Aprilaire 700 removal

[vdotmatrix]

Our Aprilaire humidifier died a few years ago. It hasn’t been that cold in the winters anymore to warrant replacing it.

What happened to it you ask? The plastic housing that holds/supports the fan motor failed and the device suddenly made a terrible sound. I unplugged it and there its been.

So what’s the problem? Freezing *** cold air comes from the disconnected/unplugged humidifier.

the downstairs/laundryroom (frigid) is always much colder.

QUESTION: can I remove the fan assembly and block the hole in the plenum and turn off the saddle valve and call it a day?

*i see the thermostat upstairs glitch out sometimes. Could that be because when thermostat tries to talk to humidifier it is unplugged?
TIA

 

[Packard V8]

Yes, just remove the unit and patch the hole.

jack vines

 

[vdotmatrix]

Yes, just remove the unit and patch the hole.

jack vines

Thank you. How about the wires and it talking to the electronic module and ultimately the thermostat?

 

[Aileron]

i dont see any other wiring except for the 110 v plug and water valve. I supposed they are controlling that ouilet box with a call for heat. I'd leave the outlet box and just , just unplug the humdifier it like it looks like you already have and disconnect the water valve at the wire nuts. I would just seperate and cap those two incoming water valve power wires and leave them there. Shouldn't hurt anything and if you want to go back with another you may be able to reuse them.

 

[vdotmatrix]

i dont see any other wiring except for the 110 v plug and water valve. I supposed they are controlling that ouilet box with a call for heat. I'd leave the outlet box and just , just unplug the humdifier it like it looks like you already have and disconnect the water valve at the wire nuts. I would just seperate and cap those two incoming water valve power wires and leave them there. Shouldn't hurt anything and if you want to go back with another you may be able to reuse them.

Should i just turn the water off at the saddle valve?

 

[Packard V8]

Should i just turn the water off at the saddle valve?

yes

 

[vdotmatrix]

yes

Screw the valve in Of course right?

 

[Snapped-off]

Do you have a damper on it for summer/winter? Can you just close the damper and water valve and leave it in place?

 

[brewchief]

Do you have a damper on it for summer/winter? Can you just close the damper and water valve and leave it in place?

The 700 is fan operated instead of a bypass design so no summer/winter damper.

Good chance the saddle valve leaks even when turned off, you can try a compression cap but they normally don't seal up.

 

[vdotmatrix]

The 700 is fan operated instead of a bypass design so no summer/winter damper.

Good chance the saddle valve leaks even when turned off, you can try a compression cap but they normally don't seal up.

uggggg, perhaps i should leave the saddle valve alone. Instead of removing the base attached to the plenum, i should leave that in place and block it with a peice of corplast and metal tape.... I was thinking of running a tube from the top of the filter housing to the bottom of the filter housing where the drain is.. i will just remove the fan housing, but leave the filter in place so if water does come on, it will go straight into the filter drain and then to the condensate pump and to the drain.

 

[brewchief]

uggggg, perhaps i should leave the saddle valve alone. Instead of removing the base attached to the plenum, i should leave that in place. i will just remove the fan housing, but leave the filter in place so if water does come on, it will go straight into the filter drain and then to the condensate pump and to the drain.

If need be simply unhook the solenoid valve from the housing and leave it hooked up to the incoming water line. With the low voltage wires disconnected it won't come on and you can get rid of the rest of it.

If I need to cap a saddle valve I'll take a short piece of 1/4 copper and solder or braze one end shut and then attach it with a nut and ferrule.

FWIW the housing on a 700 cracking and falling apart is fairly common, we rarely install them opting for the bypass style 600 instead.

 

[WildBill]

I took mine off a couple years ago, blocked the hole with a piece of sheet metal, turned off the valve and disconnected the little hose going to it, and disconnected the wires at the furnace control board.

 

[vdotmatrix]

If need be simply unhook the solenoid valve from the housing and leave it hooked up to the incoming water line. With the low voltage wires disconnected it won't come on and you can get rid of the rest of it.

If I need to cap a saddle valve I'll take a short piece of 1/4 copper and solder or braze one end shut and then attach it with a nut and ferrule.

FWIW the housing on a 700 cracking and falling apart is fairly common, we rarely install them opting for the bypass style 600 instead.

GAWD that is good to know. I couldn't even find a used one a few years ago......and, the wiring is all different now....I edited the previous post. I will examine this post in more detail tomorrow. but I removed the fan housing tonight just to peer inside and it was really cold cold air that escapes from there where it could be going to the rest of the house. Thank you

 

[vdotmatrix]

I took mine off a couple years ago, blocked the hole with a piece of sheet metal, turned off the valve and disconnected the little hose going to it, and disconnected the wires at the furnace control board.

