Any of these optional "extras" worth it?

[strawmyers]

The quote I got Friday included the following options to add. Any of them worth having?

- PureAir air cleaner
- Blue-Tube UV w/ OST
- Oxine Air Duct Treatment

Also listed is a Honeywell Humidifier a17GPD. Anything special about this humidifier? Its really expensive, IMO. Thanks!

[grasshopper]

Depends on your needs, your install and certain other conditions. Does anyone or you suffer from respitory issues? UV lights and air cleaners have some mixed results which can vary by the system, airflow and other factors.

Humidifiers are nice if they are needed, installed correctly and maintained properly. I only install auto-controled with outdoor sensors for safety. Is your house dry?

I would never recomend an Oxine treatment unless done by a licensed pesticide applicator as per law, after a extremely complete professional duct cleaning, if warranted by a confirmed diagnosis by a test lab as per protocal. In other words very rarely except in certain controled restoration clean up. Oxine's EPA status was lowered and should not be used as it used to anymore according to my last recertification a few years ago. The effects of Oxine last less then 24 hrs in typical residential so its more of a waste for homeowners and a moneymaker for some contractors.

If indoor air quality is important then start with filtration, then ventilation, then humidification before going all out on other products.

[tigerdunes]

Strawmyers

Agree with above post.

At the very least, most residences/homeowners should have and will do just fine with a 4-5" pleated filter media cabinet Merv 10 both for protecting blower motor/evap coil and indoor air quality. Filter usually lasts up to one year and is very easy to replace if location is reasonably accessible. I prefer these filters over the cheap 1" throwaways.

What type of air filter do you have now?

The other options on your list depend more on a home's individual situation and needs.

IMO

[heaterman]

As above , different houses, different inhabitants, different needs. I too would warn against Oxine treatment.

[energy_rater_La]

ditto
if the duct system, return and supply air plenums and all
connections including supply boxes are mastic sealed
then there is no need to 'treat' the air.

best of luck

[strawmyers]

Currently have a 4" pleated filter for the LP furnace. I'm going to have a GSHP system put in; so I'll assume something similar is available for those and would go with that.

The house is really dry right now (27% humidity at the moment). I'm sure a huge part of that is the combustion furnace drying things out; but I do intend to get a humidifier with the GSHP, regardless. I just wondered what was so special about that humidifier to justify the (IMO) enormous price tag. Water valve, sensor, solenoid, and some kind of media to tranfer the moisture into the air, right?

[grasshopper]

Things that can effect a humidifier cost....

controls
plumbing
warranty
brand or size

1- most humidifiers can come with either manual or automatic humidistats. We always install the auto with the outdoor temp sensor. That allows the system to self adjust to the dew point once the house is "dialed in".... I feel this is an important safety issue as well as can effect cost. Higher cost is due to more wiring and higher parts cost. There are other options like upgrading to a control center thermostat that has a built in control for the humidifier and outdoor sensors. Some customers like one entire system control that does htg/colling/humidifier/ventilation system/ dehumidifier and filtration all from one spot. Bottom line is controls effect cost.

2-plumbing.... most units come with cheap crappy little saddle valves or piercing valves for installations by non-professionals. These valves will leak or plug shut, but either way eventially cause damage somewhere. These valves are also illegal (here) and have been against our (MN) state's plumbing code since 1936. So if someone is going to plumb the unit with a copper waterline instead of plastic and plumb in a easy access proper shut-off valve by the waterheater(for instance)..... this would raise the cost, but improve the install.

3-warranty. I see many companies install nice htg/ac systems with 5-10 yr warranties and then cheap humidifiers with one yr. If your humidifier is covered by the 5-10 yr warranty then it should cost more.... yes?

4-brand/size. Humidifiers should be siized to the home's needs like htg or ac. Size and brand can effect price, but not by more then 10-15% normally.

[jpsmith1cm]

Currently have a 4" pleated filter for the LP furnace. I'm going to have a GSHP system put in; so I'll assume something similar is available for those and would go with that.

The house is really dry right now (27% humidity at the moment). I'm sure a huge part of that is the combustion furnace drying things out; but I do intend to get a humidifier with the GSHP, regardless. I just wondered what was so special about that humidifier to justify the (IMO) enormous price tag. Water valve, sensor, solenoid, and some kind of media to tranfer the moisture into the air, right?

A combustion appliance doesn't 'dry out' your home.

A leaky home dries out your home.

Before spending a pile of cash on a new GSHP system, spend some time and money on the building envelope itself. Make your home tight, reduce the heating and cooling load, the air infiltration and THEN, install a properly sized and setup GSHP.

Your wallet will thank you.

[strawmyers]

I've done all of the "normal" stuff to tighten the house. Removed all of the trim from around the doors/windows/base and spray-foamed the gaps, added additional R-30 to the attic (total R-49), and sealed all of the wire/pipe entry points in the walls and from the attic with mastic. Even went so far as to mastic all of the joints in the subflooring for any of the rooms I put new flooring in. There's a room humidifier in the master bedroom with a DRO humidistat on it. Days the furnace runs a lot it gets down to 27% even if I fill it up a couple of times a day. Days the furnace doesn't run as much, it can hold 36-45%; and I may not have to fill it but once. I had assumed this was from the furnace drying things out; but sounds like its from humidity being lost to the outside. Either way, I'm not sure what else to do to seal up the house beyond what I've done. Certainly open to suggestion, though.

This shouldn't affect the humidity; but from a system size requirement standpoint I don't think my great view of the woods helps much. The house is ~2400 ft^2 of walking area... and has ~450 ft^2 worth of windows. Lots of big 4x8 flat and bay windows all over the place. All of them except the two bay windows are low-E. I'm sure that helps; but I'm also sure its not helping nearly as much as not having all of those windows would.

The furnace needs replaced at a minimum; and I'm trying to get off of the LPG. That's driving my decision toward a GSHP, not the humidity level of the house.