Consumer question:

We have a model 560 Aprilaire humidifier.  We have had it since 2000. Can you tell me what the size of house (square footage) this unit was designed for?  We think the builder should have put in a larger model, and we need to know what size to replace it with.Thank you.


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 560 Humidifier. At that time, this was our large bypass-style humidifier. It was designed to cover 4000 sq ft of a tightly-built home. Older homes would get about 2000 sq ft of coverage, and the oldest homes, around 1000 sq ft. There were no larger bypass models. The 760 would have offered a slight increase in performance (.05 gal/hr) at the cost of increased energy consumption (3 gal/hr used).
As long as your 560 is still in operation, there isn't a better evaporative choice. Our current model 600 offers the same coverage. The only way to improve performance would be to increase the temperature of the water it uses. If it's currently connected to cold water, hot water can increase its performance by up to 30%.

Consumer question:

We have two separate Lennox Heat Pump units in our home -- one with a 2200 & the other with a 2400 Aprilaire Air Cleaner.  I have been considering upgrading these with the 1213 & 1413 kits to use the new 213 & 413 media.  However, one unit is installed with the Air Cleaner in a vertical position.  Your video and the various sites I have researched only show the replacement in a horizontal air cleaner.

Can either of these new media (213 & 413) be used in either a vertical or horizontal position?  The Upgrade kit seems straightforward enough, but will the media drop or sag when installed in the vertical position?

I like the idea of upgrading to more efficient media, but if it won't work in the vertical setup we have, I'll just have to stock up on the old 201's or 401's.


Aprilaires' response:

Yes, you may use the upgrade kit in the vertical or horizontal positions.  It will work fine either way.  Even if in the horizontal position where gravity may be pulling the filter downward, there are support pieces for hold the frame in place that will not allow the filter to hang down sideways.

Consumer question:

Can your furnace mounted humidifiers be configured to turn on the furnace
fan when humidification is needed but heating is not?  We live at 9100 feet
in the mountains and it is very dry in the summer so often we need
humidification but not heat.


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for your email regarding our Aprilaire humidifiers. Your HVAC installer can wire any of our humidifiers to turn on the HVAC fan when humidification is required. They simply need to purchase our model 4851 blower activation relay and wire this with our humidifier control. You will also want them to supply hot water to the humidifier. This is because heat is required for evaporation and hot water is the only source of heat when the HVAC fan is operating without a call for heat.

Consumer question:

I am looking for a portable because I have FHW heating and cannot use 
a wholehouse. But, according to your discussion of advantages/
disadvantages, even your 1710A would not be recommended. Does your 
portable meet the same standards as your wholehouse? and if so where I 
can I purchase one.


Aprilaires' response:

Thanks for contacting us about your interest in our dehumidifiers. Our whole home dehumidifiers are best used for home that have the proper duct work. You mention that you have forced hot water heat but you do not mention if you have Air Conditioning and if so what type. If you have forced air cooling, you may be able to use a whole home unit. Can you inform me to your A/C situation?

Our 1710A is our portable unit and we recommend it for situations where you need to dehumidify a certain area without the need of ducting. But with the laws of humidity, it is impossible to allow a dehumidifier to only  a given space and not effect the surrounding area. For instance, if you were to place our 1710A in your lowest level to help with humidity, you would eventually notice a change in the humidity level in the upper levels  because as the air in your lower levels dry out, the humid upper level air will trickle down to the drier parts of the home. This will cause a indirect dehumidification of the whole home. You may notice that the areas furthest from the area being dehumidified  are more humid however.

Hopefully, This gives a little more insight to your decision.

Please let us know if we can help you any further. I'd be happy to assist you.

Consumer question:
Is it possible to install Humidifier Aprilaire Model 600 in the attic?
I live in Massachussets and sometimes the temperatures in the winter could be low.


Aprilaires' response:

The installation of a humidifier in an attic is not recommended if the space is unconditioned. We strongly discourage installing our products in areas that have the potential for freezing temperature to occur. If the attic is an unconditioned space and freezing temperature may occur we would recommend not installing the humidifier in that area. We would be happy to further assist you with any questions relating to the installation of the Aprilaire model 600 humidifier. If there are any further questions please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Consumer question:

When I'm running the AC, the cool indicator next to the temperature setting is constantly blinking. Is that indicating some type of problem?


Aprilaires' response:

When the "Cool" is blinking, the thermostat is indicating that there is a call of cooling. This is normal operation. The same will happen during a heating call. You should see "Heat" blinking while your furnace is running the heat.

Consumer question:

We are building a new home and the HVAC contractor has recommended Aprilaire 5000 as a possible air cleaner because I have allergies. We have had an electronic air cleaner for many years in our current home and have been pleased with it. Newer homes are designed and built tighter, leading to a concern that small amount of ozone which most electronic air cleaners emit is potentially harmful to our health. The latest issue of Consumer Reports of September, 2010, declined to rate electronic air cleaners for that reason.  http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/heating-cooling-and-air/air-purifiers/air-purifier-buying-advice/types-of-air-purifiers/electrostatic-precipitators/closeup-electrostatic-precipitator-advice.htm
What amount of ozone is generated by the Aprilaire 5000?