Do you have a carrier? Carrier has this funky box after the PCB where the wires from the main PCM feed into it and out of it is a RED and a WHITE wire that goes to the thermostat. so complicated. We have an outside temp sensor. This is a heatpump system with gas furnace and I think a dual emergency heat system.......I was going to just replace this thing with a smart thermostat but it was too complicated with carrier's ECM module....i forget what they call it....sorry to hijack my own thread.

 

[WildBill]

Do you have a carrier? Carrier has this funky box after the PCB where the wires from the main PCM feed into it and out of it is a RED and a WHITE wire that goes to the thermostat. so complicated. We have an outside temp sensor. This is a heatpump system with gas furnace and I think a dual emergency heat system.......I was going to just replace this thing with a smart thermostat but it was too complicated with carrier's ECM module....i forget what they call it....sorry to hijack my own thread.

I do but its not a heatpump, its a 20 year old regular setup. I don't have that box. I do have the carrier infinity system, and also have not found a aftermarket thermostat that plays nice with it.

 

[vdotmatrix]

If need be simply unhook the solenoid valve from the housing and leave it hooked up to the incoming water line. With the low voltage wires disconnected it won't come on and you can get rid of the rest of it.

If I need to cap a saddle valve I'll take a short piece of 1/4 copper and solder or braze one end shut and then attach it with a nut and ferrule.

FWIW the housing on a 700 cracking and falling apart is fairly common, we rarely install them opting for the bypass style 600 instead.

The black plastic tube from the solenoid seems to be kinda hard and lay be brittle.

I was going to reroute it directly to the drain.

I also see the YELLOW wires that control the solenoid are both yellow so it means the power signal is just a toggle. Probably safe to disconnect.

Next there is another circuit /switch associated with the fan and cover so that if the fan cover is not in place , the fan won’t come on….I GUESS. I don’t know. It also looks like it is a contact switch and it is either On or Off… . If disconnected

I hope my deductive reasoning is sound.

The fan housing is coming off today for good . BTW, on the fan housing, the fan inlet acts as air vent and blasts freezing as cold air right out of that…..

 

[brewchief]

The black plastic tube from the solenoid seems to be kind hard. I was going to reroute it directly to the drain.
i also see the YELLOW wires that control the solenoid are both yellow so it means the power signal is just a toggle. Probably safe to disconnect. Next there is another circuit /switch associated with the fan and cover so that if the fan cover is not in place , the fan won’t come on….I GUESS. I don’t know. It also looks like it is a contact switch and it is either On or Off…. If disconnected I hope my deductive reasoning is sound.

The fan housing is coming off today for good .

Depending on the age the 700s either needed a simple dry contact to connect the two wires coming out of the bottom with the yellow sticker or they needed a 24 volt input. I don't know exactly when they switched designs.

 

[vdotmatrix]

Depending on the age the 700s either needed a simple dry contact to connect the two wires coming out of the bottom with the yellow sticker or they needed a 24 volt input. I don't know exactly when they switched designs.

I HOPE PEOPLE SEE MY LAST POST ABOUT THE WIRES AND TUBING.

Whenever the change was, when I went to replace this thing (how hard could be right), there were no used ones, or even new ones for an exact replacement.

They changed everything and I am no HVAC guy…. The changes required someone who knows what I am doing with the wiring-i don’t……

Carrier has everything Going to the main PCB, then to their electronic module thingy that translates or condenses everything into a RED and White wire to the thermostat. That’s way beyond my understanding.

On the main PCB, every thing is conventional and is labeled to an extent with the generic HVAC identifiers for wires, function and so on…..

I would have switched out this thermostat long ago. I even ran an upgraded multiwire thermostat cable through the wall… but with the outside, temp sensor, heat pump, emergency heat…i will just wait until this system craps out….

The HVAC company was eager to replace this APRILEAIRE saying it would more than likely still be compatible if we got a new system….. but at close to $1000 I said fergit it.

did i just hijack this thing again:

 

[vdotmatrix]

SOLUTION: i just ducted taped the fan vents for now and instantly realized a temperature difference without the cold air spilling out.

The initial concern , besides the waste of cold air downstairs, is the Aprilaire filter can sometimes get moldy or nasty. I’m afraid of legionnaires bacteria (legionella) being spread out through the house from humidifier that’s not being used. I know I know Legion is and always present.

So what I’ll have to do is disable this thing from having water go through it at all, and that will be something I’ll work on which could be as simple as disconnecting the wires and rerouting the water hose to the drain.

 

[Aileron]

you can disconnect the solenoid valve from the water line after shutting off the saddle valve. If it leaks just but it back on until you can pick up a compression cap. Leave the saddle valve turned off.