Er3--is this an error message?

E3 indicates a sensor fail - most probably the humidity sesnsor. Or it could be a fault in the display itself. Are all the functions working properly?

Your humidifier is a bypass type. The only voltage needed is 24vac to open the water valve. Air only flows through the humidifier when the furnace blower is running, and the wet pad will add very little humidity if the furnace is not running and heating the air before flowing through the wet pad in the humidifier.
It is best the water valve is only energized when the furnace is running. Some furnaces have a connector on their control boards labeled HUM for this purpose. Test it's voltage when the furnace is running because some will output 110vac instead of 24vac you need.

Brother, I think you're OK here. I run a couple in my shop, both cheap from Walgreen's, and I'd be ruining the suckers once a week if they didn't have auto-shut-off. Your's should too. Sounds defective.

Don't know why so much water. May be able to adjust by turning down valve tap. Turn unit on and you should be able to hear water pressure decrease. Make sure damper in 6" pipe is open so humidified air will get through system. When very cold humidities are lower. Also must hum. mfgs. suggest connecting with hot water instead of cold (vaporizes faster) don't know which you have

HI, Troubleshooting an Aprilaire Humidifier

Aprilaire, a manufacturer of indoor air quality products including thermostats, air cleaners and dehumidifiers, also offers a line of whole house humidifiers. Installed in your existing heating and cooling system, humidity is produced by a supplied water source that flows over a water panel before being distributed throughout your air through the heating and cooling system. Issues you may need to troubleshoot with your Aprilaire humidifier include error messages and the unit producing too little or too much humidity.

Things You'll Need:

Replacement water panel


Turn down the control dial by one setting if condensation appears on your windows or walls.


Turn up the control dial by one setting if there is a lack of humidity, often indicated by dry skin or peeling wallpaper or paint.


Turn the control dial to "Test/Reset" if the humidifier does not run. Verify the heating and air conditioning unit blower is operating. If the heating and air conditioning unit is not operating or you are unable to resolve the issue contact a heating contractor.


Contact a heating contractor if you turn the control dial to "Off" and the humidifier continues to run.


Contact your Aprilaire dealer (see Resources) if you notice an error code on the display and the "Call Dealer for Service" light flashes.


Turn the control dial to "Off" and turn off the water supply if the yellow "Change Water Panel" light flashes. Lift the front panel off of the humidifier. Slide out the water panel. Insert a new water panel. Replace the front cover. Turn the control dial to "Test/Reset" until the "Humidifier On" light flashes. If you feel uncomfortable changing the water panel, contact a heating contractor.


Tips & Warnings

Purchase replacement water panels through your Aprilaire dealer or a heating contractor.



You can get parts from the link below:

arnoldservice.com/humidifier_parts.htm


Hope it helps.

Thanks for using fixya....

The humidifier will not run on most units unless the blower of the unit it is installed on is on.

I have this same problem. And cool mist humidifiers DO produce mist. I have had my humidifier for a while now (6 years) and have never had any problems. But after the most recent cleaning, it worked at first, but now seems to not be working anymore... Am also wondering if there is anything I can do to remedy the situation?

This may not be a solution, but a couple things you might want to look at. First, the humidifier may not be big enough for your house - just because a contractor installed it doesn't mean he sized it right. Second, humidity may only be 30% locally by the humidistat, but higher in other parts of the house - it depends where the humidistat is located. Finally, look at your hot water line - I'm surprised he ran it off hot water and not cold - seems like a waste of energy to me, but the feed line may be clogged by sediment from the water heater

My guess is that you are trying to bring the humidity up too high. There is a chart in the manual that suggests where to set the humidity at based on outdoor temps.

I try to keep the level at 30-35% in the winter.

Hope this helps.

We had this problem and could not make it go away by refilling, jiggling the float and so on. All the controls appeared frozen during this time.

But unplugging the humidifier for 5 minutes and plugging it back in seems to have fixed it -- no ER3 message now (fingers crossed!0.