David B., Author at Tips, Tricks & Recipes

Humidifiers come in all shapes and sizes, from hatbox-sized portable units to furniture-sized consoles. But they all do the same thing: They put moisture in the air. And they do it in one of five ways.

Evaporation: Evaporative units have a fan inside them that blows air through a wet pad, and this moisture-laden air then continues on into the room. (“Wicking” humidifiers do the same thing, only the air is blown through a moisturized filter instead of a pad.) Evaporative units don’t produce a spray and are therefore less likely to spread germs than are units that throw a cool mist into the air. The wet pads however, can become a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned regularly.
Steam:These units, sometimes called vaporizers, boil water and send it into the air as steam. They tend not to put microorganisms into the air; after all, it would take an extraordinarily tough germ to survive the boiling process. Unlike other kinds of humidifiers, they produce little or no “white dust.” Steam units leave the minerals behind when they boil water in their tanks.
Warm mist:These units boil water just like steam vaporizers, only the steam is cooled slightly before exiting the unit, resulting in a “mist” of warm water droplets instead of real steam.
Cool mist:These units break up water into tiny droplets and spray a cool mist into the air. Because the water isn’t boiled, the cool vapor may contain potentially harmful organisms if the tank is not properly cleaned and sanitized.
Ultrasonic:These units use high-frequency vibrations to break up water droplets into an extremely fine mist. The mist produced by these machines contains no molds and comparatively few live bacteria. It is thought that the ultrasonic vibrations may “break up” and shatter living organisms along with the water droplets. However, while these bits of dead microbes may not cause respiratory infections, they may still trigger allergic reactions in sensitive people.

David B. March 31st, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

A comparison of specifications for more humidifier models.

