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Heating & Air Conditioning

Mister humidifier for Furnace

13 years ago

I currently have a AprilAire 455 humidifier which is not working. That model is no longer made and the parts are expensive. The new AprilAire all seem to require a drain, which I would prefer not to use. I am thinking of a Trion (Fedders) Mister 50 or some similar product. Anyone have experience with them? The use is the first floor of the house (about 1500 square feet) in the Boston area. Furnace is American Standard. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Comments (8)

kframe19
13 years ago
Friends of mine had a mister on a gas furnace. For whatever reason, it caused significant rusting in the duct work.
tomc_ma
Original Author
13 years ago
I have also read that some people have had rust problems. But more people seem to really like the misters. I would like to figure out what the difference is. But I have not found an in-depth discussion of the issues. Unfortunately, none of the humidifiers seem to get strong recommendations across the board.
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Ok those pictures tell a lot. This furnace was probably one of the first condensing furnaces made, LOL. So your furnace is a condensing furnace. So that relieves the concerns of the flue pipe. It still isn't a bad idea to get this furnace inspected though, that inducer motor has got a lot of fur babies on it. The return cutout definitely needs to be addressed, I would have that sealed up and if your system needs additional return air make the return so it draws air from outside this closet away from furnace area. Code may also require you to bring in out door air to this closet for combustion air for furnace. That is the proper way to do it to ensure the furnace never goes into a mode of 'incomplete combustion' due to lack of combustion air. This is typically what results in the production of CO (carbon monoxide) as normal combustion results in CO2 (carbon dioxide) Even if this furnace is not producing CO, but a crack in heat exchanger is found the furnace should be replaced. You should do these things before considering adding a humidifier to this system.
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i am not an hvac pro, but i do have an older model aprilaire humidifier. it is slaved to the furnace, so gets no power unless the furnace is on. the 760 is a newer model than mine that probably uses hot water, so perhaps its running logic is different, but it makes little sense for it to be on when the furnace isn't. hopefully one of the pros will chime in and help. i haven't done anything to help you except confirming that your situation seems odd. good luck.
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kframe19
13 years ago
We can't figure it out, either. Everything was working correctly.

The reason he found out about it was that his AC died and they decided to upgrade the entire system. When they pulled the old system there was significant rust downstream from the mister, where when he had installed it there was no rust at all in that section of the duct.

I'm not sure what kind of humidifier they have with the new system.

I investigated putting in a bypass humidifier on my heat pump system (misters are a no go on a heat pump), but every one I've ever seen takes extraordinary effort to keep it free of mold and mildew, and even then that's not a given.

I ended up buying a console humidifier from Home Depot last winter. For my townhouse it works great. Doesn't look great, and takes up floor space, but my dog is no longer the legal means of execution in 4 states during winter months.
brickeyee
13 years ago
"When they pulled the old system there was significant rust downstream from the mister, "

So what.

Did the rust cause a problem?
kframe19
13 years ago
Given enough time, it very well could have chewed through the ductwork.
tomc_ma
Original Author
13 years ago
I think the rust comes from having too much moisture that does not adequately get carried by the hot air. The mister should only be on when the air reaches a certain temperature and the fan is on. Going with a smaller nozzle may help. I am afraid I do not have enough information to chance getting rust in my system. And, the bypass ones can have mold issues or send most of the water down the drain. I guess I need to get more information somewhere. I remember as a young boy in the 50's my father hated the humidifier on the furnace. I guess some things don't change.
brickeyee
13 years ago
"Given enough time, it very well could have chewed through the ductwork."

Simple enough to repair as long as the duct is exposed.

You could even use some aluminum duct in the area of the mister instead of galvanized.

It is not like it s going to rust out the entire system.
kframe19
13 years ago
No, it wouldn't have rusted out the entire system, but it was certainly an unexpected discovery, and one that wasn't supposed to happen.

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