Consumer question:
I installed my humidistat about 10" upstream of my humidifier. With the way my furnace is set up i didnt have many options. My problem is, i think the humidistat is picking up false reading because my humidifier is so close, i have it set on 7 and my house is only at about 28%rh. Have you had these problems before, should i try and move the humidistat further upstream in the return duct??
Aprilaires' response:
The recommended minimum distance from the bypass duct or humidifier is 6" However because every installation is different this does not necessarily preclude the humidifer influencing the control. If it is possible to move it further away without increasing the turbulence from a branch duct. There is no down side to relocating the control.
Consumer question:
I have a 560 humidifier with a model 883321B controller. The past 6 years we owned the house we never used the humidifier but now we are trying to use it. We recently had a evaporator coil and new thermostat installed and the installer ran new wiring for it. When I tried to run the humidifier, water continually runs weather the furnace is on or off and no matter what the humidistat is set to. There was no voltage at the solenoid valve when I checked.
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us regarding your model 560 humidifier. When the unit is wired properly, the solenoid valve should only open when the furnace and HVAC blower is running. If there is no voltage at the solenoid and it is open, then the valve may be stuck open due to a build up of particles or sediment.
In order to send you to correct wiring diagram, we would need to know if you have a manual or automatic humidistat. Additionally, to better understand why your unit is not operating properly, you have the option to call our technical support department at 1-800-334-6011 to troubleshoot the unit with one of our technicians over the phone. The technician may be able to diagnose what the problem is and point you in the right direction regarding service or installation manuals.
Our tech support department is available Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm CST.
Consumer question:On cleaning my humidifier, I noticed that the right hand float is sitting in water and when it is pushed down water enters the chamber. The left float compartment is dry. Is this the way it is supposed to be or is there something wrong. I have cleaned the unit and removed all scale buildup. Thanks for your attention.
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us. Yes, that is the way it is supposed to work. The second float is a back up to the first float valve that you pushed down. When the float valve touches the bottom the power from the transformer passes to the solenoid and causes it to open and allow water to flow into the basin. We recommend replacing the water panel at the half way point of your winter because the water panel can break down and not work as well in absorbing the water from the basin. If you have any other questions please contact us at 800-334-6011.
Consumer question:
Manual says that waterpanel must be installed with black mark up. I purchases 3 panels, all of which have black mark on the short side only. Now what? Am I to believe that it doesn't matter which end is up in the 350?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us.
The mark should be on the short side indicating the top of the panel.
Consumer question:
I just had to return a Model 700 because I have an attic hvac unit that is horizontal. We live in the desert in St. George, UT and have a 1,450 sf house that is 8 years old. What unit would you recommend for our horizontal attic unit?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for your email regarding your interest in our Aprilaire humidifiers. The only model that will not work on a horizontal heating system is the model 700. The humidity level is reduced by 50%. We wold recommend the mode 600 for your application.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of service
Consumer question:
Water flows as tries to reach humidistat setting. However, should it run continuously or only when blower is on. Right now it runs all the time until reaches humiditiy setting.
Aprilaires' response:
Our humidifiers should only have water going through them when the furnace is on. At least the furnace blower. If you have water going through when there is no activity at the furnace, there is a bad connection somewhere.
You may want to have a technician come out and look at your installation.
Consumer question:
Can the 4655 Manual Humidistat be installed in either the horizontal or vertical position? That is, is there a prefered mounting position?
Aprilaires' response:
The orientation of the humidistat is not critical. The placement of the humidistat should allow for ease of access and viewing.
Consumer question:
We have a manual control for our Aprilaire Humidifier that is located in the same room as the furnace. Where is the sensor that detects humidity? Is it in the control? Is it on the thermostat on our main level? Where are the sensors normally installed? Also, what % of humidity should our house be at to still be safe without having too much humidity? Also - our Aprilaire runs without our furnace on - our fireplace heats our house well enough to not have the furnace run - it is ok to have the Aprilaire run thru the ducts with just cold air?
Aprilaires' response:
The humidity sensor is located in the humidistat controller. Now, which controller you have will determine the location of the sensor in the humidistat.
Do you have a 'test / reset' position on the controller? If you do, then the sensor is sticking out of the back of the controller and is located in the ductwork.
If you do not have a 'test / reset' position, and printed directly on the front of the controller are the number 15% through 45% then the sensor is inside the humidistat. If you have this mounted on the wall, it is sensing the air in the room it is located in. If this is installed into the ductwork, then it would be sensing the air in the duct.
It is acceptable to run the humidifier on just a fan call, no heat call. Just make sure to have hot water into the humidifier.
Any level of humidity is ok to have as long as you do not have condensation on your windows.
Consumer question:
We are quite happy with our unit, but we have a question. When the cover is lifted off to change the filter, the plug is disconnected so the fan, of course is not moving.
But,how can we make sure the unit is getting power? We have never seen the fan blades turn even when we plug the unit in while the cover is off. Shouldn't we be able to hear the fan turning or feel air coming out of the top of the humidifier? (It's a model 760.)
