Additional Information
Be sure to keep fireplace dampers closed when not in use. They provide an excellent escape route for heat, as well as humidity. Humidity is lost at an even faster rate than heat because water vapor tends to seek its own level and your humidifier would not be able to replace it even when running at full capacity.
On occasion, indoor moisture producing activities such as clothes drying, cooking, showers, etc., may raise the relative humidity level higher than it should be, even though the Aprilaire Humidifier is not operating. Telltale indications, again, are con- densation or frost on cold surfaces such as windows, doors, walls, etc. If such condensation persists for several hours, your home should be ventilated to dissipate the potential damaging excess moisture levels.
III. EFFECT OF WATER CHARACTERISTICS
Your humidifier will operate effectively using either hot, cold, hard or mechanically softened water. Whether to use available tap water, even though it may be quite hard, or chemically softened water, is a common concern to homeowners when installing a humidifier.
Water used in homes contains varying amounts of minerals. The residue remaining as a result of hard water evaporation is primarily calcium and magnesium components and is usually quite hard, scaly, and dense.
Residue from softened water tends to be soft and fluffy and has a greater volume than hard water scale. The service life of a Water Panel evaporator may be extended by using hard water, but in either case, the Water Panel evaporator is usually changed once a year. In the Model 448 Aprilaire Humidifier, these solids will build up on the evaporator surface, in the reservoir and pump section. This is why proper maintenance is important and necessary. Service hot water, 140° maximum, is recommended with drain type units for increas- ing capacity and for heat pump applications.
In the
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