Great Video.... I used the self piercing saddle valve kit BUT over time, the rubber gasket deteriorated to the point that it won't shut off. I had an emergency call to my plumber who installed a ball valve type of shut off valve. Lesson learned for me.
Will it control furnace blower ON/OFF? My humidifier is mist kind and requires heat and blower working together with humidifier. My humidifier also requires furnace blower to work a couple minutes after humidifier switches off automatically to distribute all the moisture collected in the duct. If blower stops the same time with mist humidifier moisture still will sit inside plenum and makes it rust. Will this Humidifier Control have this setting so furnace blower work few minutes after humidifier switched off?
This unit is actually the "AprilAire 500M" ("M" is for manual), but anybody watching this who wants to install one should spend a little more money and get AprilAire 500 (not the 500M) which automatically adjusts the humidity levels based on the outdoor air temperature. If you get the model in this video, you'll have to manually adjust the humidity levels based on the outdoor temp which I guaranty you will screw up. Then you will get moisture/condenstaion all over your windows as well as other areas of the house which can cause problems. The 500 comes with a different controller and an outdoor thermometer which automatically adjusts the humidity level based on the outside air temp to avoid these issues. Also, I wouldn't recommend using the piercing valve that comes with it, at least not long term since it will probably leak and fail. I would install a "T" with a shut off valve then to a compression fitting for the water hose that comes with this unit for long term to avoid issues with these types of piercing valves.
that's a good idea(i just installed it)... one consideration though - there is a lot more work/wiring to be done. If you're not comfortable with this, than for the other you might need an installer. it has outdoor temp sensor(needs hole to the outside - 2 wires) it has constant power(for the circuit board/return RH sensor) and separate power for solenoid valve(4wires) It intercepts the G wire (disconnects fan) and reconnects it back to the furnace after it passed through the main board(2wires) I think that's all, but I've read many reviews with diy-ers not being comfortable with this installation - so just a thought
19:40 if you wire the transformer to the EAC terminals it will only turn on the humidifier when the blower motor is running. if you only want the humidifier to turn on in the winter during the heat cycle then wire the transformer to the HUM terminal
A humidifier should only run when there is a call for heat, and for that reason you would never want to use G to power the solenoid, but rather W. Your humidifier will never run when its in heating mode if the fan is set to auto the way you have it wired Its important to understand when the fan is in auto the blower will run when W gets 24V, and it doesn't need G.
Hey, great video! Nice cat too... I was wondering if you could help me to answer this question. With your setup, do you need to use the transformer that comes with kit? or do you wire directly to the board to get power? I am replacing my drum style humidifier which uses transformer, so wondering about that. Thank you.
So I have a 3800² foot house and I run the fan all the time in the winter to keep air flowing and the basement warmer. I'm an electrician BTW. I'm thinking about having the water flow while the fan is on, because even with yearly repayment of evaporated media. I don't think I'm getting enough humidity in the house. You think I should keep it on the fan and install a really for cool so it doesn't run in summer? Or you think the humidistat will keep it off?
Hello there, So I set everything up the way that you have it all set up water line, electrical hookups the same as what you have it. The system runs when I have the fan running on "Always ON" however when I turn the fan on auto and when the furnace kicks on the humidification system doesn't turn on when the fan starts blowing. I am wondering why this is happening? If you have any tips I would appreciate that Thanks!
My old furnace, which was about 14 years old didn't need a wire to the G terminal for the fan for the fan to kick on when there was a call for heat or cooling. I repurposed the G wire years ago to use as the W2 wire so my thermostat could control the 2nd stage heating. This is what baffled me about his wiring. It seems that the only time the humidifier will come on is when there's a call for the fan only. In other words when he turns on the fan manually the circuit will be completed between G and C. But when there's a call for heat (W wire) there won't be a completed circuit using his wiring. *The quick answer to your problem*: Use the C (24v) and W wire to complete the circuit and energize the solenoid when there's a call for heat. Because why would you not want hot air to help evaporate the water and introduce humidity and if this did work with the G and C wires on your system the humidifier's solinoid would energize during the summer months as well if the humidity was low enough, which should happen since it's the job of the A/C to bring down the humidity in the house. *The correct answer to your problem*: Follow the manufacture's instructions for wiring. If the instructions are unclear then call the manufacture's help line and they should be able to get the system working correctly with your furnace.
Hi, I just installed my humidifier. I tried to connect the C AND G from the furnace according your drawing in the video. but I cannot got the voltage and the solenoid was not open when the blower start on. My furnace is lennox and the control board is HarmonyIII, V7.1. catalogue no ix X9953. Please let me know how can I connect them?
I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but G is independent fan. C to W is all that is used to fire the burner and start the fan, old thermostats we're only 2 wires. Then came fancy thermostats that let you run the fan without heat, G wire. For A/C the Y wire fires up the outdoor components, and G runs the independent fan in the air handler. So his humidifier will run with A/C, but not with heat. TLDR: C and W, not C and G.
Hello good video, did this humidifier actually raise the humidity in your house did you notice a change in humidity %, and out of curiosity whats your house sq ft, thanks for the feedback.
Does the 6 inch tube connect to the cold air intake and the whole humidifier itself connect to the hot air tube? My hot air tube is circular instead of a rectangular duct. Not sure how to put this thing on.
mounts on return. you could technically mount it with no round tube and open the flap just a tiny bit, but then your return air would be coming largely from your utility room which isn't always ideal.
