How to connect an Aprilaire whole house dehumidifier to a HVAC blower fan in spray foamed house.
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- I fixed all of my DIY mistakes from when I first installed my Aprilaire E080 whole house dehumidifier in my spray foam insulated house. I moved it to a better position in my attic. I added a condensate overflow safety switch. I connected the Aprilaire whole house dehumidifier to my HVAC blower. Now, the blower motor comes on every time the dehumidifier is on, and helps push the dehumidified air all throughout the house.
DIY installation of an Aprilaire E080 whole house dehumidifier in a spray foam insulated house.
• DIY installation of an...
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Thank you! I am planning to install this on my own after being quoted $4,000 by a local HVAC company. Luckily my duct work is setup perfectly to make this a very easy DIY project. Your videos have been extremely helpful and I'm confident I can get this done on my own which will save me roughly $2K.
The first thing that bugged me with the original installation was the drain line... glad you fixed it. Since the dehumidifier was at a higher position than the hvac drain pan it was a disaster waiting to happen. That drain could clog pass the tee allowing the condensate water to overflow into the hvac system seen it happen many times as an hvac tech. Great Video by the way 👍
Okay, so your video inspired me to get my project going, from start to finish. I did a Return to Supply configuration and used a manometer (cheap one from Amazon) to make sure the pressure did not exceed 0.4 Water Inches between the two install points.
I used PVC to output the existing condenser line to the HVAC, but I did not have a sharp enough incline to force the water down. The dehumidifier backed up and started leaking everywhere! So word of caution to anyone trying this, I hope they can learn from my lesson. It helped me to buy the installation kit which harnessed it from the ceiling, Aprilaire has a kit that was straightforward to install.
Honestly, I'm not sure what the unit is doing, when it samples it runs for a bit, looks like it shows 38% humidity, even though all parts of the home are 55% humidity. Anyway, it seems to have improved the humidity in some parts of the home were 65% -> down to 55%, so I'm happy with it.
Did you wire your dehumidifier into your HVAC so it will turn the fan on and help distribute the dehumidified air throughout your house?
My dehumidifier is currently set to 51%. My hygrometers usually show the house at 50% - 55%.
@@BrantleyBlended That's actually a really good point. I thought I would be able to get away with it because I did a return to supply configuration, as I saw you did more of a return to return configuration (but with one of the returns in the ceiling)
Instructions: "When ducting return to return (preferred), the dehumidifier must be wired to turn on the HVAC fan when operating (see page 14)."
I'll give it a try to see if it makes a difference!
At first my dehumidifier was not wired into the hvac. It worked okay but not good enough. Now that it is wired into the hvac, and it turns the blower fan on, it works a lot better.
@@BrantleyBlended Okay, so for anyone else following along. I was doing a return-to-supply install, without any wiring into AC unit. Finally looks like the static pressure built up too much, and the unit gave me an error code E2. So I wired the unit as per instructions and changed the setting to disable the dehumidifier from running when the AC is on to help prevent pressure on the backdraft damper. The sweet thing is I tested it, and the fan turns on when I want the de-humidifier on, and it turns off when the AC is on. I think this was worth it and seems to be more energy efficient. (Will give an update in a few days to see how this setup went for a long run test)
Thanks again for the great walkthrough on this unit, I would never have attempted an install without all this information.
Okay, after more than a week, I don't get an error code. I've changed the setting to: Disable when AC is running, on the dehumidifier so they don't collide with each other, and the fan turns on when the dehumidifier needs to run.
Also, the external control was a good buy, it helps to control the unit externally (need to also adjust the setting) but it's nothing more than power + simple switch that turns off once the desired humidity is reached.
Pro TIP! Finally, the hole drilled to wire through the wall from the humidistat to the dehumidifier needs to be filled up, otherwise, the hot air from the attic mixes with the cold air of the conditioned room, giving an unusually higher humidity reading than it should. (like 10% higher than actual room humidity)
The wiring detail was gold! Thanks for spending the time explaining it.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for sharing this 👍🏼
PS: The dehumidifier should be connected to the air con supply, not the return. Connecting it to the return negates the air con dehumidifing ability.
Very true. The AC is always the primary dehumidifier.
Correct.
Low humidity air is passing through wet AC coils.
So your saying he has it backwards? Can you explain it to me a little better im trying to get an understanding of it as a total newbie
@@joea104dump the dry into the supply plenum. Also it makes more sense to tap into the existing hvac return for the return side of the dehumidifier.
