Cost for Ultra air 90 and installation?

[Pointer]

I live in middle TN and am considering the Ultra air 90 whole house dehumidifier. House is on crawl space, lined with plastic, vents closed, CHA unit American Standard gas heat, electric air, CHA unit outside, with ductwork in crawl space. How much should it normally cost to purchase the Ultra air 90 and have it installed? I am looking for someone to do this and will be getting bids.

Thanks

[Big Unit]

Not allowed to talk price in this forum. It will depend on your setup and how much modification you will need. Wait for the bids and throw out any that are way off from the others.

[teddy bear]

I live in middle TN and am considering the Ultra air 90 whole house dehumidifier. House is on crawl space, lined with plastic, vents closed, CHA unit American Standard gas heat, electric air, CHA unit outside, with ductwork in crawl space. How much should it normally cost to purchase the Ultra air 90 and have it installed? I am looking for someone to do this and will be getting bids.

Thanks

The best place to start is to call the contractor that installed your a/c and explain the objective of humidity control throughout your home. The Therma-Stor/Ultra-Aire factory will help him through the technical details. Your contractor is the most familar with your home and a/c. If the price is unreasonable, get more quotes. The price of the UA is a little less than a cheap furnace. Add ducting, a good controller, some insulated ducts/grills, and several hours of work, you get the idea- a liitle expensive but well worth it. I look forward to working with your contractor. Regards TB

[Pointer]

Sorry, new to forum, did not know not allowed to discuss prices. Thanks for the information.

Pointer

[TalkingHead]

Pointer, don't you live right off of Hampshire Pike? The high humidity you experienced all summer made an investment in a whole house dehumidifier worth the money. There are more hours per year where there is a need to dehumidify than to cool in your area. It should even make your existing air conditioner work more efficiently if you had a separate appliance just to reduce the humidity.

There is a need for dehumidification during the number of hours in a year when the outdoor temperatures are between 60F and 75F and dew point is 60F or higher. The need to air conditioning is defined as when the outdoor temperatures are above 75F. By the way, the certified moisture removal capacity of a dehumidifier is based on incoming air at 80F and 60% relative humidity.

[Carnak]

dehumidifiers are good for musty crawlspaces it is where they belong

I hear the mantra about these days of 60 to 75F with dewpoints above 60F over and over again. No one has been able to really name a location where there is weather like this for any significant period of time.

[pstu]

I regret to antagonize the pros who are exclusive to installing the Ultra-Aire line, but I wonder if you might consider the Santa Fe line for a crawlspace application. A couple of ducts would be required, and the controls are less sophisticated. The trade-off would be 1) lower price, and 2) your HVAC pro might be miffed. If this would work for you, your effort would be traded for the turnkey install the Ultra-Aire model would be.

Do a Google search on "Santa Fe Dehumidifier" and you will see a low price for the basic appliance. Now compare that with the quotes you will receive, and see how much of a budget you might have to work with.

In my homeowner opinion, HVAC is indeed at the level of rocket science. Building Science (including control of air which is the source of most humidity problems) might as well be rocket science. Dehumidifiers are not.

Best of luck -- Pstu