Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the drain, and
not doing much to humidify house.

Look for a damper, which might be closed. Normally, those things do a
terrific job. Might also need a new media pad. Or, the water may be dropping
through, without wetting the media. Or the media may be clogged with
minerals. Turn the humidistat up a little?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

" Attila Iskander" wrote in message
...
Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the drain, and
not doing much to humidify house.

You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it was on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out the
drain.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

" Attila Iskander" wrote in message
...
Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the drain,
and
not doing much to humidify house.




Look for a damper, which might be closed. Normally, those things do a
terrific job. Might also need a new media pad. Or, the water may be
dropping
through, without wetting the media. Or the media may be clogged with
minerals. Turn the humidistat up a little?

Pad is new as of (very late) October when furnace was inspected and started
up for winter
Damper is wide open
Control has been slowly turned up to highest level
Humidity level never went past 30% (42 was optimal last year)

The whole install is new as of summer of 2010.

"Cliff H" wrote in message
...
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it was
on a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out
the drain.

With the water wide open the waste was in excess of 10 gallons a day
Right now with only a trickle going though, it's still about 5 gallons a
day.

On 1/2/2013 5:51 PM, Cliff H wrote:
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it was on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out the
drain.


I never read the instructions for one, but I thought that is what you
were supposed to do. You want to keep the plates wet. Flushing some
water through will reduce mineral buildup.

RTFM?

"bud--" wrote in message
eb.com...
On 1/2/2013 5:51 PM, Cliff H wrote:
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it was
on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out the
drain.


I never read the instructions for one, but I thought that is what you were
supposed to do. You want to keep the plates wet. Flushing some water
through will reduce mineral buildup.

RTFM?




What makes you imagine I didn't read the manual
I'm one of those guys that get well paid because others don't read their
manuals


I'm using more water in winter, than in the other 3 seasons when SWMBO is
watering the garden at the drop of a hose.

I used far less water with portable humidifiers and humidity was more
consistent
Hence my unhappiness.

I am looking for a way to measure accurately what goes into the humidifier,
and what comes out, at different settings.
So I can figure how how much water is just plain flushed by this system


So now that we've discussed side issues
Does ANYONE have any suggestions for a simple mechanical off-the-shelf flow
meter to measure relatively low-level water going in and coming out of the
humidifier ?

On Jan 3, 11:55*am, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:
"bud--" wrote in message

eb.com...

On 1/2/2013 5:51 PM, Cliff H wrote:
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it was
on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out the
drain.

I never read the instructions for one, but I thought that is what you were
supposed to do. You want to keep the plates wet. Flushing some water
through will reduce mineral buildup.

RTFM?

What makes you imagine I didn't read the manual
* * I'm one of those guys that get well paid because others don't read their
manuals

I'm using more water in winter, than in the other 3 seasons when SWMBO is
watering the garden at the drop of a hose.

I used far less water with portable humidifiers and humidity was more
consistent
* * Hence my unhappiness.

I am looking for a way to measure accurately what goes into the humidifier,
and what comes out, at different settings.
So I can figure how how much water is just plain flushed by this system

*So now that we've discussed side issues
Does ANYONE have any suggestions for a simple mechanical off-the-shelf flow
meter to measure relatively low-level water going in and coming out of the
humidifier ?

I don't see why you need a way to measure the water
flow since you posted yesterday that it was 10 gallons
a day and now it's down to 5 gallons by partially closing
the valve. So, apparently you've already measured
the flow rate coming
out the drain. If you want to figure out how much is
being evaporated, just run the humidifier water for some
measurement period without the furnace/blower running
and record the volume as you did before. This number
will be higher and the difference would be what's going
into the house.

Also, I would not be worried about it being hot water that
is going into the humidifier, that it's a waste of hot water.
The water coming out of the humidifier will be down to
about room temp due to evaporation. So, you're recovering
most of the heat. And don't know your cost of water, but
around here 5 or 10 gallons a day isn't enought to worry
about.

How large is the house where you can't get enough
humidity? Outside temps?

wrote in message
...
On Jan 3, 11:55 am, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:
"bud--" wrote in message

eb.com...

On 1/2/2013 5:51 PM, Cliff H wrote:
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it
was
on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out
the
drain.

