Skuttle 190-SH1 Drum Humidifier

I got this unit to replace a 2006 Honeywell HE225 whole house "flow-through" humidifier because our condo assoc does not want humidifiers discharging water into condensate drains (potential freezing of drain pipes in winter). Some condo owners have learned the hard way - when a drain pipe froze and water backs up into their or another unit! So I decided to replace the water-wasting Honeywell with this Skuttle drum unit float-based unit. The results have been very good: we get higher humidity from the Skuttle (30-40% vs 20-30%, depending on outside temp), no waste water continually being discharged and very quiet operation.NOTE: the instructions say to never connect it to the blower motor circuit. I did not realize they were only referring to the 120 volt motor/circuitry itself. So I did not connect it to the 24 volt blower circuit that fed my old unit. Instead, I used the 24 volt transformer provided and wired it to an always-on 120 volt outlet box near furnace. The result is that the drum rotates anytime the humidity is below whatever the humidistat is set for (even if furnace isn't running/blowing). After talking with their tech support, I realize I could have wired it to my 24v blower circuit - but I kind of like the drum rotating sometimes even when furnace is off. My thought is that the rotating drum keeps moving the water, so the water probably stays cleaner...

Like simple and efficient easy to Install

Im an electrician, my boss had me install one of these at his house a few years ago. It was a relatively easy installation. It worked great so I bought one for my home.Wired mine to only work when furnace is on, and can be controlled remotely from humidistat.Make sure not to turn the dial too high, and check the wheel from time to time just to make sure there's no issues with the water.

This unit uses 17 gallons of water a day. Here in York, PA our privately owned water company has expensive water. While the unit has humidity adjustment, it only has on and off water flow. Adjusting the humidity level has no affect on water flow. Remove the filter and you can see for yourself. It would be much better to actually control the water flow. Basically water dribbles into a mesh filter and into a drain to be pumped outside. No recycle of water. So, in my opinion, the whole thing is inefficient and water waster. I am not sure if other brands use the same set up. The unit does work if you don't mind the water waste issue.

Quality unit. I called and received technical help from the company as I was using this unit to build a custom whole - home humidifier system. Factory rep was helpful and knowledgeable and sent me additional information that was very helpful!So far the unit has performed well as expected!

Please do not buy this product. It worked only for one season. This year when I start humidifier, it makes a loud noise thru each cycle it rotates. Very loud noise coming out of it..........sorry!

BLUF: never made it to install; would have required an additional $50+ in supplies and a trip to the store to install.After a dry start to cold weather I was really excited to finally install a whole house humidifier. I did a lot of research and this one was supposed to be one of the best. Sadly, I didn’t even make it to the install before being disappointed.First, the item didn’t include a supply line. So the “everything needed for install” isn’t accurate. The provided duct is very short, even fully extended. Like many others, I would have needed to buy a longer length of duct and a 90 degree elbow.Second, after looking over what I would need if I were to install would have cost an additional $50+ in supplies. Junction box, supply line, drain hose, longer duct length, 90 degree elbow, and some romex.Why a junction box? The transformer provided is hardwired. So I would need to hardwire the junction box to the transformer and then cover the transformer, too.This brings me to the last sad thing about this: poor instructions. There are three sets (one for each of the humidistat, operating manual, and a single page for the actual install). The leaflet provided for the install makes a good number of assumptions. Then, when you go to assemble the unit you see another folded set of instructions on the float valve. It felt like I was trying to solve an escape room puzzle.

My HVAC guy said he could not repair or replace the drum humidifier that was installed 30 years ago and had finally given up the ghost. "It will be about $1,000 to put in the new kind." Hmmmm. Searched Amazon, found this one. Arrived in two days and I had it installed in an hour. Almost exactly like the old one, but with a few more modern improvements. Well worth the $145.