Patent ID: 7934702

Claim:
A humidifier configured for use within the plenum ( 1 ) of an existing heating system having an operational airflow therein, said humidifier comprising: (a) a humidity sensor ( 24 ) adapted to measure the humidity of air entering the heating system and to provide a humidity value signal; (b) a duty-cycle signal computed from the humidity value signal and a predetermined control profile; (c) a filtration system ( 11 ) adapted to filter suspended particles from an incoming water supply and to provide filtered water ( 6 ); (d) a low volume high pressure pump ( 12 ) adapted to accept the filtered water and to provide pressurized water ( 7 ) at a constant high pressure; (e) a constant speed motor ( 13 ) mechanically connected to the pump and adapted to drive said pump in response to the duty-cycle signal computed from the humidity sensor; (f) a wand pipe ( 16 ) extending into the plenum and adapted to accept the pressurized water, wherein said wand pipe further comprises (i) a plurality of exit nozzles ( 17 ), each including a precision orifice adapted to atomize said pressurized water into a mist and to inject said mist into the operational airflow and wherein the diameter of each precision orifice is sized in conjunction with the constant speed of the motor to provide constant volume flow of atomized water; (g) an airflow temperature sensor ( 29 ) mounted in the operational airflow upstream of the exit nozzles, and measuring an upstream temperature; (h) a plurality of nozzle flow detectors, each of the nozzle flow detectors being an electric current sensor and mounted adjacent to a corresponding one of the plurality of exit nozzles; and (i) control electronics configured to determine the nozzle flow state based on the amount of electrical current drawn by the constant speed motor, wherein (i) a first predetermined drive current indicates normal flow, (ii) a second predetermined drive current, which is less than said first predetermined drive current, indicates a blown gasket, and (iii) a third predetermined drive current, which is greater than said first predetermined drive current, indicates a blocked nozzle.