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to our Model 5000 Electronic Air Cleaner. 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 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.  For everyone else, the Aprilaire Model 5000 is the best air cleaner for your home.

Question submitted from the consumer blog:
 
We have a small Whirlpool dehumidifier that is run by compressor generally it's designed for one room or a certain amount of square feet. Are we using more electricity by using this in the summer...as it blows out hot air..basically it's in my opinion a small window air conditioner reversed as a heat pump would be, question is can't tell much difference with it on or off except in the room it is in..but since there is a 10 volt compressor at work and our forced air system is running a huge 240 volt compressor does this make this little unit effcent enough to use it, since we are re cooling the hot air it blows out, it is Green star energy rated..and in a day will remove about 3 gallons of water......could this make our electric bill way higher than usual, and should we think of a whole house instead of buying other dehumidifies for the rest of the house. Any info would be of great help.


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to your dehumidifier. Certainly, you are using energy to condition the space it's in. Generally, the way a dehumidifier saves you energy is by making the home more comfortable so that you can raise the temperature on your thermostat by a few degrees. By running your A/C less, your energy bill goes down. Whole-home dehumidifiers can remove 8 to 17 gallons of water per day, depending on unit size and capacity. Compared to portables, they will use 1/2 to 1/3 of the energy to do the same work. You can find our product brochure at http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=Download&fn=RP_835_.pdf&u_fn=Dehumidifiers_brochure.

Consumer question:

AC is not coming on is it a problem when the COOL is flashing?


Aprilaires' response:


Thank you for your email regarding your model 8363 Aprilaire thermostat. Whenever your 8363 makes a call for cooling the word cool will flash on the 8363 screen. This means the cooling relay inside the thermostat has closed. If your Air Conditioning is not operating there appears to be a problem with the Air conditioning system. We ask you contact your HVAC installer to have them review your installation.

Consumer question:

I am interested in a whole house ventilation.  I love the idea of fresh air and lower ac bills.  Can you give me more information on a ventilation system and how noisy are they?


Aprilaires' response:

The 8126 consists of a 6" damper and a ventilation controller. By themselves, they produce almost no noise. They're designed to work in conjunction with your central HVAC blower, which will be the source of the noise. As your HVAC system runs throughout the day, the control will make sure that the fresh air damper is open for a preset amount of time each hour. If that need is satisfied during your normal heating and cooling schedules, the control is also satisfied. If the need is not met by the end of the hour, the control can call for your central blower to activate, open the damper, and finish off the hour with the remaining time required. Please review this brochure for more information.

Consumer question:

I just moved into a home with a electronic thermostat model # 8363. The owner didn't give me the owners manual and I don't know how to change it from celsius to farenheit. Also wanted to know if I can get a copy of the instruction manual. Can you please help?


Aprilaires' response:

Thanks for contacting us about your thermostat. Here is a copy of the 8300 series manual for your future questions or issues that come up.

To change C to F:

1. Place the mode button in "OFF"
2.Push and hold both of the temperature "ADJUST" buttons simultaneously (up & down)  until "ROOM" and "OFF" are no longer displayed.
3.Display will show only the room temp and scale. use the "Up" or "down"  to toggle between "F" and "C"
4.Press the light button repeatedly until the "Done" light is displayed

One of the hottest summers on record. But STILL, it's NOT the heat, it's the HUMIDITY!

The Money Pit has one good solution.

Consumer question:

I'm looking for a thermostat that will connect to my home's wireless network
which I can control from a computer preferably via web browser. Do you have
such a product?


Aprilaires' response:

Yes, Aprilaire does offer that type of thermostat.  It is our model 8870.  Also thank you interest in our Aprilaire HVAC automaton system. Please review this information on our system for your review. To obtain our product we ask that you contact your HVAC installer

Consumer question:

I need to buy a whole house humidifier but have a question about the application.  My house has normal central air conditioning but I don't use that system for heating (eg, the air conditioning ducts are completely unheated in the winter and are located in an attic.

Is it possible to install a system like your model 700 or 600 and use the air conditioning fan and ducts even though they are not heated (for example by connecting to hot water source)? I can imagine the efficiency would be lower, but would it work? Would there be a risk to freezing pipes or the humidifier itself?

I saw on the blog here http://blog.aprilaire.com/blog/aprilaire-humidifiers/page/2 that you can install it for use when there is not a call for heat, but is there any risk when there is no heat in the ducts throughout the winter?  Mold? Freezing? Etc?

I know there are free-standing units (350/360) but I don't want to use them because of potential extra noise and because of the space they will take up.


Aprilaires' response:


Our humidifiers can be installed on an air conditioning only application but must be utilized with hot water for proper operation and performance. There are three elements that are required for the humidification process to occur with our products. Those three elements are heat, water, and air in every application. In the application where the humidifier is being utilized on the cooling only application the hot water (140F) will take the place of your heat source in this application. We do recommend that the hot water temperature be near the 140 degree range for best performance of the product.

