My humidifier is leaking. It is leaking at the drain assembly. The assembly itself has some designed openings that don't make much sense to me. The water is collecting there and dripping out slowly.
Is there a fix for this? Perhaps a replacement assembly? Can I fill the holes?
My suggestion is that you take a look at that plastic bulkhead fitting closely. The drain hose is attached and clamped in place with a nylon tie wrap. Upon inspection you will likely see that if the hose were removed the outer portion of that bulkhead fitting would screw off like a nut. The rest of the fitting projects through from the inside. There would be a flat rubber washer that seals the fitting against the inner side of the bulkhead.
It is also possible that the fitting is one that was pressed through from the inside with catches that came through those notches and then the fitting was turned to lock it into place. In this case there should still be a rubber washer or O-ring on the inside of the drain tank.
My guess is that the rubber washer or O-ring has degraded, cracked and has thus led to the leak that you are seeing. The best bet is to replace this sealing component.
You may have an alternative that could stop the leaking on a temporary or semi permanent basis. If the tank surfaces around the fitting were nice and clean and dry without any scale or gunk it may be possible to apply a bead of silicon sealer around the fitting to stop the leaking. Success of this will depend upon if the plastic type is one that will bond well with the silicon or not.
Inside the humidifier, there should be a pan that the drain hose connects to. There's only a few possibilities I can think of, for water to reach the location you've highlighted.
Check the connection between the drain fitting and the filter frame. Make sure the drain fitting is properly attached and aligned in the filter frame, and that water is not leaking from the bottom of the filter frame where the drain fitting attaches.
Make sure the drain pipe is clear, and that it can handle a volume of water without backing up. Make sure water can flow out of the filter frame without restriction. Check for mineral deposits blocking the drain.
Make sure the inlet is not overspraying the tray. If the water is spraying too hard, some of it could find its way out of the filter frame.
Make sure water can flow through the upper tray without restriction. If the upper tray is blocked up, it's possible water could find its way out of the filter frame.
If the filter is slightly misaligned, it could potentially give water a path out of the filter frame.
I know this is quite late but i had the exact same issue, leaking from around that black drain. I've done everything recommended and Its been getting worse and worse and I never could find an answer. Soone day I was looking for upgrades for my popup camper and came across a drain vent upgrade. This is supposed to increase drain volume for a sink. This got my wheels turning so i installed one on my humidifier vent. I just kicked it on and so far so good. Im using the 1/2 in hose the humidifier came with, all i did was install 1/2 inch barbed tee from home depot with one of the hoses coming off the tee sticking straight up.
I had the same problem. It turns out that off brand water elements did not fit in the plastic frame properly and actually shrunk after a being in use for a while. This caused water to run outside of the element frame and down to the base of the unit and out of the hose connector at the bottom. Also the round plastic hose connector that the frame sits in got clogged up with lime deposits and instead of the water running into the tube some water bounced back up over the sides of the round connector that hooks up to the drain hose and that the element frame sits in.
I bought a genuine Honeywell water element that fit my unit, cleaned out the round plastic connector that the drain hose hooks up to with vinegar until spotless and I have not had a drop of leaking since.
I have the same humidifier, leaking from the same place....I just [put a 25 cent outdoor hose washer in the hole inside the humidifier, set the water tray on top and no more leak.
