Heating my basement (1 Viewer)

I moved into my new place back in August, so this is my first winter. The basement is about 800 square feet with around 500 of that being finished with the drop ceiling. The unfinished area is behind a door but not completed sealed off or anything.  I'm obviously not too concerned about the temperature in there.

I'm using the finished area as an office/den, so I'm spending a fair bit of time down here. And now that we're in the dead of winter, its just a little too cold for comfort. (sitting around 60 degrees). Plus I'm looking to put a pretty large aquarium down here at some point, so I'd prefer not to rely on in-tank heaters to raise the water temp 20 degrees at times

The previous owner installed some small base-board heaters at either end of the room, but they're older and on the small side and just dont seem to be getting the job done. So I figured I'd reach out to the board to see what the best solutions might be. I'm sure there are a few FBG's with basement offices or man caves that have dealt with this.

Obviously I  could just go and buy some sort of portable space heater, but I'm not really an expert on how much power Id need or what would be cost-effective. I've also seems some slightly more permanent solutions (like electric wall panel heaters) but reviews seem to mixed.

TIA

Install a lava flow under your basement floor. 

Ask that guy with the hot basement for tips

Throw a pellet stove into the mofo.  You'll be posting about how to cool a hot basement in no time. 

TLEF316 said:

I moved into my new place back in August, so this is my first winter. The basement is about 800 square feet with around 500 of that being finished with the drop ceiling. The unfinished area is behind a door but not completed sealed off or anything.  I'm obviously not too concerned about the temperature in there.

I'm using the finished area as an office/den, so I'm spending a fair bit of time down here. And now that we're in the dead of winter, its just a little too cold for comfort. (sitting around 60 degrees). Plus I'm looking to put a pretty large aquarium down here at some point, so I'd prefer not to rely on in-tank heaters to raise the water temp 20 degrees at times

The previous owner installed some small base-board heaters at either end of the room, but they're older and on the small side and just dont seem to be getting the job done. So I figured I'd reach out to the board to see what the best solutions might be. I'm sure there are a few FBG's with basement offices or man caves that have dealt with this.

Obviously I  could just go and buy some sort of portable space heater, but I'm not really an expert on how much power Id need or what would be cost-effective. I've also seems some slightly more permanent solutions (like electric wall panel heaters) but reviews seem to mixed.

TIA

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A portable heater is not cost effective. I live in 3 bedroom split level condo by myself and rather than the heat the whole place with my gas furnace, I bought a small portable heater and carried it around with me from room to room. It seemed like a great idea until I got my December electric bill, which was my highest ever and exceeded billings during July/August where I was using the air conditioner during triple digit heat days. It was much more expensive than if I had just heated the entire place with gas.

shadyridr said:

Ask that guy with the excessively hot basement for tips

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Fixed.

TLEF316 said:

I moved into my new place back in August, so this is my first winter. The basement is about 800 square feet with around 500 of that being finished with the drop ceiling. The unfinished area is behind a door but not completed sealed off or anything.  I'm obviously not too concerned about the temperature in there.

I'm using the finished area as an office/den, so I'm spending a fair bit of time down here. And now that we're in the dead of winter, its just a little too cold for comfort. (sitting around 60 degrees). Plus I'm looking to put a pretty large aquarium down here at some point, so I'd prefer not to rely on in-tank heaters to raise the water temp 20 degrees at times

The previous owner installed some small base-board heaters at either end of the room, but they're older and on the small side and just dont seem to be getting the job done. So I figured I'd reach out to the board to see what the best solutions might be. I'm sure there are a few FBG's with basement offices or man caves that have dealt with this.

Obviously I  could just go and buy some sort of portable space heater, but I'm not really an expert on how much power Id need or what would be cost-effective. I've also seems some slightly more permanent solutions (like electric wall panel heaters) but reviews seem to mixed.