Brand Name & Model Number	Adams FH10 FH16 FH20	Adams FH300A FH300B	Adams FH400A FH400B FH400C	Adams FH-1000-L10 FH1000-L20 FH1000-L24	Aprilaire 110 112 (NoTE B)
Type	Under Duct or Reservoir	Under Duct or Reservoir	Under Duct or Reservoir	Under Duct or Reservoir	Power Fixed Pad
Capacity (GPD)	10.0 16.0 20.0	13.0 24.0	13.0 24.0 32.0	10.0 20.0 24.0	14.4 24.0
Voltage (VAC)	120 OR 24	120	120	120 OR 24	120
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Duct or Plenum	Duct or Plenum	Duct or Plenum	Duct or Plenum	Hot air
Overflow Protection	No	No	Yes	No	Must Drain
Drain Type	No	No	No	No	Yes
Humidistat	No	No	No	No	Yes
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Ease of Service	Removing Front Cover	Window remove from duct	Window remove from duct	Remove from duct	Disassembly from case awkward
Construction	Plastic – Kit for Plenum Mounting	Stainless Steel Kit for Plenum Mounting	Plastic – Kit for Plenum Mounting	Plastic – Kit for Plenum Mounting	Plastic – Do not supply water or drain tubing
Brand Name & Model Number	Aprilaire 220 224	Aprilaire 400	Aprilaire 440 (Note B)	Aprilaire 445	Aprilaire 550
Type	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad
Capacity (GPD)	9.6 16.8	EST. 13.0	16.8	16.8	12.0
Voltage (VAC)	24	24	24	120	24
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air
Overflow Protection	Must drain	No drain required	Must drain	Pump	Must drain
Drain Type	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
All Install Materials	No	No	No	Yes	No
Ease of Service	Disassembly of case	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Removing front cover
Construction	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar
Brand Name & Model Number	Aprilaire 560	Aprilaire 600	Aprilaire 700	Aprilaire 760	Autoflo 40&40W 40S&40SW
Type	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	Power fixed pad	Power fixed pad	Power fixed pad
Capacity (GPD)	16.8	16.8	18.0	18.0	13.2 10.6
Voltage (VAC)	24	24	120	120	120
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	None	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air	Hot air	Hot or Cold Air
Overflow Protection	Must drain	Must drain	Must drain	Must drain	Pump must drain
Drain Type	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes No
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
All Install Materials	No	No	No	No	Yes
Ease of Service	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Opening front cover
Construction	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire, water or drain tubing, boot & mounting collar	Stainless Steel and Plastic
Brand Name & Model Number	Autoflo 97	Autoflo 200P	Autoflo 244D	Autoflo 250	Autoflo 300A 300B
Type	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir	Under Duct	By-pass Fixed Pad	Atomizing Spray Nozzle
Capacity (GPD)	19.3	14.0	21.0	15.0	12.0
Voltage (VAC)	24	24	120	24	24 120
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Duct	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air
Overflow Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Must drain	Yes
Drain Type	No	No	No	Yes	No
Humidistat	No	No	No	No	No
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Ease of Service	Window Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Remove from Duct/Clips	Removing front cover	Remove from furnace
Construction	Stainless Steel and Plastic	Stainless Steel and Plastic	Plastic	Stainless Steel and Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire & drain tubing	Plastic
Brand Name & Model Number	Autoflo 400BP	Autoflo 550-1	Autoflo SC-15	Autoflo X-15A X-15B	General 40
Type	By-pass Reservoir	Steam Type	Central Fixed Pad	Steam Type	Plate
Capacity (GPD)	10.0	13.2	15.0	13.2 19.1	Not rated
Voltage (VAC)	24	120	24	120 220	None
Agency Listed	N/A	ETL	N/A	UL	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air	Hot air	Hot air	Hot air
Overflow Protection	Yes	Yes	Must drain	Yes	Yes
Drain Type	No	No	Yes	No	No
Humidistat	No	No	No	No	No
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ease of Service	Window Removing front cover	Remove from furnace	Removing front cover	Remove from furnace	Disassembly remove from furnace
Construction	Plastic	Stainless Steel Auto-flush	Plastic	Stainless Steel	Plastic
Brand Name & Model Number	General 45	General 65	General 81	General 709	General 747
Type	Power Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Fixed Pad	Under Duct
Capacity (GPD)	7.0	13.3	18.0	17.0	16.0
Voltage (VAC)	24	24	24	120 OR 24	120 OR 24
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Duct
Overflow Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Must drain	Yes
Drain Type	No	No	No	Yes	No
Humidistat	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Ease of Service	Disassembly remove from furnace	Window Removing front cover	Window Removing front cover	Removing front cover Disassembly of case	Remove from Duct
Construction	Plastic	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	Plastic – Also with recalculating pump. Do not supply water tubing & By-pass Hose	Plastic
Brand Name & Model Number	General 800	General 1040	General 1042	General 1099	General 1137
Type	Plate	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	By-pass Fixed Pad	Power fixed pad
Capacity (GPD)	Not rated	18.0	18.0	23.0	21.3
Voltage (VAC)	None	120 OR 24	120 OR 24	120 OR 24	120
