Humidifier

Butch_3

Hey guys, my furnace has no humidifier but has a previous cut out for it. when I opened it up it was right into the top of the A coil of the AC unit with no room to spare. I saw this humidifier in Home Depot for sale for 100.00 that is very small that blows a fine mist. Is anyone familiar with this specific humidifier? If so, could you comment on it. The reason that I am asking about this specific unit is that I have no room to install your standard humidifier anywhere on my furnace. Thanks.

Butch

Wayco Wayne_2

Hey Butch

I would shy away from that type of humidifier. They tend to rust out your ducts. The nozzle clogs and your mist turns into drops and you ducts get rusty and even worse you furnace gets some rust on the heat exchanger if the water finds it's way down there. And then you are dealing with life threatening furnace fumes getting into your house Run! Run from that idea as fast as you can. Ahhhhh! Sorry. WW

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larry

And even if it works, and didn't have the drawbacks listed above (which it does), you are also taking any impurities in your water like hardness minerals, and either distributing them into the airstream, or coating the inside of your ducts with them. An evaporative or steam type humidifier will leave those impurities behind where they get flushed down the drain or cleaned out depending on the model of humidifier installed.

harvey

by-pass humidifier

If there is no room on the supply plenum, use a by-pass type humidifier like the Aprilaire #600. you can mount it on the return and duct to the supply

J.C.A._3

If given the choice....

I would figure a way to work with a steam unit also.

Most of the humidifiers I've seen in the 20 years of doing this stuff, have proved to be nothing more than "breeding grounds for germs" and/or "guaranteed furnace replacement factors" in the forseeable future. The steam units, properly filtered are the best way to acommplish some humidity to a good system.

Personally, when asked about humidifying any air, in MOST homes with a warm air system, I recommend "ultrasonic units". They won't work as well as some "whole house units", nor will they be as uniform to the whole house. My point being.... The owner HAS to LOOK at them, and when they see something on one, in a particular room starts to turn white or rusty from the water being fed to it, it gets cleaned.(having to look at it makes them clean it when needed)

Something attached to the furnace is usually shrouded in plastic, and remains unseen, until it leaks or overflows, causing problems, and the aforementioned breeding ground.

In the right places, whole house humidifiers have their place. In a place where they are going to be abused and overlooked, you're asking for trouble. Mold is the next/new "Asbestos" to the lawyers.They will be riding US all hard to get their dough out of it. JMHO. Chris

Wayco Wayne_2

Chris,

I'm interested in your comments. Having been in the trade 30 years (ouch!) Humidifiers are always the biggest maintenance problem and pain in the tuckas when it comes to HVAC systems. The ultrasonics I've found actually send mineral specks from the water, along with the mist covering the room with a fine powder, unless of course you use distilled water. (Riiiight) I'm interested in your comment about filtering the water before a steam humidifier. I've tried to do this and had no successes. The water down here is very full of minerals since the Potomac river comes through a lot of limestone caves up in West VA. A steam humidifier looks like Luray Caverns on the inside by February. If you have something that works please share. Hope to see you in Providence. WW

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Dale

Humidifiers

Since they're built down the street from where I work I'm a little biased but the April Air units seem to work fine IF the water panel is changed every year. There's a guy here that has a business changing panels that keeps him and some of the family members employed. To me the water panel change is a perfect part of a service contract package for any heating contractor, along with the yearly space guard air filter change. If a person isn't going to have the panel changed yearly I would not install one. We have some water particulate problems in some areas due old mains and an in line filter for a refrigerator ice maker on the humidifier water line takes care of it. The new humidifiers have an outdoor sensor to vary the moisture level and seem to work well.

BillW@honeywell

Flo-Thru/bypass, fan-forced or steam...

are the only ones to consider. Avoid the mist and drum types like the plague. Mist types can cause serious problems as they age and water droplets get carried into the ductwork, along with the issues mentioned above. Drum types are seldom maintained properly, water stagnates and often grow algae or mold. Changing pads on our HE 260(Bypass) and HE360 (fan powered) units is simple and the replacement pads are widely available, and pad life will vary based on your water chemistry. The steam units, like our HE 440, are the most effective, but like all steam models, require diligent maintenance, like changing water filters and cleaning the pan on a regular basis. Whatever type you choose, mount the control for it in the occupied space, not on the duct. You'll get better results that way. I would shy away from any retail model humidifiers, this is a project best left to a pro. Single room models may produce white dust, depending on your water chemistry,and if they aren't CAREFULLY cleaned and sanitized can cause health problems.