Good explanation! My Humidity is too low with furnace/humidifier on only with heat. You gave me the info how to set up with blower only., great! I will use a nest thermostat to fire just the blower on a regular basis (nest can do that) to increase humidity! Wow, what a simple solution! All the pros don’t explain this so well! God bless you! Jim
My problem: I have the solenoid's continuity, on one hand, and I have 24 volts ac from the furnace. But when I connect them together the power drops close to 0 volt. What could be wrong? Thank you.
looks like a good humidifier its not over the furnace but off to the side. mine rotted ouit my plenum and destroyed my furnace. it was a spray type that sprayed cold water into the furnace plenum, rusing and rotting everything inside
You should wire it to W and C (call for heat) You only run a humidifier in furnace season. Putting to G is only going to run it when you turn the fan to ON on the thermostat. That's fine if you're someone that runs your system with the fan on ON 24/7 but if you're not then this thing is never going to turn on as a call for heat or cool only energizes Y or W only.
I bought same humidifier and it appears I have similar Goodman furnace. Can I wire C and W terminals on furnace directly to humidstat, then to humidifier? Humidifier came with transformer, But I don't think I need to use it with this furnace, is this correct?
@@shhallsa You only need to use the transformer if you cant or aren't going to connect it to the 24v thermostat terminals. There aren't many reasons not to though imo. Especially if you have a humidistat to regulate how much it runs. You can either give it constant power from C and R. Or you can have it run just during heating mode with C and W. They give you the transformer because the terminals for the humidifier on the control board like 'EAC' or 'HUM supply 120v which would burn out a 24v humidifier. The transformer is used to step-down that voltage for use with a 24v humidifier (some humidifiers use 120v) the reason to use EAC or HUM is that they're more intelligent since they're controlled by the boards logic and are for accessories. Those terminals will allow you to power the humidifier whenever the fan is on and not necessarily when heating. Like say you turn your fan from AUTO to ON.. in that case you can run the fan on ON for a bit to run the humidifier with it. Just make sure you wire the humidistat right and don't create a short. Remember, the two wires going through it, one goes passes straight through and the other you cut and separate onto the terminals on the humidistat so it can open and close the circuit. It doesn't matter which of the two you cut. If you have a communicating furnace with a smart thermostat (it uses 4 terminals for everything ex: A,B,+,- rather than the 24v terminals C,R,Y,W,G) you can wire the 24V for the humidifier through the double HUM terminals and not use the supplied manual humidistat at all.. let the thermostat be your humidistat.
@Ernie Bell lol oops. Yeah I don't think many of the new humidifiers use 120v valves anymore, probably for safety. Just be glad you did your wiring good enough not to accidentally send 120 back to the low-voltage terminals. Had someone do that lately, burned out their control board AND the hub for their smart thermostat.
HVAC tech here. You also needed to mount the humidistat above the humidifier on the duct, up air-stream from it. The way you have it now it's not sensing what humidity is coming back from in the house it's measuring whats coming right out of the humidifier, it's totally going to be thrown off.
I've wondered about this as I do not have much room above the return to mount the control. If return air is coming from inside my house only a few feet away, why not just mount the humidistat anywhere near any return vent as that air will be entering the return duct anyway?
@@YellowstoneBrew You can if you want to, but you wont be getting an air sample from the house as a whole but rather that particular room. There's nothing stopping you from running wire up into the house and mounting the humidistat somewhere in the hallway, I've seen customers do that.
My saddle valve failed also I couldn't open it the needle stayed in the hole couldn't get water to the humidifier so I had a plumber put in a quarter turn valve works perfect now they should Outlaw those saddle valves
does installing this yourself void any warranty on the hvac unit or warranty of the company who installed it? I have a new build and the whole system was installed by a single hvac company selected by the builder.
Well any company that may have just installed equipment may say it voids that specific warranty to that company.. as far as manufacturers warranty.. depends on what damage it does.. like water continually running and potentially rusting out equipment.
I reversed the duct to the right side so now my solenoid is upside down. Will that affect the water flow or is the water pressure enough to push the water up without any problems? Thanks.
Im about to install an Aprilaire, so this was helpful, thanks! I've done one of these years ago, and learned I an not a fan of those saddle valves. Mine got crudded up after a few years and would not turn off. And then it leaves a hole in the nice copper tubing, so I couldn't easily remove it without repairing the pipe. So this time I'm going to just install an actual Pex T and a valve. Also for anyone about to do this... if you have a Nest or similar wifi smart thermostat, you don't even need the supplied humidistat control at all. Your Nest has the interior and exterior humidity and can trigger it for you. Which also means you can buy the most basic humidifiers with "manual" control because you aren't going to use the supplied controls anyways. We got our Nest for about $25 after AEP power and Columbia Gas rebates.
Absolutely. Saddle valves can be a bit sketch from time to time, but honestly most of the installations I see that are 20+ years old are just fine. If you've got some spare M, N, L copper, ability to sweat and can work with Pex crimp tools, its DEFINITELY the way to go! This is a home gamer tutorial first and foremost :) As far as the thermostat control -- for sure! However, folks like me who have a nice fancy WiFi thermostat with the control, but only have 18/5 in the wall, there just aren't enough wires to tackle all of the functions properly
Thank you for a qualified guide and explanation. Like and subscribe! If I may, I would suggest to ask someone to keep the camera for you for steady picture recording.
First off, saddle valves are the devil. Second, G is not used during a call for heat. W is used for a call for heat, that automatically fires the blower fan. In 2 wires thermostats, only C and W exist. G adds independent fan, like a whole house ceiling fan. Y runs the outdoor equipment for A/C, but not the fan, so a combination of C to Y and C to G are used for A/C.
thanks man! Great explanation of setting this whole house humidifier up! I especially like your wiring diagram simple but it makes sense. I knew if I found the right video I could tackle this easily. So you connected to the cold water than? You said it went to your outdoor faucet so I assume cold? How is that working for you? Our Hot water is electric so Very expensive to heat. I'd prefer to just use the cold supply if it will still evaporate enough.
