AprilAire 865 Whole-House Steam Humidifier Manual Steam Humidifier with Wall Mount Fan Whole-House Humidifier for Homes without HVAC

Unit Review: This humidifier came from the old world: no digital options or internet integrations, no plasticky parts/pieces prone to break (except water tank which is plastic but , i think, thats on purpose), no shiny lights and useless options and complex and overly design menu - no menus at all. Some connectors - like input power cable are awkwardly placed in motherboard and having to manually switch betwen 120/240v and 11/17Amp reduce flexibility but maybe this is made to install , tune and forget, then who cares? For security, I would like to have an dedicated dry switch port on motherboard to connect a water sensor/alarm sensor to shut down unit completely and there is one label "alarm" but according to aprilaire is not enabled yet. Also units gets warm and a temperature sensor could help on monitoring and prevent emergency situations (to prevent meltdowns for example - security first in my book) A water condutivity sensor will be a great add on: being in a place with very hard/ very soft water could impact unit greatly and you may have to add salts to water or add a filter to reduce calcium. (this is mentioned on manual) A more hand on installation video should be published by manufacturer: found a few but they don't cover full installacion and they skip over "what is not in the manual". Maybe contractors knows those tricks but you have to pay to get them. Review of my installation process: My installation came with several complexities: 1. Need to run a separate electrical cable from the main electrical box and across several walls: I used 10/3 wire, which is more than necessary, but it does the job and ensures protection. This is important because the device will run at a minimum of 11 amps. 2. Best position for the unit was in the crawling space based on fan pack location: The crawling space was over 6 feet from the fan pack, so I had to use a copper 1-inch pipe, isolated with 1-inch insulation material and properly soldered according to manufacturer specifications. 3. Wall scanning was inaccurate: The wall scanner didn’t work well, so I had to adjust the fan pack’s location on the fly. Old house sometimes do have thicker inside walls. 4. Personal projects: I had other personal projects requiring my attention and since I was doing this all myself, process took longer. 5. No floor drain available near unit Since there was no floor drain, I installed a condensation pump with a 25+ feet plastic pipe to handle the water drainage. 6. Reusing my existing Ecobee Controller: I wanted to reuse my Ecobee controller, which meant learning how to properly cable it. In the end, I went above and beyond the manufacturer's recommendations (5-star rating for their phone support). Final Recommendation: After completing this project, I highly recommend careful planning and, if possible, hiring a contractor. I understand that contractors can be expensive, and many avoid complex projects in older homes due to the cost. In those cases, doing the project yourself might be the only viable option—but be prepared for the complexities. Read more

I purchased this humidifier because I was unable to install a whole home humidifier through my furnace (the furnace is in the attic, and my HVAC technician was concerned about freezing). Unfortunately, this unit has been nothing but a headache from day one. Due to the extensive placement and clearance requirements, it is extremely difficult to find a suitable location in a home. We ultimately spent a chunk of money modifying our closet with electrical, plumbing, and running the tubes through the floors, just to meet those requirements and place the unit somewhere that didn’t look terrible. Even after all of that, the humidifier still does not function properly. The humidistat does not self-regulate as it should. On one occasion, we came home to what felt like a swamp. The unit was set to 30% humidity, the humidistat read 48%, and it was still pumping out steam. While that was the most extreme example, this happens regularly, with the unit continuing to produce steam even when the humidity level is well above the set point. The humidistat is also not backlit, even when pressing buttons, which makes it difficult to read unless the hallway is well lit. Although we met the clearance requirements, the steam still hits the opposite wall and causes large drip marks. There are also drip marks underneath the vent, so be very careful not to install this unit above artwork, photos, or furniture. We had to spend even more money installing a room-to-room fan near the vent to help disperse the steam and prevent wall damage. I am in the process of having the surrounding walls painted with exterior paint in an attempt to protect them (that’s why there is wall spackling in the photos). To make matters worse, the steam smells terrible, like sweet plastic. I have to turn the humidifier off when we have guests because of the odor. After spending thousands of dollars on the unit, installation, additional fan installation, and painting, I am left with a foul smelling, poorly functioning unit that I regret purchasing and honestly just want to rip out. Read more

I installed this myself, as i have the skill sets needed, however this install was marginally “not easy”....our boiler “room” was the ideal location for the steam generator, as it has 240 volts, cold fresh water, and a drain. The boiler room has an adjacent wall into a hall way central to the living spaces. However, cutting two holes thru the boiler room wall to install appliance fixtures on both sides of that wall could have been dangerous to hidden wires / pipes. I drilled a small hole on the boiler room side to “look into” the wall to see if the 14” x 7” fan / steam pack would fit in. Knowing that it would, i cut the hole for the fan / steam pack and mounted it. The 45 degree steam inlet from the boiler room took a few tries because the “steam tube” has to be able to drain condensate back into the steam generator. The net result, it the unit outputs vast quantities of humidity, spreading pretty evenly through the house . We are very pleased, we have turned down the heat, because the humidity makes the house feel warmer than previously. We are very pleased, its well made, very quiet .... Very pleased Read more

Product works as advertised. We are using this along with the fan pack in our radiant heat house. We still get some gurgling sounds even after installing the included trap. It's still quieter than portable humidifiers. Much better than using the portable humidifiers and filling up every other day / replacing media. Read more