Humidifiers

[Eric]

We just moved into a new home that uses forced air heat instead of the wood heat that we had at the old place. I'm noticing that the air is a lot drier and was curious about humidifiers.

I know I can get table top humidifiers on the cheapish but I was thinking about a system that I would hook to the furnace.

Does anyone have any experience with such a thing?

Sears has this one:

quote:Kenmore Furnace-Mount Humidifier

Sears item #03293806000 Mfr. model #93806

A self-contained 120V 18 gal. rotating media reservoir model, incorporating an efficient motorized media wheel/blower system. Designed for homes up to 3000 sq. ft., ideal for heat pump applications.

Just curious about possible condensation and other things to ponder over.

[Nick Keenan]

I installed an aprilaire humidifier in my house last fall. It was about $140 from http://schills-humidifier.com/

It was pretty easy to install, if you have: a water supply, a drain, and good access to your furnace. If you don't have good access it would be a nightmare. What's crucial is that it has to be mounted on a supply duct, in an absolutely horizontal position.

This style does not have a reservoir; you need a connection to a water supply, and it turns on and off with the furnace. Other than the water valve it has no moving parts and runs off of the low voltage supply of the furnace. It's basically just a screen that sits in the hot air flow that water trickles over. You also need a drain for the water that doesn't evaporate. If you have AC that's not a problem, but may be an issue if it's just a furnace.

I've never had the reservoir style, but a claimed issue is that mold grows in the reservoir if you don't clean it periodically. I had worried about the effect of the moisture on the furnace, but I bought the explanation that it's less moisture than the ambient humidity in the summer when the AC runs.

I have mixed feelings about the gizmo. The house is still pretty dry. The instructions say to adjust the setting if you get condensation, but I have it turned up all the way. Not all of the water that goes into it evaporates, so it is somewhat wasteful of water.

[alpha]

I moved about 5 months ago into a house that was only about 5 years old and was faced with the same problem. After doing considerable research, I found that Aprilaire is the most popular manufacturer of automatic humidifiers for furnace installation. I found a site that has excellent prices for the do-it-yourselfer: www.iaqsource.com.

I bought the Model 600 which has the bypass damper included. It has a sensor which is installed outside of the house and a humidifier control on the furnace. I hired a local hvac guy to install it for about the same price as the humidifier. I felt is was worth paying someone to install it who had experience rather than for me to take a chance on screwing up my furnace. It took him between 2-3 hours to install. One local plumber quoted me $650 to install (including the humidifier). So if you hire somebody to install it, don't take the first quotation. Almost all heating & plumbing companies in our area install the "Aprilaire" humidifiers. I just called 3 different companies and asked for a free quotation. That way I was able to find out which model was recommeded and asked them to quote me on both the unit installed and just the labor to install.

Since I was somewhat anxious to have it installed, I actually paid about $20 more for the unit than they sell it for at IAQsource.

The Model 600 is automatic and feeds water every time the furnace kicks on. As the outside temperature changes, the amount of water automatically adjusts. You also have a humidity control that you adjust--mine is at the normal setting.

My suggestion is stay with the Aprilaire brand. All of the HVAC guys install that brand for a reason.

Bob

[Russianwolf]

I was told by a home inspector to be wary of homes with a furnace humidifier. they can shorten the life of the furnace by causing corrosion in the system. I don't know if this is good advice as the house we were looking at didn't have the humidifier.

[RagerXS]

We too have an AprilAire humidifier. The couter top humidifiers are a pain in the butt. Ours is in the basement and when it got installed during a furnace replacement they put in a small reservoir pump that takes care of the drainage. We have been happy with it.

I would avoid any type of humidifier that has stagnant water...

~ Fred

[twistsol]

I had the aprilAire (Model 220 I think) in our last house. It worked ok as far as adding humidity to the air. Basically the air was much better than it was without the hunidifier, but still darn dry. It was the type that had a mesh screen that water ran over while hot air from the furnace blew through it. I'd guess about 75% of the water went down the drain.

The ones that have standing water can grow mold, bacteria, etc. and then rapidely distribute those little gems throughout the house as soon as the funace kicks on. My wife, the nurse who can spot a bacteria with the naked eye at 300 yards, absolutely forbid me to install the standing water style.

[bfrikken]

I know this is an old thread. However, I'm considering doing this in my home. Anyone else with experience here?