultrasonic units to once a week for filter models. For central whole house humidifiers, once a month (perhaps as little as every two weeks if your water is really hard, >10 grains hardness). There is no fixed formula for this, the idea is to perform on-going, preventive maintenance.

Soft or conditioned water will contain the same amount of minerals as hard, but the softener has replaced the calcium minerals with sodium minerals. (Sodium bicarbonate actually).The result is the humidifier will still form scale but it much easier to remove. With soft water scale, you can just break up the scale with your fingers and the filters can just be submerged in clean water and the salt scale will re-dissolve.

Third, with distilled water, you may only need to clean any of these units annually. (No minerals to for scale).

With any filter humidifier, consider using a commercial bactericide to prevent the growth of bacteria when the water sits for long periods (>14 days). Not so critical with soft water as the salt will retard the growth of bacteria, but very important with hard or distilled water. Don't use this product in ultrasonic or steam humidifiers as it will be carried into the air along with the water vapor, and can be considered as toxic.

With hard water, use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water to dissolve the scale buildup. This works best if done on a regular basis. If left go too long, it become impossible to clean properly. You need only use regular water when using soft or distilled water in your humidifier.

Turn the unit off and disconnect from the electrical
outlet.
2. Remove the tank from the housing.
3. Unlock the housing from the base by turning the lock
knob to the unlocked position.
4. Lift the housing straight up and place to the side.
5. Unlock the wick holder from the base by turning the lock
knob to the unlocked position.
6. Remove the wicks from the wick holder.
7. Follow the weekly cleaning instructions.
8. Insert new filters into the wick holder and lock the wick
holder back onto the base.
9. Replace the housing onto the base and lock it into place.
10. Fill the tank and place back into housing.
11. Repeat Operating Instructions.
It will take about 30 minutes for the humidifier to reach

REPLACING THE FILTERS
Through normal use, waterborne minerals and sediment
become trapped in the wick filters. The harder your
water, the greater the amount of minerals in the water,
and the more often you will be able to monitor the life of
your filters in your humidifier.
You will be able to monitor the life of the filters in your
humidifier by checking the FilterCheck® Indicator. After
60 minutes of use, FilterCheck® Indicator will move and
indicate your filters condition. New filters will register in
the section reading Good filter. After frequent use of your
humidifier, the FilterCheck® Indicator will let you know
when the filters need to be changed, see Figure 2.
When the needle is in the CHANGE section, this means the
proper amount of moisture is not getting into your air due
to the excessive minerals and sediment that have become
trapped on your filters. At this point, you should replace your
filters. It is important to change your filters as
indicated to obtain stated performance level.
To replace the filter, follow the steps below:
1. Turn the unit off and disconnect from the electrical
outlet.
2. Remove the tank and main housing to access the base.
3. Remove the wick holder from the base of the humidifier.
4. Remove each individual wick and discard. Do not
remove rivet, replacement wicks come equipped with
rivets for easy replacement.
5. Follow the weekly cleaning instructions.
6. Insert new filters into each section of the wick holder
making sure the rivet attaches to the wick holder
securely.
7. Do not use wicks without rivets as this will not
produce the units intended output.
8. Replace the wick holder into the base and replace
main housing and then tank.
9. Repeat Operating Instructions.
It will take about 30 minutes for the humidifier to reach
maximum output.
Cheers!

that is normal if it is too loud the filter inside may be dirty and need replaced they need replaced ever heating season

Soak the filters in a solution of 8 oz of white vinegar per gallon of water for about 20 minutes once per week and rinse well.

Better yet, do this once every 2 weeks, and on the off weeks soak the filters in a beach and water solution (rinse well) to keep the mold and bacteria growth from becoming a problem. I also add about a teaspoon of vinegar or a teaspoon of bleach (one or the other, not both at the same time) to the water when I fill the tank.

That helps keep the calcium scale from forming and it keeps the unit itself MUCH cleaner.

Ever find a solution to this? I had the same bug after 2 years working fine, felt stupid as I couldn't understand it. I replaced both tanks for no good reason then it worked fine, took it out this season and it's doing it again.

On my water wheel several parameters must be met. 1. Power on, cord plugged in. 2. Water in tank, the float arm needs to move to indicate water present, the red light on the dash indicates no water. 3. Humidity controll set higher than the room atmosphere humidity, clockwise is higher on mine. 4. The fan speed selecter must be on either high or low, the fan won't run unless one position is selected. I hope this helps

To replace the filter, follow the steps below
1. Turn the unit off and disconnect from the electrical outlet.
2. Remove the reservoir from the housing.
3. Unlock the housing from the base by turning the lock
knob to the unlocked position
4. Lift the housing straight up and place to the side
5. Unlock the wick holder from the base by turning the
lock knob to the unlocked position
6. Remove the wicks from the wick holder
7. Follow the weekly cleaning instructions.
8. Insert new filters into the wick holder and lock the wick
holder back onto the base.
9. Replace the housing onto the base and lock it into
place.
10.Fill the reservoir and place back into housing.
11.Repeat Operating Instructions It will take about 30 minutes
for the humidifier to reach maximum output. You
can purchase replacement filters (model BWF100 filters)
at your local retailer, by calling 1-800-253-2764, filling
out the accessory card, or by visiting
www.bionaire.com. It is recommended that a
replacement filter is purchased for uninterrupted use.

Here is a link for the manual for your humidifier:
http://www.appliancefactoryparts.com/content/pdfs/117223.pdf

Good Luck.

you asked how I fixed the problem? Well, I went to another fix it advice forum and not only did they answer my quesiton, they didn't try to sell me some kind of package unlike your "response" email did.

I dont know why your humidifier is spitting water out.

But it sounds like you need to clean the unit and install a new filter. Once the filter becomes used, the humidifier won't work as well. Less water will be used because the clogged filter can't hold as much. Once you replace the filter, your water consumption should go back up and you should feel a difference in your home again.

Good Luck.