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While getting my old humidifier working again I found out that no one carries the filter for it any more (it is 35+ years old), so for next year I will have to purchase a new one, and would like some suggestions.
The most popular brands sold here are Honeywell and Aircare.
The two types seem to be flow-thru (which we currently have) and drum.
Any recommendations?
What is the difference between flow-thru and drum?
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time!
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I just installed a Honeywell drum (home depot- approx $159.00) a couple days ago in the new house. The old house had an April-Air flow through. Honestly, I didn't now there was more than one kind until about a week ago. The advantage of the drum is that they have more surface than the flow-through type and they don't waste water. The drum is more evenly soaked than the ones that drip down the pad and all the water is used. Once the pan is full, the valve closes and shuts off the water where the water runs through the flow-through types and drains off the excess water. The only way the drum type drains is if the float goes bad. The drum has a motor which slowly turns the drum through the water pan keeping the entire drum wet.
The drum appears to make more sense to me. Time will tell how long it lasts. The install was fairly easy but I did buy a couple galvanized elbows to make a neater install. The 3ft expandable duct included in the kit is somewhat cheesy. The elbows made for a much nicer install.
Hoped that helped.
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April-Aire, Honeywell and Carrier seem to be the big three in my area. Carrier has a tight lock on replacement elements that are quite pricey with no other local source whereas the others can often be found at a hardware store.
Bypass humidifiers have less parts, no motor so more energy efficient plus zero chance of developing a noisy or inoperative motor rendering it useless with no warning. They are both fully capable of doing the job. From what I have come to know is that none of these units have a warranty unless installed by a licensed pro. Personally, if the air handling system was capable of using a bypass humidifier that is what I would buy as first choice.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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I've had both and much prefer the bypass. The drum type requires you to replace that foam sleeve on the wheel frequently. I probabaly should have done mine more often, but the minerals seem to clog it up more quickly than on the bypass types....maybe because they evaporate more water(?). That part might be a good thing (evaporating more water), but they have more moving parts (motor and whatnot) which makes the bypass much better in my book.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Thanks, that did help.
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time!
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Thanks. Would not have thought about the buildup, but I have plans on adding a whole house water filter, so that should eliminate the buildup.
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time!
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I currently have a Carrier, but there is no place around here to purchase the filter element anymore.
I have been wondering if the motor on the drum adds noise to the system, since it sits on the ductwork.
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time!
Posts: 63,423
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Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Merryland
Scouter said:
I currently have a Carrier, but there is no place around here to purchase the filter element anymore.
I have been wondering if the motor on the drum adds noise to the system, since it sits on the ductwork.
You can hear it when your ear is about 6" away and not at all when the fan is running. I have louder clocks in the house. I considered wiring it to the fan so is shuts off when the air handler isn't running, otherwise the drum is turning all the time. Still might do that. It's got a low voltage transformer that plugs right into a receptical. The drum revolves slower than a second hand.
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Thanks. I was concerned that the ductwork might amplify the motor sounds.
Mike
I work on the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50-50 choice, I'll pick the wrong one 90% of the time!