I never read the instructions for one, but I thought that is what you
were
supposed to do. You want to keep the plates wet. Flushing some water
through will reduce mineral buildup.

RTFM?

What makes you imagine I didn't read the manual
I'm one of those guys that get well paid because others don't read their
manuals

I'm using more water in winter, than in the other 3 seasons when SWMBO is
watering the garden at the drop of a hose.

I used far less water with portable humidifiers and humidity was more
consistent
Hence my unhappiness.

I am looking for a way to measure accurately what goes into the
humidifier,
and what comes out, at different settings.
So I can figure how how much water is just plain flushed by this system

So now that we've discussed side issues
Does ANYONE have any suggestions for a simple mechanical off-the-shelf
flow
meter to measure relatively low-level water going in and coming out of the
humidifier ?
#
# I don't see why you need a way to measure the water
# flow since you posted yesterday that it was 10 gallons
# a day and now it's down to 5 gallons by partially closing
# the valve. So, apparently you've already measured
# the flow rate coming
# out the drain. If you want to figure out how much is
# being evaporated, just run the humidifier water for some
# measurement period without the furnace/blower running
# and record the volume as you did before. This number
# will be higher and the difference would be what's going
# into the house.

1) That was ONLY outflow
2) It was also a crude estimate by channeling the outflow into a bucket

#
# Also, I would not be worried about it being hot water that
# is going into the humidifier, that it's a waste of hot water.
# The water coming out of the humidifier will be down to
# about room temp due to evaporation. So, you're recovering
# most of the heat. And don't know your cost of water, but
# around here 5 or 10 gallons a day isn't enought to worry
# about.
#
# How large is the house where you can't get enough
# humidity? Outside temps?

So in effect, you don't have an answer

I think I have clearly stated my intent
I have considered alternate choices
I'm looking for a couple of simple flow meters
For my own reasons, I would like to have a better idea of inflow and outflow
over time mapped against outside temp and humidity levels, and inside temp
and humidify levels
I really don't want to work measuring buckets.

On Jan 3, 2:42*pm, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Jan 3, 11:55 am, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:



"bud--" wrote in message

web.com...

On 1/2/2013 5:51 PM, Cliff H wrote:
You can also turn down the water. I cranked mine down so that when it
was
on
a working for awhile there was only a very small trickle of water out
the
drain.

I never read the instructions for one, but I thought that is what you
were
supposed to do. You want to keep the plates wet. Flushing some water
through will reduce mineral buildup.

RTFM?

What makes you imagine I didn't read the manual
I'm one of those guys that get well paid because others don't read their
manuals

I'm using more water in winter, than in the other 3 seasons when SWMBO is
watering the garden at the drop of a hose.

I used far less water with portable humidifiers and humidity was more
consistent
Hence my unhappiness.

I am looking for a way to measure accurately what goes into the
humidifier,
and what comes out, at different settings.
So I can figure how how much water is just plain flushed by this system

So now that we've discussed side issues
Does ANYONE have any suggestions for a simple mechanical off-the-shelf
flow
meter to measure relatively low-level water going in and coming out of the
humidifier ?

#
# I don't see why you need a way to measure the water
# flow since you posted yesterday that it was 10 gallons
# a day and now it's down to 5 gallons by partially closing
# the valve. * So, apparently you've already measured
# the flow rate coming
# out the drain. * If you want to figure out how much is
# being evaporated, just run the humidifier water for some
# measurement period without the furnace/blower running
# and record the volume as you did before. *This number
# will be higher and the difference would be what's going
# into the house.

1) * *That was ONLY *outflow

Yes, I know that, as was clear in my reply.


2) * *It was also a crude estimate by channeling the outflow into a bucket

So, do it again and measure it accurately. You
can't figure out how much water is in a bucket?




#
# Also, I would not be worried about it being hot water that
# is going into the humidifier, that it's a waste of hot water.
# The water coming out of the humidifier will be down to
# about room temp due to evaporation. *So, you're recovering
# most of the heat. *And don't know your cost of water, but
# around here 5 or 10 gallons a day isn't enought to worry
# about.
#
# How large is the house where you can't get enough
# humidity? *Outside temps?