I just plugged a fan into the out-let and the fan will not run. The outlet may not be wired correctly. But, please tell us if we should be able to feel air coming out of the unit or hear the fan moter?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us regarding your model 760 humidifier. The model 760 has its own 24 volt transformer built into the unit therefore it has all of its own power. If you would like to see if the fan is working while the cover is on, simply touch the brown leads together while the unit is plugged into a powered outlet. This would complete the 24 volt connection to the relay, turning the fan on and opening the solenoid. This is a low voltage connection so there is no risk of injury. You can perform this test while the furnace is off, this way the sound of the furnace running will not interfere while you are listening for the fan on the 760.
If the fan and solenoid operate the unit is ok. If not, we recommend contacting your installing contractor to come to your home and troubleshoot the unit. However, you have the option to contact our tech support department at 1-800-334-6011 and troubleshoot with one of our technicians. Our tech support department is open Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm CST.
Consumer question:
If I have batteries in the unit and the power goes off when I am in the HOLD mode at, let's say, 72 when the power comes on again will the unit return to the HOLD mode at 72?
Aprilaires' response:
Thanks for contacting us with regards to your model 8463 Thermostat. If the thermostat is powered by 24v and has batteries, the batteries immediately switch over and your screen will not change. Hold mode does not change. If the thermostat is powered by the batteries and the power goes out, the thermostat will not know the power has gone out and the screen will not change. As long as batteries are installed (and not dead) the thermostat will not be affected by power outages.
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Consumer question:
My model 600 Aprilaire humidifier runs in test mode only. Does not run when humidity level is set above actual house humidity. Has external temp. probe for auto control.
Can you offer suggested remedy?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us regarding your model 600 humidifier. When you set your humidistat to any level above the level that is already in your home, typically the humidifier should come on with the furnace. However, our controls have a cut off of 45%, as well as an accuracy differential of +/- 5%. So if the humidistat is reading the indoor RH as anything around 40%, it may not necessarily turn the humidifier on.
Since the control brings the humidifier on in the test mode, this tells us that the control and humidifier are working properly. If you continue to experience problems or have any further questions regarding this, please feel free to contact our technical support department at 1-800-334-6011 at your earliest convenience.
Consumer question:
I recently had the 5000 unit installed. My husband is allergic to our cat which was our reason for getting it. We keep it on the 24 hour continuous cycle because I am under the impression that that is the best cycle for pet allergies. However, the air is very dry and we are both having sinus and dry eye issues since we had it installed last week. Is this common? Is there something we can do or a cycle that would best deal with this issue that would still be affective for his allergies. His allergies have still been acting up even after the 5000 unit was installed so I don't want to turn it down or off too much.
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 5000 Electronic Air Cleaner. This unit can certainly remove particles and allergens that are floating around in the air, but you describe a separate issue, as well. Dry sinuses and eyes could be the result of low humidity in the home, common in colder seasons. Most homes will need humidity around 30-45% RH while people may want 30-60% RH. You can use a hygrometer to check the level of humidity in your home. If your symptoms seem to disappear when you steam up the bathroom after a hot shower or in your kitchen when you're boiling water on your stove, this can verify your need for additional humidity throughout your home. Please see our attached brochure for more information.
We appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance.
Consumer question:
I have a 760 that needs to be replaced (for some reason).
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us regarding the replacement for your model 760 humidifier. The replacement for the 760 is the model 700. We recommend having this replacement done by a licensed HVAC contractor. When the units are installed by a licensed contractor it comes with a 5 year warranty on all the parts. If you choose not to use a licensed contractor, you risk voiding our warranty.
If you have any further questions regarding this or any of our products, please feel free to contact our customer service department at your earliest convenience.
Consumer questions:
Can I just occasionaly run my furnace blower to add humidity without having the heat on?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting Aprilaire.
Yes, it is possible to create humidity on just a fan call. In order to accomplish this, you will need to have the controller wired to know when the fan is on, and have hot water run to the humidifier.
If the humidistat controller is currently wired to obey a call for heat, then having the fan on will not change anything for humidity.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Consumer question:
I got this new humidifier and also I replaced to a tankless water heater. I wanted to use the humidifier in automatic mode and connected it to the hot water pipe. Since the flow is so low, the heater doesn't kick in to warm the water. Condensation occurs on the plastic tube inside the humidifier and drips down on the floor. What are my options in using the humidifier as desired (auto mode)?
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 600A Humidifier. Automatic mode refers to how the humidifier uses outdoor temperature to recalculate your humidity set point. As temperature drops, humidity settings should be lowered to compensate. The danger of leaving the humidity set point high as outdoor temperature falls is that your windows could start to collect that excess moisture in the form of fog or frost.
It's not clear what you meant by condensation. In this application, liquid water is converted to vapor, but for that water to re-condense, it needs to come into contact with a very cold surface. There is a drain line coming from the humidifier, but that needs to be properly attached to a drainage system. There will be a constant trickle of water running out of the unit as it operates.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Consumer question:
Your website says "The unit automatically turns on the dehumidifier blower for 2 minutes in a preset timeframe to sample temperature and dew point. You can customize the interval to 30 min, 1, 2, or 3 hours." How can I change the "preset timeframe"? The manual says nothing about how or where to modify this setting.
Aprilaires' response:
Thank you for your email regarding your model 1710A Aprilaire humidifier. There are a set of dipswitches on the control board labeled cycle period. The control board is located behind the control kob. You make access it by removing the access panel. The cycle period can be adjusted for 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hour or 3 hours. The sampling of the air to determine how humid the air is will occur with 3 minutes left in whatever option (30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hour or 3 hours) you have selected. The default is one hour.
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