Consumer question:

I am looking to have the Aprilaire whole house dehumidifier installed - model 1750/1770
A couple of questions:

#1
We got a price from a dealer - is there any additional equipment that can be purchased with this unit -
we saw online a model #70 humidity control - does that work with this unit or is it already part of the model 1750??

#2
Our main concern is controlling our finished basement area humidity which is about 1000sq. ft.  Our whole home is about 4200 sq. ft.  We don't have a problem with the humidity on the first and second floor living areas, only the finished basement.  If we install the aprilaire whole house dehumidifier, will it be able to control the humidity for the whole house properly, and keep the basement at an acceptable level of humidity - below 50%?  


Aprilaires' response:

Thanks for contacting us about your dehumidifier interest. I am sure we can help you answer these questions. Please let me answer them in a way you presented them

#1
The model 70 living Space Control is an add-on to the dehumidifier that allows you to control the humidity from the control rather than going to the unit itself and changing it. One idea to keep in mind with this control is that the model 70 is what takes the humidity readings and not the dehumidifier anymore. Therefore you would need to look at your application first.

-If you decide to dehumidify your whole home then the 70 would be a good fit for convenience.
-If you plan on using the dehumidifier as stand alone unit for the basement only, then you may want to consider not using the 70 because it will read the space that it is in. If it's placed in an area with 50% humidity and you basement is in the 60-65% range, then the control is giving a false reading.

#2
4200 sq. feet is a in the range of (2) of our units. 1750A or 1770A. Your dealer will be able to size it best. Once it is sized and fitted correctly, there should be no problem taking care of you humidity level. Getting 50% humidity is a very reasonable set point so I think we can help with this.

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

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:

I was reading the most recent CR evaluation on air cleaners and they warn against ozone generation by some cleaners. There was no mention of ozone in your FAQ. How much ozone does the aprilaire 5000 produce?


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.  For everyone else, the Aprilaire Model 5000 is the best air cleaner for your home.

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

Consumer question:

I have an aprilaire 2250 unit installed in my ceiling, I want to change the filter and now see that you offer an upgrade kit for the 2200/2120 - I assume that I cannot upgrade my 2250 thought I would double check before I purchase filter.


Aprilaires' response:

That is a true statement... you cannot upgrade the 2250 air cleaner.  The other models that are listed for the upgrade are designed to have the filter 'slide' out like in a dresser drawer.  On the 2250, you need to pull the inner frame straight up and out.

The upgrade is designed to slide out the side, so we can not use that on the 2250, and we have not created an upgrade for that model as of yet.

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:

I currently have an Aprilaire whole house humidifier, and it does a good job in the winter keeping the house's humidity level up.  I do have high humidity problems in the summer (of course, the whole house humidifier is off).

My question is whether or not it is recommended that whole house humidifiers for the winter and dehumidifiers for the summer should be installed in the same central air system?  I have gone through several different brands of portable dehumidifiers in 6 years, and I am looking for a better solution to summer humidity.


Aprilaires' response:

Yes, you can have a humidifier on the same system as a dehumidifier. Typically, there's no overlap in the seasons that they're used. Dehumidifiers won't often run during the winter, nor humidifiers in the summer. Just make sure the control for the unused unit is off during its off-season. Please review this brochure for more information on our products

Consumer question:

I have the aprilare old type furnace filter with plastic inserts. Do you have anything new that will replace the plastic inserts, I ordered from you a few years ago for a 2200 stlye 201 and it would not fit the old box, any up dates on a new filter


Aprilaires' response:

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.

Comment submitted on the consumer blog:
 
I was shocked to read the Consumer Reports story on the ozone generated by the Aprilaire 5000. If the machine only produces 2 PPB, why hasn't this information been given to CR?


Aprilaires' response:

Consumer Reports is an independent testing agency that performs unbiased testing of products. As a result they do not consult with us or any manufacturer on the performance of products so their results may remain unbiased. This is why we were unable to inform them of the amount of ozone generated by our Aprilaire model 5000 air cleaner.

Consumer question:

I am inquiring about pricing and also units. Is there a whole house humidifier/dehumidifier/air filter all in one? Or is is necessary to purchase the units separately? My home is 2 years old (new construction) and is energy efficient. I have approximately 1800sq ft. What is the approximate cost to have humidifier/dehumidfier/air filter?


Aprilaires' response:

Consumer question:

With our humidifier (model 700)a major amount of cold air from our a/c escapes through the humidifier vents without a chance to circulate throughout the house. Why is there not a damper for this model for annual summer shutdown? This looks like a flawed design to me.


Aprilaires' response:

The model 700 is a powered humidifier that requires the vents on the cover to allow ventilation for the motor of the fan on this particular model. There will be a small amount of air that will escape through the vents of this particular model but will not affect the operation of the humidifier or the HVAC system. The model 700 creates humidity through a different process than our bypass humidifiers and does not require the use of a damper in the application. In the event that you are wanting to eliminate the air escaping out of the vents of the humidifier in the summer months, you can cover them during this period to eliminate the lose of cold air from the duct work of the HVAC equipment. However, we do want to advise you to not cover these vents when the humidifier is in operation. It is extremely important that the fan motor be able to vent when it is operating during the humidification season. We would be happy to further assist you with any questions relating to the Aprilaire product line. If there are any further questions please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Consumer question:

Where are your filters made?


Aprilaires' response:

Thank you for contacting us.  Our filters are made in the USA.  Please contact our Customer Service Department if we may be of further assistance.

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 moved into a house with a Aprilaire electronic air cleaner model 5000. Which air filters do I replace each year? It looks like there are 2. Could you give me the order numbers.


Aprilaires' response:

There really is only one filter that you would replace every year.  It is the paper type filter that is accordion shaped.  There are six comb looking pleat spacers that hold this filter into the inner housing.  It is a filter #501.

Typically this is replaced once per year.  When you do replace this filter, you can wipe down the ionizing wires and the metal filter.  Some people call that the 'pre-filter', but it is a control electrode.  Just assisting in the electronic make up of the air cleaner.  Although, it does help catch items from the air, like pet hair for example.

Consumer question:

The water feed line to the filter is currently malfunctioning.  Will I cause any damage to my HVAC system if I remove the filter and allow air to flow though the unit without being humidified?


Aprilaires' response:

The model 560 Aprilaire humidifier can be utilized without the use of the water panel/filter without causing any harm to the HVAC equipment. We do recommend shutting off the water supply to the humidifier in this situation to eliminate the chance of any water being dispersed into the humidifier. In the event that the water panel is not installed in the humidifier the option for the humidifier to operate should be eliminated until the water panel is placed back in the unit. We would be happy to further assist you with any questions or concerns relating to the operation of your model 560 humidifier. If there are any questions please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Consumer question:

All the pictures on the web-site show the bypass humidifiers with the inlet
on the left side.  Can these be modified so the inlet is on the right side?


Aprilaires' response:

A bypass humidifier gets its air movement through the Water Panel® by the differential pressure between the supply (hot air) plenum and the return (cold air) duct.  The supply plenum is under positive pressure and the return duct is under negative pressure.

One of the advantages of a bypass humidifier is that it can be installed either on the supply plenum or on the return duct with equal effectiveness.  No matter which duct the unit is mounted on, the airflow always goes from the supply to the return through the humidifier.

A bypass humidifier will also have no adverse effect on any component in the furnace, air cleaner or filter.  Aprilaire® Humidifiers put “water vapor” into the air, not raw water.  This is nature's way of getting relative humidity into the air.

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:

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.