So in effect, you don't have an answer

I gave you the answer. One more time. Measure the
water flowing out of the humidifier into a bucket for
30 mins WITH THE FURNACE/BLOWER NOT RUNNING.
Hence, virtually no water is being evaporated, it's all
going into the bucket. You now know how much water
if flowing INTO THE HUMIDIFIER.

Now, repeat the above with the furnace running for 30 mins.
You will have less water, because now some of it is being
evaporated. The difference between those two volumes of
water is how much water went into the house in 30 mins
of furnace operation.



I think I have clearly stated my intent
* * I have considered alternate choices
I'm looking for a couple of simple flow meters
For my own reasons, I would like to have a better idea of inflow and outflow
over time mapped against outside temp and humidity levels, and inside temp
and humidify levels
I really don't want to work measuring buckets.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You didn't state that you wanted to turn this into a full scale
24/7 humidifier monitoring project. From what you stated,
it appeared you were concerned that the humidifier was
not working correcty and not putting much mositure into
the house:

"Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600
humidifier
It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the
drain, and
not doing much to humidify house. "


"The 30 min approach with a bucket is cheap,
easy and will give you a good idea of what the humidifier
is doing. You will know about how much water goes into
the house and how much down the drain for every hour
the humidifier operates. That would be more than sufficient
for my needs and I would think the needs of almost
anyone questioning if a new humidifier works correctly.

It sounds like what you now want is a full instrumentation
of the system. A flow meter on the water line in,
one on the line out, a monitor for inside and outside temp,
inside and outside humidity, logging of the furnace run times, logging
of the humidifier run times. Run it all to a dedicated PC
to record the data. So, what exactly do you need from us
in the way of an answer?

Sounds like a big waste of time and money to me, when a bucket
and a watch will get to the essence of the situation.
But then I've installed 2 Aprilaires and they both worked
perfectly. I have one running in my house right now. It
maintains the humidity perfectly. Any time humidifiers are
discussed here, Aprilaire always gets very high marks as
one of the best manufacturers out there. Sounds like
either you have it installed incorrectly or are one of those
people with unreasonable expectations.

wrote in message
...

snip useless crap


My problem was clearly stated
I am looking for a couple of flow meters

Not buckets, not anything else

Which part did you not understand ?

On Jan 4, 11:34*am, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:
wrote in message

...

snip useless crap

My problem was clearly stated
* * I am looking for a couple of flow meters

Not buckets, not anything else

Which part did you not understand ?


This is your entire original post:

"Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600
humidifier
It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the
drain, and
not doing much to humidify house. "

Note that nothing in there says anything about wanting
flow meters. It suggests the core of the problem is that
you're concerned about the humidifier not putting enough
water into the air and too much going down the drain.

THAT can be determined with a bucket and a watch.
THAT approach costs nothing, takes very little effort to
do. It's simple. It works. Most people would be looking
for that.

Also noted is nothing about what the current climate is,
the size of the house, how much the furnace is running,
what the humidity level actually is.


Then you later refined it to this:

"I am looking for a way to measure accurately what goes into the
humidifier,
and what comes out, at different settings.
So I can figure how how much water is just plain flushed by this
system "

Which again is addressed by the solution using a
bucket and timer that I offered. With the bucket and timer
approach, you could determine if the max output of
the humidifier meets the spec sheet rating.



"So now that we've discussed side issues
Does ANYONE have any suggestions for a simple mechanical off-the-shelf
flow
meter to measure relatively low-level water going in and coming out of
the
humidifier ? "


Then you posted:

"For my own reasons, I would like to have a better idea of inflow and
outflow over time mapped against outside temp and humidity levels,
and inside temp
and humidify levels
I really don't want to work measuring buckets. "


Which now finally says what you really want are flow meters.
Probablly compatible with some kind of grand system that is
going to monitor the whole thing over time. We aren't mind readers.

I've tried to be helpful here. Others have too. If all you
want are flow meters, how hard is that to find? Did you
use Google? Look on Ebay? If all you want is a flow
meter, why didn't you make a post just stating that,
instead of one complaining about the performance of
your humidifier? Even if someone here did
give you a link to a flow meter, then you'd be bitching
because they can't be interfaced to monitor over time
or whatever. We're not mind readers. The group is
pretty good though at coming up with what is wrong
with a simple thing like a humidifier. But apparently that
isn't what's important to you.

