Air Duct Doc
12-26-04, 09:24 AM
I have just installed my first humidifier in my own home and have a question about it. It is an aprilaire model 550. I have a bryant furnace. I read the directions for install and was kinda confised about it but since this is an area I want to get into installing, I figured the best place to start is in your own home.
So, I started out by cutting into the supply side of the furnace on the plenum line above the coil of course. This is where they suggested installing it on an upflow furnace. Then I took the bypass connection to the return side of the furnace, connected the two and thought ok this is easy.
Then did the water connections to the hot line of the water heater using the supplied saddle valve and connected using copper line. Also connected plastic hose drain valve to the bottom of the unit to the drain in the basement.
Then did the electric part. Started by connecting a line from the humistat to the humidifer to the HUM screw on the furnace. The other line out of the humistat went directly to the ground screw on the furnace. This was sheer guesswork that paid off since the unit blower fan seems to run well and the directions are horrible for this. Thought about using the 24 volt transformer and running it to the switch box on the furnace but changed my mind when I saw the HUM screw on the furnace board.
Now heres the problem ( thought I should try to be specific in what I did up there) The humidifier runs fine, is getting water fine, and the drain works fine (skinny stream of water out of the drain) but no humidity in the home to speak of. I realized I screwed up the placement of the humistat after the first night and woke up the next morning feeling like we were in the sahara desert. Realized it needed to be on the return side of the furnace. my screw up for not looking on the internet for more information from other places. But now it is placed in the main return line of the furnace about 12 inches above the bypass connection of the return side. Now maybe it will be better on night four but night three with it set at 40% humidity, you would think the dry scratchy throat feeling would be gone and the windows would be moist, but no such luck.
Should I put the fan on "on" instead of auto so that the humidifier runs more often than when just the heat is on?
what did I do wrong???
So, I started out by cutting into the supply side of the furnace on the plenum line above the coil of course. This is where they suggested installing it on an upflow furnace. Then I took the bypass connection to the return side of the furnace, connected the two and thought ok this is easy.
Then did the water connections to the hot line of the water heater using the supplied saddle valve and connected using copper line. Also connected plastic hose drain valve to the bottom of the unit to the drain in the basement.
Then did the electric part. Started by connecting a line from the humistat to the humidifer to the HUM screw on the furnace. The other line out of the humistat went directly to the ground screw on the furnace. This was sheer guesswork that paid off since the unit blower fan seems to run well and the directions are horrible for this. Thought about using the 24 volt transformer and running it to the switch box on the furnace but changed my mind when I saw the HUM screw on the furnace board.
Now heres the problem ( thought I should try to be specific in what I did up there) The humidifier runs fine, is getting water fine, and the drain works fine (skinny stream of water out of the drain) but no humidity in the home to speak of. I realized I screwed up the placement of the humistat after the first night and woke up the next morning feeling like we were in the sahara desert. Realized it needed to be on the return side of the furnace. my screw up for not looking on the internet for more information from other places. But now it is placed in the main return line of the furnace about 12 inches above the bypass connection of the return side. Now maybe it will be better on night four but night three with it set at 40% humidity, you would think the dry scratchy throat feeling would be gone and the windows would be moist, but no such luck.
Should I put the fan on "on" instead of auto so that the humidifier runs more often than when just the heat is on?
what did I do wrong???