DIY guideHumidifier
Switch the furnace humidifier over at the season change
Shut the humidifier's water and damper in spring and turn it off, then open them and set the humidistat in the fall, so it only adds moisture while the heat is on.
- 5 to 10 min
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
When the heating season ends, turn the humidistat to Off.
Turn the small valve on the humidifier's water pipe clockwise until it stops.
On a bypass humidifier, turn the damper on its round duct to its summer mark, or closed.
Before the heat comes back on, put a new pad in, so it starts the season clean.
Open the water valve, and turn the damper to its winter mark, or open.
Set it lower the colder it is outside. Water on the inside of the windows means it's too high: turn it down.
If water drips from the humidifier or its duct, or rust shows on the furnace below, turn the water off and ask Handyman for a heating pro.
What you need
- A new humidifier pad, for the fall
- A flashlight
Call a pro if
- Water drips from the humidifier or its duct
- Rust or water marks on the furnace below it
- The valve or the damper won't turn
Handyman says: Dripping? I'll find a heating pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
More heating and air guides
See all 51
Rather have
a pro do it?