Zoned Humidifers.

[Trevor williams]

I have a two zone forced air system (1st floor one zone, 2md floor second zone).

I have enough humidity on second floor and not enough on 1st. I have done all we can done to tighten up the house. (completely gutted the 1880s house and brought every modern piece of technology we could to seal the house.)

So I have bought and installed two honeywell Tru-steam humidifiers, one on each of the 'zoned sides' of the supply trunk line. I have two honeywell humistats piped into each respective floor's common return (upstairs landing, and center hall on first floor).

I now need some type of a controller to allow the steamers to come on independently from the burning action of the furnace but also still take advantage of the zoning dampers.
(Possibly a Taco zone panel for zone valves, 24v)

I have never tried this before but I have heard many complaints with zoned systems that one zone doesn't humidify like the other.

Thoughts? I am looking for constructive replies. We have spent literally 100s of thousands of dollars on a ground up build but this is one item I just need some creative thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Stuff]

So what is working / not working now? You have the humidifiers installed so are they not functioning?

It sort of sounds that you want them to run independently of heating? If so someone needs to complete the G wiring between the humidistat and zone panel/thermostat - might need sail switch. All this is in the installation manual.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Trevor williams]

No they are not in service yet. Need a controller.

I should mention we used a whole house bypass unit prior to putting this setup together. I got tired of first floor not getting enough humidity so I decided to put this setup together.( if I forced fan the 2nd floor would get way too humid to satisfy 1st floor)

I know how to wire them to force the fan on in furnace but that is not the issue. The zoning is the issue.

I used the search function and in 2012 someone proposed a very similar question but did not get a solution.

So what is working / not working now? You have the humidifiers installed so are they not functioning?

It sort of sounds that you want them to run independently of heating? If so someone needs to complete the G wiring between the humidistat and zone panel/thermostat - might need sail switch. All this is in the installation manual.

 

[Stuff]

What zoning issue? Each zone/thermostat should have its own G with a modern zone controller.

 

[Trevor williams]

What zoning issue? Each zone/thermostat should have its own G with a modern zone controller.

So you are saying that each individual humidPRO( steamer 1 and steamer 2) can force it's matching zoned thermostat?

 

[Stuff]

Yes, as long as you have a modern zone control panel that has a G wire for each thermostat. The humidifiers and humidistats are independent of one another.

Note sail switch recommended.

 

[Trevor williams]

Yes I got a pressure differential switch.

I will have two G wires, one coming from each steamer. Will I connect those G wires to each respective zone thermostat in the zone panel, or do I send them back to the equipment to connect to the G terminal there?

Btw this is a Goodman 96% unit.

Yes, as long as you have a modern zone control panel that has a G wire for each thermostat. The humidifiers and humidistats are independent of one another.

Note sail switch recommended.

 

[Trevor williams]

I figured it out. Each of the GT goes to thermostats and the GF goes back to equipment.

Thanks again

Yes I got a pressure differential switch.

I will have two G wires, one coming from each steamer. Will I connect those G wires to each respective zone thermostat in the zone panel, or do I send them back to the equipment to connect to the G terminal there?

Btw this is a Goodman 96% unit.

 

[Dana]

Even with a somewhat sealed-up house duct imbalances and duct leakage can drive outdoor air infiltration through the stratosphere whenever the air handlers are running.

An Energy Star ducted HVAC system would have less than 3 pascals (0.012 water inches) of pressure difference between rooms under all operating conditions, doors open/closed etc. If you're suffering from low wintertime humidity it's well worth buying a $5-100 hand held differential manometer with resolution down to 0.01" and chase down the biggest imbalance offenders, and make adjustments (usually opening up return paths, sometimes throttling back supply flows with balancing vanes on the ducts) to at least be under 0.03" across any closed door with the air handler operating at full speed.

Humidifiers are something of a solution-problem. If outdoor air is coming in somewhere, humid conditioned air is leaving somewhere, and during the winter it will deposit moisture along the exfiltration paths. In Iowa's climate average anything over 35-40% @ 70F during the 10 coldest weeks of winter can be a potential problem even from vapor diffusion, not just exfiltration paths.

 

[Fitter30]

RH flows from hi to low, from warm room to cooler. Do not wire to thermostat g wire. Gas furnace g is not used for heat. Newer furnaces have a set of contacts built in check wiring diagram. Heres a amp relay there or other.
https://www.amazon.com/GA50-24V-Cur...0UUU51Y/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B000UUU51Y&psc=1

 

[John Gayewski]

RH flows from hi to low, from warm room to cooler. Do not wire to thermostat g wire. Gas furnace g is not used for heat. Newer furnaces have a set of contacts built in check wiring diagram. Heres a amp relay there or other.

You do realize you've been replying to 2 year old posts all night. I've just now noticed.

 

[Dana]

RH flows from hi to low, from warm room to cooler.

Perhaps putting too fine a point on it... ('splaining what you probably meant rather than what you actually wrote.)

RH doesn't flow from high to low. RH is RELATIVE (to the temperature) humidity. It's the ABSOLUTE humidity that matters, which can be directly measured using wet bulb temperature or dew point temperature calculations. It can easily be 90% RH @ +15F outdoors (= 14.5F wet bulb or 13F dew piont) during snow storms in my area when it's 30% RH @ 70F indoors (=52F wet bulb, 37F dew point). The indoor RH is much lower than the outdoor RH, but it has a much higher absolute humidity indoors than out, thus the vapor pressure is driving moisture from indoors toward the outdoors.