Whole Home Humidifier Install (Aprilaire 500M Controlled By Ecobee 5 Thermostat) 

hey dingleberry, you really should be wearing safety glasses while drilling and cutting that sheetmetal. you only have two eyes.

Thank you for drawing attention to the saddle valve. Plumbing is something I'm fairly ignorant about and I'd have happily punched a hole in my PEX. Instead I went to my local big box and picked up a pinch clamp tool, a 1-1-1/2" t, pinch rings, and a 1/2-1/4" sharkbite all for about $100. My neighbor paid like $800 for a "professional" installation. Now I have the tools and confidence for future plumbing projects. It's all possible thanks to DIY RU-vidrs like you.

Thank you so much! After looking at the instructions for the little control unit I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I didn't want to put a hole in my house for the temperature sensor and I have no idea how to wire up that transformer it came with. Using a smart thermostat to control the humidifier is a much better system.

one of the best installation tips i seen

Great DIY install. Be sure to get it installed as level as possible or the unit will leak, The supply tray will leak if its not level for the most part. Use add a line valve and toss the saddle valve(you will thank me later)

I like using that 1/4” vinyl hose for the water feed. Only thing you need to do for the saddle/ piercing valve is swap the brass sleeve for a nylon one

A saddle valve (piercing ?) a horizontal pipe will clog w sediment in a year.If you must use a horizontal run...drill a 1/4 in. hole in the side of the pipe.Humidifier should be on the return to by-pass.

There's nothing more permanent than a temporary solution

I lost you at the saddle valve. 😢

thank you i'm looking into WHH's and considering doing it myself vs hiring someone. i have no experience with wiring so i might contract someone this part startled me 16:18

This is a great install but I would never do that much sheet-metal work without gloves. I have the scars to prove it!

7:42 did I miss seeing installing a seal between the duct work and humidifier?

3/4 x 1/2 tee with a 1/2 x 1/4 angle stop is the best instead of those garage saddle valves

I need one of these, my thermostat always reads 35% but I wake up with a dried nose every day. My furnace is probably the original from 88.

They know what their doing in North America, I live in Eastern Europe and the have no clue what doing in concerns with Installation of this type of work.

Excellent detailed video, just what I needed for my home install today. Thanx, cheers, mate...

Thank you for the Video. can you clarify something for me. in my scenario the solenoid valve is supplied 24V DC so i would need to hook up to the HSA 044 AC to DC converter? Secondly one of my wires going to my current humidistat(which i want to replace with my ecobee5C) is originating from the main furnace control board(white multiwire connector) then to the lowfirePS1 switch of my goodman furnace. I believe this is so the humidistat wont switch unless it gets power from the furnace which will only happen when it is on lowfire. Does the ecobee take this into account ie ecobee knows when the fan is running so will only send signal from acc+ when humidity is needed AND when fan is on? Thank you

I feel like I wired it up the same as you but I can’t get it to power on. Do you have a diagram of the wiring?

Great detailed video.

Hi Ray, any suggestions for my setup, if I DO NOT have an accessory wire on my thermostat wire? , I only have 4 wires. Y(cool) , G(fan) , W1(heat) , Rh(power)

this help me a lot thank you so much

Where location can I install humidifier 500m in supply air or return air thank you

I believe I have the same unit , I keep seeing videos where it's install the return side , I just built nice plenum, and hate to cut a huge square out , rather use for the bypass .. what the Recommended way ? .. i seen in the diagram you showed , in the fine print above saying either one is fine in a forced air system, Pros and cons .. any hvac pros out there feel free to answer

Great job captain 👍

I need to do this at home. I'd love to see the wiring diagram for this installation.

Could you share a screenshot from your ecobee, the screen which shows active wirings. I did the same install but I'm having to wait for home humidity (rainy weekend here) to drop so it activates the water valve.