We do recommend that our humidifiers being installed only in conditioned spaces where freezing is likely not to occur at anytime during the year. This will alleviate the chance of any potential for freezing of the water pipes being ran to and from the humidifier. In reference to the potential concern for mold growth with the utilization of the humidifier on a cooling only application, the humidifier will produce humidity as a vapor and not as a wetness or mist. At no time while the Aprilaire humidifier is operation will there be any mist or wetness being produced or given off into the ducting of the HVAC equipment. Since the humidity that is produced from our humidifiers is a vapor the chance of mold being present in the duct work is eliminated.

We would be happy to further assist you with any questions relating to the installation or operation of the humidifier product line. If there are any further questions please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Consumer question:

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

The setting on the dial is 4(Normal).

The damper is switched to Summer.

I noticed that the humidifier has not been going on...

Is there anything wrong or am I doing something wrong?


Aprilaires' response:

No, you are not doing anything wrong with the humidifier.  This is simply summer time in the USA.

You are right, your humidifier is not even running.  This humidity is coming from outside.

The humidifier (and humidistat) works a lot like the furnace and thermostat.  Say, if your thermostat is set for 70 degrees, and it is actually 75 degrees in your home.  Well, the furnace would not come on because it is already above the set point, it wouldn't need to come on and heat the home.  Much the same is the humidifier and humidistat.  You have it set at "4" which is 30% RH.  Since the reading shows your home has 66%, that is higher than your set point, so the humidifier will not be coming on.

If you would like to lower the RH% in your home, you would need to get a dehumidifier.  Running the central air to cool your home will help bring down some of the humidity, but to bring it down to a reasonable level would require a dehumidifier.

Consumer question:

Where would I find a replacement water vapor evaporator for the model 760?


Aprilaires' response:

The water panel that you would be looking to replace in your 760 humidifier is the number 35. Please use the dealer locator on our consumer website to locate local dealers who we would check first to see about purchasing the #35 water panel for your humidifier. We recommend replacing the filter once a year either at the beginning of the heating season or at the end.

If you run into any difficulty in purchasing the water panel from your local dealers, you could purchase the filter from our website: https://estore.aprilaire.com/catalog/humidifiers/water-panels/253

If you have any other questions please contact us at 800-334-6011.

Consumer question:

I just had a Model 500M installed.  There is a dial on the front that says “Summer” and “Winter.”  The other control is on the back of the furnace (contains the “Off” position and levels).  Should I turn that off or is the humidifier meant to stay on in the summer?


Aprilaires response:

Consumer question:

How do I set the mode to "auto" in the Aprilaire model 8466?  I only see "off", "heat", and "cool" for modes.

Aprilaires' response:

The Auto mode needs to be enabled in the system settings before it can be selected in the mode menu.
Set the thermostat to the Off mode. Press and hold the Up Arrow and Mode buttons for about three seconds. The display should change to the System Settings. The first displayed setting will be either 00 or 01. Press the Mode button several times until the large number shows 04. The small number will show 00. Press the Up Arrow button so that the 00 changes to 01. Once this is done, don't press any buttons for 10 seconds. The screen should return to the main display. Auto mode will now be an option.

Consumer question:

My doctor has recommended bringing the humidity level up to 40%.  It looks
like your 700a unit fits the bill.  Does it work in both winter and summer.
I live in northern Utah and the humidity level in winter can be as low as 5
- 10 %.  But in the summer we can have fairly low humidity levels as well.
Can I hook the water input to a hot water line and have it function along
with the A/C? 


Aprilaires' response:

I recommend contacting a local dealer when considering which humidifier would be best for your house. The 700A is a great humidifier, but so are the other humidifiers that we offer. The dealer is going to be able to access the whole situation and determine which humidifier would work best for your house. One way of finding a local dealer is by going to our website and entering your zip code in the upper right hand corner: www.aprilaire.com/
The humidifier would work whenever the humidity level drops below 45 % throughout the year, but is usually just on during the winter time for most of America and Canada. There are dry parts of the country like Arizona and Colorado where the humidifier would be on year round.

We recommend hooking up hot water to the humidifier to ensure a heat source for humidifying the house even during times when the heat is not on. The humidifier would counteract what the A/C is trying to do. A humidifier is trying to add humidity/heat to the house, while the A/C is trying to remove heat and intern humidity from the house. Normally in most situations you would not have both running at the same time. You could raise the thermostat in the house and enjoy a dry heat in the house, which would also raise the humidity level in the house a little. I hope I was able to answer your questions. If you have any further questions you can contact us at 800-334-6011.

Consumer question:

We are looking at Automating our HVAC system using the 8870 Tstats and would like to use your zoning system. Will they work together?


Aprilaire's response:

Thank you for contacting us with regards to our Aprilaire Communicating Thermostats. Our 8870 thermostats will work with almost all of our zoning panels. The 6504 panel will not because it's designed exclusively for use with our 8570 thermostats.