Darin k glad it helped! cold water is working fine so far. hot water atomizes better... but it’s working. just keep the door nice and open to keep the airflow high.
So the issue I have with everything hooked up now, is that connecting the humidistat to the furnace fan wire only allows the humidistat to be on when I have my thermostat set as "Fan On" instead of "Fan Auto" When "Fan auto" is selected the Fan wire doesn't put out juice but the white (heat on wire) does instead. So Then I thought Hey why not just hook it to the white heat wire well then the issue is if my house is at the desired temp but I want it more humid I can't just select "Fan On" to given the humidistat power for humidity. The next thought is hook it to both but hooking one wire to both terminals would connect the heat and fan only terminals and we don't want that haha. Thoughts? Merry Christmas :-) (this is a side present for my pregnant wife :-) )
really? I think your thermostat may be malfunctioning. the fan wire should be hot when the fan is on, when the heat is on and when the AC is on.. what thermostat do you have?
How often do you recommend having the ducts cleaned? I do mine along with the laundry dryer every 15 months. By the way, is the Aprilaire 500 sufficient, ever wished you went with the higher model? -great video!
sorry for switching accounts @@GE0RGl0S duct cleaning every 5ish years is just fine IMO. I wish they had a smaller model. this one is oversized for my furnace as far as how much it can output.
Hello Erik. Thank you so much for posting this video. My furnace is in the attic. Would this be a good investment, and worthwhile the trouble if I have to install it in the attic? I've heard you mentioned something about water "gravity". If I have constant water going through the line, coming from down below, and I'm going straight up into the attic (don't believe I have any water lines up in the attic), would it be sufficient to run this unit, or this won't be viable for my application?
The gravity reference was for his humidifier drain line. His original drain line that he purchased was too short to run to his floor drain, so instead he spliced into an existing drain line and is depending on gravity to keep the water from flowing back up into his humidifiers drain line.
Thanks for taking the time to reply to N.G., Chris. That's correct. My oversight, but it has been working perfectly thus far. I do intend to replace all of the drain line with schedule 40 1" PVC at some point in the future for the AC and the humidifier
N.G. I'm not a licensed plumber but I don't know why not unless you have water pressure issues (some older well water systems). You'll need to find a way to run it up to the attic. A little easier said than done but it's possible as a DIY job on a weekend. I'd recommend PEX with sharkbite fittings. As a warning, most building codes don't like you putting pex fittings inside walls without access. Keep the pex run long and the fittings exposed in the basement and attic. If you're not comfortable with it, I really would recommend getting a professional plumber. Nothing feels worse than dumping a weekend into plumbing to find out it leaks on Monday.
Hi Eric thanks for posting. I’m thinking of getting the model 500, but my plenum isn’t metal it is the newer fiberboard (2” thick”), I’m not sure how the humidifier would mount?
I'm hesitant to comment just because I haven't worked with that before, and I'm a 'home gamer' ;) As long as the part I'm modifying can be purchased/replaced, I'll almost always give it a go. As long as you can make a hole in it, I think it should work. Main concern would be the humidistat as your plenum sounds much thicker than the 20 gauge sheet metal mine is made from.
Hey .. Great video and helpful to say the least. I thought perhaps you could offer some help with the wiring part. I just installed my 500M this past weekend and it runs fine etc. The idea of the water running constantly per the factory connection is a bad idea. . So the unit is currently in the "off" position on the humidistat. I have an older TRANE furnace without A/C and a thermostat with only two wires (battery operated). I connected it to the red 24v lead off the internal transformer and off the blue lead off the thermostat. I'd like my 500M to run only when the heat is "ON". The blower line being 115V is obviously a bad idea, lol. Would you have a suggestion as to where to connect? I've considered the AGV valve connection (to be confirmed of 24V power via multimeter first before doing anything. I do have a photo of the wiring schematic if you have time to have a look and advise. Thanks in advance
Hey Eric, if you look at those two supplied wiring diagrams you will see that on the bottom one they recommend wiring the supplied transformer to EAC terminals. These are 110vac relay terminals that contact when the blower is running providing up to 1.0a of 110vac power when the fan is on. This would solve your problem either the Auto/On issue
According to your logic there would be no need for a water shutoff solenoid if the humidistat didn't cycle it. I have had an April Aire model 600 installed for over 10 years installed as per the instructions. It shuts the water off and on perfectly fine, it does NOT constantly run the water. I think you mistakenly used the illustation as a wiring diagram (which it is not). I think they are trying to represent a separate wire that connects the solenoid to the humidistat... So 24 volt to controller, different wire 24 volt to solenoid.
Not remotely implied or derived from my diagram logic, no. the 600 has a paddle in the humidistat that senses air flow. my 500 does not, therefore it does not have the capacity to shut off water flow when the furnace isn't blowing air. Either way, If the 600 had been wired this way, you'd just have one more safety net built in because your humidistat will cut the solenoid when air isnt flowing AND the lack of fan trigger signal would also break the circuit.
Todd. Im just hooking up my De Hu today and the wiring for the transformer is confusing me. One thing I think you left out of the diagram, Erik , is the transformer. Where does that fit into the puzzle?
razz P “M” stands for manual. Some systems comes with an auto feature that allows you to set and forget. You have a separate sensor that you put outside the home, that picks up relative humidity and adjusts accordingly. The sensor does have to be wired in also. Hope this helps.