And again, I've owned two Aprilaire humidifiers and both
did an excellent job of humidification. I've seen many reports,
over the years here, all good here about Aprilaire. So, there
must be something unique about your situation. And instead
of exploring THAT,you insist on instrumenting up the house.

Good luck with that.

On 1/2/2013 9:17 PM, Attila Iskander wrote:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

" Attila Iskander" wrote in message
... Need to measure water
consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the
drain, and not doing much to humidify house.




Look for a damper, which might be closed. Normally, those things do
a terrific job. Might also need a new media pad. Or, the water may
be dropping through, without wetting the media. Or the media may be
clogged with minerals. Turn the humidistat up a little?

Pad is new as of (very late) October when furnace was inspected and
started up for winter Damper is wide open Control has been slowly
turned up to highest level Humidity level never went past 30% (42 was
optimal last year)

The whole install is new as of summer of 2010.





You more than likely have a water meter at your water main. If you have
your own well or live in a community where water use is not measured,
ignore everything below:

My water meter looks like an auto speedometer/odometer with a dial and
pointer around the perimeter and some 0-9 number wheels in the middle.
The dial and pointer measures .1 gallon per mark. If you have something
similar, read your water meter, run your furnace for about an hour with
the humidistat set high while you are not otherwise using water in your
house, turn down the furnace or humidistat and read the meter again.
All consumption will be from the humidifier unless you have a plumbing
leak somewhere. Output, as you already described, can be determined by
measuring the discharge. The difference will be evaporation (probably
hard to detect unless you do a relatively long measurement, as you are
probably putting less than 15 gallons of water vapor into the air in 24hrs.

"Peter" wrote in message
...
On 1/2/2013 9:17 PM, Attila Iskander wrote:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

" Attila Iskander" wrote in message
... Need to measure water
consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the
drain, and not doing much to humidify house.




Look for a damper, which might be closed. Normally, those things do
a terrific job. Might also need a new media pad. Or, the water may
be dropping through, without wetting the media. Or the media may be
clogged with minerals. Turn the humidistat up a little?

Pad is new as of (very late) October when furnace was inspected and
started up for winter Damper is wide open Control has been slowly
turned up to highest level Humidity level never went past 30% (42 was
optimal last year)

The whole install is new as of summer of 2010.





You more than likely have a water meter at your water main. If you have
your own well or live in a community where water use is not measured,
ignore everything below:

My water meter looks like an auto speedometer/odometer with a dial and
pointer around the perimeter and some 0-9 number wheels in the middle. The
dial and pointer measures .1 gallon per mark. If you have something
similar, read your water meter, run your furnace for about an hour with
the humidistat set high while you are not otherwise using water in your
house, turn down the furnace or humidistat and read the meter again. All
consumption will be from the humidifier unless you have a plumbing leak
somewhere. Output, as you already described, can be determined by
measuring the discharge. The difference will be evaporation (probably
hard to detect unless you do a relatively long measurement, as you are
probably putting less than 15 gallons of water vapor into the air in
24hrs.



Too bad that there is no way to segregate other water usage using the water
meter

Moving on..

On Jan 2, 9:17*pm, " Attila Iskander"
wrote:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message

...







" Attila Iskander" wrote in message
...
Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the drain,
and
not doing much to humidify house.

Look for a damper, which might be closed. Normally, those things do a
terrific job. Might also need a new media pad. Or, the water may be
dropping
through, without wetting the media. Or the media may be clogged with
minerals. Turn the humidistat up a little?

Pad is new as of (very late) October when furnace was inspected and started
up for winter
Damper is wide open
Control has been slowly turned up to highest level
Humidity level never went past 30% (42 was optimal last year)



One big unanswered question here is with the humidity in
the house not at the desired level, is the humidifier running
whenever the furnace is on? Or is the humidistat turning
it off? If the humidifier is running whenever the furnace is
on, then turning up the control won't do anything. If the
humidifier doesn't run or only runs some of the time with
the humidistat at max, and you still can't get to a reasonable
humidity level, then you have a bad humidistat.

Also, what are the climate conditions, ie is it cold
enough out that the furnace is running enough to put
humidity into the air? If you are some place with a dry
climate and it's relatively warm, the furnace might not run
enough to put water into the air.

