Heating a Basement? (1 Viewer)

[tom derby]

for the garage, i have that unit that frank zimkus linked. I love it. I use it for a large 3 car garage and it does the job very nicely. Its connected to its own thermostat and is connected to the house's propane. Heats up the garage in no time. My father and i installed it in an afternoon. Hot Dawg by modine

 

[Clay M]

I know that the expense would be high, but I think you would be happiest with another, dedicated heat/ac unit for the basement.

 

[Dean Martin]

I'm ressurecting this thread because I found a nice heating alternative that I think is inexpensive and perfect for heating a basement. This unit I found is called a flat panel micathermic heater.
Its thin and flat and can hang on the wall. It plugs into a standard outlet and does a good job putting out heat. It has a built in thermostat as well.

http://www.soleusair.com/new_products/index.htm


www.discussionlabs.com

 

[Roy Brooks]

This is still an electric heater with the same heat output as the electric fireplace you have now. The only difference is the fireplace has "flames" and probably a blower. If the house is 7 years old the furnace should be more than capable of heating the basement as I assume you have now insulated the basement. I'm going through the same problems right now, adding ducts and trying to balance the system to provide adequate heat. I'm insulating the floor aswell to try and make the room warmer. As for the garage, I don't know about the midwest but in Canada its illegal to run heat ducts from the main house into the garage as there is a possiblity of CO getting into the house through the duct. What type of heat do you have now? Forced Air- gas , electric, or oil? What heat source do you use for water heating? There are dry radiant floor heat systems require a hot water source and plywood like material installed on the floor then finish the floor with your choice of materal. You could also use a small hot water baseboard. Your choice of heat source really depends on the price of fuel as to which is more cost effective. Electric baseboards are great if hydro is cheap.

 

[Abe Rodrigue]

Listen to frank- he knows what He is talking about. If your house is only 7 years old it should be all set up for a future basement. All you have to do is put heat ducts in every room (except bathroom is not required) probably over the windows on exterior rooms. Also you need returns in each room maybe two if the room is big enough. Just tap off the main trunk line and done. that simple. If not that simple, hire a tinner- it will only take them a few hours to do. Now for the difference in temp. It will only be a few degrees- not very noticeable. But if you really want to get crazy- you can add a second main trunk off the furnace and put damper motors in each trunk, one for upstairs one for downstairs. You then need different thermostats that will tell which damper to open when which area is calling for heat or cool. This is the way to control each area individually. I looked into doing this at my house but it would have been a hassle because of lack of space above my furnace to split the main trunk into two separate trunks and still keep the damper motors accessible.

For the garage- frank is dead on with that heater or anything like it. They are the cats meow! You can find them anywhere. (fleet farm, home depot, etc).

Good luck

 

[Frank Zimkas]

Thanks Abe!!