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air
Overflow Protection	Unknown	Must drain	Must drain	Must drain	Must drain
Drain Type	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Humidistat	No	Damper	Damper	Damper	Yes
All Install Materials	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Ease of Service	Inspection Plate Remove from Furnace	Inspection Plate Disassembly of Case	Inspection Plate Disassembly of Case	Inspection Plate Disassembly of Case	Disassembly of case
Construction	Painted Steel	Plastic – Do not supply by-pass hose, water tubing & low voltage wire	Plastic	Plastic – Also with recalculating pump. Do not supply by-pass hose, water tubing & low voltage wire	Plastic – Also with recalculating pump. Do not supply by-pass hose, water tubing & low voltage wire
Brand Name & Model Number	Herrmidifier 50	Herrmidifier 447	Herrmidifier 450	Herrmidifier 465	Herrmidifier 470
Type	Atomizing Spray Nozzle	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Reservoir
Capacity (GPD)	11.0	13.8	12.6	17.1 22.5	22.5
Voltage (VAC)	120 OR 24	120 OR 24	Air Drive	120 OR 24	Air Drive
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot air	Hot or Cold Air	Cold air	Hot or Cold Air	Cold air
Overflow Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Drain Type	No	No	No	No	No
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
All Install Materials	Yes	No	No	No	No
Ease of Service	Remove from furnace	Window Disassembly of case awkward	Window Disassembly of case awkward	Window Disassembly of case awkward	Window Disassembly of case awkward
Construction	Plastic – Stainless Steel Nozzle/Filter	Plastic – Do not supply transformer, wiring, water tubing & by-pass hose.	Plastic – Damper Do not supply water tubing	Plastic – Do not supply low Voltage Wire, transformer & water tubing	Plastic – Damper Do not supply water tubing
Brand Name & Model Number	Herrmidifier 486	Herrmidifier 490	Herrmidifier 707 SERIES	Herrmidifier 1400	Herrmidifier 2000
Type	Power Reservoir	Power fixed pad	Atomizing	Under Duct	Under Duct
Capacity (GPD)	20.3	21.3	6.0	18.0	25.0
Voltage (VAC)	120	24	120	24	120 OR 24
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot air	Hot air	Cold air	Duct	Duct
Overflow Protection	Yes	Must drain	No	Yes	Yes
Drain Type	No	Yes	No	No	No
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	707TW only	Yes	Yes
All Install Materials	No	No	Yes	No	No
Ease of Service	Removing panel	Service gauge disassembly of case	None Disassembly of case	Remove from Duct	Window Remove from Duct
Construction	Plastic – Do not supply water tubing	Plastic – Fiber media complex design. Do not supply water tubing	Plastic	Plastic – Do not supply low voltage wire	Plastic – Plug-in power water level indicator. Do not supply water tubing
Brand Name & Model Number	Herrmidifier 3500	Herrmidifier 4000	Herrmidifier 5000	Lau VA3300	Lau VA3800
Type	Spray Fixed Pad	Spray Fixed Pad	Steam Type	By-pass Reservoir	By-pass Fixed Pad
Capacity (GPD)	13.2 15	16.6 19	13.9 17	14.0	17.0
Voltage (VAC)	120 OR 24	120 OR 24	120 230	24	24
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air	Under Duct	Hot or Cold Air	Hot or Cold Air
Overflow Protection	Must drain	Must drain	No	Yes	Must drain
Drain Type	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	(Note A)	(Note A)
Ease of Service	Remove from Duct	Remove from Duct	Remove from Duct	Removing front cover	Removing front cover
Construction	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic – Optional Plenum Kit	Galvanized with electro baked enamel	Plastic
Brand Name & Model Number	Lau VA4300	Lau VA4400	Lau VA5200	Skuttle 35-1 35-2 38-SE2	Skuttle 39
Type	By-pass Reservoir	Power Reservoir	Under Duct	By-pass Fixed Pad	Power fixed pad
Capacity (GPD)	17.5	18.0	21.0	15.4	16.5
Voltage (VAC)	24	120	24	120 24	120
Agency Listed	N/A	UL	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air	Duct	Hot or Cold Air	Hot air
Overflow Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Must drain	Must drain
Drain Type	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Humidistat	Yes	Yes	Yes	Damper Yes	Yes
All Install Materials	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Ease of Service	Removing front cover	Removing front cover	Clear See thru Case Duct/Clips	Removing front cover	Removing front cover
Construction	Plastic	Plastic – May be remote mounted	Plastic	Stainless Steel Do not supply water tubing, drain tubing & by-pass hose	Stainless Steel
Brand Name & Model Number	Skuttle 45SH 90SH	Skuttle 55-UD	Skuttle 85	Skuttle 86-UD	Skuttle 190
Type	By-pass Reservoir	Fixed pad Under Duct	Under Duct	Under Duct	By-pass Reservoir
Capacity (GPD)	11.5 19.2	20.0	18.0	17.0	17.0
Voltage (VAC)	24	24	24	24	24
Agency Listed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mounting Location	Hot or Cold Air	Duct	Duct	Duct	Hot or Cold Air
Overflow Protection	Yes	Must drain	Yes	Yes	Yes
Drain Type	No	Yes	No	No	No
Humidistat	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
All Install Materials	(Note A)	No	Yes	Yes	(Note A)
Ease of Service	Window Removing front cover	Remove from Duct	Remove from Duct	Remove from Duct	Window Removing front cover
Construction	Stainless Steel Do not supply drain tubing	Plastic – Do not supply drain tubing	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic

