Close to Pulling the Trigger - Need Some Advice - Basement Install

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Aquion

Aquion

Burning Hunk
Oct 7, 2012
133
Portland, CT
I am close to pulling the trigger on a Heatilator Cab50. I have an 1800sf raised ranch with a finished basement. It was built in 1973 or so. I just had an energy audit done on the house, and it is super tight. The tech told me that they don't try and drop a home below 1200 cfm50, and that most homes they audit finish at twice that number after the techs tighten up the house. My house came in at 1300 cfm50 initially. The guys put some stripping on the attic hatch, and that brought the house under 1200 cfm50.

I'd like to put the Heatilator in the basement. I've heard that basement installs usually don't heat the whole house, but I've also been told that raised ranches are an exception to this rule. I'm hoping that the fact that its a raised ranch and then the tightness of the home will give me some success.

Am I fooling myself? I'd love to hear from some people who have tried basement installs. I'm figuring that we could try it in the basement this year, and if that doesn't work, we'll move it upstairs next year.
 
See the replies to your first post, there was some good information there regarding basement installs from JTakeman.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/getting-a-pellet-stove-in-central-ct.91505/#post-1199138

Bill

jtakeman said:
Basement installs can be tricky to get the air moving to the living area. Even a finished well insulated basement can be tough once the cold sets in. Seeing you have electric heat I assume you don't want to use it for back up. Just putting a stove down there and relying on natural convection could be iffy. Fans may help, But there is no way to be sure until you try. Before you dump the money, I'd at least consider a pellet forced air furnace that can have the heat ducted into the actual living area. See if its in the budget. The St Croix revolution and the Fahrenheit 50F aren't much more than pellet stoves. Its the ducting that might hurt the budget.

If not and you still want a pellet stove you might want a slightly bigger stove than the AGP, I would look for some thing over 50K BTU as they are rated by gross BTU and not the actual net BTU, Which is less depending on the stoves Efficiency rating. I personally don't think the Avalon AGP's 40K would be enough. Probably fine in the normal parts of winter, But it may struggle once it really hits home. JIC I'd go big or as big as you can afford!

I'm not sure on your local code(you'd have to check), There are a few stoves out there that allow ducting to be connected to them similar to a furnace. This could also be an option to move heat upstairs. But because of firestop concerns some towns may not allow them. Something to consider and to look into. Again ducting cost may be the kicker. But at least with these stove's you can always install the duct as you go. Same with the Fahrenheit 50F(it will require the optional diffuser).

Hamers are a good cold season pellet IMHO and burn hot and clean. NEWP is OK but considered middle of the road. Just so you know the Country Pine(made by Atlas=out of business) is no longer made and they are selling old stock. Should be fine if they haven't got wet. You can get the Maine(MWP) at Tractor supply for a bit less cash. Green Gold is the same pellet as Lowes Greene Team for slightly less as well.
Click to expand...
 
X2 on Jay's advice.

Not to scare you off as I am heating from an unfinished basement, but I have a beast in the P68. I went with the largest stove for good reason as I am heating a cape with 2 floors above the basement. Also, I do use some oil for the bedrooms on the second floor during real cold snaps and yes sometimes to get some quick heat for the first floor during the shoulder season. Example is last evening when it was cold and raw. The stove was off all day, so I lit the stove and turned on the oil for 15 minutes, after that the stove took over completely and took the tempt to 68 deg. Once the stove is running 24/7 this is not usually an issue.

It can be done, but it is not quick / even heat and it takes practice on what works and what doesn't. 3 full years and I am still trying different things at times. Each home is different. If I had the $$ and proper area to place it, I would put a second stove in as that would make me oil free on heat. My goal in the next few years is to make that happen along with changes to the first floor to a more open concept.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Gbreda:

Are you using anything to help the heat circulate through the house? Vents, Ducts, Fans?
 
I have one small fan in a vent in the floor of the living room, moving warm air up from the basement and the stairway door has been removed. I also have a fan 2 steps from top of the stairway blowing towards the stove. This fan is on low and blows colder air towards the stove. The warm air still comes up the stairway along the ceiling. Didn't make sense to me at first but I came up with that when I noticed the cold air was returning down low near the stairs and the warm air was still rising in the upper portion near the ceiling.

ETA: A vent in the floor may be a code violation as Smokey generally points out.
 
I'm not a rookie at this, Been trial and error heating my raised ranch with pellets since 1999. I have done all of them(small stove vents-then fans-now large stove w/ducting). You get far more heat upstairs with insulated duct work from a stove. The basement stays cooler and the upstairs is warmer(heat where you want it). With vents and fans the basement was warmer and the upstairs was always cooler. I can now comfortably heat my home with strictly pellets even in -30º weather without my stove breakin a sweat!

Why I say furnace is you keep the return air isolated from the colder basement and recycle the warm air back upstairs. With the pellet stove and ducting there isn't any with return air. So the return air stream brings warm air back to the basement(has to circulate back to the convection blower) . Your basement will be cooler than natural convection, But you are still heating the area which takes BTU's(more fuel to do). With the furnace the only heat the basement will see is radiante.

If I had to start over? 1st choice furnace with duct and return air. 2nd would be(what I have now) stove with ducting. 3rd might be 2 pellets stoves.

I think its a safe bet if you just plug a small/medium stove in your basement you'll be spending the cold season down where the heat is! I'd be careful with the stove your looking at, It doesn't have much of a heat exchanger. Also has a small convection blower too. I'd take a pole of the basement dwellers, you'll most likely see most(the successful ones) have big stoves(60 to 70K BTU's) and large convection blowers to assist moving the heated air.
 
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Take what Jay is saying into account. My home works for me, but I like it cooler and there is a definite and noticeable difference from basement to 1st floor to 2nd floor. I dont have electric heat, so for now using a little bit of oil now and then doesn't bother me much. Electric would be a different story, especially with the NH elect rates.

Also, if my better half was here full time, I would be ducking cast iron within a week because it is not as warm as she keeps her place :rolleyes:
 
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I don't have a ranch. I have an 1880's. Mabe small in the basement. small englander. medium on second level? I think This would be the perfect storm.
 
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