Consumer question:

Can you tell me if there is a shelf life on your replacement air filters like the 213? I had a distributor tell me it's not a good idea to stock up on them ahead of time because of "a tackiness on the element and it's MERV rating may very well decrease after sitting on a shelf for a year or two." Is there any merit to this?

I'm a bit of a social media/tech nut. I love watching (and let's be honest being active in) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. change the world. And further, I love that my smart phone can track and post to it all now. My mother, in her infinite wisdom commented that the day would come people forget life without smart phones. I'm already there.

I stumbled on a crazy app today for Droid phones called "Allergy Tracker." I have spring time allergies that are really just starting to subside as summer rolls in, so I wouldn't really need the app right now, but since I'm still so close to that dreadful time of year, I was intrigued. Essentially the app creates a network of people who 'touch inform' the app about their allergy conditions. The app locates you every time you tap into it, and effectively tracks allergen levels by creating a real time allergy map from everyone's responses. Pretty sweet, but does it work?

By the looks of it the answer has to be - not really - bummer. With some horrible reviews, I won't be downloading the app, however it does bring up a good point - if you have allergies, your best weapon is information. While we're never going to be able to stop allergens from existing in general, there are things we can do to keep them from existing in our homes, but you've got to be informed. It's easy to see these small air purifiers and see a solution, but fixing a room isn't as good as fixing your home. There are better, holisitic solutions for your home. Central Air Filters, dehumidifiers, and humidifiers all have their place in fixing your indoor air quality problems.

Check out the informational link from eMedicine health and then some information from us at Aprilaire. After all, information is your best weapon.

eMedicine health
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/indoor_allergens/article_em.htm
Aprilaire
http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=IAQ&category=filtration

Consumer question:

I assume my aircleaner is working but the little blue light is not on. I will call my furnace man but wanted to email you as well.  Is it necessary that the blue light be on as an indication that the filter is working.  I had my ducts and vents cleaned friday, i believe the blue light was on when we finished but not sure now. please advise.
thank you


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us regarding you model 5000 air cleaner.  When installed properly, the blue light on the model 5000 should be on whenever the HVAC fan is running.  The blue light indicates the electronic components of the 5000 are working properly.  If the blue light does not come on when the HVAC fan is running, we would recommend contacting your installing contractor to come to your home and service the unit.

Consumer question:

I was reading through the owners manual for the summer shutdown procedures and noticed it says to replace the evaporator panel, but is it okay to not have a panel in there during the summer so long as I clean out any errant minerals and have the water supply shut off?  Any other advice would be appreciated!


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 600M Humidifier. As long as the control for this unit is in the off position, it is not necessary to have a water panel in the unit. Some homeowners do their maintenance at the end of the humidifying season, in the spring, while some do their maintenance in the fall before the unit is started up for the humidifying season. Either way is fine.

Hey, even Fido suffers from allergies and the recommendations to help are the same as for their two-legged owners....keep things clean, including your indoor air. Check it out

I was sitting in a meeting yesterday and the subject of uneven heating and cooling in the home came up . Oh, yes it did!  I obviously have no life to speak of (so why would you be interested in my blog, you might ask? Not a bad question, really).

Anyway, the point of the conversation was that several of us have experienced first hand,  that running your HVAC system blower more often than just when there is a call for heat or cool can help even out the temperature differences throughout the house. You know, it works!

I've even found this to help when I have a roaring fire in the fireplace, which I know sucks all the heat out of the house and results in huge swings in temperature from one room to the next. If I run the blower constantly, this uncomfortable, energy-sucking effect is minimized to a degree.

Don't get me wrong, running the blower is not a great solution to an energy-hogging fireplace. But if doing so helps even out temperature swings a bit, it's better than NOT doing it. And if you're not using a fireplace, the idea of running your blower more often is even more effective in giving your system a helping hand to keep you comfortable.

This works especially well in older homes like mine with undersized ductwork, inadequate return ducts, and one system trying to heat or cool two stories. Running the fan more often circulates the air more which not only evens out the temperature throughout the house, but it also cleans the air more often.

Whenever you are circulating the air you are also circulating the airborne dust and pollutants that are floating in the air. It circulates back through your return ducts and is trapped in your furnace filter - or if you have an air cleaner instead of your standard furnace filter, you're trapping a helluvalot more contaminants before the air is returned to your system to be heated or cooled and put back into your house.

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I was told that this blog was going to have the capability of adding mp3. If I had figured out how to do this, I would have inserted the Rolling Stones' 'She's So Cold' into this blog post.

Consumer question:

How much ozone does the Aprilaire 5000 produce?