Curious to know where you got your info to have the ecobee control the humidifier. I'm looking to install one of these and I like the idea of the ecobee controlling it.

I have a dumb question for you. If you have to flip the unit over for install, do you know if you can rotate the logo on the outside of the cover? My install would be flipped compared to yours and that would bug the crap out of me lol

Normally I would be ok using a hole saw, or a uni-bit to start a hole for my tin snips, but I can't help but feel like all those metal shavings falling down into the heat exchanger in that location are a bad thing. You seem to understand this when you said you'd have to fish out the drop from your hole saw. Use a hammer and a screwdriver to start your hole. Also, I'm watching your video because while I'm familiar with HVAC duct work, I don't know how to install a humidifier. The first video I watched wasn't very good, but they made a good point. They didn't want to put the humidifier directly above the furnace in the plenum because water is going to hit the top of that supply and want to run back down into the heat exchanger. You did exactly what they said not to do. Thoughts? You're going to have a hard time "leveling" your humidifer when you're attaching to a point in the duct with a cross break. That "humidifer pad" is obviously a filter of some type, but I can see other video suggestions on the right hand side of the youtube page calling them a pad as well for some reason. I don't understand why the return is tied into it. I'm not saying you're wrong. I assume you're following the directions. I just wish I knew the explanation. Why would you want unfiltered air going back into the humidifier. That explains the filter in the humidifier though, but I wonder how much Aprilaire charges for replacements, or who thinks to change them. The other video I watched previously didn't show a tie-in to the return duct. Those "hole cutters" are close to $80. Again, use snips. And unfortunately you lost me on the electrical install, so I didn't bother with the rest of the video.

All of my duct is wrapped in insulation. This has made my job harder

Does it matter what wire goes to a. Certain wire of the solenoid wires?

thanks for this

Hey! Great video! Will installing this void any warranties? I am thinking of installing this in a 2022 house…

I have a defecultys to install it on the supply side, this will be sufficient if I Installed on the return side?

You didn't show wiring the water valve with the two yellow wires. Is it polarity sensitive?

Just installed this today! Great video! Any issues you’ve come across since the install?

Nice clean install. Was wondering if you can set the amount of moisture with that Ecobee smart thermostat, or does it just an on/off control to the solenoid on the Aprilaire?

Safety glassesmight be a good idea, especially when cutting metal. Nice video. Was looking to see what you did w the outside thermometer. Eg, can you just add wires to the very short ones in the kit?

Best

is it possible to replace a leaking a saddle valve with a new one reusing the same spot/hole without making a new hole in the main copper pipe?

Question... I have the Ecobee thermostat. Does the acc+ only pass the 24 volts when the furnace is running and humidity is low? If it is only controlled by the Humidity it would engage the solenoid even when the fan is not running.

where is the control panel/sensor installed?

Every install I've seen in person, they tied into the cold side. The last 2 videos, on the hot side. Makes more sense to me to install on the hot side 🤷

You didn't use the control that came with it?

is he running to the Hot or Cold water ??

What's that tool that you used to guide you cut the hole circle?

Is that the return side or supply side ?

Anyone know if the ecobee 3 Lite can run an Aprilaire humidifier? or do you need the regular ecobee smart thermostat?

question sleepersFTW what is the tool you used t cut out circle for the duct work?

How much installation charge

Will this unit work on fiberglass ductwork?

would a jigsaw cut better or is it too dangerous to get metal dust inside

You installed the humidifier backwards, it goes on the drop. The way you put it. The water will drip on heat exchanger causing it to rust.

Saddle valve eh?

I bought a Honeywell. Are they problematic? Should I return and get an Aprilaire?

Why to the hot water supply ??

Ummm how do you wire the solenoid?

Are saddle valves still up to code in that area?

Wear gloves and glasses when doing this work people.

You should be wearing gloves

Wong, wrong, wrong. A bi-pass humidifier goes on the return! Don’t show this anymore. !!!!