Troubleshooting AprilAire Humidifier

PaulLambert

I think I screwed something up.



I have an AprilAire humidifier which is mounted on the return side of our air handler. It hasn't worked in a while, and I'm not sure when it stopped working. But the symptom now is that the solenoid value clicks open, then immediately shuts. I replaced the solenoid valve. Same thing happens. If I turned the humidity setting down, then back up, the valve again opens then immediately closes.



So I took the humidistat out of the circuit and just shorted the leads together with a test lead with alligator clips on each end. Again the valve opens then immediately shuts. If I open the circuit and close it again, the valve again cycles.



I'm beginning to wonder if I dorked something up when I swapped out the fan motor. It's a two-speed fan, and it functions fine (high speed when the heat pump is running, low speed when on electric strips alone).



The 24VAC for the humidifier comes off a device that wired into the fan control. I'm assuming all it does is sense whether the fan is running, and it so, passes the 24VAC on to the humidifier.



Does this sound like that device is bad? I can't think what else it would be - there's nothing else in the humidifier control circuit, and the system otherwise runs fine.



Thanks.

Paul S_3

meter

You need a good electrical meter....put the leads to the two wires at the solenoid....and see if you lose 24volts....if you don't lose the voltage then the solenoid is at fault....if you lose the voltage then you have to figure out where you are losing it....what puts out the low voltage?...a transformer? Or is there humidifier terminals?EAC? Paul s

Steve Whitbeck

current sensing relay

If you are using a current sensing relay try making a loop with the wire it is installed on so that it has two loops under the clamp.