Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Furnace humidifier recommendation please

Hey guys,

I currently have a GeneralAire 1042 series humidifier on my furnace and I need to replace it. Can anyone recommend a good brand? The best, most efficient type- rotary disc, flow through, ultrasonic humidifier etc.

I've done some research and have read good reviews about Desert Springs humidifier and Aprilaire .

One thing to possibly consider is that I also have an HRV, which drys my house even more in the wintertime.

As always, your input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Cam

The fellow who installed my new furnace will be coming back this evening to install a better thermostat, so I'll try to remember to ask him for his recommendation on humidifiers, Cam.

Thanks, Adrian. From further research, it seems like Aprilaire flow through/bypass humidifiers are the best.

My neighbour has an Aprilaire humidifier and says it's a good unit(he also got his furnace replaced yesterday by the same installer).

Hmmm. I never know much about them, except it was a knob I turned twice a year.

Thanks, Adrian. It looks like they're a good unit, and right now the manufacturer of choice.



You're single, and you only turn your knob twice a year? No wonder your avatars head is bobbing back and forth .

Yup. He(installer) recommends the Aprilaire humidifiers, Cam. Says that's what they specialize in and prefers it over others.

Thanks again, Adrian. That's what I'll be getting!

Hey Cam,
Was there anything about the 1042 that you were unhappy with? The Aprilaire is essentially the same design/type, so you really won't see any improvement over what you have now.

Do you trust your HVAC tech? I'm quite surprised that you need to replace it. The only two things that can really go bad are the pad and the solenoid. (And both can be replaced fairly inexpensively)

The AA's are very good humidifiers, but I don't like the plastic clip that holds the water line above the pad as they tend to break.

If you wanted something more efficient, look into a Steam Humidifier.

Hey Shawn,

I haven't had anybody look at it, but last winter my humidifier had a very hard time keeping up with my HRV and my house was very dry. I don't think it's broken, I just figured that it isn't very good.

I guess I'll have someone come in and take a look at it first.

Thanks bud, hopefully you've saved me some cash.

Now hopefully I can find a trusting tech.......not Direct Energy!

Lol! my installer told me to stay clear of Direct Energy, too!

So, my 1042 furnace humidifier is working perfectly fine. The service technician and representative at GeneralAire told me exactly what I thought was happening-my HRV and humidifier are competing against each other.

Because my house is so energy efficient (tight), my HRV is drying the house out faster than my humidifier can humidify my house. Even with my HRV on its lowest setting, running 20 minutes, then off for 20 minutes, my house is still very dry because my furnace isn't running very often, ergo the humidifier isn't because it only runs when there's a call for heat.

So, the service technician suggested getting a room humidifier, but GeneralAire said that it most likely won't make that much of a difference (also needs to be refilled regularity which doesn't work well for me).

GeneralAire said that a steam humidifier seems like my only option because they will humidify the house when there's not a call for heat, but these units cost around $2000.

I know Shawn is the resident expert, but I didn't know if you guys had some contacts that would give you trustworthy info.

Thanks, I appreciate any help.

Edit-I just found out (precisely why I always do my own research) that the Desert Springs rotary humidifier works when there isn't a call for heat. I've read some very positive reviews about it, but am unfamiliar with the brand. It's also within my price range.