To the best of our knowledge this information is an accurate representation of data contained in the manufacturer’s literature

NOTES:

Note A = Installation Kit available which may be purchased separately

Note B = Must be connected to hot water for heat pump application

David B. March 31st, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

Furnace Humidifiers

Additional information below

A Comparison of Brand Inclusions

Brand and Model Humidistat Transformer Saddle Valve Wire Supply Tubing

Adams (Humidaire)

FH-10 No N/A X N/A X

FH16 No X X X X

FH20 No X X X X

FH300A No X N/A X

FH300B No N/A X N/A X

FH400A No X N/A X

FH400B No N/A X N/A X

FH400C No X N/A X

Aprilaire

110 X X N/A No

112 X N/A X N/A No

220 X X N/A No

224 X X X No No

400 X X No No

440 X X X No No

445 X X N/A X

550 X X X No No

560 X X No No

600 X X X No No

700 X X N/A X

760 X N/A X N/A X

Autoflo

40 No N/A X N/A

250 No X No X

General

45 No X No

65 X X X X X

81 X X X X

709 No X X X No

1040 No X No No

1042 No X X No No

1099 No X No No

1137 X N/A X N/A No

Herrmidifier

447 X No X X No

450 No N/A X N/A No

465 X No X No No

470 No N/A X N/A No

490 X X X

1400 X No X No

2000 X X X X No

Lau

VA3300 X Note A Note A Note A Note A

VA3800 X X Note A Note A Note A

VA4300 X X X X X

VA4400 X N/A X N/A X

VA5200 X X X X X

Skuttle

35 No N/A X N/A No

35-2 X X X X X

35-SE2 X X X X No

39 X X X X X

45SH X Note A Note A Note A X

90-SH No Note A Note A Note A X

55-UD X X X X N/A

85 X X X X N/A

86-UD X X X X N/A

190 X Note A Note A Note A X

Additional Information

Brand and Model	Drain Tubing	Bypass Hose	MTG Collar	Plenum Stiff	Block-off Damper	Reducing Boot
Adams (Humidaire)
FH10	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
FH16	N/A	N/A				N/A
FH20	N/A	N/A				N/A
FH300A	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
FH300B	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
FH400A	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
FH400B	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
FH400C	N/A	N/A		N/A		N/A
Aprilaire
110	No	N/A				N/A
112	No	N/A				N/A
220	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
224	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
400	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
440	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
445	X	X
550	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
560	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
600	No	No	No	N/A		N/A
700	No	N/A				N/A
760	No	N/A				N/A
Autoflo
40	No	X	X			N/A
250	No	X	X			N/A
General
45	X	N/A
65	X	N/A	X			N/A
81	N/A
709	No	No
1040	X	No	X
1042	No	No
1099	X	X
1137	X	N/A
Herrmidifier
447	X	No
450	X	X
465	X
470	X
486		N/A
490
1400	N/A	N/A
2000		N/A
Lau
VA3300	N/A	Note A	Note A	N/A	Note A	N/A
VA3800	X	Note A	Note A	N/A	Note A	N/A
VA4300	N/A	X	X	X	X	N/A
VA4400	N/A	N/A	N/a	X	N/A	N/A
VA5200	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Skuttle
35		No	No
35-2	No	No
38SE2	No	No
39	X	X
45SH		X
90-SH		X
55-UD	No	N/A
85	N/A	N/A
86-UD	N/A
190		X

Note A = Separate installation kit available and may be purchased separately.

N/A = Not Applicable

David B. March 30th, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

Specification Comparison – Popular Models

Brand/Item	Case Material	Distribution through Construction	Ease of Service	Capacity at 140 degrees	Drain Rate	Other
Adams or Humidaire Humidifier Model 182	Fiberglass	8 points with level critical for design	Must disassemble, difficult top and bottom	18.2 GPD	?	Media pad is unframed and flakes, non uniform coating difficult to replace (top to bottom) also unit does not give 100% block off for air conditioning.
Aprilaire 224	Phonolic	1 for 9 holes	Must disassemble and remove water supply	16.8 GPD	4.5 GPH
Aprilaire 400	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	Est. 13.0	?
Aprilaire 440	Fiberglass front sheet metal back	1 feeder compartment with 9 holes	Easy remove front cover	16.8 GPD	6.8 GPH
Aprilaire 550	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	12 GPD	2.5 GPH
Aprilaire 560	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	16.8 GPD	5.3 GPH
Aprilaire 600	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	16.8 GPD	5.3 GPH
Aprilaire 700	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	18 GPD	9.1 GPH
Aprilaire 760	Fiberglass	1 feeder compartment	Easy remove front cover	18 GPD	9.1 GPH
Autoflo 250	Plastic	1 for 6 holes	Remove front cover/ remove water supply	12 GPD	9.1 GPH
General 1040	Fiberglass	1 for 8 holes	Remove name plate/ remove water supply, tools needed	17 GPD	2.2 GPH
LAU VA3800	ABS plastic	3 feeder compartments with 10 points	Easy remove front cover	17 GPD	3.2 GPH
Skuttle Flo Thru Models	Stainless steel	?	Remove front cover	17 GPD	?	Pad difficult to replace and splash back may be experienced

David B. February 24th, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

What is our filter reminder?