TIA

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No help on the heating question, but my basement is usually around low 60's in the winter (and also very cool in the summer) and I also have a big aquarium down there and dont heat it at all. Im sure it depends on the type of fish (I have mostly fish that we catch out of our local creek), but I also a pleco (sucker/tank cleaner fish) that EVERYONE told me would die in water that cold and its been in there for 5+ years and has tripled in size. 

What kind of heat do you have(Steam/hot water/air)? Are the baseboard heaters part of the overall system or just something they threw in there off system? On their own thermostat? First instinct here would be to swap out the baseboard heaters for newer more efficient ones. 

what's the heating system for the rest of your house? if sized big enough, maybe tap into that? do you know how well the walls are insulated down there? depending on your budget, radiant floor heat might be a nice option.

as squis wrote, those portable heaters are super expensive to run- pretty much doubles my electric bill during coldest winter months because the wife can't just wear parkas inside, the selfish loon.

Kraft... said:

What kind of heat do you have(Steam/hot water/air)? Are the baseboard heaters part of the overall system or just something they threw in there off system? On their own thermostat? First instinct here would be to swap out the baseboard heaters for newer more efficient ones. 

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Gas furnace. Forced air.  The baseboard  heaters are standalone. they dont have a thermostat. You just turn them up/down with a dial on the individual unit (Low, medium or high)

Any suggestions on specific models a new heater?

El Floppo said:

what's the heating system for the rest of your house? if sized big enough, maybe tap into that? do you know how well the walls are insulated down there? depending on your budget, radiant floor heat might be a nice option.

as squis wrote, those portable heaters are super expensive to run- pretty much doubles my electric bill during coldest winter months because the wife can't just wear parkas inside, the selfish loon. 

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Its a condo, so I imagine it was just built to pretty much the minimum workable specs  for the size of the unit.  Can't  imagine it would be enough to add on new ductwork and heat the basement too.

Not that familiar with radiant floor heating, but a quick google search makes me think its pretty expensive.

Most cost effective would probably be to add ductwork to your existing system

Run gas line and use a natural gas ventless wall unit?

Oh my God I forgot about the hot basement thread.  That ever get resolved?

You are talking 500 sq ft that you only need to bring up 8 or 10 degrees. I would check for any weak links in insulation. I would also check the specs of the furnace and maybe wait until its crazy cold and turn up the heat warmer than what you normally keep it at. See if the furance runs all the time or if its not a problem. Unless it's running constant I would just add ductwork from existing system

Try wearing a sweater and a wool cap.

ghostguy123 said:

Run gas line and use a natural gas ventless wall unit?

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agreed

TLEF316 said:

Gas furnace. Forced air.  The baseboard  heaters are standalone. they dont have a thermostat. You just turn them up/down with a dial on the individual unit (Low, medium or high)

Any suggestions on specific models a new heater?

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If you have a trunkline that goes in that direction, you can cut in a run that dumps into that area. Just make sure you put a damper in the supply run so you can close it down during air conditioner season.

Hot air rises, so air that goes into that area will naturally rise to your main floor. So it doesn’t hurt you too bad. Most furnaces tend to be oversized anyway in terms of btu’s. 

TLEF316 said:

Its a condo, so I imagine it was just built to pretty much the minimum workable specs  for the size of the unit.  Can't  imagine it would be enough to add on new ductwork and heat the basement too.

Not that familiar with radiant floor heating, but a quick google search makes me think its pretty expensive.

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How big of space are we talking? Is it water tight? Electric single zone radiant floor would be the money if you plan on staying a while. My whole house is radiant floor off a gas boiler and it is the best. But you do have to factor in a finished floor over the radiant tubing into your budget. 

ETA just saw 500 square feet. Might be a budget buster but if you intend to stay would be worth it IMO. 

I insulated my basement and it's always 65-67 degrees.  We have vents but i put insulation and closed them off.  Best recommendation I've seen is wear a cap and sweater, more cost efficient.