OK to use Electric in Basement?

[ajg93]

My 2 storey home uses a natural gas forced air furnance. I also have a finshed basement. I am finding that as the weather is getting warmer, my furnance is not coming on as much since the main floor is fairly warm. The problem is that my finished basement gets 2-4 degrees cooler (due to lack of furnance heat)which at this time is slightly to cold for my liking. It's pretty much fine down their in the colder weather. What I am considering is installing some baseboard heaters to supplement the heat while i am spending time down their. Is this an ok idea? The baseboard heaters would really only serve to heat the room up 2-3 degrees so I wouldn't be drawing too much electricity i don't think. Any Thoughts?

Thanks,
Adam

[Hube]

Installing a couple of Electric baseboard heaters would certainly solve the chilly basement issue, BUT at what cost? Heaters, wiring 220 V, circuit breakers, all add up. And do'nt forget the added cost to operate (Power) them. Approx 8 watts of heat is required to heat 1 sq. foot of room area; eg; a 15 x 12 room will need at least a 1500 watt heater.Why not try another way to put some more heat into the basement by making sure you have adequate ducted supply and returns in this basement area. Have the system "balanced" so more air goes to this chilly area, and have the blower ON running at a lower speed continuously, thus circulating the warmer upper level air to the basement. Hube

[ajg93]

Hube - Thank you for your advice. My problem in my home is that the main floor holds all the heat. Therefore, if the furnance is not turning on, how will adding more supply or return ducts warm up my basement? What I have noticed actually is that when the furnance is coming back from set-back point, the basement warms up more than the rest of the house (by a few degrees). However, it then cools down quicker. I don't know where this heat is going.

I've tried to fan on ON but it did not make a difference.

[jackofall]

Maybe a 2nd T-stat. You do have a supply and return for the basement right? Was the basement an added finish to the original house?

[ajg93]

quote:Originally posted by jackofall

Maybe a 2nd T-stat. You do have a supply and return for the basement right? Was the basement an added finish to the original house?

Yes, it was added finish by the previous owners and there is a supply and return. However - the return is in a closed door laundry room. I put in grill openings to this rooom.

[jackofall]

Maybe the 2nd T-stat piggy-backed with the other one. Sorry I can't tell you how it should be wired but I know it can be done. may also need to have a bigger grill-- try leaving the laundry room door open to see if there is a difference by allowing the air to the return alittle more freely.

[ajg93]

Thanks for the advice - I will try it. I wonder if there is even a large enough cold air vent down stairs in the basement.

What I really need to do is somehow get the warm air that sits in my main floor out to other parts of the house. The upstairs is cooler, downstairs is cooler. I have all vents closed on the main floor yet it continues to hold all the heat. I have tried running the fan on ON but still doesn't move the air around. Any ideas? I have one large grill at floor level for the return air. I was thinking of putting another on in a different spot but near the ceiling.

THanks,
Adam

[Hube]

As I suggested on my first reply "you need to have the low speed fan operate and this will circulate the warm air from one level to the otherlower level... In order to achieve this, you need BOTH SUPPLY and RETURNS in the lower level. If the upper floor is too warm, by circulating the air it will parallel the heat, and warm up the lower floor. Heat has a tendency to RISE. A properly ducted system in the lower level will force it to FALL and heat the lower level.. Hube

[kactuskid]

I would first check to make sure that you have insulation in the sill plate cavity of your basement, alot of heat escapes through this area. Also, it's very hard to heat a basement that has a thermostat located in the upper portion of the house. You actually need a zoned system to adequatly heat the basement with the furnace, this would require a separate thermostat and like Hube pointed out, separate supply and return ducts. Your least expensive alternatives would be baseboard heating or a radiant heat panel. The panels are really very effiecient and easy to install. Here's a link to give you some details. http://www.enerjoy.com/

[ajg93]

Hube...I do have both supply and returns vents in the basement (2 supply, one return). Would increasing the return size help? I have kept the fan ON in low speed to not much help. As I said, the main floor is keeping all the heat. Both my upstairs and downstairs are cooler. I do think part of the reason stems for an improperly designed system - I just wish I new what was improper about it and what i can do to fix it. It just seems strange that all the hot air is being trapped on the main floor. The house is only 1500 sq ft (not including the basement).

Kactuskid - where is the sill plate cavity? As the previous owners finsihed the basement, I am sure there is nothing I can do now but I am curious to know. Also, thanks for the link to the radiant heating. Do you know of any contact for Canada?

Thanks for the help

[kactuskid]

If your basement has a drywalled ceiling then you won't be able to access the sill plate cavity. If you have a drop ceiling, then along the perimeter of the walls you can remove the tiles to gain access. The sill cavity is the area where the floor joist sit on top of the basement concrete walls. This area should be filled with some bat insulation with the vapor barrior facing in towards the basement.

As for your heating problem. You current heating system is not designed to heat your basement. You would need to install a zoned system. This is not a diyer job, new duct work with dampers installed in the ducting, along with electronic control would need to be installed. Here is a link to explain to you how it all works

http://cjonline.com/stories/100303/poh_zonedheat.shtml

For radiant heating contractors and manufactures in Canada just go to Google and do a search, I'm sure many will come up, this is a great way to provide heating for your basement and is a zoned system.

[ajg93]

I understand what you are saying however if the system wasn't designed to heat the basement, why is there a return and 2 supply registers there?

[Hube]

Ajg93; A split system is not necessary in your case. Obviously, the basement area should have proper insulation etc. (it probably does).Proper R/A location is essential... In some cases, a HIGH wall R/A location on the upper level is best in order to take this heat build-up back to the unit. If the upper level is holding the heat,this means there is not enough R/A on that level to be carried back and distributed over the entire both levels. For example; Upper area temp=72 Lower area temp=66... With proper air flow these 2 temps can be mixed and distibuted over BOTH levels; hence-69 av...Make sure the Basement Returns are located at FLOOR Level. By adjusting (BALANCE) the systems air flow dampers etc, an even higher temp on the lower level can be achieved. This can be easily accomplished by an HVAC Tech using air measuring instruments. You could even do it yourself by trial and error over a period of time. It all comes down to air flow quantity, sizing, fan speed,etc.

[Hube]

Ajg93. A 1500 sq ft basement will require a lot more supply and return than what you say is there now. For a finished basement to be forced air heated, 50 % of the required total of R/A should come from the basement level to have proper results. Your Hvac Tech will check this out and rectify it.

[ajg93]

Hube: Thank you for your advice and suggestions. I do think you are correct about return air in the basement and not being enough. Can I add more returns myself? I have a closed in (door access)laundry room where the furnance is located. The outer walls of the laudry room face the finished area. Can I use some ducting off the main return trunk create additional return air vents? I currently just have the grills there creating an airway into the laundry room. (Note, the basement is about 700 sq ft with the rest of the house 1500 sq ft. There is about 700 sq ft per floor with 3 floors)

Regarding your comments about return air on the 2nd level - it is 32x10 opening. I have 4 4x10 vents and 1 6x10. The thing is, they are all closed except for one. Even with this, the 2nd level still holds heat. Any thoughts as to why? Currently, the return grill is in the living/dining room at floor level. I can add a second high return in the hall (above the thermostat). This would use the joist opening serving as the return for my upstairs, 3rd level.

Thanks