Posted: 10/7/2008 10:44:56 AM EDT
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I recently finished my basement and with the winter season approaching i'm looking to put some type of heating in one of the rooms where I made into an entertainment/media room. I don't expect the basement to get super cold, but last year it was probably a good 45-50 degrees and wanted to find a way to take the chill off a bit. I looked into space heaters, but I really don't think any of them would be able to heat the room properly. I also don't want to screw with taping into the current duct work system as it would be a huge hassle and mess to deal with. The room is about 260 square feet. What do you guys suggest? MS paint diagram: 
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I would suggest something like this oil filled radiator I just grabbed that link for quick example, so shop around... but I've used a heater like that for the last 5yrs and it works quite well. Plus it doesn't cost much to run. That's the route I'd go. |
 THIS! My brother has one in his apartment, 2bd/1ba. He keeps the central/gas heater set on 45 degrees. His living room is set up just like yours. His is on the floor and about 8-10 feet away from where he sits. It does heat the entire room, but also directs the heat straight at you. It gets HOT on the highest setting, but it is adjustable. Has a tip over shut off sensor and is rated at 1,000 watts. So at .08/kWh and you're down there for 3 hours watching a movie it's only going to cost you a quarter, (or .24 cents to the anal spell/math checkers on here). I think his gas bill averages about $20/month in the coldest of winter and his electric bill isn't much higher. I'm in the process of turning a portion of my basement into a workout/TV room and my basement in the coldest winter months is at least 20 degrees cooler than our upstairs. Good for working out on a bike or treadmill but sucks to watch a movie in the cold. |
I saw those on amazon, but they didn't get good ratings in terms of space over 100 square feet. |
I wouldn't have anyway for the smoke to vent to, so this would be a no go. There is a chimney where the furnace vents to, but tapping into that isn't an easy option either. |
I do, there is one in the furnace room. I didn't really want to spend a bunch of money having someone run that line though. I'm not confident enough in my abilities to do that without blowing up the house. |
Last time I had one run it wasn't bad. I can't remember exactly how much it cost though. |
what kind of furnace? if forced air, it would be childs play to run a duct to you living space from the furnace room. as far as free standing stoves, wood is great, but takes alot of work (moveing wood, keeping it burning and so on.) not to mention venting it from a basement sounds like a nightmare to me, unless you already have a chimney you're not using down there. were it me, i'd look into freestanding Direct Vent gas or pellet stoves. the Direct vent models can be vented horizontally out a wall and that's it. code for woodstove venting is something like "2 feet higher than the higest point of the house" P.S. If you're thinking about getting an un-vented gas stove, do some research first. there are "claims" of adverse health affects, and i believe they're banned outright in canada. |
Its forced air. The other reservation I have about running a duct would be efficiency. The thermostat is upstairs, so the basement would only get heat based on the temp upstairs. Seems to me like it wouldn't do much good when the temp is 15-20 degrees cooler in the basement. Maybe i'm wrong. |
seems like you on a budget. i'd just about guarantee that this is the cheapst way. if you're doing it yourself, it'd be the easiest too, short of buying a plug in space heater. depending on the lenght of run, you could probably do it for well under $100. as far as effficiency, i think i'd be alot more cost effecticve than a space heater. and if it doesn't get the room as warm as you'd like, then you get a space heater, and it won't have to work as hard (it won't cost as much to run) |
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You need 10 watts per square foot of electric heat. So you need 2600 watts of heat. Do not us a fan driven heater because the noise will interfere with the TV. 8' of 220v electric baseboard will do the job. Use a wall mounted thermostat not one mounted in the end of the baseboard. |
8-10 feet of electric baseboard convectors will keep your room nice and cozy and will only set you back around 250 bucks for the heater plus a few bucks for a line voltage thermostat and installation. Caution; if you're installing 240 volt heaters on a 208 or 220 volt line their output will be slightly less so you'll need an additonal 2 feet or so of convectors. Unlike portable space heaters they operate on convection rather than radiation so they don't get very hot. Since your room doesn't get that cold you can use them only when it's occupied which will keep the operating cost down. |
This looks like the best solution. Thanks Guys! |