Hiring Air Pro a heating contractor - continued from Page 3

I was surprised to receive a same-day reply—but I was more surprised by the response:

I hate to do this to you, but our retail division is the one who made the BA units. Lowes does have the ability to special order ANYTHING we make. No one is carrying it online as this was an exclusive for Lowes. Our Autoflo SC-15 does not have or use the installation kit. I've let our salesperson know that Lowes gave you a difficult time in trying to order this and they are contacting the buyer. You can have Lowes call us and we will let them know how to order this, but they need to call the retail number.

I contacted the Lowes manager who got the BA100 ordered on November 24, 2009. After two weeks, I contacted Lowes; they were surprised that they had not yet received the kit. They contacted BestAir PRO only to discover, as they claimed, that they didn't receive a purchase order from them. Lowes ordered again and just before Christmas I received the kit.

During this time I decided to search online to see if anyone sold the BA100 kit and discovered that RPS Products put up a website, rpsproducts.com, where consumers could order replacement parts, including the BA100 kit.

Talk about lousy customer service on BestAir PRO's part!

It took until the beginning of 2010 before I was able to correct the mess that Air Pro, the heating contractor, left behind following the original installation of our Autoflo Model SC-15 Scoop Power Humidifier.

Since I had already replaced the solenoid, I began with the electrical connections for the entire system. I replaced the humidistat on the plenum itself with the warm air plenum thermostat. I put the new humidistat on the cold air return. I rewired from the solenoid to the thermostat to the humidistat to the plug transformer and bypassed the furnace according to BestAir PRO's wiring instructions.

BestAir PRO has other wiring instructions for direct connect and/or with use of a transformer for a single speed blower, multi-speed blower with fan-relay between motor and fan-switch, and multi-speed blower with fan-switch between motor and fan-relay. In my case, with my furnace with a heat pump, I was not able to hook up the SC-15 Humidifier without the BA100 kit. The Installation Instructions & Owner's Manual points out that the SC-15 Humidifier is not suitable for heat pumps or counter flow furnaces.

Is it working—yes! Am I happy with the overall performance of the SC-15 Humidifier? I'm not sure!

Before I go any further with my comments about my personal experience with SC-15 Humidifier performance, I'd like to discuss relative humidity and its benefits as explained, in, part in BestAir PRO's Installation Instructions & Owner's Manual.

Relative Humidity

Relative Humidity is a snapshot of the ratio of how much water vapor the air is holding at that temperature in relationship to how much water vapor the air could hold at that temperature. In the winter, within a house, the relative humidity can vary from an inside warm wall (lower relative humidity) to an exterior cooler wall (higher relative humidity.)

That is why, with older homes without thermally broken window sills or single-pane glass, there always seems to be water on the window sills. If the window frame is metal without a thermal break or the window has a single pane of glass, the heat within the house has an easy path to the colder outside. If the outside temperature is cold enough, you can even get ice buildup on the window and window frame which is a sign of major heat loss. (Remember heat always goes toward cold to try to even out the temperatures.)

When the temperature is high and the relative humidity is low, water evaporation is rapid; wet clothes hung on a clothesline, for example, dry quickly, soil dries out, and perspiration readily evaporates from skin. Wood exterior siding or furniture can shrink, causing any paint on these surfaces to fracture. When the temperature is high and the relative humidity is high, water evaporation is slow. When relative humidity approaches 100 percent, condensation can occur on surfaces leading to problems with mold, corrosion, decay, and other moisture-related deterioration.

Warm air is capable of absorbing and transferring much more water vapor than cold air. The installation of the AutoFlo humidifier allows you to add moisture to the heated air, thereby increasing its relative humidity.

When controlling the climate in your home, using an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system is the key is to controlling relative humidity in a comfortable range—low enough to be comfortable but high enough to avoid problems associated with very dry air.

Benefits:

One benefit of properly maintained relative humidity is to feel warmer at a lower temperature (thermostat setting). This is because the water evaporates more slowly from the skin in humid air, which gives a feeling of warmth. In drier air, water evaporates more rapidly, cooling and drying the skin.

Shrinking and warping of furniture and woodwork will be reduced. A proper relative humidity level also reduces wallpaper seams from shrinking and helps carpeting and draperies retain their resiliency.

Shocks from static electricity will be reduced because the static charges are normally grounded through the moisture in the air.

Now, am I happy with the overall performance of the Autoflo Model SC-15 Humidifier?

I'm totally not sold on this particular brand and model of humidifier. My experience so far has been that I've spent more time on unit maintenance than in reaping the rewards of the humidifier. The filter gets chalky from mineral deposits, so the system doesn't allow the water vapor to be picked up by the heated air. Also if the unit leaks, it leaves a chalky residue on the face of the furnace and it's difficult to clean it off. The filter needs regular replacement—at least once a season—or twice depending on the water conditions in your area.

Under my particular circumstances, I'm currently looking for another humidifier brand that will work with our HAVC system.

My best advice before hiring a heating contractor: do your homework and check references!

If you have had a bad experience with any type of contactor and were able to get things corrected to your satisfaction, I would like to hear from you. Send us an email with your story and lessons learned!

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