HE260 no water flowing?


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Old 01-21-12, 07:55 PM
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HE260 no water flowing?

Installed the HE260 today and not getting water to run through the pad. i've wired it per the instructions and video that came with the kit (and i agree they are poor).
I've checked that i have water coming to the solenoid by closing saddle valve, removing water line from solenoid and opening saddle valve = water comes out.
when i turn the dial on the humidistat it clicks like it is turning 'on' when it gets to around 30.
I don't think there is power to the solenoid. I used multimeter to verify that the outlet the transformer is plugged into is giving 120V. and when i test the terminals on the transformer I don't get anything. does this mean i need a new transformer? and the one they shipped is dead?
i am super frustrated with honeywell at this point. the wiring diagrams are not clear.

here is how i wired it:
red/white connected to transformer goes to humidifier.
red from transformer is connected to one black at humidifier; the other black from humidifier is connected to red going to humidistat. whites wire nutted together at humidifier.
red from humidifier is connected to one black at humidistat; other black at humidistat is connected to red going to pressure valve. whites wired nutted together at humidistat.
red and white connected to push on terminals at pressure valve.
does this sound correct?

any help is greatly appreciated.
 

Last edited by hvactechfw; 01-22-12 at 05:01 AM.
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Old 01-22-12, 05:02 AM
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if you have no power out of the transfomer but have power in then you have a failed transformer.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 08:46 AM
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does my wiring explanation sound correct though? how often does honeywell ship a failed transformer? seems like there is a lot of threads here on problems with wiring these things up. It seems it would make more sense to wire it directly to the furnace so that the solenoid opened to let water flow whenever the furnace fan runs; rather than using the pressure switch....
 
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Old 01-22-12, 10:18 AM
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I don't know th failure rate. I'm unsure of how you wired it. I can not picture how you have wired it with out visual aid by way of a schematic or drawing. It does make more sense to wire it through the furnace but you should still use a transformer dedicated for the humidifier so that if something in the humidifier circuit fails it does not hurt the furnace operation. The best control I have seen for a humidifier outside of a top of the line thermostat that controls humidification is the aprilaire model 60 humidistat.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 10:38 AM
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thanks for the advice. gonna go back to lowes and see if i can get a different transformer and go from there.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 02:17 PM
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i've got a new transformer to try. so before trying it, here is a diagram of how i have the system wired. I"m using the red/white two strand wire that came with the install kit. the red is connected to black wires at both the humidifier and humidistat. does this look correct?
thanks

 
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Old 01-22-12, 02:48 PM
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Yes it does look correct. Install an inline fuse (3A) on the line that runs between the transformer and the humidifier. This should protect the transformer.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 06:07 PM
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Ok... so the electrical part seems to be good now. However now i seem to have a problem with the pressure switch. i can only get water to run when i pull out the air hose running to the supply duct and blow into it. when i do this, i can hear the solenoid open and water start to flow as it should.

i have the pressure switch connected to both the return duct (grey inlet on the switch with '-' on it) and the black inlet connected to the supply duct. these are both connected using the hardware provided in the kit. i drilled 3/4 inch hole in the ducts, put in the rubber grommet, and the 90 degree elbow of the air hose from the pressure switch is pushed into the grommet.

does this mean my system doesn't create enough 'vacuum' to make the switch work?
 
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Old 01-22-12, 06:20 PM
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it could mean that. The solution would be an inductive relay or a better humidistat that does not require the pressure switch.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 07:00 PM
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well, i'd have to say that i think this honeywell unit is a piece of crap. in a previous house, i installed a different brand (i don't recall what it was) but it seemed to be a better system using a float instead of a pressure switch to control water flow.
anyways, i will give honeywell a call tomorrow and see what they say. at this point, i'm ready to tear it all out, box it up and return it.
 
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Old 01-22-12, 07:02 PM
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aprilaire is a much better brand, IMO
 
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Old 01-23-12, 05:28 AM
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I just finished installing the HE260 - not enough time, now, to identify all the problems with Honeywell's poor instructions. I feel sorry for folks who haven't found this forum for it's clear instructions! In fact, if you have a HUM connection on your furnace, it's much better to use, instead of the pressure switch (and multiple hoses) that Honeywell proposes. Here is a good link for wiring the HE260 (same as the HE220) from this forum: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/hu...re-switch.html
 
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Old 01-23-12, 05:50 AM
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CAUTION!!! I do not recommend just picking a thread and following that diagram. It all depends on your furnace control board. Some are 24V HUM terminals...some are 120V. ALWAYS POST YOU MAKE AND MODEL OF FURNACE AND HUMIDIFIER FOR PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS SPECIFIC TO YOUR INSTALLATION.

Also, please post your question in a thread of your own. Hijacking a thread can not only be confusing to posters who are helping but it can also be dangerous.
 
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Old 01-23-12, 06:06 AM
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appreciate the help/advice... i need to get some other things done today but will get back to this humidifier issue and will likely be asking for help on wiring the humidifier to the furnace... way before even trying to do anything on it. i would really hate to fry something on the furnace in the process of making this humidifier work.
 
