Troubleshooting

No water flow.

Plugged orifice or orifice strainer.

Disassemble and clean orifice on inlet side of solenoid valve.

No electric power to humidifier.

Replace blown fuse.

Reset circuit breaker.

Furnace fan not running when humidifier is wired per instructions, furnace fan must be running for humidifier to operate.

If humidistat is applied check for proper setting.

Solenoid valve not opening.

Solenoid will make audible click when energized. With furnace blower running and humidistat turned on high humidity, check circuit for loose connections. Check continuity through solenoid cell.

Saddle valve closed or plugged.

Open valve and check for water flow to solenoid valve.

Slow water flow. (Less than 3 gal. per hour or 1 qt. in five minutes on 709, 990, 1040 and 1042 models.) (5 gal. per hour or 1 qt. in three minutes on 1099 models.)

Partially plugged orifice or strainer.

Disassemble and clean orifice and strainer.

Low water pressure (20-40 psi)

Install low pressure orifice.

Excessive water flow. (Greater than 6 gal. per hour on 709, 990, 1040, and 1042 models.) (Greater than 8 gal. per hour on 1099 models.)

Enlarged orifice.

Replace orifice fitting.

See Installation Instructions for proper orifice size.

Continuous water flow. Electric valve does not shut off supply.

Improper wiring.

Chech circuitry. Solenoid should be connected in parallel with furnace blower motor on the blower side of the fan control.

Worn seat in electric valve.

Use manufacturer's valve wrench to disassemble valve for inspection. If valve leaks at seat, replace valve.

Valve plunger sticks in open position.

Inspect valve sleeve and plunger for excessive dirt. Clean plunger and sleeve assembly.

Valve installed incorrectly. Water must flow in direction of arrow or as described by "In and Out" shown on valve.

Assemble correctly.

Noisy or buzzing solenoid valve.

Dirt in valve sleeve and plunger assembly.

Disassemble valve with manufacturer's valve wrench and clean all foreign matter from sleeve assembly and plunger.

Water blowing out of distributor trough.

High bonnet pressure forcing air up through distributor trough.

Install distributor trough and trough cover tightly.

Water blowing off evaporator pad.

Excessive lime accumulation and corrosion on evaporator pad.

Replace evaporator pad.

Excessive water flow. (Greater than 6 GPH on 709, 990, 1040, and 1042 models.) (Greater than 8 GPH on 1099 models.)

Check orifice for enlargement. Reduce humidifier pump output (recirculating models only.)

High static pressure--systems equipped with central air conditioning may have high static pressures and/or two speed blowers.

Use "Low" blower speed for heating when humidification is required.

Close manual air control on humidifier to reduce air flow. Install permanent restriction in bypass pipe to reduce air flow through humidifier.

Drain pan overflowing.

Accumulation of mineral deposits plugging pan outlets or drain hose.

Clean drain pan and flush drain hose. Be sure drain line has a continual slope to the drain with no kinks.

Do not connect humidifier drain to a "T". This creates an obstruction which could collect mineral deposits.

Excessive humidification with humidistat installed.

Short in humidistat wires, or unit will not shut off.

Check humidistat wires to be sure they are not shorted. Electricians staples will often short low voltage wires.

Continuous water flow.

See previous section on continuous water flow.

Excessive humidification without humidistat.

Incorrect setting on manual air control.

If over humidification is a chronic problem reduce air flow through unit by closing air control. A humidistat may be installed to give positive control of relative humidity.

Lack of humidification.

Incorrect measurement of relative humidity.

Check relative humidity with sling psychrometer. Bacharach Model SAC is recommended.

Periodic cleaning has been neglected.

Thoroughly clean humidifier and replace evaporator pad or any worn part.

Homeowner not aware of recommended relative humidity.

Bring attention to maximum values on homeowner's service card.

Incorrect installation.

Review Installation Instructions to determine if unit is installed correctly. The bypass pipe must be installed.

Water not flowing through all holes in distributor trough.

Adjust humidifier so that the distributor trough is exactly level in all directions. If surface tension seems to prevent flow of water through on or two "V" notches, brush notches with a non-sudsing liquid detergent. On 1042 humidifiers, brush detergent on water dividing target area in center of the distributor trough.

Slow water flow.

See previous section on slow water flow.

Humidifier air shutter set on low.

Make certain manual air control is open.

Insufficient air flow. (Less than 100 CFM.)

Seldom a problem with bypass humidifiers. In rare cases, however, such as gravity conversion furnaces, unusually low bonnet pressure (less than .05" of water) may not provide air flow through humidifiers. To correct problem, enlarge bypass duct to the next larger size, using proper transition from humidifier to bypass duct.

Air changes in home occurring more rapidly than normal (1 air change per hour is average). Excessive infiltration can be caused by open windows and prolonged use of kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. These factors can increase the air changes in a home to 4 per hour, greatly increasing the humidification load.

Keep windows and dampers closed and exhaust fans off as much as possible. While a fireplace is being used, a lower relative humidity will be experienced due to the large increased draft up chimney.

Homes with make-up air devices or energy recovery ventilators can increase the air changes in the home many times, lowering the performance of the humidifier.

The output of drain type humidifiers may be increased 4.3 gallons per day with hookup to 140 degrees hot water. Use copper water supply tubing with insulation.

Pump not raising water to humidifier. (Recirculation models only.)

Flow adjustment on recirculating pump set too low.

Set flow rate per Installation Instructions by moving standpipe in the direction shown on pump lid.

Clogged pump or supply hoses.

Disassemble pump. Clean pump housing, brass supply tubing and vinyl hoses. Reset pump output at no more than 6 GPH (1 qt. in 2/12 minutes on 709, 990, 1040, and 1042). (No more than 8 GPH, 1 qt. every 2 minutes on 1099).

Pump reservoir overflowing.

Faulty float valve.

Replace float valve shield and float orifice nut. Remove float assembly and clean mineral deposits from all parts. Reverse position of valve seat if it shows wear.

Grooves in valve seat.

Replace any worn parts.