Aaron Hermanson pretty close, but the sensor picks up the temp outside and not the humidity. This is mostly to prevent condensation to form around the windows in the house. Colder temperatures=put less humidity in your house
Any issues with the polyethylene tubing in the past 1 year since your install? Most say PE tubing is not to be used with hot water, and the Aprilaire instructions call for copper piping.
looks like you got the electrical circuit correct. Some furnace circuit boards have a specific terminal for the humidifier. The only issue I see you overlooked is that the humidistat must be at least 6 inches before the humidifier in the air stream or it is detecting the the humidity after water has been added which would give a false reading to the sensor.
good note! I'm definitely no expert -- it does trigger, but chances are the reading is a bit off in that case. perhaps I'll move it, or run some 18/8 and give humidity control to my actual thermostat!
Hi Erik, first off, thanks for doing the video. I know you have mentioned that the Aprilaire 500M unit already has a built-in damper, are there any benefits of having another damper on the other end as well? Also, now that you're two winters into using the unit, is there anything you've changed in the setup? Any step that you'd modify. thanks!
The damper on the 500 isn't very tight, it has gaps all around the outside of the damper. It's probably ok, but it will have a little blowby when closed. I think he probably bought the flange with damper before opening the humidifier box, he probably didn't know it had its own damper.
Just curious......why didn't you use the 24V transformer that comes with the kit? I am getting ready to install the Aprilaire 500. Looks like the Humidistat control is alot different and you need to wire it up to that transformer.
Mainly, for me, just because there was no need to add additional elements and complexity. the 24VAC transformer on my furnace was plenty large to run a thermostat and a solenoid valve. it was just easier and cleaner for my installation. I'm not necessarily advising anyone to install theirs like I did, but I can tell you my setup has been working perfectly since posting this video. the water solenoid only actuates when the house is too dry AND the fan is currently operating. which humidistat are you using? You can run these kits independently on their own transformer for sure. I just didn't like the possibility that the system would be running water down the drain when not in use.
Thanks for the response Erik. The humidistat I have is Model 60. It has quite a few more contacts than the version you have, including an output to control the Solenoid. It also has a sensor input for outside air temperature. I think I'll just wire it just like the instructions mention. I'm not exactly sure if it would work if I try and get the power from the furnace board.
fancy fancy! that one is super nice. R and C are to your transformer, looks like both H lugs are water solenoid and the W and G triggers both feed in to it from the furnace as well. that one is smart enough to basically fully replicate the checks and balances I have in place with mine right out of the box. s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/60-install.pdf
Haha, thanks Erik! I actually ended up finding a 24VAC supply on my furnace board, so I didn't even need to install the transformer that came with the kit. Oh well. Not a big deal. If I end up getting a Nest or Ecobee, I can simply rewire to the board and run a few more wires up to my Tstat and control the humidity from there if need be. One thing I've noticed about this Model 60 Humidistat.............the Outdoor Temp Sensor does not seem accurate at all. Ive taken several readings and the resistance is definitely not equating to what it should be with what the temp is. I may write to AprilAir and see if they can replace it.......otherwise there is no point in having the automatic mode if the sensor isn't accurate. Last night it was reading like it was 60 deg outside when it was really about 5!!!
yikes -- that could really mess things up if the humidity bumped to 40% or something on a 5 degree day! my Schneider thermostat can do humidity control, but unfortunately the wire set going to my thermostat is insufficient :(
I have multiple problems with this. As for a DIY, I give you a C-. The distribution cap was upside down. The humidity controller is supposed to be at least 6” above the humidifier, not below. That’s in the instructions. Besides that, the flex duct looks like garbage but hey, it works.
Beats the alternative. If a video has too much info for one person, it'll still have just enough for another, and the first person can still watch it and learn something. If a video has too little info, it's basically useless for half the people who want to watch it.
Nice watch.⌚
I really appreciate the detail on the wiring here, it’s the hardest part to figure out
I can't find a flange like that anywhere
Great Great video, Thanks
Great video. I appreciate the intel.
Great Video.... I used the self piercing saddle valve kit BUT over time, the rubber gasket deteriorated to the point that it won't shut off. I had an emergency call to my plumber who installed a ball valve type of shut off valve. Lesson learned for me.
They are also not up to code in many places as they allow contamination into the water system as well.
Will it control furnace blower ON/OFF? My humidifier is mist kind and requires heat and blower working together with humidifier. My humidifier also requires furnace blower to work a couple minutes after humidifier switches off automatically to distribute all the moisture collected in the duct. If blower stops the same time with mist humidifier moisture still will sit inside plenum and makes it rust. Will this Humidifier Control have this setting so furnace blower work few minutes after humidifier switched off?
