Aprilaire 700 Whole House Fan Powered Humidifier, Automatic High Output Furnace Humidifier

The product itself: 9/10. Humidifies like the beast that it is. No leaks, no issues with it out of the box. One note is the controller unit could be better with showing target humidity, and show relative outside temp. The installation instructions assume their target audience knows what they are doing and knows how to read technical diagrams, which by that standard they are pretty fine. For other audiences, they might struggle with the assumptions the install instructions make.The install:For context, I’m an average DIYer. This was one of the harder DIY projects I have done on my house. It’s plumbing, electrical, and HVAC all in one project. You will be cutting metal, running wires, and running water lines. You will likely be spending at least half of the units cost on materials to install it, especially if you prefer copper water lines. The adjacent install kit is a waste of money if you want good materials for this unit.I come with a couple of recommendations:* if you have an older house, get your attic insulation sorted to retain heat well before this humidifier project. If your furnace has to run A LOT to keep up with the warmth of your older house, even this humidifier may not be able to keep up to the humidity level you need.* Wire the controller to the return first. This can be done independent of installing the unit and doing the water line.* do not use the solenoid that comes with the unit. They are notorious for leaking and not lasting the lifetime of the unit. Spend the money to get a better setup that will last you longer.* I also highly recommend using the same waterline material as coming from your water heater (likely copper or pex).* set up your water line second. This can also be done independent of the unit being mounted to the air supply.* wear long sleeves while cutting the metal for mounting the unit. It’s very easy to cut yourself.If you’re looking for a DIY adventure and a way to improve your own skills, this product is quite the challenge.

I ordered my Aprilair 700 Humidifier and it arrived two days later as promised.Everything except the copper tubing, Drain tubing, Metal Screws and cabling was in the box.I followed the instructions and the install went smoothly once I bought the missing items,Instructions are clear and the template worked well.It took me 2 hours from start to finish, Straight forward, no help needed.I would recommend this humidifier, I have a large house and this humidifier does its job, no more guessing on the humidity setting, has a bright blue display of the relative humidity and it takes care of the adjustments itself, If you turn blower control on it will run the furnace fan for 2 minutes every hour to check the humidity, if the humidity is good it will stop, if not it will do its job and humidify the house, doesn't need the furnace to be running as it has fan controlI would buy this again

I have wasted a lot of money on home humidifiers. Nothing has been successful until now. If you are looking for a first-time purchase or replacement, don’t consider anything other than the Aprilaire 700. Here’s why:Humidipads Do Not WorkFlow through humidifiers cost approximately $100.00 per month in wasted waterCeramic drum humidifiers require major maintenance and do a minimal jobSteam humidifiers are a little better if you can afford the operating cost. My hydro bill increased nearly $100.00 per month‘Regular’ humidifiers rely on air movement from the heat exchanger to get into the pad and move some moisture through the by-pass and ultimately into your home. This results in a filter change every two months (at approximately $12.00 each) so it doesn’t plug up and lose efficiency (which is only minimal at best).For my money, I just found the best for me. I purchased an Aprilaire 700 from Amazon.ca, spent a couple of hours replacing a 400M model which was not a good buy, and now I am the happiest guy around. On setting ‘5’, I have 35% RH in my 2200 square foot two-storey home and my hardwood floors are happy again. I checked the digital automatic humidistat several times a day and when the RH reaches 33%, the system turns on until 36% at which time it rests again. Love it and know you will too.I do not work for or know anyone at Aprilaire. This is an honest evaluation and personal testimony.I forgot to mention the real reason this is a superior product that REALLY works. It is fan powered and forces the moisture from the Water Panel into the furnace for peak efficiency. The panel requires only annual service (not bi-monthly).

This is an excellent product. The quality is very good. I installed the unit myself with minimal difficulty. The instructions are straight forward and easy to follow for the most part. I think the wiring instructions could be a little more specific but I did not require any outside assistance to complete it and it worked perfectly as soon as it was turned on.I’m very pleased with the results.My home is more comfortable then it has ever been.

My house was sitting at an indoor relative humidity of 18% the other day, and I was tired of the static, dry skin, loose floorboards, and bloody noses, so I decided It was time for a while home humidifier. I researched and decided on the Aprilaire 700. Install took me about 4 hours including a trip to the hardware store. I’m an experienced DIY and a lifelong mechanic, so it may take longer or shorter do to experience levels. I installed this on the return side of my heater due to size constraints on the supply side, but the RH has been rising steadily over the last two days with no issues.I did buy from AmazonWarehouse in “like new” condition, even so, I was expected something missing or damaged, but was pleasantly surprised that only the butterflies that tighten the sides of the frame to duct to be missing (not a big deal as the frame is still secured to the duct with screws (which are not included).Items I need to complete the install:18/5 and 18/2 thermostat wiringSharkbite valve to 1/4” o.d. copper line1/4” copper tube1” Zip-In screwsFoil tapeSomething I hadn’t thought about was the 110 vAC to power the internal fan: The cord is only about 5’, and my outlet was about 6’ away, so I had to add an outlet closer, which added additional time.I have a Honeywell smart thermostat, which doesn’t have humidifier controls (that I know of), so I used the wiring described on the install sheet. The only deviation from the instructions, was there was already a 24 volt transformer on the side of my heater so I just used that for the solenoid power instead of the one supplied with the unit.I set the dial to 7 and let it go...it’s been running for 48 hours pretty much non-stop to bring my house up to 31% RH and rising. I assume once the house absorbs the humidity it’ll stabilize and only cycle when needed. My animals are not staticky, my skin is soft, my nose isn’t dry, and I was able to take my heater down to 70 from 73 and still feel comfortable!I highly recommend this unit.