How to troubleshoot a leak in an Aprilaire humidifier?

Question

An Aprilaire 600M humidifier attached to my HVAC vent is leaking very slowly, about 2 ounces per day. I have not seen it leak but the leak is coming out near the exhaust at the bottom of the plastic insert (see first pic below).

This is what I have tried.

1. Inspect the housing for cracks
2. Make sure the plastic insert is seated properly
3. Pour water into into plastic insert to see if it is leaking
4. Pour water into the pipe where it exits the humidifier to be sure the exit piping is not clogged.
5. Change the water panel

I noticed some white crumbly stuff at the bottom of the humidifier (see second pic below)

What else can I do to prevent the leak?

Thanks.

UPDATE

1. I opened the humidifier cover and turned up the humidistat so that I could see what was happening when the water flowed. I saw water dripping at the bottom corner, originating about 1/2 up the side. (see third pic below)

2. I slipped in a thin wooden shim so the panel was not leaning against the holder (the tray) and the drip stopped. (See fourth pic below.)

I do not see how to put in the panel so it does not lean against the tray. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I can't quite tell whether you're seeing normal operation and mistaking it as a problem or if there's actually a problem. The white crumbly stuff is scale, also called mineral deposits. It is calcium and other minerals that are dissolved in drinking water.

I've drawn a line on the photo below to illustrate the path water should travel. It flows from the valve into the distribution tray at the top, trickles down through the evaporator pad, then collects in the tray at the bottom and exits through the drain hose. It's normal that the water that enters the humidifier will not all be evaporated - in other words, that some water will drain off when the humidifier operates. The amount of drainage will depend on how much the humidifier operates. If the indoor humidity is already close to the humidistat setting then the humidifier won't operate much and there will be little drainage.

The drain port at the bottom of the humidifier pad assembly should be inserted into the fitting at the bottom of the housing so that excess water goes through the drain hose. The humidifier pad assembly should sit fairly close to level and plumb in the housing so that the collection tray won't overflow. The water supply should be adjusted high enough that there's some drainage coming off the humidifier, but low enough to avoid overflowing the collection tray.

Based on the update of the question it sounds like water, as it trickles down the panel, jumps the gap to the plastic frame. A drip then forms and runs down the exterior of the frame, missing the intended drainage path.

The shim is a good idea. It seems reasonable to leave that in place and call it a fix. An alternative might be to modify the water panel. Maybe by crushing it down a bit on or near the edge you can make the gap from panel to frame large enough that rivulets of water flowing down the panel can't jump the gap.

Answer 2

I had this same issue, and I think in my case I wasn’t pushing the plastic filter holder in far enough at the top, so it would lean outward and water would spill off the top as it filled. With a firm push it snapped into place. Was never an issue for the first 7 years, so not sure why it started now. Either I didn’t notice or just got lucky.

Answer 3

I have an AprilAire model 550 and started having much the same problem - water was pooling in the bottom of the humidifier housing and leaking from around the black plastic fitting that the drain tube connects to on the very bottom of the humidifier housing.

I replaced the water panel annually, and the drain tube and pipe were not plugged. Unlike with the 600M shown above, the 1/4" OD plastic tube that comes from the water solenoid enters the humidifier housing through the bottom and snaps into the bottom right corner of the housing before continuing up to the water tray. Upon close inspection, the part of the housing that the plastic tube snaps into had pinched the tube, deformed it, and (I believe) created a hairline crack in the tube.

The tubing and a few other parts used to be available as a small kit that cost around $20 from AprilAire, but now it seems your only option is to purchase their item 4793 Humidifier Maintenance Kit. MSRP is $74.99, but I got it from Amazon.com for $61.20 (before tax) and it arrived the next day. I just swapped out the old parts with the new parts and the leak has stopped!