Furance Humidifer Recommendation

[jeffgrice]

Hi, I have a Lobb WA1 on my house furance. The motors burn out every 3 or so years. Just ordered a new motor and it doesn't work...so I am getting fed up.

Any recommendations on alternative units to Lobb?

Thanks.

Jeff

 

[PAToyota]

I replaced mine about three years ago and after doing my homework, settled on an AprilAire: AprilAire 700

No complaints, keeps the humidity set without worrying about it through the temperature changes. Other than replacing the filter each fall, I haven't had to think about it.

If you are handy, you can get one here and install it yourself: Online Store

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Hi, I have a Lobb WA1 on my house furance. The motors burn out every 3 or so years. Just ordered a new motor and it doesn't work...so I am getting fed up.

Any recommendations on alternative units to Lobb?

Thanks.

Jeff

I also went with an Aprilaire unit; the water saving 400 Model. I'd have a tough time recommending it. It's a different sort of unit, in that it has a water trough at the bottom, with 2 sensors that turn the water off and on. Problems with this approach include:

1. The sensor assembly failed after 1 season of use, requiring an expensive replacemnt.
2. The "filter pads" or whatever they are called must be replaced quite often, likely erasing any savings on your water bill.
3. Some have claimed (some being the 2 pricks on the HVAC forum that tried to "teach me up" on these units) that the sump could lead to a mold issue. Personally, I think they're full of it, but they are supposedly "pros"...so I'll just pass that along.
4. Most damning...it doesn't seem to work all that well. It never catches up. It never kicks off on the humidistat. I have an indoor humidity sensor in the house that has shown levels as low as 20% during a recent cold snap...with the humidifier doing all that it can do.

SO...in truth, I feel like one of the other humidifiers would have been the better choice.

BTW...if you've got tools and can read a set of directions, you can easily hook this up yourself.

Phil

 

[davidcalhoun]

Honeywell is whats on my two muti-zoned furnaces. Just have to replace the filter pad every year.

 

[PAToyota]

Cannot speak for the 400 model that Hoosier has had problems with, but it does seem like a completely different design than the 700.

 

[Junkman]

I just finished installing a Aprilaire 700 on my furnace, and it was an easy install with the correct tools. I like mine and have no complaints. I believe that there are lesser models that don't have the fan that blows across the pad and rely on the furnace air for humidification. I have never been a fan (no pun intended) of that type. I have had Skuttle units in the past, and they have been nothing but trouble with leaking. I bought my Aprilaire on eBay for about $175. Also, the 700 uses hot water, not cold like most of the other humidifiers out there.
Pictures were taken while I was doing the install, so you might say that they are not the best representation. I was in a hurry to finish.

 

[rickairmedic]

I will put in a professional vote for the aprilaire 700 as well and I have been doing this for 20 years so I have a slight clue .


Rick

 

[DynoDave]

I'm very happy with my Aprilaire model 550. It's been in service since 1997. I change the pad annually, and disassembled it for the first time this year to remove mineral build up. Put it back together, and it still works great. Uses hot water, and forced hot air from the furnace.

http://www.aprilaire.com/index.php?znfAction=ProductDetails&category=5&item=550

 

[beetroot72]

I just finished installing a Aprilaire 700 on my furnace, and it was an easy install with the correct tools. I like mine and have no complaints. I believe that there are lesser models that don't have the fan that blows across the pad and rely on the furnace air for humidification. I have never been a fan (no pun intended) of that type. I have had Skuttle units in the past, and they have been nothing but trouble with leaking. I bought my Aprilaire on eBay for about $175. Also, the 700 uses hot water, not cold like most of the other humidifiers out there.
Pictures were taken while I was doing the install, so you might say that they are not the best representation. I was in a hurry to finish.

I installed a 600(bypass) on my new furnace (the guinnie pig) and afterwords a 700(powered) on my brother-in-laws. Both units work great and were a cinch to install. I had plenty of room for the bypass on mine so I went with the standard(non-powered) unit. I figured a powered fan is just something that will break sooner or later. My bro-in-laws furnace is crammed in a closet and had no room for the by-pass duct work. For all units Aprilaire recommends using Hot water if available but the powered unit requires it.

My house is just over 2400 sq.ft. and is pretty tight. If I keep the unit just below the general setting (5) The humidity in the house hovers around 45%.
Perfect!

I picked the units up here...
http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewcategory.cfm?categoryID=213
And to save time I bought an install kit... http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewcategory.cfm/categoryID/99/p/Humidifier_Installation_Kits

The prices are good, the shipping was fast, and the instructional video was kind-of cheesy but helped none-the-less.

If you send them a picture of your finished install the'll give you $10.00 off your next purchase. (great for an extra pad)

 

[burger]

Junkman: Why don't you like the "bypass" models that use pressurized air from the hot air side to force air thru the drum filter? I just installed a Honeywell bypass humidifier this weekend and it seemed like a good design to me. Just curious if I should be expecting problems or something.


Thanks,
Ed

 

[JMURiz]

Another vote for the Honeywell/Aprilaire unit. It used to be exclusive to Aprilaire, but once their pattent protection wore off others have made them, like honeywell.

 

[Junkman]

My experience with the bypass units has been ...... Not enough humidity and the standing water in the bottom of the drum water pick up tray leaking. I have also found that the water floats don't work very well shutting the water off, when the tray is full. Also, the evaporator pads usually become encrusted with minerals. I have also learned that some of the newer models use a water shut off solenoid, so some of my objections might be obsolete. Like most things in life, our experiences cloud our opinions, and my experiences with bypass units have been negative in the past. Others might have a different opinion based on their positive experiences.

 

[beetroot72]

My experience with the bypass units has been ...... Not enough humidity and the standing water in the bottom of the drum water pick up tray leaking. I have also found that the water floats don't work very well shutting the water off, when the tray is full. Also, the evaporator pads usually become encrusted with minerals. I have also learned that some of the newer models use a water shut off solenoid, so some of my objections might be obsolete. Like most things in life, our experiences cloud our opinions, and my experiences with bypass units have been negative in the past. Others might have a different opinion based on their positive experiences.

Hey junk! I too have heard of leaks and problems with the floats sticking but that is only on the low water consumption models like the Aprilaire 400. Those models are for Drainless Applications and are subject to problems like calcium buildup and leaks. I'm sure the've come a long way though.