Our humidifier seems to run all the time. even when the furnace is not heating. We recently got a call from our local water authority that our water usage was double the normal and they told me to check everything for leaks. both toilets are fine and there are no leaks in the faucets. We do have a Reverse Osmosis water purification system that does waste water by design but we have had this system for almost 10 years. I should say that we keep the furnace fan on at all times to circulate air, per the HVAC installer, even when the furnace is not heating. Also my wife prefers to keep the house higher in humidity during the winter to cut down on static. I do notice that we get condensation on the windows. I have checked the solenoid valve by removing one of the power lines and it clicks on and off as it should. The humidifier is wired to a transformer at the furnace power connection. The wires from the transformer are connected to, white-Neutral & Black-HUM, which are both then connected to the furnace control board with their respective plug connections. My question is what would cause the water to run constantly? Is the humidified sensing the running fan and adding water to the air stream to meet the high humidity setting? Last time I checked she had it set to 60%, which it never gets to. Or possibly the control board is malfunctioning? The furnace was installed in 2010 so as far as I know the warranty is still intact for the furnace, but I don't know how long the extra accessories are warranted? Just looking for some simple things to check before I call in a professional at $95/hour. I should also say that I have shut off the saddle valve to stop the water flow until we correct the problem so both of us along with our 3 boxers are getting static shocks a lot now. Any help or direction will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

I can't answer your specific question. But if you're getting condensation on the windows, you're humidity is way too high. You're inviting window rot and mold growth.

 

Welcome, and there are others who can be more helpful, but I agree with Norm, that you don't want condensation on your windows, and having it is an indication that your humidity is already too high. Now, if it is limited to specific windows, perhaps it is confined to certain rooms, it seems to me that it could be an issue with balance in your system, and maybe a fan running on low could help balance that? I think that I would buy a hygrometer or two, nothing fancy, just something you can pick up at your local hardware or big box, and see what kind of readings it shows in various parts of the home. I can't add anything else, except to suggest that you might want to add your location, just general, type of home, ranch, etc., and type of heat, gas, oil, whatever, just as starters so that someone more knowledgeable might be able to be more specific.

 

If you turn the blower off does the humidifier still run?

 

Welcome to the forums.

..... but does the water stop flowing ?

There are two available switched terminals.
EAC = electronic air cleaner - active when the blower is running.
HUM = humidifier - active when the burner is running.

They are usually right next to each other. Make sure the transformer is not connected to EAC.

 

As a general rule your humidifier runs with you blower unless your humidistat set point is satisfied.

Try putting your fan back to auto and see if the humidifier stops and then start the fan and see if it comes on.

If it does then the humidifier is working properly.

Where do you have your humidistat located or maybe just a bad humidistat.

Try turning it down to 50 or 40% to see if it cycles. May just be out of calibration.

Hope this helps a little.