You did NOT answer the question...
So can you try again: How much Ozone does the 5000 produce, and while you are at it, what is the ozone production for the 4200 and the 4400.


Aprilaires' response:

Aprilaire shares our customer’s concerns about ozone, and wants to reassure you that our Model 5000 Whole Home Electronic Air Cleaner is not designed to produce a significant amount ozone.

Ozone is produced as a result of many factors, some are man-made and some originate from nature. On any given day in the US, outdoor levels can be as high as 150 ppb.  More polluted areas typically have higher outdoor ozone levels because there is a greater concentration of the components that create ground level ozone.

Levels of ozone inside our homes typically range from 10 to 70 percent of the level found outdoors, primarily depending on whether windows and doors are left open. (ref. “Ozone Decay Rates in Residences”, Harvard School of Public Health, Environmental Science and Engineering Program).  The reason indoor levels are lower than outdoor levels is because ozone readily reacts with other gases and surfaces.

As a manufacturer we look to government organizations to set the standards as which to develop and produce products by.  As such, we offer an air cleaner that produces 2 ppb, well below the established FDA standard of 50 ppb for medical devices and the UL standard to evaluate products for consumer safety.

The high voltage power supply contained in this (and any other) electronic air cleaner produces ozone only as a byproduct of operation; the small amount of ozone generated dissipates by the time clean air filters out and into your home. In addition, the Model 5000 removes particles from the air that have proven by research to be harmful to humans.

There are a select group of people who are sensitive to ozone.  For these people, we recommend using the Aprilaire High Efficiency air cleaners Model 4200 or 4400 which is a passive media air cleaner producing no ozone.  For everyone else, the Aprilaire Model 5000 is the best air cleaner for your home.

Consumer question:

My Aprilaire Model 760 fan stopped working, what should I do?

My Aprilaire 760 continues to work just fine for last 20 years. However, water drains out from the drain line like it is supposed to do, but it also leaks out from the unit itself. I have removed the element and replaced with a new one. [I change them yearly] I cleaned the deposits from the plastic holder that surrounds the element. I have carefully reassembled the unit. And it still leaks water out the same way as before. What is your evaluation and suggestion.

Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us about your 760 humidifier.

I noticed you stated in the first sentence that the fan has stopped working. If this is the case, the reason you are seeing excess water is because the fan is able to pull it in a evaporate it. The fan motor will need to be replaced in this case.

Other things that can cause leaking could be that the coating on the water distribution tray has worn off or possibly a crack in the feed tube.

Also make sure that you are using a genuine water panel and that the paint mark is facing upward.

If the problems persist, please give our customer service line a call at 1-800-334-6011 for further assistance.

 

Consumer question:

Premium Digital Humidifier Control- on #8 and reading 25 % RH inside temp 67 degrees and outside about 20 degrees (F), why could this be happening.


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Aprilaire product line. We are happy to assist you with questions relating to Premium Digital Humidifier Control. Your Aprilaire Humidifier is designed to operate in conjunction with your furnace blower motor. Most installers wire a humidifier to operate when the furnace is calling for heat. To determine if your Aprilaire Humidifier is maintaining proper humidity, turn up the heat temperature 5 degrees above the current room temperature on your thermostat and set your humidifier control to call for humidity. The humidifier control is located on the cold air return duct.  When your HVAC system starts operating the humidifier control will display the current relative humidity. To set your humidifier control to call for humidity, turn the control dial to the off position and slowly rotate the dial until you hear a “click” on the control.  You should also hear a click at the solenoid valve located on your Aprilaire unit.  The humidifier control will have a click point at the current relative humidity level in your home. If the current relative humidity is 45% or the outdoor temperature is above 60F, the control will only operate the humidifier in the test mode. The click point on the humidifier control indicates the current humidity level in your home. All Aprilaire Humidifiers are designed to maintain an indoor relative humidity level of 35% anytime the outside temperature is 20°F or above.  If the outside temperature is 20°F or above and you have less than 35% relative humidity, there may be an electrical problem, humidity may be escaping from your home, your furnace may have short running time, or water flow is being obstructed.

A. No click at the solenoid valve indicates an electrical problem.  Contact your heating and air conditioning dealer to further check the electrical components of your Aprilaire Humidifier.

B. The click sound at the solenoid valve indicates there is electricity to the solenoid valve.  By turning the dial of your humidifier control to a setting above the “click point” you should see water coming out of the drain line within a few minutes which would indicate your humidifier is working.

C. If the solenoid valve makes a click sound and there is no water draining from the unit, this would indicate the flow of water is being obstructed.