What is the actual humidity in the house and how is it
being measured?

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 10:14:29 AM UTC-6, Attila Iskander wrote:
Need to measure water consumption and waste from Aprilaire 600 humidifier

It uses heated water and is dumping at least 10+ gallons down the drain, and
not doing much to humidify house.

I know this post is old but I would like to add to this. I agree 100% with Attila's conclusions. Aprilaire and any other plate type humidifiers are for the most part just running water down the drain. I have been in HVAC for 35 years and 1st learned of the humidifier scam when I installed a system for a customer that was very concerned about her grand piano. Aprilaire states that if you want more humidity output you should run your fan on "on". This is completely a waste of energy and water and I knew this going into the project. Knowing that heated air was critical, I built a hot water coil to run with the boiler. This allowed me to have 180° air enter the humidifier. I also had a ducted fan to allow my system to run 24 hours if needed. Problem solve! So I thought. The humidity in the house was terrible. At the time the Aprilaire literature stated an output of somewhere in the area of 18 gallons a day so I was completely confused and believed I had a wiring issue that was shutting the system down when I left the job. I also came up with clocking the water and catching it in a bucket coming out of the drain without any heat or airflow and comparing it with the system operating with heat and air. I could not believe that there was virtually no difference. I think the output was well under 1 gallon per day. I didn't waste time changing the pad but instead cut a hole in the front of the humidifier so I could watch the water. The humidifier was perfectly level but the pad was not getting wet because the water would only trickle in a few spots down the honeycomb before running down the drain. I messed with the top to try and get the water to flow evenly over the plate but no matter what I did the water would just trickle somewhere else. I waste many hours at my shop at night trying to understand why "My" install didn't work. The new ones have a material on top to help wick the water but it's basically the same. The pads also have clay on them to help attract the water. I called Aprilaire many times and they said they had never had any trouble.....until on one call to technical service I was lucky enough to get an old engineer who opened up and explained that in the "old days" they worked fine. Back then before water conservation, the humidifiers did not slow down the flow and the water splashed and swirled down the pad in a waterfall. The feel good/cheap solution to put a small restrictor orafice in the water line replaced the waterfall with a trickle. Anyone who stood next to a waterfall and then a creek has felt the difference. With that knowledge, I solved my project by building a pump with a flush system to bring back the waterfall. That was 10 years ago and I can still output 24 gallons a day! I imagine it's better than the old factory numbers because I'm recirculating the water which keeps water temperature up. I stopped installing those humidifiers but all the other companies are making a fortune installing the "water wasters". I did find a huimdifier from Canada that has a rotating drum. They solved the stagnant water issue by adding a flush system to the drain that pumps out the water every 12 or 24 hours. http://www.desertspringproducts.com/...ring/index.asp Their float system stinks but it works. As for the "old engineer". I tried calling him back after I got the system working to thank him but he was no longer there. I'm guessing he was retiring and heard my frustration. Thanks sir, where ever you are.

On Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 10:30:43 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I know this post is old but I would like to add to this. I agree 100% with Attila's conclusions. Aprilaire and any other plate type humidifiers are for the most part just running water down the drain.

IDK what constituties a "plate type" humidifier, but Aprilaire like many
others use a media that they call a panel. And sure they run water down
the drain, to carry away the minerals that would otherwise build up,
but they are also putting water into the air, humidifying the house,
doing exactly what they are designed to do.




I have been in HVAC for 35 years and 1st learned of the humidifier scam when I installed a system for a customer that was very concerned about her grand piano. Aprilaire states that if you want more humidity output you should run your fan on "on". This is completely a waste of energy and water and I knew this going into the project. Knowing that heated air was critical, I built a hot water coil to run with the boiler.

Not clear at all what's going on here. April 600 and similar are designed
to be used with hot air furnaces, not boilers.



This allowed me to have 180° air enter the humidifier.

Good idea, that's what they are designed to work with.




I also had a ducted fan to allow my system to run 24 hours if needed.

I've had humidifiers in several homes, never had a need for the humidifier
to run more than when the furnace was on to do it's job.


