Dehumidification with an Ultra Aire XT150H

We installed a stand-alone dehumidifier in this high performance home we built with Heimsath Architects in West Lake near Austin, TX.

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Dehumidifier
• Ultra Air
• HVAC
• Duct Work
• Hot Climate HVAC
• Heimsath
• Risinger Homes
• West Lake Builder
• Design

[LukeSkaff]

A couple of questions: 1) You say the dehumidifier is plumbed into the return side of the furnace to be filtered at about 4:55 in the video but it is connected to the supply side plenum? 2) What percent of the time is the outside air damper open? 3) Have you ever combined a whole house dehumidifier with a ERV to recover some of the energy of bringing out outside air in?

[MattRisinger]

@LukeSkaff #1 yes you are correct, I'm mistaken. It has it's own filter then dumps into the supply side to be distributed. #2 That outside air damper is set to open 10 minutes every 60 minutes. We're trying to achieve the ASHRAE 62.2 standard for fresh air. #3 I've not done an ERV yet, but that is a great piece of equipment and hope to incorporate them in future builds. Thanks for the great comments. Matt Risinger

[LukeSkaff]

It appears the Ultra Aire XT150H is the same unit as the Honeywell TrueDRY DH150. They have the same cabinet (different labels printed on them), same specs, and same dimensions

[MattRisinger]

@LukeSkaff That's probably true. I believe the Honeywell is made by Ultra Aire and labeled for Honeywell.

[brentisaacks1]

Matt...you have two HVAC units in the house? Do you have two dehumidifiers? If not is it not necessary to have two dehumidifiers (1 to each unit) Im confused. I am building a house (3000 sqft) with two units (1-1.5 and 1-2 ton) and want to use the XT150 but I am not sure if I need 1 or two? Any advice. Thank you.

[MattRisinger]

@brentisaacks1 We do have two HVAC systems, but only one Dehum. This dehum can easily handle this size house for Dehumidification purposes and remember that humidity inside a house is very different than temperature. If you have a 3000sf house I would recommend only one XT150 to be installed. That one unit can easily handle the load of that sized home. -Matt

[MattRisinger]

@dogfan4lyfe First, you want to confirm what climate zone you are in. Goto the EEBA.org website and verify your zone, then I'd highly recommend you buy the "Builder's Guide" for your specific zone. That $20 book has a ton of info from Building Science experts on how to best build for your climate. The details of how to do this conditioned attic may vary for your area. But, to answer your question I would recommend talking to a local expert on home performance. -Matt Risinger

[dogfan4lyfe]

Matt, I live in Iowa and I live in an OLD house. Almost a hundred years old now. I was thinking about sealing my attic. It's currently only vented with 2 gable vents. How much do you think I"m looking at to seal off an attic about 1000 square feet in Iowa?

[MattRisinger]

@Sirfloatsalot1 It only does that when the AprilAire controller calls for fresh air and the rigid pipe to the outside opens. Roughly 10 minutes of every hour this happens and that meets our ASHRAE 62.2 fresh air standard. Great question. Matt Risinger