Started insulating basement - basement stove install

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farmwithjunk

Member
Sep 19, 2022
140
PA
Pulled my large Woodchuck wood furnace (not connected to ducts) and replaced it with a Regency F5200 free standing stove. I didnt realize uninsulated block pulled approximately 1/3 of the heat out. In my case I'd say its got to be closer to 50% or more.

With the stove at 650 degree I was disappointed with the output compared to the old stove. Only heating the space a little over a degree in an hour.

I purchased 2" EPS with foil facing the inside of the room. After installing only 5 sheets I noticed an immediate difference. I wouldn't believe it made such a difference without seeing it in person. I've only put up maybe 1/5 of it for the room the stove is in. I'd guess the room is 600sq or so, which leads to the two car garage. I'll be covering it with drywall in the very near future.

I wouldn't have insulated without folks on this forum stating the difference it makes.

What I'm not sure about is the drop ceiling in the garage. I could insulate up to the ceiling then the foot above it as well. Ideally I'd move the ceiling 2" away from the wall but wasn't looking to get into that much work for 1400 sq feet basement.
 
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Not sure about your garage ceiling issue but when I put a little working into my basement, my propane bill dropped more than 1/2 and my woodstove became 3x more efficient (burn about 1/3 the wood and get more heat). Fortunately I wanted poured walls and most of 3 of the walls are underground. I didn't do anything to them but paint them. I get a bit of a "passive geothermal" effect from them. They also act like a heat holder and store a lot of heat for me.
The 4th wall is fully exposed, has 2 windows and a door and faces the prevailing wind. I built a stud wall, filled it with r13 and what a difference. In the winter, my family spends much more time in the basement than upstairs because of how comfortable it stays. You'll be very happy you put the money and time into your basement.
 
Not sure about your garage ceiling issue but when I put a little working into my basement, my propane bill dropped more than 1/2 and my woodstove became 3x more efficient (burn about 1/3 the wood and get more heat). Fortunately I wanted poured walls and most of 3 of the walls are underground. I didn't do anything to them but paint them. I get a bit of a "passive geothermal" effect from them. They also act like a heat holder and store a lot of heat for me.
The 4th wall is fully exposed, has 2 windows and a door and faces the prevailing wind. I built a stud wall, filled it with r13 and what a difference. In the winter, my family spends much more time in the basement than upstairs because of how comfortable it stays. You'll be very happy you put the money and time into your basement.
I have about 150 linear feet approximately 7 feet below ground level. Immediate difference in how quickly the space warms up. I have 8 sheets up so far and went up about 4 times as fast versus no insulation. Unfortunately the ceiling is insulated in the basement and I have not decided if I'll be removing that or not.
 
Remove the insulation and put it in the garage or somewhere out of the way till you figure out if it helps, I am willing to bet it will. I ended up cutting holes in my 2nd story floor to allow the heat up and installing fusible link registers with a vent fan, made a big difference blowing the cold air down and having the hot air come up the steps.

Found my post on it from 2015: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/inline-duct-fan-to-heat-upstairs.150139/post-2014629
 
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Remove the insulation and put it in the garage or somewhere out of the way till you figure out if it helps, I am willing to bet it will. I ended up cutting holes in my 2nd story floor to allow the heat up and installing fusible link registers with a vent fan, made a big difference blowing the cold air down and having the hot air come up the steps.

Found my post on it from 2015: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/inline-duct-fan-to-heat-upstairs.150139/post-2014629
Its fiberglass held up by some sort of plastic mesh which would have to be cut open. No small task but may do the stove room only if heating isn't adequate after insulating.