Problem solve! So I thought. The humidity in the house was terrible. At the time the Aprilaire literature stated an output of somewhere in the area of 18 gallons a day so I was completely confused and believed I had a wiring issue that was shutting the system down when I left the job. I also came up with clocking the water and catching it in a bucket coming out of the drain without any heat or airflow and comparing it with the system operating with heat and air. I could not believe that there was virtually no difference.. I think the output was well under 1 gallon per day. I didn't waste time changing the pad but instead cut a hole in the front of the humidifier so I could watch the water. The humidifier was perfectly level but the pad was not getting wet because the water would only trickle in a few spots down the honeycomb before running down the drain. I messed with the top to try and get the water to flow evenly over the plate but no matter what I did the water would just trickle somewhere else. I waste many hours at my shop at night trying to understand why "My" install didn't work.

IDK what's wrong with yours, but I've had two Aprilaire's now on
my furnaces and they work as designed. Also have seen many others
post here saying they are very happy with theirs.



The new ones have a material on top to help wick the water but it's basically the same.

I thought you were talking about a new install for a customer?


The pads also have clay on them to help attract the water. I called Aprilaire many times and they said they had never had any trouble.....until on one call to technical service I was lucky enough to get an old engineer who opened up and explained that in the "old days" they worked fine. Back then before water conservation, the humidifiers did not slow down the flow and the water splashed and swirled down the pad in a waterfall. The feel good/cheap solution to put a small restrictor orafice in the water line replaced the waterfall with a trickle. Anyone who stood next to a waterfall and then a creek has felt the difference.

But it does no good to send excess water down the drain, it just wastes
water and energy. Mine has a pencil size flow of water going down the
drain and it has more than enough capacity to keep humidity at 45%+
in a 3200 sq ft house. It only runs a small fraction of the furnace on
time.


With that knowledge, I solved my project by building a pump with a flush system to bring back the waterfall. That was 10 years ago and I can still output 24 gallons a day!



I imagine it's better than the old factory numbers because I'm recirculating the water which keeps water temperature up. I stopped installing those humidifiers but all the other companies are making a fortune installing the "water wasters". I did find a huimdifier from Canada that has a rotating drum. They solved the stagnant water issue by adding a flush system to the drain that pumps out the water every 12 or 24 hours. http://www.desertspringproducts.com/...ring/index.asp Their float system stinks but it works. As for the "old engineer". I tried calling him back after I got the system working to thank him but he was no longer there. I'm guessing he was retiring and heard my frustration. Thanks sir, where ever you are.

IDK what your problems are, but mine works perfectly, installed per
the directions.

On Mon, 13 Mar 2017 08:14:12 -0700 (PDT)
trader_4 wrote:

IDK what constituties a "plate type" humidifier,


Then STFU!

...the pad was not getting wet because the water would only trickle in a few spots down the honeycomb before running down the drain.


if the honeycomb does not "wet" then of course it won't work.


are you saying the water just beaded up and ran down the honeycomb without soaking into the honeycomb?


that would be the problem but why? i don't know.

you would think that might happen when the material is new, but eventually the water should soak into it.

m


mark

On Monday, March 13, 2017 at 4:17:10 PM UTC-4, wrote:
...the pad was not getting wet because the water would only trickle in a few spots down the honeycomb before running down the drain.


if the honeycomb does not "wet" then of course it won't work.


are you saying the water just beaded up and ran down the honeycomb without soaking into the honeycomb?


that would be the problem but why? i don't know.

you would think that might happen when the material is new, but eventually the water should soak into it.

m


mark

It doesn't have to soak into the media and I don't think it does.
The coating on it is some kind of rough material that doesn't appear
designed to absorb water. The water
just has to run over as much of the surface area as possible on it's
way to the bottom. Like I said, I've had two Aprilaires and also
experience with a Honeywell that uses the same media with a very
similar design. Both worked fine to maintain humidity at up to 45%
in a large house while never running anywhere near the full on time
of the furnace.

Could some people have problems with maybe a defective distribution
tray at the top, where the water winds up only going down part of
the media? Sure. Or it could be installed where it's not level,
so the water flows to one side. If you look at Amazon, they have
300+ reviews with the vast majority of people agreeing that it works
and they like it. And of the few that don't like it, some are
complaining about things that make no sense, like it doesn't work
well with a tankless water heater (you can use it with cold water),
or complaints about water going down the drain (it's a small expense
to have it carry away the minerals, instead of have it gunk up)., etc.