Aprilaire has a video on their website with their corporate director of training where they state (and have a diagram as well) that the dehumidifier plumbs from the furnace return and back into the furnace return. So unless something is different in the specifics of this install vs their instructional then his install is correct, unless I’m missing something. In their video they do have it hooked up with the extra fresh air ventilator vs him having a separate ERV.
Sprsy foam is the best for hot humid climates. Your ERV should be routed through the dehumidifier, now it's bringing in humid air into the house. Don't know the square footage of the house but your air con are probably oversized for the house and short cycling.
How would you recommend that too be done could you give us a quick guide of how to do this?
Great videos. My question is why not duct the dehumidifier supply into the supply of the A/C. Also is the air going back to the A/C return?
I didn’t have enough room to duct the dehumidifier supply to the hvac supply because my hvac is too tall. The supply ducts are crammed against the roof. I wish they would’ve installed a horizontal hvac unit. The hvac ductwork would be neater and I would’ve had more room to work.
Is the air going back to the A/C return? Not sure what you are asking. Every time the dehumidifier runs, it turns the hvac blower on. The dehumidifier dumps air into the return of the hvac. That air gets sucked through the hvac and pushed out the supply to the house. The dehumidified air does not go backwards through the hvac return and down into my house. Hope that answers your question.
Any update ? I have mine installed for 3 month and it works good, but I’m not sure if I should connected to the hvac to hav better results !
It works a lot better since I connected it to the hvac fan. I should have wired it this way when I first installed it. It’s been raining, with temps in the 60s and 70s, over the last couple of weeks in Georgia. The humidity has been very high outside. We are comfortable inside at around 50% humidity. This dehumidifier runs a lot longer now so it’s removing a lot more humidity from the house.
@@BrantleyBlended
That’s great , I’ll be doing the same . Thanks for everything!!!
I saw another video by a HVAC company that says the air coming from the DH can't flow over the coil or it will produce tons of condensate.
The Aprilaire manual (and in these videos) recommends running the blower in the air handler. They should probably be more clear that running the AC (cooling) and the dehumidifier (feeding into the AC return) could cause the moisture that normally condenses to be picked up (or the mixed air to not reach dew point to even condense on the coil, I'm thinking). So, there is this DEH W/AC function that is what they have to Disable the DEH when the AC is running. You have to provide the Y-wire from the thermostat/AC to the dehumidifier to tell it the AC is running; you can disable or enable this, but I would think a way to set a time-delay would be what is needed from reading about the issue you raise. So, go to that trouble or feed the dehumidifier outlet to the AC supply outlet plenum, but I'm thinking this could just blow dry air backwards into your AC and out the return (basically short cycling). Bottom line, tie into you air handler so the blower is running, but disable during AC cooling, no matter how you duct it.
I'd like to put in a closet in the return plenum basically and have it shoot vertically (like one of the install manual configurations) and assume it should be tied to the air handler and disabled during cooling. But do I still need the 6' difference to prevent short-cycling, i.e., put a 6' vertical duct from the outlet up in the return? Good thing I would have room in the return plenum for this, but the closet install configuration in the manual doesn't.
The Aprilaire installation manual says the preferred installation method is to pull air from the hvac return and supply it back to the return. Then the dehumidified air will travel through the hvac unit and out to the house. I would have installed my ductwork this way but my HVAC return duct was too short. I had to cut a hole in the ceiling of my living room and install a separate return vent for the dehumidifier, as shown in the original installation video.
Also, the dehumidifier is dehumidifying the air. It is pushing dehumidified air into the HVAC unit. It does not make sense that the dehumidified air would cause the HVAC unit to produce tons of condensate. It just ran through a dehumidifier.
How can it be wired to work with the T stad humility settings so it doesn’t auto run every time a/c or heat runs???
I don’t know. 🤷🏼♂️. My dehumidifier runs on its own. It will turn the hvac blower on, but the hvac system does not turn my dehumidifier on.
Hey Brian I install hole house dehumidifier in my house and still the humidity 64 any suggestion
How long has the dehumidifier been running? When you first install it, it might take a few days to bring the humidity down.
Are you sure that the dehumidifier is large enough for the space you are trying to remove humidity from?
Was it installed properly?
