Turn Off Your Humidifier In Summer

Many people with central humidifiers go into the cooling season forgetting to shut down the humidifier for the summer.

A central air conditioner will not cool or dehumidify properly if the humidifier is running.

Rikki is turning the humidistat to the off position for the summer.

Step 1 – Turn the humidistat to the off position or the lowest percent of relative humidity. The humidistat is usually installed on the return air plenum above the humidifier. Sometimes it is installed on the wall near the thermostat.

Step 2 – Close the duct damper or turn it to the summer position. *Note – not all systems have duct dampers.

Step 3 – Turn off the water-supply. If you are unsure how, just follow the quarter inch water line out of the humidifier. (It is either copper or plastic). Turn the valve clock wise until it stops. *Note -If the valve is a saddle valve, the type that clamps on to a copper water pipe, it might not provide 100% shut-off.

Step 4 – After removing the pad, float assembly, and pan, the parts can now be cleaned. File size- 21k. Clean the humidifier and leave dry until winter. *Note – If you have a float type humidifier with a saddle valve that doesn’t provide 100% shut-off, you can either manually lift the float by placing an object under it to keep the pan empty or you need to have your saddle valve inspected and/or replaced.

Step 5 – If this sounds like too much work, contact us, we can do it for you!

Bonus Tip: Use Humidex Tablets (Store them in a dry place.)

If you have a General-aire Model 81 humidifier or another “float-type” humidifier, we suggest using Humidex tablets. They are really great for hard water areas.

Humidex tablets  kill odor causing bacteria, maintain peak humidifier performance, make cleaning much easier and cleaning is needed less often. Vial of 12 tablets. Also extends life of humidifier parts.

Available online from our HVAC Store.