This unit is actually the "AprilAire 500M" ("M" is for manual), but anybody watching this who wants to install one should spend a little more money and get AprilAire 500 (not the 500M) which automatically adjusts the humidity levels based on the outdoor air temperature. If you get the model in this video, you'll have to manually adjust the humidity levels based on the outdoor temp which I guaranty you will screw up. Then you will get moisture/condenstaion all over your windows as well as other areas of the house which can cause problems. The 500 comes with a different controller and an outdoor thermometer which automatically adjusts the humidity level based on the outside air temp to avoid these issues. Also, I wouldn't recommend using the piercing valve that comes with it, at least not long term since it will probably leak and fail. I would install a "T" with a shut off valve then to a compression fitting for the water hose that comes with this unit for long term to avoid issues with these types of piercing valves.
that's a good idea(i just installed it)... one consideration though - there is a lot more work/wiring to be done. If you're not comfortable with this, than for the other you might need an installer.
it has outdoor temp sensor(needs hole to the outside - 2 wires)
it has constant power(for the circuit board/return RH sensor) and separate power for solenoid valve(4wires)
It intercepts the G wire (disconnects fan) and reconnects it back to the furnace after it passed through the main board(2wires)
I think that's all, but I've read many reviews with diy-ers not being comfortable with this installation - so just a thought
19:40 if you wire the transformer to the EAC terminals it will only turn on the humidifier when the blower motor is running. if you only want the humidifier to turn on in the winter during the heat cycle then wire the transformer to the HUM terminal
My return air is too far out of way. Is there a way to install fan instead.
you can techncially have return air come from your furnace room without a duct like that. only really ideal in winter because of convection
A humidifier should only run when there is a call for heat, and for that reason you would never want to use G to power the solenoid, but rather W. Your humidifier will never run when its in heating mode if the fan is set to auto the way you have it wired
Its important to understand when the fan is in auto the blower will run when W gets 24V, and it doesn't need G.
w is correct.
Hey, great video! Nice cat too... I was wondering if you could help me to answer this question. With your setup, do you need to use the transformer that comes with kit? or do you wire directly to the board to get power? I am replacing my drum style humidifier which uses transformer, so wondering about that. Thank you.
good question. I did not use the transformer it came with. the solenoid is technically pulling its power from the 24vac transformer in the furnace.
So I have a 3800² foot house and I run the fan all the time in the winter to keep air flowing and the basement warmer. I'm an electrician BTW. I'm thinking about having the water flow while the fan is on, because even with yearly repayment of evaporated media. I don't think I'm getting enough humidity in the house. You think I should keep it on the fan and install a really for cool so it doesn't run in summer? Or you think the humidistat will keep it off?
I think the c and the w work better
works fine if you only want humidification when heat is called for. I want it also when the fan runs, hence the call out for that reason
Hello there, So I set everything up the way that you have it all set up water line, electrical hookups the same as what you have it. The system runs when I have the fan running on "Always ON" however when I turn the fan on auto and when the furnace kicks on the humidification system doesn't turn on when the fan starts blowing. I am wondering why this is happening? If you have any tips I would appreciate that Thanks!
My old furnace, which was about 14 years old didn't need a wire to the G terminal for the fan for the fan to kick on when there was a call for heat or cooling. I repurposed the G wire years ago to use as the W2 wire so my thermostat could control the 2nd stage heating.
This is what baffled me about his wiring. It seems that the only time the humidifier will come on is when there's a call for the fan only. In other words when he turns on the fan manually the circuit will be completed between G and C. But when there's a call for heat (W wire) there won't be a completed circuit using his wiring.
*The quick answer to your problem*: Use the C (24v) and W wire to complete the circuit and energize the solenoid when there's a call for heat. Because why would you not want hot air to help evaporate the water and introduce humidity and if this did work with the G and C wires on your system the humidifier's solinoid would energize during the summer months as well if the humidity was low enough, which should happen since it's the job of the A/C to bring down the humidity in the house.
*The correct answer to your problem*: Follow the manufacture's instructions for wiring. If the instructions are unclear then call the manufacture's help line and they should be able to get the system working correctly with your furnace.
Does the HVAC cat come with the install pack, or is that separate?
unfortunately separate. I got a two pack though!
Hi, I just installed my humidifier. I tried to connect the C AND G from the furnace according your drawing in the video. but I cannot got the voltage and the solenoid was not open when the blower start on. My furnace is lennox and the control board is HarmonyIII, V7.1. catalogue no ix X9953. Please let me know how can I connect them?
I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but G is independent fan. C to W is all that is used to fire the burner and start the fan, old thermostats we're only 2 wires. Then came fancy thermostats that let you run the fan without heat, G wire. For A/C the Y wire fires up the outdoor components, and G runs the independent fan in the air handler. So his humidifier will run with A/C, but not with heat.
TLDR: C and W, not C and G.
So, the humidifier is mounted on the cold air return side?
it is mounted on the return duct, yes.
Your cat has great colors
haha thanks, he's a trash dumpster but I love him. He's a turkish van mix.
Hello good video, did this humidifier actually raise the humidity in your house did you notice a change in humidity %, and out of curiosity whats your house sq ft, thanks for the feedback.
Does the 6 inch tube connect to the cold air intake and the whole humidifier itself connect to the hot air tube? My hot air tube is circular instead of a rectangular duct. Not sure how to put this thing on.
mounts on return. you could technically mount it with no round tube and open the flap just a tiny bit, but then your return air would be coming largely from your utility room which isn't always ideal.
Good explanation! My Humidity is too low with furnace/humidifier on only with heat. You gave me the info how to set up with blower only., great! I will use a nest thermostat to fire just the blower on a regular basis (nest can do that) to increase humidity! Wow, what a simple solution! All the pros don’t explain this so well! God bless you! Jim
Glad this was of help, Jim!
Jim, i"m doing the same thing. How did you wire your thermostat to your Nest? Y and *?
My air handler is in my crawl space. Can put my humidistat on my main floor just above my thermostat?
yes - typically you want it in a duct, but you can place it in ambient air. response will be very slow
My problem: I have the solenoid's continuity, on one hand, and I have 24 volts ac from the furnace. But when I connect them together the power drops close to 0 volt. What could be wrong? Thank you.