1. To determine if water flow is being obstructed, turn the dial of your humidifier control to the off position.  The first location you would want to check for an obstruction would be at the saddle valve located on the water line supplying water to the humidifier. When checking the saddle valve, you want to make sure it is completely open.  This can be done by turning the valve all the way to the left.  If anything is clogged, it can be dislodged by turning the saddle valve all the way to the right and back to the left.  Once this is done, turn the humidifier control dial above the click point and you should see water coming out the drain line.

2. If water is still not coming out of the drain, check the orifice and in-line strainer to make sure they are not clogged.  The orifice is located in the tube on the outlet side of the solenoid valve and the in-line strainer is located on the inlet side of the solenoid valve (see attached).  You may clear the orifice by inserting a needle through the small opening.  Clean the strainer by running it under warm water to dislodge deposits or replace.  After clearing and re-installing the orifice and strainer (be sure to double wrench all water connections), turn the humidifier control dial above the click point and you should see water coming out the drain line.


D. Low Humidity can also be due to humidity escaping from the home or short run time by the furnace. Perform the following: 

1. Close all areas which could allow air and humidity to escape such as; fireplaces, windows, doors, mechanical ventilation (fresh air exchanger), etc. The amount of mechanical ventilation should also have been considered when the humidifier was initially selected by the installing HVAC contractor.

2. If the furnace has a short running time, it will also affect the amount of humidity in your home.  One option is to operate your furnace blower motor constantly by switching the fan switch on your thermostat to the “on” position.  When operating the furnace constantly, it is important the humidifier is supplied with service hot water to provide the heat necessary for evaporation.  If you have any questions on how to do this, contact your heating and air conditioning dealer.


3. Your Aprilaire humidifier needs to be perfectly level.  If your Aprilaire is not level, you will not get proper water flow which will affect performance and the relative humidity in your home.  Check the water flow rate at the drain line.  Proper water flow for the Model 400, 400A, 500, 500A, 600 and 600A is three gallons per hour and you should be able to fill a quart jar in approximately five minutes.  For the Models 700 and 700A the water flow rate is six gallons per hour and you should be able to fill a quart jar in 2 ½ minutes. If you do not have proper water flow, the water flow may be obstructed.

4. The water panel requires annual replacement.  If the panel has been in use for more than one humidifying season, replace it.  The water panel can become clogged from mineral deposits left behind from the evaporation process.  A clogged water panel will affect the amount of humidity in your home.


If after trying the above you still have less than 35% relative humidity with an outside temperature of 20°F or above, contact your installing heating and air conditioning dealer for further assistance with this control. We would be happy to further assist you with any questions or concerns relating to the operation of the control. If there are any further questions please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Consumer question:

Hello, we are planning on installing an ultra-violet air purifier in line of sight and upstream of our Space-Gard 2400.  Do we need to worry about reactions between the plastics in the 2400 and the UV light?


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 2400 Air Cleaner. The plastics used in our media air cleaner are not UV resistant. They will break down over prolonged exposure to UV light. Our recommendation would be to either install the UV light near the evaporative coil of the Air Conditioning system or to cover the exposed plastics with UV-reflective tape, such as aluminum-faced tape.

Consumer question:

Model 350 Aprilaire humidifier is cycling on and off every second or so, gives a clicking or slight hammering effect.  I tested the humdistat by putting the wires together and this continued.  I'd like to know if the solenoid seems to be the problem? Also, we do have hard water where we live.


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us regarding your model 350.  From the way you described, if you've bypassed the humidistat and the solenoid still acts erratically, then the problem may be with the solenoid.  We would recommend that you contact your contractor to check the solenoid operation and possibly replace it. 

Your hard water may have played a role in this problem.  Regular maintenance is recommended to keep the solenoid clean, especially in areas with hard water.

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 question:

I have a Aprilaire 5000 air cleaner, which I have purchase and had installed under my air exchanger with a heat pump system. I have installed a new Aprilaire media about a month ago and then cleaned the screen and the ion wires and then reinstalled back in the unit. When the unit runs the blue light on the door comes on for about a minute and then goes off and then comes back on after about a mintue and it continues to do this while the unit is running. I have cleaned the unit completely, but the light will stay on the hold time the unit runs. Can you tell what else I need to do.


Aprilaires' response:

Thanks for contacting us about your 5000 Air Cleaner. I have a couple of steps to try and figure out what is wrong with your unit.

1-Take door off and plug in at another outlet somewhere ( hallway, bedroom, etc.)
  -----If light is on, then the door is fine.
  -----If light stays off, then door is bad and needs to be replaced.

