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The Aprilaire 350 includes the humidifier assembly with a built in fan. Inside the 350 is a circuit board that turns on the fan and solenoid valve when the contol wires are connected. The water panel (#35) is mounted in a plastic frame with the water distribution tray. A manual humidistat and saddle valve are included. The items included are shown in our photos.
The self contained Aprilaire 350 is designed for homes without a central forced hot air heating system. The 350 would mount in the basement or a remote location (above 65°) and the output would be ducted to a register in the living area.
The model 350 draws room temperature air and requires hot water to facilitate the evaporation process. The 350 is a flow-thru humidifier and requires a drain. Output is rated at 12 gallons per day. |
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The term Flow-Thru refers to water trickling through the water panel and out a drain. The advantages of a flow-thru design is reduced maintenance and no standing water. Scale from calcium and lime gets flushed out of the water panel and down the drain. The water panel is an aluminum mesh with a porous coating that inhibits growth of slime and is easy to change (once a year).
The disadvantage of the Flow-Thru is water usage. We are in the northeast where this is not an issue, though the 350 uses hot water. We get a flat rate water bill unless there is excessive usage then the rate goes up. The Flow-Thru humidifier does not cause excessive usage.
The Flow-Thru is an evaporative humidifier and requires hot air. If not using hot air then hot water should be used. We see little humidity gain if our Flow-Thru humidifier is operating with cold air (and cold water). We run our blower on constant to best utilize our electronic air cleaner, but our humidifier is wired to only operate only when there is hot air and works very well. |
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The indoor humidity level needs to be set based on the outside temperature. This is to prevent water from running down the windows. The cool air near the windows can not hold the humidity and water will condense on the glass. To prevent this condensation, the indoor humidity level is sacrificed by lowering the humidistat.
A manual humidistat needs to be set back as the season gets colder. An automatic humidistat (such as the Aprilaire 56) adjusts the humidity by using an outside temperature sensor.
The Honeywell automatic humidistat (H1008A) determines the outside temperature based on the furnace duty cycle or with an optional outdoor sensor. Below the Honeywell owners manual discusses this feature they call HumidiCalc. |
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