This is a free, absolutely no obligation reminder service.

Just fill in your email below, and the expected duration of your filter life, and we’ll send you an email when it’s time to change it. Simple as that! And don’t worry, you won’t be pestered in any way, you’ll only receive a short email at the specified reminder date.

* We do not send out advertising material ever!

David B. February 23rd, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

General maintenance:

Disclaimer: Manufacturer’s guidelines should be your first source of information, some maintenance issues may be model specific.

To reduce build up of scale, film, rust, and white humidifier dust, use water with a low mineral content or use a demineralization cartridge or filter.
Bacteria often grows in humidifiers which are equipped with tanks containing standing water, this is why it is important to replace the water regularly.
Follow manufacturer instructions for cleaning chemical usage. Make sure to thoroughly rinse out the cleaning chemicals with water before use.
Thoroughly clean and dry your humidifier at the start and end of the season. Use humidifier cleaner and antibacterial solution to prevent and eliminate the build up of minerals, bacteria, etc. Note – We recommend that you clean the reservoir regularly during the heating season if the bacteria-control product you use allows it.
Your humidifier can be taken apart for cleaning – please check your owner’s manual to learn the best technique for your unit.
You may have a problem with the float assembly getting stuck after the disuse of summer. To prevent this, clean the float assembly with vinegar or one of our humidifier cleaners when the heating season is over.
Do not allow film and scale to develop on your humidifier
Do not overextend the life of your filters, be sure to replace them when needed.

Portables:

Be sure to unplug the humidifier before cleaning and maintenance.
Daily replace the remaining water from your tank with fresh water, and wipe down the entire humidifier surface. Try to clean out the humidifier tank with a brush if possible.
Clean portable humidifiers every third day or so. Remove scale, deposits, or film that has formed on the sides of the tank or on interior surfaces, and wipe all surfaces dry. How regularly you need to clean your humidifier will depend on the mineral content of your water and whether a demineralization cartridge or filter is used.

Furnace mount:

If using a furnace mount humidifier, do not leave water in the tank for extended periods of time, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions that came with your humidifier and clean regularly.

David B. February 23rd, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

A system of belts and pulleys is employed to transmit power from the motor to rotate the evaporator drum. This series of pulleys decreases the motor RPM to a slower pace for the evaporator drum. The pulley system requires no maintenance.

If a belt or pulley needs replacement, follow these steps;

1. Unplug the humidifier from the power outlet.
2. Remove the pulley guard (Kidney shaped panel on back of unit)
3. The belt and pulley system now exposed consists of a main drive pulley on the rear motor shaft turning a large belt to three other pulleys (which are identical) which are turned by two small belts. A wire unites the top pulley to the drive roller shaft which rotates the evaporator drum (Fig W).
4. The tie wire can be straightened to allow it to be removed. After the wire tie is removed, all pulleys can be slid off their shafts to replace them or the belts.
5. Occasionally a belt will stretch and lose enough grip to not turn the evaporator drum. A stretched belt should be replaced. Never stretch a new belt when assembling on the humidifier.
6. With required parts replaced, re-install belts and pulleys according to Figure W. Notice the middle pulley is installed reverse of the other two pulleys.
7. Reverse steps 2 and 1 to re-assemble the humidifier.

David B. February 23rd, 2010

Posted In: Humidifiers

Kenmore (Sears), being a department store brand do not make their own appliances. Instead they contract the work out, so their appliances are made by many different manufacturers, and you will need to check your model number to see which manufacturer made your model. Choose from the lists below, to match the first three digits of your model number.

Amana	Caloric	D&M	Fedders	GE	Gibson, Frigidaire
596	174 960	587	484	363 362	253
Jenn-air	Kelvinator, Frigidaire	Litton	Maycor	Roper	Speed Queen
629	417 662 628	747	925	103 647 835 911 155 278*	651
Tappan, Frigidaire	Toshiba	WCI, Frigidaire	Whirlpool
791	562	790	106 110 562 665 198

*278 is a Roper built range, but parts are available from GE

The list below is a fuller list in numeric order, with part numbers starting with C being the Canadian models.