I have the same problem! did you figure out a solution?
looks like a good humidifier its not over the furnace but off to the side. mine rotted ouit my plenum and destroyed my furnace. it was a spray type that sprayed cold water into the furnace plenum, rusing and rotting everything inside
You should wire it to W and C (call for heat) You only run a humidifier in furnace season. Putting to G is only going to run it when you turn the fan to ON on the thermostat. That's fine if you're someone that runs your system with the fan on ON 24/7 but if you're not then this thing is never going to turn on as a call for heat or cool only energizes Y or W only.
I bought same humidifier and it appears I have similar Goodman furnace. Can I wire C and W terminals on furnace directly to humidstat, then to humidifier? Humidifier came with transformer, But I don't think I need to use it with this furnace, is this correct?
@@shhallsa You only need to use the transformer if you cant or aren't going to connect it to the 24v thermostat terminals. There aren't many reasons not to though imo. Especially if you have a humidistat to regulate how much it runs. You can either give it constant power from C and R. Or you can have it run just during heating mode with C and W.
They give you the transformer because the terminals for the humidifier on the control board like 'EAC' or 'HUM supply 120v which would burn out a 24v humidifier. The transformer is used to step-down that voltage for use with a 24v humidifier (some humidifiers use 120v) the reason to use EAC or HUM is that they're more intelligent since they're controlled by the boards logic and are for accessories. Those terminals will allow you to power the humidifier whenever the fan is on and not necessarily when heating. Like say you turn your fan from AUTO to ON.. in that case you can run the fan on ON for a bit to run the humidifier with it.
Just make sure you wire the humidistat right and don't create a short. Remember, the two wires going through it, one goes passes straight through and the other you cut and separate onto the terminals on the humidistat so it can open and close the circuit. It doesn't matter which of the two you cut.
If you have a communicating furnace with a smart thermostat (it uses 4 terminals for everything ex: A,B,+,- rather than the 24v terminals C,R,Y,W,G) you can wire the 24V for the humidifier through the double HUM terminals and not use the supplied manual humidistat at all.. let the thermostat be your humidistat.
@@zesty2023 makes more sense now. I do have a Nest thermostat, so maybe I'll try that. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
@@shhallsa The NESTS have a * terminal on them that you can set up to use with a humidifier : )
@Ernie Bell lol oops. Yeah I don't think many of the new humidifiers use 120v valves anymore, probably for safety. Just be glad you did your wiring good enough not to accidentally send 120 back to the low-voltage terminals. Had someone do that lately, burned out their control board AND the hub for their smart thermostat.
Those saddle valves should not be used. Better to have a plumber install a valve. My saddle valve failed and I couldn't shut off the water.
I hooked mine up the same way as you described but the solenoid only opens if the thermostat is set to "fan on" do you think I need to rewire this?
Never mind I was able to figuring it out by placing the green wire to th white.
It needs to wire to W is the heat wire. Other wise the solenoid will open and run water.
Your fan turns on in the summer what will happen
Lance Rudy i think you'd have to be extra vigilant to remember to turn off the water line and close the damper.
It is winter right now in Mi. Will I get more humidity in my house if I set the furnace thermostat on Circ instead of Auto?
HVAC tech here. You also needed to mount the humidistat above the humidifier on the duct, up air-stream from it. The way you have it now it's not sensing what humidity is coming back from in the house it's measuring whats coming right out of the humidifier, it's totally going to be thrown off.
I've wondered about this as I do not have much room above the return to mount the control. If return air is coming from inside my house only a few feet away, why not just mount the humidistat anywhere near any return vent as that air will be entering the return duct anyway?
@@YellowstoneBrew You can if you want to, but you wont be getting an air sample from the house as a whole but rather that particular room.
There's nothing stopping you from running wire up into the house and mounting the humidistat somewhere in the hallway, I've seen customers do that.
Those saddles suck if you can help it add a standard shutoff
My saddle valve failed also I couldn't open it the needle stayed in the hole couldn't get water to the humidifier so I had a plumber put in a quarter turn valve works perfect now they should Outlaw those saddle valves
does installing this yourself void any warranty on the hvac unit or warranty of the company who installed it? I have a new build and the whole system was installed by a single hvac company selected by the builder.
Well any company that may have just installed equipment may say it voids that specific warranty to that company.. as far as manufacturers warranty.. depends on what damage it does.. like water continually running and potentially rusting out equipment.
I reversed the duct to the right side so now my solenoid is upside down. Will that affect the water flow or is the water pressure enough to push the water up without any problems? Thanks.
@@ReluctantTool1 thank you
Im about to install an Aprilaire, so this was helpful, thanks! I've done one of these years ago, and learned I an not a fan of those saddle valves. Mine got crudded up after a few years and would not turn off. And then it leaves a hole in the nice copper tubing, so I couldn't easily remove it without repairing the pipe. So this time I'm going to just install an actual Pex T and a valve.
Also for anyone about to do this... if you have a Nest or similar wifi smart thermostat, you don't even need the supplied humidistat control at all. Your Nest has the interior and exterior humidity and can trigger it for you. Which also means you can buy the most basic humidifiers with "manual" control because you aren't going to use the supplied controls anyways. We got our Nest for about $25 after AEP power and Columbia Gas rebates.
Absolutely. Saddle valves can be a bit sketch from time to time, but honestly most of the installations I see that are 20+ years old are just fine. If you've got some spare M, N, L copper, ability to sweat and can work with Pex crimp tools, its DEFINITELY the way to go! This is a home gamer tutorial first and foremost :)
As far as the thermostat control -- for sure! However, folks like me who have a nice fancy WiFi thermostat with the control, but only have 18/5 in the wall, there just aren't enough wires to tackle all of the functions properly
The saddle valve can just be left in, closed. Just close it and cut off the little line. Not pretty, but functions fine.
hope you had better luck with that unit than we did! It did very little to help humidity levels
This one didn't neither the way it was installed.
