How To Change The Steam Canister On Your Aprilaire 800 Steam Humidifier

HVAC Logo IconBy HVAC.comAugust 1, 2023
Get a fair quote
The right solution at the right price. Save 20% on average in just 4 steps.

Score an HVAC quote
Our independent team of HVAC industry insiders can score your quote to see if it’s fair.

Sharing your quote takes less than a minute

Oops! Looks like this image is too cool for alt text!

The only maintenance that needs to be performed on this humidifier is changing the steam canister – this will need to be changed roughly once a year. It is also suggested that you inspect / clean the unit every 500 hours of use.

Before you begin any maintenance, your first steps are to turn off the water supply, unplug the system, and turn off the electrical source to the furnace.

  • Turn the Aprilaire 800 Steam Humidifier off by pressing the On/Off Switch.
  • Let the humidifier drain until the green LED light stops flashing. Once the light is done flashing, it means the system has completely drained and you are safe to disconnect the power from the humidifier.
  • Remove the front panel from the humidifier

Look at the top of the canister, you will see three wires connected to the canister. These wires are the electrode conductors (the 2 larger ones) and the third wire is the water level probe conductor. Carefully pull these off of the canister.

*Note: Take note of which wire goes where as you will be reattaching these shortly!

  • Loosen the hose clamp at the top of the canister and slide the hose off of the canister.
  • Remove canister from the drain assembly by lifting it up and then out.
  • Throw away the canister.
  • Remove the o-ring from the drain assembly if it did not come out when you pulled the canister out. If you are having a difficult time removing it, the easiest way is to take a flathead screwdriver and pry it off.
  • Remove any debris or build-up from the drain assembly.
  • Take out the new o-ring that came with your Aprilaire 80 Canister, dampen it, and insert it into the drain assembly. (*Note: It is important that you do not use any lubricants such as grease or oil on the o-ring. Only use water!)
  • Insert the strainer into the bottom of the new Aprilaire 80 Canister
  • Insert the canister into the drain assembly by inserting it bottom first. Position the canister so that the Aprilaire logo is facing outward.
  • Reattach the steam hose to the top of the canister and tighten the hose clamp.
  • Attach the 3 wires to the canister. The larger wires (the electrode conductors) are interchangeable.
  • Replace the front panel of the humidifier.
  • Inspect the drain line and the steam hose. The drain line should be at a constant downward slope and should not have any blockage or kinks in the line. The steam hose should be at a constant upward slope from the humidifier to the dispersion tubes in your ducting.
  • Restore power to your Aprilaire 800 Steam Humidifier.
  • Turn on our unit and verify that the green light is illuminated and solid (not blinking).

For best performance, the manufacturer suggests changing this canister once a year, however your notification light will let you know when it is time for your canister to be changed. Remember, you can always consult your owner’s manual to get these step by step instructions in more detail. Or, if you feel most comfortable, you can have your contractor perform this annual maintenance for you.

Get a fair quote
The right solution at the right price. Save 20% on average in just 4 steps.

Score an HVAC quote
Our independent team of HVAC industry insiders can score your quote to see if it’s fair.

Sharing your quote takes less than a minute

HVAC.com is your trusted advisor for all things HVAC

Chat with an advisor

Available 8 AM - 5 PM Eastern Time