I use a Honeywell whole house humidifier on my furnace which wastes a lot of water

[G+_Jim Sauber]

I use a Honeywell whole house humidifier on my furnace which wastes a lot of water. I would like to install a water-activated switch to turn the flow of water is running down the drain because the wick is saturated. Then, release to saturate the filter.. The switch could be installed on the 110V electrical outlet or inline of the low voltage humidifier control.

 

I the setup with a water/moisture probe embedded in a sponge which is inline with the waste water flow. When the sponge gets wet, the water flow stops. When the sponge dries out, the power is enabled and water flows to the wick.

 

For the electrical outlet, something like this except with a water/moisture probe instead of a motion sensor .

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009KSECO8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17HKX2AVMB0D4&coliid=I39KTMJM0WCBYS

For the low voltage (24v), a sensor and relay which opens and closes the power from the humidstat or to the water valve line.

 

I would prefer a commercial solution to building one myself. Anyone have ideas/recommendations? Thanks in advance

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009KSECO8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17HKX2AVMB0D4&coliid=I39KTMJM0WCBYS

[G+_Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ]

I don't know if there's a good saturation sensor, but there are several companies that make IFTTT-compatible humidity sensors that might work. (i.e. when the humidity drops below a certain level, turn on the tap.)

[G+_610GARAGE]

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ  The system should already have that in place, either through a dedicated thermostat or the heating system thermostat. 

 

Jim Sauber  What you really need is a conductivity sensor. if the filter media becomes too dry, conductivity would drop and then the water kicks on. But the only way that I know how this could be done is with discrete components or a microcontroller ( like the arduino).

 

However, if your humidifier is passing a lot of water, chances are that it is not functioning properly. Humidifies tend to get cruddy from minerals in the water, and this could be impeding its function. You could also look into a steam humidifier. Not cheap, but it is more efficient than a medium humidifier.

[G+_Jason Miles (SmoothBass]

Mine did the same thing years ago.

 

Calcium build up had solenoid valve locked in open position.

 

Removed valve, soaked in CLR, and back in business.

[G+_Ben Reese]

It might be a bit more involved than you're interested in, but I watched this video a few days ago that might have some ideas for you: Solar Powered Automatic Watering System Tutorial:

 

Remove the solar portion and replace the water pump with a solenoid and it might be what you need.

[G+_Jim Sauber]

Thanks for the suggestions. Next step is to design out something that will monitor for water and control the valve.