Thank you for a qualified guide and explanation. Like and subscribe! If I may, I would suggest to ask someone to keep the camera for you for steady picture recording.
Thank you for this Video! Very helpful
First off, saddle valves are the devil.
Second, G is not used during a call for heat. W is used for a call for heat, that automatically fires the blower fan. In 2 wires thermostats, only C and W exist. G adds independent fan, like a whole house ceiling fan. Y runs the outdoor equipment for A/C, but not the fan, so a combination of C to Y and C to G are used for A/C.
thanks man! Great explanation of setting this whole house humidifier up! I especially like your wiring diagram simple but it makes sense. I knew if I found the right video I could tackle this easily. So you connected to the cold water than? You said it went to your outdoor faucet so I assume cold? How is that working for you? Our Hot water is electric so Very expensive to heat. I'd prefer to just use the cold supply if it will still evaporate enough.
Darin k glad it helped! cold water is working fine so far. hot water atomizes better... but it’s working. just keep the door nice and open to keep the airflow high.
So the issue I have with everything hooked up now, is that connecting the humidistat to the furnace fan wire only allows the humidistat to be on when I have my thermostat set as "Fan On" instead of "Fan Auto" When "Fan auto" is selected the Fan wire doesn't put out juice but the white (heat on wire) does instead. So Then I thought Hey why not just hook it to the white heat wire well then the issue is if my house is at the desired temp but I want it more humid I can't just select "Fan On" to given the humidistat power for humidity. The next thought is hook it to both but hooking one wire to both terminals would connect the heat and fan only terminals and we don't want that haha. Thoughts? Merry Christmas :-) (this is a side present for my pregnant wife :-) )
really? I think your thermostat may be malfunctioning. the fan wire should be hot when the fan is on, when the heat is on and when the AC is on..
what thermostat do you have?
any mold issues within air ducts and vents yet?
just had ducts cleaned two weeks ago, everything looked ship-shape
How often do you recommend having the ducts cleaned? I do mine along with the laundry dryer every 15 months. By the way, is the Aprilaire 500 sufficient, ever wished you went with the higher model? -great video!
sorry for switching accounts @@GE0RGl0S duct cleaning every 5ish years is just fine IMO. I wish they had a smaller model. this one is oversized for my furnace as far as how much it can output.
Hello Erik. Thank you so much for posting this video. My furnace is in the attic. Would this be a good investment, and worthwhile the trouble if I have to install it in the attic? I've heard you mentioned something about water "gravity". If I have constant water going through the line, coming from down below, and I'm going straight up into the attic (don't believe I have any water lines up in the attic), would it be sufficient to run this unit, or this won't be viable for my application?
The gravity reference was for his humidifier drain line. His original drain line that he purchased was too short to run to his floor drain, so instead he spliced into an existing drain line and is depending on gravity to keep the water from flowing back up into his humidifiers drain line.
Thanks for taking the time to reply to N.G., Chris. That's correct. My oversight, but it has been working perfectly thus far. I do intend to replace all of the drain line with schedule 40 1" PVC at some point in the future for the AC and the humidifier
I think you both missed the most important question. I don't have a water line in my attic, is it possible to run the water from down below? Thanks.
N.G. I'm not a licensed plumber but I don't know why not unless you have water pressure issues (some older well water systems). You'll need to find a way to run it up to the attic. A little easier said than done but it's possible as a DIY job on a weekend. I'd recommend PEX with sharkbite fittings. As a warning, most building codes don't like you putting pex fittings inside walls without access. Keep the pex run long and the fittings exposed in the basement and attic. If you're not comfortable with it, I really would recommend getting a professional plumber. Nothing feels worse than dumping a weekend into plumbing to find out it leaks on Monday.
yes, as long as it doesn't get below freezing in there I suppose..
Hi Eric thanks for posting. I’m thinking of getting the model 500, but my plenum isn’t metal it is the newer fiberboard (2” thick”), I’m not sure how the humidifier would mount?
Interesting. the whole thing is fiber composite?
Erik Berger yes. No sheet metal.
I'm hesitant to comment just because I haven't worked with that before, and I'm a 'home gamer' ;)
As long as the part I'm modifying can be purchased/replaced, I'll almost always give it a go.
As long as you can make a hole in it, I think it should work.
Main concern would be the humidistat as your plenum sounds much thicker than the 20 gauge sheet metal mine is made from.
Hey .. Great video and helpful to say the least. I thought perhaps you could offer some help with the wiring part.
I just installed my 500M this past weekend and it runs fine etc. The idea of the water running constantly per the factory connection is a bad idea. . So the unit is currently in the "off" position on the humidistat. I have an older TRANE furnace without A/C and a thermostat with only two wires (battery operated). I connected it to the red 24v lead off the internal transformer and off the blue lead off the thermostat. I'd like my 500M to run only when the heat is "ON". The blower line being 115V is obviously a bad idea, lol. Would you have a suggestion as to where to connect? I've considered the AGV valve connection (to be confirmed of 24V power via multimeter first before doing anything. I do have a photo of the wiring schematic if you have time to have a look and advise. Thanks in advance
Hey Eric, if you look at those two supplied wiring diagrams you will see that on the bottom one they recommend wiring the supplied transformer to EAC terminals. These are 110vac relay terminals that contact when the blower is running providing up to 1.0a of 110vac power when the fan is on. This would solve your problem either the Auto/On issue
you're correct -- it just seems clumsy and invasive. My solution is more elegant :)
According to your logic there would be no need for a water shutoff solenoid if the humidistat didn't cycle it. I have had an April Aire model 600 installed for over 10 years installed as per the instructions. It shuts the water off and on perfectly fine, it does NOT constantly run the water. I think you mistakenly used the illustation as a wiring diagram (which it is not). I think they are trying to represent a separate wire that connects the solenoid to the humidistat... So 24 volt to controller, different wire 24 volt to solenoid.
