Humidifier help

[Red]

OK, so I don't really know anything about these things, but from what I do recall, they are pretty simple in the way they operate.

I have a Air King humidifier on the return duct. I replaced the filter and when the fan kicks in I see water enter it and some excess drips down the bottom hose.
I do have the filter in the right position as per instructions.

Is that all that a humidifier should do? What does the humidistat controller do, does it just regulate how much water it sucks?

The unit itslef has a "On" light, that never comes on. Is this a corncern? I can clearly see that when the fan kicks in the filter tips towards the vent and water gets in. Is there some other function that the unit needs to do to properly add humidity?

The issue I am having is that I can't get more than 24% humidity in the house. Having kids I do keep the house very warm so I do dry out the air with the heater, but isn't the humidifier supposed to help with that?

Side note, the humidifier was just serviced and it has only been on for 2 days, not enough to get good results?

[Kerplunk]

I replaced my humidifier recently, so I'll take a stab at answering some of these.

I have a Air King humidifier on the return duct. I replaced the filter and when the fan kicks in I see water enter it and some excess drips down the bottom hose.
I do have the filter in the right position as per instructions.

Is that all that a humidifier should do? What does the humidistat controller do, does it just regulate how much water it sucks?

It sounds like you have a flow-through humidifier. It releases water into the filter, and the return duct from the furnace forces air through the filter, giving the air moisture. Excess water will go out the bottom. So it sounds like its hooked up right.

The humidistat, usually mounted a bit above the humidifier, detects if the air coming in from the cold air return has the set humidity. If it doesn't, the unit will continue to supply the filter with water.

The unit itslef has a "On" light, that never comes on. Is this a corncern? I can clearly see that when the fan kicks in the filter tips towards the vent and water gets in. Is there some other function that the unit needs to do to properly add humidity?

Not sure about this one. Anything in the manual about what the light should indicate?

The issue I am having is that I can't get more than 24% humidity in the house. Having kids I do keep the house very warm so I do dry out the air with the heater, but isn't the humidifier supposed to help with that?

Side note, the humidifier was just serviced and it has only been on for 2 days, not enough to get good results?

You might have to wait a few more days to notice anything. Also, is your furnace fan always running, or just when it is heating the house? I had the same problem, so I set the jumper in my furnace to keep the fan on low when not heating, and it bumped up the humidity a fair bit. Outside temperature will also affect the relative humidity of your house. Mine goes from 30% on a cold day (-15C) to 40% on a decent day (-5C), without any setting changes.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Kerplunk

I replaced my humidifier recently, so I'll take a stab at answering some of these.

It sounds like you have a flow-through humidifier. It releases water into the filter, and the return duct from the furnace forces air through the filter, giving the air moisture. Excess water will go out the bottom. So it sounds like its hooked up right.

The humidistat, usually mounted a bit above the humidifier, detects if the air coming in from the cold air return has the set humidity. If it doesn't, the unit will continue to supply the filter with water.

Not sure about this one. Anything in the manual about what the light should indicate?

You might have to wait a few more days to notice anything. Also, is your furnace fan always running, or just when it is heating the house? I had the same problem, so I set the jumper in my furnace to keep the fan on low when not heating, and it bumped up the humidity a fair bit. Outside temperature will also affect the relative humidity of your house. Mine goes from 30% on a cold day (-15C) to 40% on a decent day (-5C), without any setting changes.

Thanks for the answers. Looks like I jumped the gun a little. I am up to 31% this morning so I am close to the 40% I want.

My furnace fan runs only when heating, I had it running the whole time for a day, but that didn't seem to help.