2-If door light comes on in another outlet try taking the large metal screen off of the unit (Control Electrode) and put everything back together minus the metal screen. If the light stays on then the screen (Control Electode) will needs to be replaced.

Anything else will be covered in the FAQ's troubleshooting section. Please review that attachment for anything other questions and feel free to ask me any questions that come up.

Consumer question:

I have the model 600 Humidifier and right now it is reading 66% humidity on my digital control...

The water pad on my model 560 has plugged up with a slimy, sticky substance. It plugged the drain hose which got water on the floor. My water supply comes from the hot water line of the water heater. What is the white substance on a clean filter? Could this be the substance that is plugging the drain line?


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for your question.

The water panel my have water flowing on it when it should not. The slimy and sticky substance would indicate water entering the humidifier without air flow because the water is staying in the machine without evaporating. Please check to see if water is flowing when the humidity is above 45%. The unit should not run above this level.

The White substance on the water panel is similar to that of a potters clay. It is porous and helps the water cling to the aluminum water panel for maximum evaporation. This substance would not be the cause of the clog in your drain but rather water/mold from the water panel as a result of excess water usage. 

Consumer question:

What number Air filter do I use for the April Air 2000?


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting Aprilaire.

We need to clarify the model number of your air cleaner, as we do not have a model 2000.  It may be one of the following.... 2200, 2400. 2250, 2120, or 2140.

Here is a listing of the filters for each air cleaner.

Model                      filter
2200                        201
2400                        401
2250                        201
2120                        102
2140                        104

Now, the following models can be upgraded if you would like....

Model #2200, 2120 can be upgraded with a #1213 upgrade kit.

Model #2400, 2140 can be upgraded with a #1413 upgrade kit.

When you install the upgrade kit, you no longer need the inner housing or pleat spacers to hold the filter in place.

You could call us when you know your air cleaner model number and we can place an order for you, or we could help you find who is in your area to purchase from.

Consumer question:

The AA 5000 is designed to come on when the blower is on. By choosing the "constant cleaning" option will the air cleaner clean all the time that the blower is on (determined by how i have the fan set in the thermostat), or will the AA 5000 command the blower on 24/7 and overide the thermostat settings? Basically i want to control the blower with my thermostat and HRV and have the AA 5000 on whenever those items command the blower on.


Aprilaires' response:

If you choose the "constant cleaning" on your air cleaner control, that control will dictate that information to your HVAC equipment to turn the blower on and override your thermostat.  If you do not choose that option, the air cleaner will only then operate when the blower fan is on with a heat call, cool call or fan call.  Please contact our Customer Service Department if we may be of further assistance.

Consumer story submitted:

I went on the Aprilaire website to order a new air filter. I have model 2400. I looked at the upgrade kit and thought it looked like a much better idea and purchase. I watched the video-it looked easy enough. I checked and double checked to be sure that this upgrade kit would be compatible with my model-every source on this site stated it was definitely compatible. I received my kit today-took apart my filter housing, following along with the video, and this upgrade DOES NOT FIT MY FILTER HOUSING UNIT. The grooves in the metal frame of the upgrade kit do not even come close to fitting the inside of my unit. Ugh......frustrated is not even the word to describe how I feel. It was 5:22 CST and I called customer service to find that they are closed until Monday. So the dirty filter goes back in and I guess I now wait....


Aprilaires' response:

The upgrade number 1413 is designed to fit perfectly into the model 2400 air cleaner.  For proper installation, fully remove the inner housing that holds the current filter (#401) along with the pleat spacers.  Please discard them.  Once the frame work for the upgrade is assembled it will slide directly into the outer housing of the air cleaner.  Then it will lock into place and stay.  Once that has been placed into the air cleaner, you will then expand the new filter (#413) and slide that into place in the air cleaner.
 
Our customer service line is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday central time.

I went on the Aprilaire website to order a new air filter. I have model 2400. I looked at the upgrade kit and thought it looked like a much better idea and purchase. I watched the video-it looked easy enough. I checked and double checked to be sure that this upgrade kit would be compatible with my model-every source on this site stated it was definitely compatible. I received my kit today-took apart my filter housing, following along with the video, and this upgrade DOES NOT FIT MY FILTER HOUSING UNIT. The grooves in the metal frame of the upgrade kit do not even come close to fitting the inside of my unit. Ugh......frustrated is not even the word to describe how I feel. It was 5:22 CST and I called customer service to find that they are closed until Monday. So the dirty filter goes back in and I guess I now wait.....

Name: Unfortunately disappointed
City: omaha
State: ne