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I live in a 2-story townhome and for the second time in 2 years my humidifier (whole-house Lennox) leaked water all over the utility room floor. My furnace is upstairs so the water leaked down through the floor and dripped from the ceiling downstairs causing it to be damaged.
The first time it happened we couldn't figure out why, I had a building contractor and the guy who installed the humidifer check it and they couldn't find any leaks, etc. -- I continued operating the humidifier, checking it carefully every day, with no problems for a year.
Now that it has happened for a second time, we tested it more thoroughly and determined it leaked due to a plugged water panel/filter. The water was trickling down the panel, hitting a dirty spot on the filter, and then dribbling forward, collecting at the bottom of the housing and eventually dripping to the floor. I did replace the filter approximately 4 months ago, and I believe recommended replacement is every year.
My questions are as follows:
1) Is this normal? Why is the filter becoming so clogged after 4 months - hard water perhaps?
2) I really need the humidifier due to the dry cold winter air here. In order to continue operation, I thought I would do the following:
-Buy or make a drain pan like what is under my hot water heater, with a hose that goes directly into the drain, and put it under the humidifier. I'm not sure if this will work since the water could still dribble between the drain pan and the furnace ductwork.
-Buy a water sensor (I have no idea how these work but I have seen them for sale). It is supposed to alert you when water is present in an area.
-Replace the water panel every 2 months during the heating season (could get very expensive, I believe the panels are $15-$20 each).
-Possibly (down the road) get a water softener - don't know if this is the cause of the dirty water panel for sure so may not be necessary.
Any thoughts or other suggestions on this issue are appreciated. I think it is kind of silly that I am going to such lengths to get the humidifier to work, I would think the humidifier would be sealed enough so this wouldn't happen and all the excess water would go directly to the drain hose anyway.
The first time it happened we couldn't figure out why, I had a building contractor and the guy who installed the humidifer check it and they couldn't find any leaks, etc. -- I continued operating the humidifier, checking it carefully every day, with no problems for a year.
Now that it has happened for a second time, we tested it more thoroughly and determined it leaked due to a plugged water panel/filter. The water was trickling down the panel, hitting a dirty spot on the filter, and then dribbling forward, collecting at the bottom of the housing and eventually dripping to the floor. I did replace the filter approximately 4 months ago, and I believe recommended replacement is every year.
My questions are as follows:
1) Is this normal? Why is the filter becoming so clogged after 4 months - hard water perhaps?
2) I really need the humidifier due to the dry cold winter air here. In order to continue operation, I thought I would do the following:
-Buy or make a drain pan like what is under my hot water heater, with a hose that goes directly into the drain, and put it under the humidifier. I'm not sure if this will work since the water could still dribble between the drain pan and the furnace ductwork.
-Buy a water sensor (I have no idea how these work but I have seen them for sale). It is supposed to alert you when water is present in an area.
-Replace the water panel every 2 months during the heating season (could get very expensive, I believe the panels are $15-$20 each).
-Possibly (down the road) get a water softener - don't know if this is the cause of the dirty water panel for sure so may not be necessary.
Any thoughts or other suggestions on this issue are appreciated. I think it is kind of silly that I am going to such lengths to get the humidifier to work, I would think the humidifier would be sealed enough so this wouldn't happen and all the excess water would go directly to the drain hose anyway.
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