Not getting enough humidity in the air

Hi,
Sounds like you are not getting the proper voltage to the solenoid valve...
Check for 24v coming off of the transformer...that may be 24vac not vdc...

Then check to see if there is power coming from the humidistat...
unhook the wires to check for the power at the solenoid valve...
check across the two wires...

if there is power the valve is bad and that alone will cost about 90 bucks with shipping...
if there is no power trace back and see where the power stops at...

heatman101

Hope this helps, check and see if humidistat is set to 35% humidity and that bypass damper on humidifier is in the open position or winter position.(humidistat is usually located on cold air return duct near furnace). Next, replace humidifier media pad, remember to replace media pad (filter) annually, you also may want to clean any lime deposit out of humidifier housing with a solution of warm water and white vinegar before installing your new media filter.Remember to turn power off at side of furnace when cleaning humidifier and replacing media. Before installing new media turn power back on to furnace, set humidistat to the on position, turn furnace thermostat above room temp., and inspect humidifier to see if water is running from top,(you may want to have a bucket under humidifier when checking for water), if you see water running, turn power back off to furnace, properly install new media filter, reconnect humidifier cover & set humidistat to 35%. If you do not see water present, check water supply valve to humidifier and make sure its turned on. If water supply valve is open, then check water supply tubing for blockage.And the last things to check is to make sure all registers through out your home are open and not blocked by any objects, also make sure furnace filter is cleaned, if none of this works refer to installation manual to see if humidifier was sized and installed properly, Good luck.

Humidity must be hi enough in the house or Humidistat is not working. Do you any way to check humidity in the house?
If the Humidistat is set as Automatic, try to leave it as Manual.

you need to make sure your humidity level in the house isnt higher then what your humidifier will provide at any givin outdoor temp. this chart is in the owners manual. you cant remove the wires going to the ODS or it will give an error unless you have a resistor to put in its place. Anyway if the humidifier works in test mode according to AA it works so you may have higher humidity than you think, the highest your gonna get is 45% as the temp outside drops it will allow less humidity so it doesnt cause window condinsation (property damage) here is a copy of the chart. the #s on the left are the dial setting
TABLE 2 – % Relative Humidity Guide
Outdoor Temperature (°F)
-10°F 0°F 10°F 20°F 30°F 40°F
1 10% 10% 10% 15% 20% 25%
2 10% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
3 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
4 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
5 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
6 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 45%
7 30% 35% 40% 45% 45% 45%

if it works in the test mode then it should be okay but you can get a humidity gauge from radio shack and set in the house to see how high or low its is. the humidifier is only going to give a max of 45% humidity

i have an aprilaire model 550 im getting no water to the filter but i am getting water to the solenoid

The max the aprilaire can put out is 45% Rh. Your humidifier may wired up to run only when the heat is on. In some cases this is not enough time to maintain your humidity level your seeking. To correct this, the hum. has to hooked up the hot side of the water supply. And the humidifier has to be hooked up when the fan runs and leave the fan run constantly

If your your solenoid will work it in test mode it is probably your Humidistat.

No, it is not an accurate statement.

These units have simple configurations They have a water supply similar to a ice making referigerator, an enclosure connected to your supply duct that houses a prop fan and media, a seperate humidistat and a drain for excess water. Your unit may also include fancy controls including an outside thermometer & humidistat to avoid over humidification that can cause problems during freezing weather. The humidistat looks a lot like a thermostat and is located in your living space or in the return duct. The prop fan in the box pulls air from the duct, through evaporation media and back to the duct. An electric solenoid valve releases water that pours over the media.

If the humidiy is below the humidistat seting and the AC/heater is running, the Aprilaire fan starts and the solenoid valve opens. I suspect the facier controls include the flashing warning light.

The warning light spells problem. Aprilaire's customer service should be able to provide guidance for the homeowner in the form of simple checks. I suspect your contractor is avoiding a warentee call and the trip it requires.

A word of caution. These humidifiers can be powered directly from your air conditioning unit control board from an auxiliary connection. If the control board isn't rated to carry the current required by the Aprilaire fan, valve and controls or the Aprilaire encounters and electrical problem, the board can be damaged. This can be avoided by using a relay. The AC board switches a low energy relay. 120 volt house power is connected to load side of the relay and runs the Aprilaire.

My board cooked at a location near this connection, but I can't be sure that the load from the humidifier caused it since four of our neighbors also lost their board. It failed the evening of a snow storm and required a costly emergency after hours service call. The next day a new board required a three hour drive. Fortunately a fan powered propane heater kept our pipes from freezing.