Can you hear the dehumidifier compressor running when the unit is on? Sometimes, I have to reset my Aprilaire dehumidifier by turning it off for a few seconds and turning it back on. It has had an issue since I first installed it where it will randomly show that the unit is on when you look at the control panel, but the fan and the compressor will not actually be running, so it’s not removing humidity.
I have little to no room to run a second return. Is it possible to hook into the original HVAC return and pump it into the trunk past the coil/exit end where ducted out. Actually it would have to hooked into the trunk before it hits the coil right
Yes! There are many ways to connect this dehumidifier. You can pull from the hvac return and dump the dehumidified air into to hvac supply ducts if you have more room there. It should work well as long as the dehumidifier kicks the hvac fan on when it’s running.
Got a big question, if I have dehumidifier I need to install a freshair also?
Yes, if your house is spray foamed and sealed tight.
@@BrantleyBlended what about the freshair
Omg thank you for the wiring diagram... I used it and it works great.. Thank you soo much
Thank you, your videos helped me save a lot of time.
Nice job. I am thinking about having one of these installed on my house. Between your two videos, I think you solidified my plan to do it myself, rather than hire an contractor. Ironically enough, I have Goodman air handlers on my house as well. I'm either going to use an Aprilaire or a Sante Fe dehumidifier though.
We had this unit installed in our home a couple of weeks ago...and it seems like it runs constantly..Is that normal?
Sometimes, it seems like mine never turns off, but I live in Georgia and it is very humid here.
Sometimes, I have a problem where the dehumidifier is running, but the actual compressor is not running. Then the unit will run forever, but it’s not actually dehumidifying the air. I reset the unit by turning it off for 10 or 20 seconds and then turn it back on. After I turn it back on, I can hear the compressor kick on and hum. I would suggest that you make sure you hear the compressor actually running because you might be having the problem that I have sometimes.
If you don’t have them yet, I suggest that you put a couple hygrometers around your house so you can see what the humidity level looks like. They probably won’t be exactly what the setpoint of the dehumidifier is, but they should be close. That should let you know if the unit is working properly and actually dehumidifying the air.
How is the soundproofing with all the spray foam?
I think it helps with the road noise. The road I live on can get pretty busy sometimes.
This is SUPER helpful, thank you. We're getting to install the E130 soon and this has covered so much. Does Aprilaire recommend an R-Rating for the flex duct?
No. The installation manual only says to use 10” duct. Here is a link to the installation manual if you want to look through it.
esmithair.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Aprilaire-Dehumidifiers_1830.pdf
@@BrantleyBlended Thanks
@@BrantleyBlended that’s ok in most applications , but in a spray foam house use R8 for sure …. Home Depot only sells R6 and Lowe’s exactly the same .
great job explaining but wiring is usually not coordinated when they install if its got extra accessories and an older house. all wiring should be replaced and done right when installing equipment.
im a hvac tech so i deal with this daily
Please update us after these modifications. I am in Texas, and my over-capacity AC system does not remove humidity very well. Based on your videos, I plan to install a whole-house dehumidifier.
Thank you very much!!!
How did you make the decision to create a new return in your ceiling and feed the dehumidifier return from that, vs. let's say tying the dehumidifier into the existing return ducting?
The recommended installation method is to install the return and supply for the dehumidifier into the HVAC return ductwork, just as you said to do. I couldn't do it that way because the ductwork for my HVAC return is not long enough.
So if the dehumidifier is out on float safety switch, will the blower still come on? Curious why that G had to be isolated to the dehumidifier and not go to both the dehumidifier and the air handler.
It seems like his wiring (putting the dehumidifier in series with the G-wire to the air handler) would disable the blower in the air handler - manual control or when the DH float switch shuts it off. This is needed for the DH to control the AHU blower, but there are these trade-offs.
@@red49254 I recently wired the one in my house to not be in series, but parallel. Everything works as it should. Having the blower in series worried me that if there was an issue with the aprilaire, my unit could freeze over if the AC was running but the call for G wasn’t taking place since it was in series. To each their own.
Just curious but has anyone ever tested the static pressure on the HVAC units?
No
@@BrantleyBlended I would. That is a lot of flex. I also am watching your ERV video. Id sale that ERV and cap the duct... or tie in the dehumidifier to the house side of the ERV duct and put a damper on the fresh air supply.
So you could have the benefits of all. An ERV is never recommended by HVAC people but it is by energy efficiency people. It just ends up brining in a lot of humidity with the dehumidifier would have taken care of. You could also add in a HEPA filter to the dehumidifier.