NVR Ryan Home Improper Whole House bypass Humidifier

6 years ago

Hello,

I am having a problem with the builder as they believe their installation of 1 Goodman/CleanComfort HE17 humidifier is enough to humidify my 3200 square foot home.

1. My Hardwood floor company will not warranty improper RH related damage (30-50 %RH)

2. The CDC and many other sites recommend an average 45% RH for proper health

With just that in mind here is my math on the issue (please chime in on any calculation issues)

1. Home Information

Sq. FT = 3,200 = 975.36 Meter Sq.

Height = 8ft + 9ft + 8ft = 25ft = 762cm

2. Calculate ACH

Broan SmartSense Fan

Air Change CFM = (0.01x3200) + [7.5(5+1)] = 77cfm

Air Change ACH = 60min x 77cfm / 3200 x 25 = 0.06 ac/hr

3. Determine RH

Initial RH = ~23%

Target RH = 45% (based on human air health CDC chart and best practices for Hard wood floors)

AV/hr = 445.77

Absolute Humidity = 0.005 kg/m3

Target Humidity = 0.009 kg/m3

4. Calculate Minimum Water/hr needed

Water/hr needed = 1.932 kg/hr = 4.26 Lb./hr = 0.51 gal/hr

5. Statistics for Installed WH-Bypass Humidifier

1 x Goodman(CleanComfort) HE17 Humidifier = 17 gal/day = 0.7 gal/hr = 0.011 gal/min

6. Statistics for Appropriate Setup per Manufacturer for the Square Footage

2 x Goodman(CleanComfort) HE17 Humidifier = 34 gal/day = 1.4 gal/hr = 0.023 gal/min

Note the Humidifier levels are based on running 24/hr cycle

7. Determine actual Heat Call for the humidifier is ~20 minutes per hour in my scenario

20 min x 0.023 gal/min = 0.46 gal/hr or 11.19 gal/day actual for my house

8. Add human use

Human use of 2 gal/day = 0.083 gal/hr

Total humidification = 0.46 gal/hr + 0.083 gal/hr = 0.549 gal/hr with 2 HE17 humidifiers

Just 0.2745 gal/hr with 1 HE17 Humidifier

In Conclusion to reach the target 45% relative humidity in the 3200 sq/ft home such as mine a target 0.51 gal/hr is needed.

This standard is just met with 2 HE17 Humidifiers running in parallel but is scientifically impossible with just a single humidifier.

The builder has told me they have this working in a house similar to mine though, so they refuse to fix it, so I guess they can break the laws of physics as well...

Thoughts?

Thanks

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Comment (1)

PRO
TrustPoint Inspections
6 years ago
It's very rare that the humidifier is undersized. In fact, undersized is much better than oversized in this case. Too much humidity in the winter and you can get damaged windows and mold, and very quickly.

The key to maintaining the right amount of humidity is through the controls. The builder likely installed a cheap humidistat, that just turns allows the humidifer to turn on and off with the furnace only. This causes short bursts of humidity like a roller coaster.

After the builder is gone, hire an HVAC contractor to install an automatic humidistat, like the Aprilaire ADHC. This provides a few extra features, which will better maintain humidity in the home. 1.) It has an outdoor air temperature sensor, so the proper relative humidity can be calculated, 2.) Allows the humidistat to periodically cycle the furnace's fan to check the humidity level, and 3.) Allows the furnace to run on fan only mode to humidify if needed, independent of the heat cycle.

Give that a shot 1st and if you still have a need for more humidity, then think about an upgrade. I think you'll be surprised.

When building with a production builder - it's a really good idea to have phased construction inspections, by a ASHI certified inspector.

(Also the key to the hardwood is proper amount of time for the hardwood to acclimate in the home, when conditioned, prior to installation)
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NVR Ryan Home Improper Whole House bypass Humidifier

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