Humidifier is only two years old, it will only work at the 35% setting, thus putting too much moisture in the house, with water running down the windows. if I set it lower its does not come on. Is there something I can do to fix this problem, besides shutting it off till the moisture evapotates Does not work at lower settings..Thanks

Hello, is there water going down the drain tube, if so then the humidifier is working. The pad does not really get saturated the water just trickles on the pad and the the fan blows it into the air duct. your outside air temp determines what your humidistat should be set at.

Outside Temperature -10 F 0 F 10 F 20 F 30 F Recommended Indoor
Relative Humidity 20% 25% 30% 35% 35%

a couple of things, is this new or old..
1. you should have hooked up to hot water side of water not cold
2. you should have summer/winter bypass installed
3. what is your outside humidly running.

Pleas rate this response with thumps up section thanks..

Check to see if there is sediment built up in the saddle valve. This happens alot and prevents a good stream of water to reach the solenoid valve.

Hope this helps, check and see if humidistat is set to 35% humidity and that bypass damper on humidifier is in the open position or winter position.(humidistat is usually located on cold air return duct near furnace). Next, replace humidifier media pad, remember to replace media pad (filter) annually, you also may want to clean any lime deposit out of humidifier housing with a solution of warm water and white vinegar before installing your new media filter.Remember to turn power off at side of furnace when cleaning humidifier and replacing media. Before installing new media turn power back on to furnace, set humidistat to the on position, turn furnace thermostat above room temp., and inspect humidifier to see if water is running from top,(you may want to have a bucket under humidifier when checking for water), if you see water running, turn power back off to furnace, properly install new media filter, reconnect humidifier cover & set humidistat to 35%. If you do not see water present, check water supply valve to humidifier and make sure its turned on. If water supply valve is open, then check water supply tubing for blockage.And the last things to check is to make sure all registers through out your home are open and not blocked by any objects, also make sure furnace filter is cleaned, if none of this works refer to installation manual to see if humidifier was sized and installed properly, Good luck.

Hello WPwilkers, Well there's good news and good news!

First off, you should probably use the lowest possible setting as your house being so new, is likely pretty "air-tight" and as such, doesn't have a lot of air infiltration (gaps and drafts) hence the reason you're seeing moisture on the windows.

Now, I would also use a hygrometer, just like your parents likely had hanging on a wall somewhere in their house. It will give you a better idea of the moistur (humidity) around the house. My guess is that you're already at the 60%+ level of humidity.

I suggest that you turn "OFF" the furnace mounted humidifier, until you no longer see moisture on the windows. That will allow the house to adjust and get back to normal humidity levels.

Then you can start by setting the humidifier on the lowest possible setting and keep an eye on the moisture levels in your coldest room of the house, as that is where you'll first notice the excessive moisture on the windows (just the way it works - cold rooms get condensation on the cooler windows first).

If you don't have the humistat (the control for the furnance mounted humidifer) mounted next to your heating and cooling system thermostat, you should do that - it will make it easier to adjust and also will provide a more accurate reading for the humifier to operate properly.

Some Thermostats have the ability to add a humidifier on it for integrated controlling of the furnace humidifer. Check your Thermostat and Furnance owner's manual for details.

I used to have the same problem and found that by moving the humidifer control from the utility room (mine was in the basement of my house) to the living space, it made a big difference. Since most people's homes have unfinished basements and that's where the HVAC system is located, it doesn't get the same humidty readings as an occupied living space.

The other reason that you tend to get moisture (condensation) forming on windows is that the Percentage of humiditfication is set manually with the humidifier control, and yet, the outside (and inside) air temperature vary and the difference between them can cause the humidity levels to go from very dry to very moist, in a day or two.

I tend to wait until I notice that the air inside the house is getting dry and then turn on my humidifier, once the cold winter days have taken hold. In summary, nothing wrong with your unit, just mother nature and a well built (most air-tight) home are giving you higher levels of condensation than most older homes. Gradual adjustments, once you turn the humidifier off for awhile, should get you the desired results.

I hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

you may need new windows, you should keep your house between 35 and 45% humidity but if your windows are condisating on the inside and that condinsation is freezing then either turn off the humidifier or get new windows

you need to make sure your humidity level in the house isnt higher then what your humidifier will provide at any givin outdoor temp. this chart is in the owners manual. you cant remove the wires going to the ODS or it will give an error unless you have a resistor to put in its place. Anyway if the humidifier works in test mode according to AA it works so you may have higher humidity than you think, the highest your gonna get is 45% as the temp outside drops it will allow less humidity so it doesnt cause window condinsation (property damage) here is a copy of the chart. the #s on the left are the dial setting
TABLE 2 – % Relative Humidity Guide
Outdoor Temperature (°F)
-10°F 0°F 10°F 20°F 30°F 40°F
1 10% 10% 10% 15% 20% 25%
2 10% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
3 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
4 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
5 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
6 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 45%
7 30% 35% 40% 45% 45% 45%

Hi, Jennifer:

I'm no expert, but those who are seem to agree that the first thing to check is your evaporator panel. Aprilaire recommends replacing it annually--so if you haven't replaced it recently, that would be the first step to take. Next, check the power supply to your Aprilaire unit. Turn the humidistat to 0%, and then turn it slowly back toward 35% until you hear a click at the unit. If you don't hear a click, you'll want to check that the unit is in fact getting electric power (you may want to get an electrician or furnace tech to do this). If you do hear the click, the next thing to check is whether you have sufficient water flow to your Aprilaire unit. On mine, I had to adjust my water supply saddle valve, as well as the inline valve on the discharge side of the solenoid (see prior post from this morning)--and this seemed to clear the lines and restore water flow. Once you achieve proper water flow, you will probably want to set your humidistat at 35% for winter temps of around 20 degrees F--but be sure to adjust it downward for colder weather. Comments, anyone?

i realize this answer is a year old; but, i would guess you didn't let the wick become saturated before running. fill the resevoir with water, then let the humidifier sit idle while the wick is saturating. when it is completely saturated, the refill light will go off. refill the resevoir with additional water, as needed. then you can run the humidifier.

I have a similar problem with mine too. I am interested to see if anyone can diagnose this problem