Not remotely implied or derived from my diagram logic, no.
the 600 has a paddle in the humidistat that senses air flow. my 500 does not, therefore it does not have the capacity to shut off water flow when the furnace isn't blowing air.
Either way, If the 600 had been wired this way, you'd just have one more safety net built in because your humidistat will cut the solenoid when air isnt flowing AND the lack of fan trigger signal would also break the circuit.
Todd. Im just hooking up my De Hu today and the wiring for the transformer is confusing me. One thing I think you left out of the diagram, Erik , is the transformer. Where does that fit into the puzzle?
What is the difference between this Aprilaire 500 and the Aprilaire 500M?
razz P “M” stands for manual. Some systems comes with an auto feature that allows you to set and forget. You have a separate sensor that you put outside the home, that picks up relative humidity and adjusts accordingly. The sensor does have to be wired in also. Hope this helps.
Aaron Hermanson pretty close, but the sensor picks up the temp outside and not the humidity. This is mostly to prevent condensation to form around the windows in the house. Colder temperatures=put less humidity in your house
Any issues with the polyethylene tubing in the past 1 year since your install? Most say PE tubing is not to be used with hot water, and the Aprilaire instructions call for copper piping.
looks like you got the electrical circuit correct. Some furnace circuit boards have a specific terminal for the humidifier. The only issue I see you overlooked is that the humidistat must be at least 6 inches before the humidifier in the air stream or it is detecting the the humidity after water has been added which would give a false reading to the sensor.
good note! I'm definitely no expert -- it does trigger, but chances are the reading is a bit off in that case. perhaps I'll move it, or run some 18/8 and give humidity control to my actual thermostat!
I spy a Trek Y bike
roommates bike, Im a cannondale and brompton guy :p
@@OvalboreTech I had a Y bike when they first came out. Horrible. :-)
C and W
Hi Erik, first off, thanks for doing the video.
I know you have mentioned that the Aprilaire 500M unit already has a built-in damper, are there any benefits of having another damper on the other end as well?
Also, now that you're two winters into using the unit, is there anything you've changed in the setup? Any step that you'd modify. thanks!
The damper on the 500 isn't very tight, it has gaps all around the outside of the damper. It's probably ok, but it will have a little blowby when closed.
I think he probably bought the flange with damper before opening the humidifier box, he probably didn't know it had its own damper.
Just curious......why didn't you use the 24V transformer that comes with the kit? I am getting ready to install the Aprilaire 500. Looks like the Humidistat control is alot different and you need to wire it up to that transformer.
Mainly, for me, just because there was no need to add additional elements and complexity. the 24VAC transformer on my furnace was plenty large to run a thermostat and a solenoid valve. it was just easier and cleaner for my installation.
I'm not necessarily advising anyone to install theirs like I did, but I can tell you my setup has been working perfectly since posting this video. the water solenoid only actuates when the house is too dry AND the fan is currently operating.
which humidistat are you using? You can run these kits independently on their own transformer for sure. I just didn't like the possibility that the system would be running water down the drain when not in use.
Thanks for the response Erik. The humidistat I have is Model 60. It has quite a few more contacts than the version you have, including an output to control the Solenoid. It also has a sensor input for outside air temperature. I think I'll just wire it just like the instructions mention. I'm not exactly sure if it would work if I try and get the power from the furnace board.
fancy fancy!
that one is super nice.
R and C are to your transformer, looks like both H lugs are water solenoid and the W and G triggers both feed in to it from the furnace as well.
that one is smart enough to basically fully replicate the checks and balances I have in place with mine right out of the box.
s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/60-install.pdf
Haha, thanks Erik! I actually ended up finding a 24VAC supply on my furnace board, so I didn't even need to install the transformer that came with the kit. Oh well. Not a big deal. If I end up getting a Nest or Ecobee, I can simply rewire to the board and run a few more wires up to my Tstat and control the humidity from there if need be. One thing I've noticed about this Model 60 Humidistat.............the Outdoor Temp Sensor does not seem accurate at all. Ive taken several readings and the resistance is definitely not equating to what it should be with what the temp is. I may write to AprilAir and see if they can replace it.......otherwise there is no point in having the automatic mode if the sensor isn't accurate. Last night it was reading like it was 60 deg outside when it was really about 5!!!
yikes -- that could really mess things up if the humidity bumped to 40% or something on a 5 degree day!
my Schneider thermostat can do humidity control, but unfortunately the wire set going to my thermostat is insufficient :(
never let the cat out of the furnace, lol
he just would not take no for an answer!
C g r
Dude kinda sounds like Mr. Rogers. LOL
Ever since you said that I can't unhear it!
I have multiple problems with this. As for a DIY, I give you a C-. The distribution cap was upside down. The humidity controller is supposed to be at least 6” above the humidifier, not below. That’s in the instructions. Besides that, the flex duct looks like garbage but hey, it works.
W? R? what are you talking about?
Ur a talker....
And you have horrible grammar.
Beats the alternative. If a video has too much info for one person, it'll still have just enough for another, and the first person can still watch it and learn something.
If a video has too little info, it's basically useless for half the people who want to watch it.