Insulation Between Floor Joists

[Ejectr]

After installing my PF100 pellet furnace in my basement, I'm debating whether or not to remove all the insulation between the floor joists to gain the benefit of the heat the furnace is generating in the basement on the floor above. Don't know why they insulated between the joists in the first place when they built the house as there has always been a forced hot air furnace in the basement heating the ducting that went to the upstairs, so the basement has always been heated.

The floor already feels warm, but without the insulation blocking the heat, it would be even warmer. Can't decide to leave it alone or pull it down. I do believe there would be a heat gain if it came down.

 

[jtakeman]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

 

[Ejectr]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

The PF 100 was installed in tandem with the existing hot air oil furnace, so it is using all that existing ducting to supply the hot air to the house and the air returns from that system as well.

 

[mepellet]

I believe Jay is asking where the air is actually being supplied to and returned from.

 

[Ejectr]

I believe Jay is asking where the air is actually being supplied to and returned from.

The supply is ducted from the PF100 output to the main supply manifold on the oil furnace and then it goes out through the same feed ducts the oil furnace feeds. The return air is coming back through the same returns that it would have come back through for the oil furnace and goes to the air return of the PF100 also. There is a backflow damper in the PF100 so I can use the oil furnace if I want and there is a backflow damper in the oil furnace for when I use the PF100.

I did not add any ducting to specifically feed and return air to and from the PF100 to the house. I connected it to the existing duct work that was already there for the oil fired hot air system.

 

[John97]

Our oil furnace was downstairs in our utility/laundry room directly below one of our bedrooms. It would be ungodly hot in that particular bedroom whenever the heat was on. When we converted to heat pumps, the problem was still there but not quite as severe. I am actually looking to put insulation in between the joists to resolve the issue. It's on the back-burner because I am burning pellets now, and the heat pumps are off.

However, I am contemplating putting a pellet furnace or a large free-standing stove in that room and tying it in to the existing ductwork. If I do, I am pretty sure I will have to do the insulation job to keep that bedroom from getting too hot.

 

[Ejectr]

Our oil furnace was downstairs in our utility/laundry room directly below one of our bedrooms. It would be ungodly hot in that particular bedroom whenever the heat was on. When we converted to heat pumps, the problem was still there but not quite as severe. I am actually looking to put insulation in between the joists to resolve the issue. It's on the back-burner because I am burning pellets now, and the heat pumps are off.

However, I am contemplating putting a pellet furnace or a large free-standing stove in that room and tying it in to the existing ductwork. If I do, I am pretty sure I will have to do the insulation job to keep that bedroom from getting too hot.

All my bedrooms are upstairs. I have a large kitchen and sitting area right over the furnace. Then a dining room off the kitchen...a living room and a bathroom on the other side, so I think I would benefit from the warm floors and maybe even use less pellets to heat the main part of the house we use all day. I live in a reproduction colonial post and beam house that has really wide pine board floors.

 

[jtakeman]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

The PF 100 was installed in tandem with the existing hot air oil furnace, so it is using all that existing ducting to supply the hot air to the house and the air returns from that system as well.

I'd leave the insulation then. Its not stopping the heat from getting upstairs. Specially if the basement is colder than the upstairs. If you do take it out make sure to leave the stuff in the sill plates. You cold be letting cool air in if you took that out.

IS the basement warmer of cooler than the upstairs area?

 

[Ejectr]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

The PF 100 was installed in tandem with the existing hot air oil furnace, so it is using all that existing ducting to supply the hot air to the house and the air returns from that system as well.

I'd leave the insulation then. Its not stopping the heat from getting upstairs. Specially if the basement is colder than the upstairs. If you do take it out make sure to leave the stuff in the sill plates. You cold be letting cool air in if you took that out.

IS the basement warmer of cooler than the upstairs area?