Prefix	Manufacturer	Prefix	Manufacturer
103.	Roper	586.	Panasonic
106.	Whirlpool	587.	DM (Frigidaire)
C106.	Inglis	596.	Amana
110.	Whirlpool	622.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)
C110.	Inglis	628.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)
119.	Frigidaire	629.	Jenn Air
143.	SFS Corp. (Sanyo/Fisher)	C646.	Admiral (Inglis)
144.	Trane	647.	Roper
155.	Preway	651.	Speed Queen
174.	Caloric	664.	Whirlpool
175.	In-Sink-Erator	665.	Whirlpool
198.	Whirlpool	666.	KitchenAid
233.	Broan	C675.	Woods
253.	Gibson (Frigidaire)	683.	Philco Italy?
274.	RCA	719.	Tappan (Frigidaire)
278.	Roper	721.	Goldstar (LGÂ Electronics)
292.	Lennox	747.	Litton
335.	Amana	757.	Marvel, Imperial
336.	Electrolux	789.	Defiance
342.	York	790.	WCI (Frigidaire)
362.	GE	791.	Tappan (Frigidaire)
C362.	Camco	835.	Roper
363.	GE	840.	Friedrich
C363.	Camco	850.	Whirlpool (Chambers?)
401.	Samsung	867.	Keeprite
416.	Carrier	879.	Rheem/Ruud
417.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)	C880.	Admiral (Inglis)
464.	GE	911.	Roper
473.	Hoover	917.	Roper (Whirlpool)
484.	Fedders, Whirlpool	925.	Maycor (Maytag)
562.	Toshiba	C933.	Kelvinator (Before 1970)
564.	Sanyo	934.	Hitachi
565.	Sanyo	C938.	Keeprite
566.	Sanyo	960.	Caloric
568.	Panasonic	970.	Frigidaire
575.	Sharp	C970.	Kelvinator (1970+)
580.	Goldstar (LG Electronics)	C978.	Camco

David B. February 22nd, 2010

Posted In: Appliance Age and Manufacturer

Find the age of your appliance by brand:

Amana

GE, American GE, Canadian GE, Moffat, McClary, Hotpoint (Camco)

Frigidaire, White/Westinghouse, Tappan, Kelvinator.

Kenmore/Sears

KitchenAid

Maytag, Jenn-Air, MagicChef.

Whirlpool

How to find the age of your Amana appliance

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this, then looking at the first four numbers you should be able to work out the manufacture date. The format is yyww For example:

If the first four numbers were 9912, this translates as the 12th week of 99 (March 1999)

If it is a newer model and starts with two letters instead of numbers it may follow the Maytag serial format.

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How to find the age of your GE appliance

GE USA (Hotpoint, GE, American RCA)

GE Canadian – Camco (Camco, Hotpoint, GE Moffat and McClary).

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this to find your appliance age from the lists below.
`
GE USA

The date code is in the letters on your serial number. The first two letters on the serial tag give you Month, Year.

Example serial number: LT221102

LT221102 – L = month – June

LT221102 – T = year 1986 or 1998

LT was built June 1998 or June 1986

Date codes – First letter is the month and the second letter is the year.

Letter	Month	Letter	Year
A	January	G	1980 & 1992
D	February	H*	1981 & 1993
F	March	L	1982 & 1994
G	April	M	1983 & 1995
H	May	R	1984 & 1996
L	June	S	1985 & 1997
M	July	T	1986 & 1998
R	August	V	1987 & 1999
S	September	Z	1988 & 2000
T	October	A	1989 & 2001
V	November	D	1990 & 2002
Z	December	F	2003
		G	2004
		H*	2005

* The same twelve easily distinguishable letters of the alphabet will be used and repeated in a twelve year cycle

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GE Canadian

The date code is in the letters on your serial number. The first two letters on the serial tag give you Month, Year.

Example serial number: MS731902A

The first 2 letters show the manufacturing date.

MS731902A shows the month made – July

MS731902A shows the year made – 1997

The above appliance with serial # MS731902A was made in July 1997.

Month	Letter	Year
May	H	1993
June	L	1994
July	M	1995
August	R	1996
September	S	1997
October	T	1998
November	V	1999
December	Z	2000
January	A	2001
February	D	2002
March	F	2003
April	G	2004
May	H	2005

* The same twelve easily distinguishable letters of the alphabet will be used and repeated in a twelve year cycle

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How to find the age of your Frigidaire appliance

Frigidaire makes White/Westinghouse, Tappan, Frigidaire, Kelvinator.

