NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/misc/consumer/house/16167

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-30 | 3.1 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!stanford.edu!ames!haven.umd.edu!mimsy!purtilo
From: [e-mail] (Jim Purtilo)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Whole house humidifiers.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 30 Dec 92 20:01:17 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 42

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>I'm looking for a good Humidifier to install on my furnace.  I have looked
>at AprilAir and Sears versions so far. ....

I have an April Air unit, and am very pleased with it.  This is the one
you mention which has water flow over a fixed mesh, with the air circulating
through the mesh.  I have no experiences with the drum units for comparison,
but when I bought this, the company which sold it (and which sold other drum
style units, obviously not a Sears though) claimed that this unit was lower
maintenance and had less opportunity for water to collect and stand (breeding
molds and what-not, which then circulate through the house.)   After two years
with the unit, I find this to have been a credible claim:  I have not had to
do much to the unit, and, when it is turned off, water does completely drain
out of the base very well, leaving me with little worry about wierd growths.
It *does* need cleaning now and then, all of these will -- but I find that a
ten minute job with screwdriver and head scratching lets me get the main parts
out for a quick cleaning with bleach, once each fall before I start heavy use
of it (and I should do it in the spring when I'm done with it, but haven't
really gotten around to it....)  Minerals from water do collect on the mesh,
reducing efficiency, but this is solved by either soaking the mesh in a basin
of vinegar once a year to get crud off, or simply replacing the mesh --- after
two years, I just replaced mine rather than fool with the old one, a minor
expensive of $12.

If you have care in deciding just *where* to install it, then this is a fairly
straight forward unit to deal with.   Having seen it done once, I know I could
do it again myself.  But the real head scratcher is deciding on where to set
it up for best efficiency, and I do not feel the directions list all the
considerations (only some of which I know about from having asked the guy who
installed mine for me.)  Issues include where to tap power for the unit,
where to tap into your water line, where to drain off the excess water (and
you will have a lot), and where in line to place the unit (supposedly there
are advantages and disadvantages to placing it both before and after the
furnace proper).  You may just want to get a company to do it for you for a
few bucks, then save your own time and also get a better guarantee of correct
installation.  [John, I notice you are down the road from me, you might just
call the place we got ours and get a quote .... Suburban Service, based down
in Bowie.  I've keep a maintenance contract with them for a few years too,
on the whole unit, and been very pleased.]

Jim