Seeing the PF100 has something less than a sealed enclosure, a good amount of air that is blown through the furnace by the distribution fan comes out the furnace enclosure wherever it can find a spot. I've sealed a lot of them up, but not all. Because of this, the basement is quite warm. I would say equally as the upstairs. Maybe even a little warmer much to my son's enjoyment because part of the basement is finished and is his hang out.

 

[jtakeman]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

The PF 100 was installed in tandem with the existing hot air oil furnace, so it is using all that existing ducting to supply the hot air to the house and the air returns from that system as well.

I'd leave the insulation then. Its not stopping the heat from getting upstairs. Specially if the basement is colder than the upstairs. If you do take it out make sure to leave the stuff in the sill plates. You cold be letting cool air in if you took that out.

IS the basement warmer of cooler than the upstairs area?

Seeing the PF100 has something less than a sealed enclosure, a good amount of air that is blown through the furnace by the distribution fan comes out the furnace enclosure wherever it can find a spot. I've sealed a lot of them up, but not all. Because of this, the basement is quite warm. I would say equally as the upstairs. Maybe even a little warmer much to my son's enjoyment because part of the basement is finished and is his hang out.

If your bored and got nothing better to do, Sure take it out. But I'd spend my time and work on getting the heat upstairs by tighting up the leaks. I'd even check the existing duct for leaks and its insulation to minimize the duct heat loss. The less you heat the basement should equal more heat upstairs and less pellets used overall. The furnace should radiate enough to keep the basement warm.

Your duct is insulated right?

 

[Ejectr]

Depends, Are you venting the heat upstairs with duct work connect to the PF100 and do you have the return air connected to the furnace as well?

The PF 100 was installed in tandem with the existing hot air oil furnace, so it is using all that existing ducting to supply the hot air to the house and the air returns from that system as well.

I'd leave the insulation then. Its not stopping the heat from getting upstairs. Specially if the basement is colder than the upstairs. If you do take it out make sure to leave the stuff in the sill plates. You cold be letting cool air in if you took that out.

IS the basement warmer of cooler than the upstairs area?

Seeing the PF100 has something less than a sealed enclosure, a good amount of air that is blown through the furnace by the distribution fan comes out the furnace enclosure wherever it can find a spot. I've sealed a lot of them up, but not all. Because of this, the basement is quite warm. I would say equally as the upstairs. Maybe even a little warmer much to my son's enjoyment because part of the basement is finished and is his hang out.

If your bored and got nothing better to do, Sure take it out. But I'd spend my time and work on getting the heat upstairs by tighting up the leaks. I'd even check the existing duct for leaks and its insulation to minimize the duct heat loss. The less you heat the basement should equal more heat upstairs and less pellets used overall. The furnace should radiate enough to keep the basement warm.

Your duct is insulated right?

Haphazardly at best. It could use some improvement for sure. It would be very difficult to efficiently cover all the duct work because of the way the heating system was kluged together when the House was built. I don't want to insult any tech high schools, but this place has so many basic carpentry errors, it had to have been built by a tech school group as a project or a contractor that was so inane, it isn't funny. I always tell my wife that I must have had my eyes closed when I said OK to buying this place after having built and sold my dream log home in the Berkshires that was built to perfection.

 

[Don2222]

After installing my PF100 pellet furnace in my basement, I'm debating whether or not to remove all the insulation between the floor joists to gain the benefit of the heat the furnace is generating in the basement on the floor above. Don't know why they insulated between the joists in the first place when they built the house as there has always been a forced hot air furnace in the basement heating the ducting that went to the upstairs, so the basement has always been heated.

The floor already feels warm, but without the insulation blocking the heat, it would be even warmer. Can't decide to leave it alone or pull it down. I do believe there would be a heat gain if it came down.

My brother-In-Law built a big house. He could heat the whole house with a wood stove in the basement. Then he put the sheet rock in and insulated between each floor. Now it has to be heated with the 6 zone oil boiler The wood stove only heats that room in the basement!