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this, then look at your serial number and work out the age like so.

Example serial number:

NF11910958 = NF( where the product was made)

NF11910958 â€“ 1 = made in 2001

NF11910958 â€“ 19 = 19th week in that year

This washer looks to be made in April of 2001

Example #2 serial number:

LA84501552

LA84501552 = year, this could be 1988 or 1998. If the appliance looks 10 years old it is probably 1988. If the appliance only looks to be a couple of years old, probably 1998 is more likely.

LA84501552 â€“ 45 = 45th week of either 1998 or 1988

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How to find which manufacturer made your Kenmore or Sears appliance.

Kenmore (Sears), being a department store brand do not make their own appliances. Instead they contract the work out, so their appliances are made by many different manufacturers, and you will need to check your model number to see which manufacturer made your model. Choose from the lists below, to match the first three digits of your model number.

Amana	Caloric	D&M	Fedders	GE	Gibson, Frigidaire
596	174 960	587	484	363 362	253
Jenn-air	Kelvinator, Frigidaire	Litton	Maycor	Roper	Speed Queen
629	417 662 628	747	925	103 647 835 911 155 278*	651
Tappan, Frigidaire	Toshiba	WCI, Frigidaire	Whirlpool
791	562	790	106 110 562 665 198

*278 is a Roper built range, but parts are available from GE

The list below is a fuller list in numeric order, with part numbers starting with C being the Canadian models.

Prefix	Manufacturer	Prefix	Manufacturer
103.	Roper	586.	Panasonic
106.	Whirlpool	587.	DM (Frigidaire)
C106.	Inglis	596.	Amana
110.	Whirlpool	622.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)
C110.	Inglis	628.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)
119.	Frigidaire	629.	Jenn Air
143.	SFS Corp. (Sanyo/Fisher)	C646.	Admiral (Inglis)
144.	Trane	647.	Roper
155.	Preway	651.	Speed Queen
174.	Caloric	664.	Whirlpool
175.	In-Sink-Erator	665.	Whirlpool
198.	Whirlpool	666.	KitchenAid
233.	Broan	C675.	Woods
253.	Gibson (Frigidaire)	683.	Philco Italy?
274.	RCA	719.	Tappan (Frigidaire)
278.	Roper	721.	Goldstar (LGÂ Electronics)
292.	Lennox	747.	Litton
335.	Amana	757.	Marvel, Imperial
336.	Electrolux	789.	Defiance
342.	York	790.	WCI (Frigidaire)
362.	GE	791.	Tappan (Frigidaire)
C362.	Camco	835.	Roper
363.	GE	840.	Friedrich
C363.	Camco	850.	Whirlpool (Chambers?)
401.	Samsung	867.	Keeprite
416.	Carrier	879.	Rheem/Ruud
417.	Kelvinator (Frigidaire)	C880.	Admiral (Inglis)
464.	GE	911.	Roper
473.	Hoover	917.	Roper (Whirlpool)
484.	Fedders, Whirlpool	925.	Maycor (Maytag)
562.	Toshiba	C933.	Kelvinator (Before 1970)
564.	Sanyo	934.	Hitachi
565.	Sanyo	C938.	Keeprite
566.	Sanyo	960.	Caloric
568.	Panasonic	970.	Frigidaire
575.	Sharp	C970.	Kelvinator (1970+)
580.	Goldstar (LG Electronics)	C978.	Camco

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How to find the age of your KitchenAid appliance

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this, then looking at the first four digits you should be able to work out the manufacture date.

Serial example â€“ XL1601009
Break this up to take the first 4 digits i.e. XL16

2001, the 16th week

X is factory where the product was made.
L is the year ( J = 1999, K = 2000, L = 2001, M = 2002, N =2003, etc)
16 = week produced.

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How to find the age of your Maytag appliance

Maytag owns Maytag, Jenn-Air, MagicChef.

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this.

Example serial number: 15114672UY

15114672UY â€“ UY is the date code.
The first letter is the year â€“ U = 1998.
The second letter is the month â€“ Y = November.
This appliance was made November of 1998.

First letter is the year, second letter is the month.

