Gerritt Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 (edited) Ok ..... So I dont want to ask the HVAC guy I use at work for fear of looking stupid lol.. My wife was complaining that the house was dry and her hands were cracking.. So I said I might as well start up our furnace mounted humidifier... so I went down stairs clean the tray etc and set the controls to the outside temp etc... Then I started to look at the humidifier.. and thought... Hmmmm... something just doesnt look right.. Here is what I am looking at... Seems odd to me the humidifier is mounted on the Heat side with a flex hose connected to the cold air return... therefor the Cold air return is sucking any moist air into the furnace filter will this not promote mold in the furnace itself? Spreading mold spores through the house as the filter will become moist?? I use an allergen furnace filter due to my sons allergies.. is this a real issue?? and should I be looking at replacing my humidifier? it is a sears model that came with the house when I bought it. Thanks in advance! Edited December 7, 2006 by Gerritt
Daplumma Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 That style of humidfier will spread mold spores thruout the house very quickly if not maintained.Most humifiers will if not maintained.I assume it is a drum type that is in there.The Aprilaire with a fan motor and total loss water system are marginally better if maintained.The drum type have a standing cesspool that the sponge rolls around in and distributes thru the house.A good cleaning and replacement of the "sponge" will help the situation. Joe
danc Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Yes Gerritt. It should be mounted on the return air duct, not the supply. It's been installed wrong.
Gerritt Posted December 7, 2006 Author Report Posted December 7, 2006 (edited) Great... I thought something just did not look correct... as it looked so inefficient circling back through the furnace (Cold air return) back into the supply, in order to add humidity to the house Looks like I will bring my HVAC guy to install a new one corectly.. Great... Gerritt. Edited December 7, 2006 by Gerritt
ccmtcanada Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 ok...this is strange...check out these instructions to a furnace humidifier...it says to mount it on the warm air side, not the cold air return.... http://www.autoflohumidifiers.com/pdf-file...Instl-Instr.pdf I've seen answers on the web stating cold air return too...jeez....nice and clear for everyone!!!
danc Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Clearly the instructions for that model say to install it on the supply plenum, but the few hundred that I've installed call for installation on the return air plenum.
Gerritt Posted December 7, 2006 Author Report Posted December 7, 2006 Hey Joe, yup it is a barrel type with a sponge.... Should I be looking at something else to prevent mold? Gerritt.
danc Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Any standing water can produce mold. It should be fine during the winter months, but shut off the water supply during the summer. Clean it out good in the fall before turning the water back on. Replace the sponge pad then too. They're only a few bucks.
Daplumma Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 (edited) Yup.The Drumatic style would not be my first choice.I put one of them in my MIL s house!I would go with a unit with a fan in it like the Aprilaire.The reason some of them are installed on the cold(return) side is that the heated air being pulled thru the humidifier and recycled thru the furnace will be able to hold more moisture.When it gets down to it it doesn't matter one way or another.The air is still being pulled thru the humidifier and thru the furnace again with that type of set up.Some types mount on the supply,some on the return.I would prefer to have any type that has water trickling thru a media and going down the drain over one that has a water resiviour. Joe Edited December 7, 2006 by Daplumma
Terry Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 OK a humidifier would need to be on the heat side not the cold side the water/drum type needs the heat to get the water into the air even an electric steamer type would be most effective on the hot side of the unit
ccmtcanada Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 OK a humidifier would need to be on the heat side not the cold side the water/drum type needs the heat to get the water into the air even an electric steamer type would be most effective on the hot side of the unit That's what I thought too Terry. I always thought that the sensor for humidity control has to be on the cold air return to see what the level is as air returns to the furnace.
Gerritt Posted December 7, 2006 Author Report Posted December 7, 2006 ok NOW I am confused..... Gerritt.
danc Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Wrong Terry. The drum type should be installed on the cold air side with the 6" flex pipe connected to the hot side. The 6" flex pipe sends hot air into the center of the drum and out through the water soaked sponge. It is a very efficient way of adding moisture to the house when installed this way. But it does have it's problems, as discussed above.
bigfish1965 Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Does the humidistat read the water content in the furnace room or in the air shaft? If it is reading in the room, this would explain why some are hooked into the cold air shaft since warm air has greater space between air molecules and can hold more water vapour. So 40% humidity at 50 Degrees F and 40 % at 70 degrees F are totally different in terms of water volume. Also, cold air over warm water is very efficient at creating evaporation...just ask Buffalo NY.
danc Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 It reads the humidity inside the return duct if installed correctly Rick. Ideally the humidistat should be centrally installed in the living area of the house. If wiring is a problem, it can be installed in the return air duct upstream from the humidifier. This gives a good sample of the overall house humidity but only when the furnace is running. It's also a pain to go into the basement to adjust it.
Roy Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 Same as what Dan described, I have a forced air electric furnace and my humidifier (drum type) is mounted on the supply (cold) side of the system. It's been there since the furnace was new and it works just fine. I keep it clean though.
Gerritt Posted December 7, 2006 Author Report Posted December 7, 2006 When I bought our house I sealed the humidifier off from the system using the Steel plate to seal the Flexline.. next I emptied the tray and turned off the water supply to the Humidifier...I cleaned the tray and float etc before I shut it down and just did the same about an hour ago... the unit is clean... but for how long.. it hasnt been used in over 4 years till today.. I am still concerned with moisture settling in the filter (should I be concerned with the filter?) or do I say stuff it and spend a few bucks for a newer more efficient and less mold emitting model if such a unit exsists??? is my current unit still adding humidity to the house or should I shut it down till I can get my HVAC guy here? no sense in wasting hydro etc... thanks guys. Ger.
aplumma Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 I have the Aprilaire total loss system with a separate forced air fan on the supply side. It is easy to install and does a good job of keeping the house moist. If you go to a total loss system make sure that you have a dependable way to get rid of the water. If you do have to use a pump don't forget to wire it into the overflow protection circuit that will turn off the humidifyer if the pump fails. Art
Terry Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 I don't know about the building world, but in the science world the water in it's gas form would turn back to liquid as it hit the cooler air there by defeating it'self
Daplumma Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 As long as the unit is cleaned up correctly you should be able to run it until your AC guy gets there.You will get some humidfiing with the way that one is installed. Joe
Fish Farmer Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 (edited) Gerrit you need a little moisture in the air in the winter months. Like you said your wifes hands get dry. when your asleep your nose and throat will get dry, your furniture and floor wood will dry and shrink. Having moisture in the air will help on you heating bill. You'll have to play with the stat for awhile till you get the best setting. To much moisture you'll have water running down your windows. The way it looks in your picture it's on backwards. Edited December 7, 2006 by Fish Farmer
Beans Posted December 7, 2006 Report Posted December 7, 2006 (edited) I guess there is no sense suggesting our humidifying system (a kettle of water)... Best of luck Gerritt... Edited December 7, 2006 by Beans
John Bacon Posted December 8, 2006 Report Posted December 8, 2006 When I installed my humidifier the instructions said that the unit could be installed on either the cold air or warm air duct. However, mine is not a drum type. I don't know if that makes any difference.
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