What's Involved When Installing A Humidifier For Your Furnace

Are you interested in adding a humidifier to your home's furnace, but you're not sure what is involved? If so, it will definitely help to know what will happen when having your HVAC system upgraded with a whole home humidifier to make the hot air feel more comfortable.

Creating The Hole For The Humidifier

The first thing is to create a hole in the ductwork for the humidifier. Your HVAC technician will do this by using sheet metal shears to cut into the ductwork in a place on the return side of the ductwork, which is all the air that has already traveled through your home. They'll need to make sure that the size of the hole is as close to the size of the humidifier as possible. It is common for foam to be placed around the part of the hole to create an airtight seal around the humidifier.

Mounting The Humidifier

The humidifier can now be placed into the ductwork in the proper orientation. The unit has a water intake valve that needs to be on top and a drain that needs to be on the bottom. This is because the water will trickle through a filter as air passes through it, which is what creates steam and adds humidity to the air in your home.

Connecting The Supply Line

The humidifier will need to be connected to the supply line as well so that the steam can be incorporated into the hot air that the furnace produces. This can be done with aluminum tubes that are connected to the supply ductwork. To help you understand why this is necessary, you need to know the process of how humidity is introduced into the air. The air within your home goes into the return line, passes through the humidifier, creates steam, and then the steam goes into the supply line.

Connecting The Water Line And Drain

Your HVAC technician will need to tap into a nearby water line so that the humidifier has a water source. The amount of water that is necessary to run a humidifier is not big, which can be done with a small plastic tube rather than a copper pipe. The drain pipe then needs to be connected to a nearby drain. This is sometimes done by running a plastic tube to a nearby utility sink, or even into a nearby floor drain if one exists.  

For more information about furnaces, contact a local company.