Year Letter Month

1980 E March

1981 G April

1982 J May

1983 L June

1984 N July

1985 P August

1986 R September

1987 T October

1988 V November

1989 X December

1990 B January

1991 D February

1992 F March

1993 H April

1994 K May

1995 M June

1996 Q July

1997 S August

1998 U September

1999 W October

2000 Y November

2001 Z December

2002 A January

2003 C February

2004 E March

2005 G April

2006 J May

2007 L June

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How to find the age of your Whirlpool appliance

You will need to find your serial/model tag and record the numbers and letters on this.

The date code is the 3rd to last on your model number.

Example model numbers: LRS6233BW1= 1994 , SF367PEYW1= 1992 , LE6685XPW1= 1985 or 2004 , ET22PKXXW0= 1991 , EV150CXKW0 = 1982 or 2001

Letter	Year
K	1982 or 2001
L	1983 or 2002
M	1984 or 2003
P	1985 or 2004
R	1986 or 2005
S	1987 or 2006
T	1988 or 2007
V	1989 or 2008
W	1990 or 2009
X	1991 or 2010
Y	1992 or 2011
A	1993 or 2012
B	1994 or 2013
D	1995 or 2014
E	1996 or 2015
F	1997 or 2016
G	1998 or 2017
H	1999 or 2018
J	2000 or 2019

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David B. February 22nd, 2010

Posted In: Appliance Age and Manufacturer

Front Console Models

Top Console Models

David B. February 21st, 2010

Posted In: Appliance Age and Manufacturer, Dryers

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4.7

Types of Humidifiers

Specification Comparison – More Models

A comparison of specifications for more humidifier models.

Furnace Humidifiers: Comparison of Brand Inclusions

Furnace Humidifiers

A Comparison of Brand Inclusions

Additional Information

Specification Comparison – Popular Models

Specification Comparison – Popular Models

Filter Reminder

What is our filter reminder?

Humidifier Cleaning and Maintenance

General maintenance:

Portables:

Furnace mount:

Belt Installation Instructions: for Toastmaster and Montgomery Wards

How to find which manufacturer made your Kenmore or Sears appliance.

Finding the age of your appliance

Find the age of your appliance by brand:

How to find the age of your Amana appliance

How to find the age of your GE appliance

How to find the age of your Frigidaire appliance

How to find which manufacturer made your Kenmore or Sears appliance.

How to find the age of your KitchenAid appliance

How to find the age of your Maytag appliance

How to find the age of your Whirlpool appliance

Finding the serial tag on your dryer

Brand and Model	Humidistat	Transformer	Saddle Valve	Wire	Supply Tubing
Adams (Humidaire)
FH-10	No	N/A	X	N/A	X
FH16	No	X	X	X	X
FH20	No	X	X	X	X
FH300A	No		X	N/A	X
FH300B	No	N/A	X	N/A	X
FH400A	No		X	N/A	X
FH400B	No	N/A	X	N/A	X
FH400C	No		X	N/A	X
Aprilaire
110	X		X	N/A	No
112	X	N/A	X	N/A	No
220	X		X	N/A	No
224	X	X	X	No	No
400	X		X	No	No
440	X	X	X	No	No
445	X		X	N/A	X
550	X	X	X	No	No
560	X		X	No	No
600	X	X	X	No	No
700	X		X	N/A	X
760	X	N/A	X	N/A	X
Autoflo
40	No	N/A	X	N/A
250	No		X	No	X
General
45	No		X		No
65	X	X	X	X	X
81	X		X	X	X
709	No	X	X	X	No
1040	No		X	No	No
1042	No	X	X	No	No
1099	No		X	No	No
1137	X	N/A	X	N/A	No
Herrmidifier
447	X	No	X	X	No
450	No	N/A	X	N/A	No
465	X	No	X	No	No
470	No	N/A	X	N/A	No
490	X		X		X
1400	X	No	X	No
2000	X	X	X	X	No
Lau
VA3300	X	Note A	Note A	Note A	Note A
VA3800	X	X	Note A	Note A	Note A
VA4300	X	X	X	X	X
VA4400	X	N/A	X	N/A	X
VA5200	X	X	X	X	X
Skuttle
35	No	N/A	X	N/A	No
35-2	X	X	X	X	X
35-SE2	X	X	X	X	No
39	X	X	X	X	X
45SH	X	Note A	Note A	Note A	X
90-SH	No	Note A	Note A	Note A	X
55-UD	X	X	X	X	N/A
85	X	X	X	X	N/A
86-UD	X	X	X	X	N/A
190	X	Note A	Note A	Note A	X