Whole house humidifier

[karaRobert]

I have hardwood in my new house and a drum style house humidifier - does the humidifier only run when the heat (furnace) is on. And if thats the case how do you run the humidifier in summer if its always going to be hot enough to not require the furnace to run?

[Tom7227]

The one I have only runs when the furnace is on.  In the summer I turn off the water that goes to it and turn down the humidistat.  There are no moving parts in mine.  In the winter a solenoid opens the water line and water trickles over a filter like thing.  Unless your rig is really old I suspect it works about the same way.  Be sure to keep the humidity in the house to the proper level.  You can get all sorts of guidance on line.

[Mike89]

3 hours ago, Tom7227 said:

The one I have only runs when the furnace is on.  In the summer I turn off the water that goes to it and turn down the humidistat.  There are no moving parts in mine.  In the winter a solenoid opens the water line and water trickles over a filter like thing.  Unless your rig is really old I suspect it works about the same way.  Be sure to keep the humidity in the house to the proper level.  You can get all sorts of guidance on line.

yup same here...

[huntnfish]

7 hours ago, Tom7227 said:

The one I have only runs when the furnace is on.  In the summer I turn off the water that goes to it and turn down the humidistat.  There are no moving parts in mine.  In the winter a solenoid opens the water line and water trickles over a filter like thing.  Unless your rig is really old I suspect it works about the same way.  Be sure to keep the humidity in the house to the proper level.  You can get all sorts of guidance on line.

The one I installed in my previous house was the same way. Like Tom said, be sure to watch the humidity levels. When they get too high you can start to get mold growth. I always watched the windows. When they'd start to get a lot of condensation on them I'd turn it down.

 

Be sure to check the filter at least once a year. I lived in town and still had to replace the filter every year because of buildup on the filter. When it would get clogged the water would pretty much run straight down to the drain in the bottom. 

[Mike89]

good call there...

[Moon Lake Refuge]

Not just heat, if you have central air it will run off that also though not as well.  Usually no real need to have a humidifier run in the summer though around here.  

[Tom7227]

20 hours ago, huntnfish said:

 I always watched the windows. When they'd start to get a lot of condensation on them I'd turn it down.

One possible problem with this method is that if you have thermopane windows you don't get moisture unless things really get out of whack.  The best way to keep track is to buy a thermometer that has a humidity setting on it.  You can get them for $10 or so.  Also it isn't a 'set it once and you're good to go'.  The colder it is outside the lower the setting should be on your humidifier.  Cold air holds less moisture and the furnace runs more often.  If you don't change the setting and don't pay attention you could create a problem.

Best way to learn how to do this stuff is to do the Google and check out a couple of the links that come up.

[cavalierowner]

10 hours ago, Tom7227 said:

One possible problem with this method is that if you have thermopane windows you don't get moisture unless things really get out of whack.  The best way to keep track is to buy a thermometer that has a humidity setting on it.  You can get them for $10 or so.  Also it isn't a 'set it once and you're good to go'.  The colder it is outside the lower the setting should be on your humidifier.  Cold air holds less moisture and the furnace runs more often.  If you don't change the setting and don't pay attention you could create a problem.

Best way to learn how to do this stuff is to do the Google and check out a couple of the links that come up.

That was exactly the reason I went with the AprilAire humidifier with the outside temperature sensor. With the outside sensor, it truly is "set & go"; I know me well enough that I wouldn't be running to the furnace and constantly changing the setting. It cost more money, but it really does work well. BTW, the furnace burners don't have to be firing; as long as the furnace fan is running, the humidifier is running.