Smart HVAC: Smart Humidification Products Please Residential Consumers
Developing products that consumers need and will ultimately
buy is something that manufacturers spend much time - and money - researching.
In the world of humidification, manufacturers are constantly coming out with new
products and reworking existing products in order to respond to customers’
needs.
Aprilaire (www.aprilaire.com) recently announced its next generation of whole-house humidifiers that include the intelligent controls that consumers desire. The new line was designed based on extensive homeowner and contractor research and offers many comprehensive and technologically advanced features.
“Our research shows that consumers want to know what is going on in their homes and are willing to pay more for it,” said Dennie Plomedahl, product manager, Aprilaire. “They want to know the relative humidity, if their humidifier is operating properly, when to change the water panel, and when to service it.”
Aprilaire’s new automatic digital control provides optimum humidity levels, up to 50 percent more than manual control, throughout the heating season. The focal point of the new control is the blue, liquid crystal, backlit display that is designed to be viewed in poorly lit areas from as far as 20 feet away.
The control has three indicator lights, giving homeowners information on the operation and condition of their humidifier:
• A green light comes on when the humidifier is on and operating properly.
• A yellow light comes on when water panel replacement is required. This intelligent control monitors the operating time of the solenoid valve and turns on the indicator light at the appropriate time. Run time is adjustable depending on the model installed and the hardness of the water.
• A red light appears when there is a malfunction with the humidistat operation. When this occurs, one of four error codes will appear in the display.
“Contractors told us that self-diagnostics like this could save them time troubleshooting and provides useful information,” said Plomedahl.
“Also whether it is a power model or a bypass model, Aprilaire humidifiers remains the easiest in the industry to install. Installing the new digital control has become much easier; first of all, tin snips are no longer required. Simply drill a 3/4-inch hole in the return air plenum, at least 6 inches upstream from the humidifier, bypass, or fresh air intake, and zip the control in place with sheet metal screws. This saves valuable time and money on every installation.”
Publication date: 11/26/2007
Aprilaire (www.aprilaire.com) recently announced its next generation of whole-house humidifiers that include the intelligent controls that consumers desire. The new line was designed based on extensive homeowner and contractor research and offers many comprehensive and technologically advanced features.
“Our research shows that consumers want to know what is going on in their homes and are willing to pay more for it,” said Dennie Plomedahl, product manager, Aprilaire. “They want to know the relative humidity, if their humidifier is operating properly, when to change the water panel, and when to service it.”
Aprilaire’s new automatic digital control provides optimum humidity levels, up to 50 percent more than manual control, throughout the heating season. The focal point of the new control is the blue, liquid crystal, backlit display that is designed to be viewed in poorly lit areas from as far as 20 feet away.
The control has three indicator lights, giving homeowners information on the operation and condition of their humidifier:
• A green light comes on when the humidifier is on and operating properly.
• A yellow light comes on when water panel replacement is required. This intelligent control monitors the operating time of the solenoid valve and turns on the indicator light at the appropriate time. Run time is adjustable depending on the model installed and the hardness of the water.
• A red light appears when there is a malfunction with the humidistat operation. When this occurs, one of four error codes will appear in the display.
“Contractors told us that self-diagnostics like this could save them time troubleshooting and provides useful information,” said Plomedahl.
“Also whether it is a power model or a bypass model, Aprilaire humidifiers remains the easiest in the industry to install. Installing the new digital control has become much easier; first of all, tin snips are no longer required. Simply drill a 3/4-inch hole in the return air plenum, at least 6 inches upstream from the humidifier, bypass, or fresh air intake, and zip the control in place with sheet metal screws. This saves valuable time and money on every installation.”
Publication date: 11/26/2007
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