Finished basement heat

[Seasoned Oak]

A pellet stove might be an option if I can vent it, anyone have experience with a mini split system.

Thanks for all the help

Can be expensive to install. Probably looking at a few K for a 9 to 12K BTU system. The do provide AC in summer though. I have my wood stove in a finished basement.

 

[john84]

Anymore opinions or first hand experience with a mini split? Money wise it's a bit more then I want to spend but we are willing to spend it if it's a good solution. Right now it will be a playroom but it is possible that it might turn into a room that we spend a lot more time in.

Thanks again

 

[Seasoned Oak]

It boils down to personal preference between convenience or ambiance. The mini split is energy efficient and no user input. Set and forget. If you don't desire the fire show and ambiance of a wood stove its probably one of your best options. But its not INSTANT heat. Its more tailored to setting a temperature and leaving it alone. Can take awhile to bring a cold space up to the desired temp. Just a few points to consider.

 

[coutufr]

If you go with the minisplit you may want to make sure it works efficiently when it is really cold outside. This is when you will need it the most.

 

[moey]

If you run your central heat I think a mini split would be a waste of money. Spend the money to insulate and seal your basement have the walls foamed do up along the sill. Then you will not need many btus to heat the basement. Tap into your central heat not a new zone but vents with dampers. That way you can shut them off easily in the summer. Your not robbing your heating system (well very little) because this space was already there before. It will now be warmer which will result in your upstairs being more comfortable. When we insulated our basement properly and started to heat it we saw no change in our heating bills because we were essentially heating the space before the cold air would leak upstairs and would be heated there before. You may also want to add a baseboard Ive found with our basement in the spring when it gets warm out and the heat does not run much the basement can be cool the ground is still cold which makes its way into the basement.

Just my 2c..

 

[mass_burner]

Can be expensive to install. Probably looking at a few K for a 9 to 12K BTU system. The do provide AC in summer though. I have my wood stove in a finished basement.

And could you eliminate a dehumidifier also?

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[mass_burner]

If you go with the minisplit you may want to make sure it works efficiently when it is really cold outside. This is when you will need it the most.

The OP's basement sounds similar to mine, never gets below 64, even in the coldest outside temps. The HP would just need to make up the different, say 10 degrees.

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[coutufr]

My point is that at 0 f f your mini split is still usable you will get minimal efficiency gain compared to baseboards and it will have cost you close to 100 times more money to install it. I am not considering having to repair it if it breaks.

 

[coutufr]

Would most people these days in your location go with natural gas?

 

[mass_burner]

My point is that at 0 f f your mini split is still usable you will get minimal efficiency gain compared to baseboards and it will have cost you close to 100 times more money to install it. I am not considering having to repair it if it breaks.

So you're saying a hp would be wasted capacity? If so, that's a good point, if you only ever have 10-15 d to make up.

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[john84]

Would most people these days in your location go with natural gas?

There is no natural gas on my street unfortunately.

 

[coutufr]

And efficiency is not very good when it’s really cold outside. I use my heat pump when it’s just above freezing and I find it expensive. No need to cool the basement in the summer so I am not sure it is ideal pricewise. Everyone situation and use is different so I can not tell for sure but if a wood stove is impossible to install we need to choose between pellets, gaz or electric. Personally I have electric baseboards in the basement that I use sporadically. My dream would be to have a wood stove but it would be hard for me to justify a 6000$ investment for just heating my basement a couple of degrees. I am not a fan of the other 2 options but this is just me it could work very well for many people

 

[coutufr]

Insulation is important for your choice of heat equipment

 

[Seasoned Oak]

While im partial to woodstoves ,you could do 600SF with a couple plugins just to see how much they run, and how it affects your electric bill. I prefer radiant to regular fan forced resistance type plug ins. And yes just making up a few degrees will not cost that much no matter what you use so go with the cheapest install. If a couple plugins do the job a few electric baseboards surely will. I just ripped out a big cast iron radiator in a small second floor kitchen to make more counter space. Ill replace it with an in wall 240 volt electric fan forced heater as the kitchen is small and never goes below 55 degrees as heat comes from the Apt below so a hot water cast iron radiatior is overkill anyway.

 

[john84]

So as far as insulation is concerned. I framed the room with 2x4's roughly 2 1/2" off the concrete wall what's my best option for insulation?

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I like foam board sheets. Cheap compared to blown foam and easy to install . Could put one inch(or more) behind the drywall. Use the green moisture resistant drywall too.

 

[coutufr]

What is good with blown foam is that you can properly seal the top part of your fondation where the house sits. A lot of air enters the house from there. If you go with foam boards make sure you tape the seams. I used regular drywall but green one is better if that space is humid. Make sure that the cracks in the fondation are taken cared off before insulating the walls.

 

[fbelec]

mini split will be very cheap to run but not to install. a mini split would heat and cool the space and also dehumidify. but looking at 3500 to 5000 to install soup to nuts

 

[moey]

I have 2 inch R-10 foam on my basement walls covered with drywall. Its a lot of work to do. I opted that route vs spray foam because the basement is not finished and I also didnt want to give up so much thickness adding the 2*4s and then drywall. Your giving up 6-7 inches of basement rather then 3 inches with foam and drywall. I strongly suggest getting a quote on spray foam and the cost to do it yourself with foam. I think you find they are close to eachother and one is a lot lot less backbreaking. Also doing the sills with foamboard is a major pain in the ass.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

What is good with blown foam is that you can properly seal the top part of your fondation where the house sits. A lot of air enters the house from there.

You can do this area with the small spray cans as well. At about $3 a can its very inexpensive.

 

[moey]

You can do this area with the small spray cans as well. At about $3 a can its very inexpensive.

I found adding foam panels and sealing them with spray foam to be quite cumbersome along the sill. Doing one looks easy but factor in the 30-50 spaces you may have and the obstacles often along the way electrical wires, plumbing, ductwork it was quite the task. But it is inexpensive.