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Steam Humidifiers

John G. Merritt
John G. Merritt Member Posts: 140
in THE MAIN WALL
OK fellas, I really need some help on this one!
Anybody familiar with Steam Humidifiers on Warm Air Systems?
The company has started to install some of these things and have handed me the service end of it, even though I balked at the idea. I know nothing about them!

John

Comments

  • Gary Fereday
    Gary Fereday Member Posts: 427
    relax

    they are they simplest of units. and steam is excepptionally clean. There is usually a control valve, and a pressuer regulator, and a perferated pipe, and homidstat bigugh
  • John G. Merritt
    John G. Merritt Member Posts: 140
    Steam Humidifiers again

    These Steam Humidifiers work even when the Furnace is not running. Is this right?
  • BillW@honeywell
    BillW@honeywell Member Posts: 1,099
    Steam humidifiers

    The ones we make are stainless steel, and have an element that "self-cleans" by expanding & contracting as it heats, causing any mineral scale to break off. The unit still needs to be cleaned, though and that varies with the condition of the water. Some models have an automatic flushing timer, most have a low water cutoff and built in overflow control. Make sure these are clean & working. Ours has a reverse osmosis odor & pollutant removal cartridge that needs periodic replacement. You typically wire the humidistat to start the humidifier, and a time delay for the system fan. That gives the unit time to heat up, then the fan starts. You do not need a call for heat for this to work. I prefer to mount the humidistat in the conditioned space, or better yet, use the PC8900 all-in-one home control. You may want to consider an electric or hydronic reheat in the duct to temper the air on really cold days. Steam humidifiers are high-end luxury products, and provide the best humidity control. For a tech sheet on ours, visit http://hbctechlit.honeywell.com
  • chris smith_2
    chris smith_2 Member Posts: 37
    only thing

    i would add is it's all about the install one major problem with steam humidifiers is if not installed and then maintained correctly the steam will condense on the duct work and may cause mold and other problems.

    chris smith

    paradise porter maine
  • mike terry
    mike terry Member Posts: 33
    servicing steam humidifiers

    i have a few customers that have steamers. they work great PROPERLY installed by that i mean on the supply side . it might seem like common sense to most but you would be suprised at the number of them i see on the return side of the air flow.....so the steam condenses on the blower housing so on and so forth...corrosionetc. also see them shoved into duct work with a 1/4 inch clearance to the topside of the duct so quite a bit condenses on the duct work and drips back into the humidifier or saturates the insulation if the duct is lined instead of wrapped....best installed on the bottom side of the duct.so the steam gets peeled off into the air stream. also on larger air handlers or rtu..i.e belt driven blowers belts get loose filters get clogged next thing ya know humidifier on or doesnt come on .either no humidity or water running out of the bottom of the duct. around here i usally have to remove the humidifier and fill it with vinegar to decalcify the components. one guy just started treating his water with a salt system so it will be interesting to see what happens there.i never have worked with the honeywell only the skuttle but i think the flushing valve option is probably the way to go. if you really need humidity and money is not a problem....go with NORTEC nice piece of equipment. the company i work for has several of these things installed in critical installations. computer server rooms etc. i really do not enjoy servicing these things but they are much needed. when you see the old guy upstairs hooked up to oxygen and he is all dried out he knows when that thing is not working and he know if you did your job. hope i had some useful info....good luck
    MICHAEL TERRY.
  • EDDIE GRIERSON_2
    EDDIE GRIERSON_2 Member Posts: 32
    Humidfers

    We install quite a few of these. I always install a automatic flush timer. You can wire these to run the fan without a call for heat. I have not had to wire them this way, they work so well that they will satisfy the humidity demand on heat calls. Haven't had many service issues, when flush kit is used. Be careful what you dump the flush drain in, I usually restrict the drain and install a high capacity pump. Good Luck
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