Humidification and Radiant

Harvey Ramer_2

sense. Here is the info the home owner has given me about the system that he is having trouble with.
AC
- Bryant evolution
system with Puron air
handler
Humidifier - ultra zone
steam
humidifier
air filtration -
Broan-Nutone Guardian hepa filter

Harvey Ramer_2

Does anyone know how to get the proper humidification in a house

with Radiant floor heating? I have called in to fix the 4 year old radiant system and the homeowners asked me to also look at there humidity system which I know very little about. They have already replaced 3 units and #4 just went out. The humidifier is connected to the duct work of the central air system. I know enough physics to know that the cool air blowing through the ducts doesn't hold humidity but I can't use warm air because I have radiant heat. Anybody have the solution?

Gordy

Radiant, and humidity

Is the radiant supplemental to the F/A or vice versa? Or is the F/A for cooling only?

As a radiant homeowner I find no need to humidify in the winter time. One of the benifits of radiant heat. There is enough humidity from showers, cooking, laundry, and humans.

Are they just running the F/A to humidifiy as a psycological passification?

Gordy

Harvey Ramer_2

They have allergies and other health conditions so they are very

critical about having exactly the right conditions in their house. I would like to find the best method of humidifying with radiant. Has anyone ever done it?

lee_7

Look into honeywell Truesteam humidifier. It does not need a call for heat to operate. It will turn on system when a call for humidity is received, if you use Honeywell IAQ thermostat. I have 4 in service and customers really like them.

bruce_21

Look at steam humidifiers for a low temp situation like this. Skuttle Model 60 or Honeywell Truesteam . They require a fair amount of maintenance, especially if there is hard water. With the Skuttle all the parts including the elements are replaceable, if the Honeywell element goes you have to replace the whole thing and we're talking $5-600. A nice feature they both have is the ability to call in the blower when there is a call for humidity which if you are using an A/C system is absolutely necessary. There are also spray type humidifiers but I don't think they would work without heated air to spray into. They also don't work with hard water.

Mad Dog_2

I have heard good things about the Trusteam

and plan to install in my own home one of these days....you know the old adage...The Shoemaker's kids....Just a word of advice: I would be VERY specific about goals and expectations with this situation...people with allergies can get VERY cranky when things aren't what they expected. Mad Dog

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don_205

Do you

Do you have any numbers like..its 70 degree in the house and I have a 46% wetbulb temps and the humidity is???

And the customer complaint is......

To trouble shoot the airside of a home one needs a good understanding of psychrometric.
After all, sizing the humidifider for proper capacity is very important.

You have to know where you are and where you want to go.You also have to keep in mind that even the best intention will fall short in a home thats has a high airchange rate on a cold dry day.

So you want to be a airhead.

A great book to get you started..Airside System Analysis.
By Norm Christopherson.

Wayco Wayne_2

A great way

to humidify is to hang your laundry up in the living area. That way you can save on running the dryer. Win-win. BTW for folks who dont want to look through hanging underwear to see their TV I have been installing the Honeywell Tru Steam or the Nor-tech humidifiers. They can run independantly and work great. WW

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Chris S

humidity


All of our new construction even before we went green have the opposite problem. Our new homes are so tight, enough moisture is added by cooking, showering etc. that dehumidification is the issue - year round.
I only comment here because I find the opposite of your problem just as interesting. HRV's seem to be my answer, I hope the humidifier works for you.

Unknown

My project,,,

has related issues. The owner is insisting on extra humidification, I've been telling him we probably won't need it. He thinks I'm trying to gyp him out of a humidifier, trusting soul that he is. So I was there Friday monitoring the operation now that it's going. My new Fluke 971 says air temp 65* RH 60%, nyuk nyuk. The problem may very WELL shift to how we are going to dehumidify in the winter.

Techman

Humidity

As Gordy mentioned,is this a floor warming job,or radiant heat? Moving air kills the radiant effect. With the allergy problem,air filtration and humidity will help alot,but requirers the blower the come on. We use the EWC steam humidifiers with outdoor sensor to raise or lower the % of humidity based on the O.D. air temp.

Harvey Ramer_2

It is radiant heat turned into a nightmare. The house sits up on

a hill with a cathedral room on the northwest side. The installer took the easy path and run the tubing through the floor joists all the way from front of the house to back getting mutable rooms on one loop. The thermostat is in the cathedral room so you know what happens. The rooms on the southeast side get cooked. I was interested in what was said about air movement disturbing the radiant effect. This could have a big impact on the cathedral room that is hard pressed to keep heated in the first place. Cooler air being forced in through the ceiling would immediately fall to floor sweeping away the radiant heat. What if I put in a programmable control that would allow the heat pump to do the heating and humidifying several hours every night and then switch back to radiant so they have warm floors in the morning?? or to complicated....