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Old 01-24-12, 12:36 PM
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a general question on the HE260... how many sq ft should it be good for? our house is a 2-story, 8 years old and about 2900 sq ft. this morning, the hygrometer i have showed 33%. shortly after that, i turned on the furnace fan to 'on' rather than auto so it runs constantly and i bypassed the pressure swith on my HE260 (since i don't have it working yet) so there is water flowing all the time. In 3 hours the humidity has not changed. still at 33%. temp in the house is at 66. outside temp this afternoon is 46 and humidity outside is 49%.

my question is, is the HE260 big enough for my house? would you expect the humidity in the house to rise in 3 hours? or does it take days of humidity in the ducts to increase the humidity in the house?

thanks-
 
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Old 01-24-12, 02:53 PM
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your home needs to absorb the moisture.... let it go for a week and see what happens.
 
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Old 01-24-12, 05:20 PM
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seriously? run the water for a week? guess it makes sense that it will take a long time to get soaked into everything. maybe a better assessment for me is whether or not we continue to give the dog and baby static shocks or not! rather than watching the questionable hygrometer.

thats another question i have... when this thing is hooked up correctly does the water run constantly when the fan is on? or does the solenoid open and close or close partially to just keep the pad at a certain wetness? seems like it would use a lot of water if it is running non-stop every time the fan is running. any idea what the gpm is for the humidifier at an avg household water psi ?

thanks again-
 
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Old 01-24-12, 05:36 PM
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the humidifier will not run unless there is a call for humidification from the humidistat and the fan is running. There is an orifice in the solenoid that regulates the water flow. It is either on or off not partially open. The pad should dry out in between calls for humidification once the house get regulated to your setpoint.
 
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Old 01-27-12, 06:32 PM
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Ok, i'm ready to try and get my honeywell HE260 wired to the furnace and not use the pressure switch that came with the humidifier.
i haven't even pulled the panel off the furnace yet. just by trying to figure out what model it is. what i've gathered so far is I found the model number (this is a Lennox) CB30M-65-2P. which it appears is just the model number of the air handler. I also found a sticker below that where the installer was supposed to check off a box as to which model of heater was installed and none of them are checked, but they are all model numbers that start with ECB29.
gonna shut power off and pull the panel off and see what i find. if anyone is familer with this model of lennox and how i might wire the humidifer so that it runs water only when the fan is running, i will greatly appreciate it.
thanks
 
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Old 01-27-12, 06:57 PM
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here is a picture of the wiring inside the furnace. i did not see any label or plate indicating exactly what model of furnace it is. for whatever reason, i could not get imageshack to rotate this picture, but the terminals are: C, G, W1, W2, W3, and R.

 
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Old 01-27-12, 07:55 PM
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so i did some testing with my multimeter on the furnace cirucuit board after looking at the wiring diagram in the furnace. C is common. I get 27 volts between C and G only when the furnace fan is running. so i believe that is what i would want to connect to. here is a diagram of what I think is the correct way to wire the humidifier. Please let me know if this looks correct. i'm not going to do anything until get some feedback. Also, is it problem if i'm getting 27 volts? i.e. that won't fry the humidifer will it?
thanks-

 
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Old 01-27-12, 07:58 PM
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Looks like you have an air handler.

Is the electric is your only heat, or do you have a Heat Pump on it?
 
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Old 01-27-12, 08:04 PM
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Hi Jay! happy to see someone reply!

so we have all electric heat. no heat pump. the furnace has 3 - 60A breakers on the main service panel to the house and there are 3 breakers on the furnace itself.

does my proposed diagram look correct?
 
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Old 01-28-12, 05:25 AM
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Yes. It will work. However, I don't like wiring it that way due to the fact that if something in the control circuit of the humidifier fails it could also cause your heat to not work. The proper way to wire it would be with a dedicated transformer and a #50 relay.

Btw, I would not get snippy about replying quickly as we have actual jobs along with doing this and do this for free in our spare time.
 
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Old 01-28-12, 06:41 AM
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thanks for the info hvactech. i will look into wiring it with the relay..

and i think you mis-interpreted my earlier post. I was not at all being snippy. i was honestly happy to see Jay's reply. i had just got back to my project last night and was hoping but not expecting anyone to reply, since i figured you guys hopefully have lives unlike me who was working on a humidifier at at 10pm on a friday night. i have no idea what other responsibilities you guys have and i appreciate and respect any and all advice and help that you provide.
 

Last edited by Modakr; 01-28-12 at 06:58 AM.
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Old 01-28-12, 06:57 AM
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Ok, i'm not sure exactly how to wire the relay in... so i did some quick checking and i see that aprilair sells a #50 relay for their unit. would it be a good idea to use that relay? and i guess i would need help on exactly how to wire this up. CAn i use the transformer that came with the HE260?
thanks again-

Originally Posted by hvactechfw
Yes. It will work. However, I don't like wiring it that way due to the fact that if something in the control circuit of the humidifier fails it could also cause your heat to not work. The proper way to wire it would be with a dedicated transformer and a #50 relay.

Btw, I would not get snippy about replying quickly as we have actual jobs along with doing this and do this for free in our spare time.
 
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Old 01-28-12, 08:47 AM
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yes you can use the transformer that came with the he260.

Colors do not represent colors of wires what you will be or have to use.

#50 relay will be installed upon the common blower wire.



 
 

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