Review on Aprilaire-500MZ 500M Manual Compact Furnace Humidifier: Whole Home Solution for Homes up to 3,000 Sq. Ft. by Michele Gonzalez

Very happy with this whole house humidifier. I installed it myself with no professional experience. That being said, I spent about 5 hours digging into the installation methods as the instructions provided are difficult for the layperson to understand, and also do not reflect new builds with stove tops with dedicated humidifier circuits (labeled HUM). If you have a new home, look at the photos and follow the instructions. If your oven's HUM circuit is rated for 24VAC, you don't need to use the included NONE transformer or recommended relay ($35 extra). If you connect an air humidifier (with thermostat cable 18/2), the air humidifier only works when the fan/blower unit of the oven is running. When the home thermostat starts the oven cycle, it automatically starts the humidifier along with the oven. This is a MUST HAVE to save tons of money on unnecessary water usage. If you bought the MANUAL version of the humidifier (like I did) then without the extra charge for the relay accessory, the humidifier will work 24/7 even when the stove motor is off, essentially just dumping hot water down the floor drain. home or a recently upgraded furnace) First install the entire unit after cutting out the ALIGNED gaps in the HVAC system using the provided templates. It is important that the unit is installed perfectly level to ensure an even flow of water through the humidifier unit filter. (1) You then route the thermostat cable 18/2 from the oven circuit board to the vent where your humidifier unit is connected. (Your 18/2 cable comes in a brown or gray jacket that contains two wires, one white and one red). Use conduit to protect the cable as it runs between two air vents as shown in the attached photos. (2) With 18/2 from the stove board to the humidifier, connect the WHITE wire directly to one of the 2 vents. Yellow wires connected to humidifier unit. The other end of the white wire connects to your HUM circuitry on the oven board through the CLAM adapter listed for your 18ga cable. (3) The red wire from the 18/2 coming from the oven circuit board to the humidifier unit then connects to the screw on the near side of the included thermostat (hang at least 6 inches above your humidifier. The other end of the red wire connects to Connected to your COMMON circuit on the PCB Oven PCB marked C This is your 24VAC supply There are likely already 1-2 wires from your house thermostat and/or AC connected to your (C)community so if you have the Need to tie wires to avoid overloading the input, do so (see attached image) Thermostat directly to the second yellow wire on the thermostat unit ist.y runs after your house thermostat activates as it needs more heat PROFESSIONAL FORUM TIPS I've researched: - Avoid using semi-rigid n, expandable and flexible tubing when connecting your humidifier vent to the opposite return/vent (see photos). PROS stated that they never use this tube for humidifiers because many grooves can collect moisture which can cause many problems in the future. RIGID vents also ensure smoother airflow. It is NEVER recommended to use the included adapter to tap copper piping for water supply when installing in a home without newer PEX piping. They stated that they always fail and leak over time. If you have copper tubing, you may need to solder a 1/4" tee for the hot water line (these skills are probably beyond DIY skills). Bite the bullet and hire a professional even if you don't. only for this purpose. -Use COPPER 1/4" and NO plastic tubing when using the hot water line (it is recommended to always run hot water through the humidifier) to your humidifier. -If you have PEX tubing, go with Shark Bite connections aren't difficult - just make sure you measure the depth you need to insert the PEX pipe into the Shark Bite valve to ensure a proper seal Overall this was a tedious install (I needed about 6.5 hours with no HVAC experience) , but the setup works exactly as i hoped after an evening walk the humidity in the house increases by 4% and i hope the recommended 35% within 3-5 days To achieve how this can cause excessive moisture build-up in the house (mold problems and damage to woodwork/cabinets) I paid an additional $100 on materials and saved that Get $300 for a Pro install (that was the lowest estimate I got). Another benefit of self-installation is the need to learn/understand how the device works, which helps with ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting should problems arise. To attempt!