How to: Maintaining and Operating Your Central Humidifier

Seasonal Switch:
We’re now going to review the operation and maintenance of your central humidifier. Here we see the seasonal switch. It’s pretty straightforward. In the summer months, the arrow should be pointed towards “Summer.” This will close the flap inside the ducts and prevent airflow from entering the humidifier. When you’re ready to use your humidifier in the early months of winter, simply switch the arrow to point to “Winter,” and the ducts will open to allow hot air to blow across your central humidifier.

Shutoff Valve:
The next step when starting to use your central humidifier in the winter is to follow the water line that leads from the humidifier to a plumbing connection. You’ll find a shutoff valve. Make sure the shutoff valve is in the parallel position. You can refer to the other video on shutoff valves to ensure that the valve is in the open position.

Humidifier Controller:
This is referred to as a humidistat. It is the controller used to operate the central humidifier. As you can see, there is an “off” setting when you’re not using the humidifier, as well as a gradient level of humidification intensity that you can adjust depending on the level you’re aiming for inside the house.

Ideally, you want to set your humidification to around 45 percent. To verify this, you’ll need to purchase a hygrometer, which is a simple device available at any hardware store. By checking your home’s humidity levels with the hygrometer, you can adjust the humidistat until you reach about 45 percent. Maintaining this level is important for health, as air that is too dry can be unhealthy, while air that is too humid can promote mold growth. Proper humidification also helps preserve wood floors and furniture.

Humidifier Maintenance:
Now, let’s review the maintenance of your central humidifier.

First, turn off the humidifier using the humidistat. Next, remove the access panel to the filter by pressing the button on the bottom and lifting the lid up. You can then replace the old filter with a new one.

As you can see, the old filter will have deposits on its cells, while the new filter will be clean by comparison. To change the filter, start by removing the filter housing. Then, take off the top of the filter housing, pull out the old filter, and slide in the new one. Replace the cap and the filter housing into the humidifier.

Reinstall the cover, starting at the top and ensuring the bottom snaps into place. Finally, turn the humidifier back on using the humidistat, and you’re set for another season. Ideally, filters should be changed annually, but it’s best to visually inspect your filter, and if you see a lot of deposits across the cells, that’s an indication that it needs to be changed.