Add a return in basement???

[elroyyboy]

Hi,
New guy here again... I've recently added an England 25 PDVC pellet stove to the basement and I love it. I've added some passive vents between the basement staircase and hallway/living room to allow some of the heat to escape the basement. Additionally, I removed all the insulation from the basement ceiling/first floor floor (it was kraft face and paper pointing downward, not a good idea) to allow some heat transfer.

My problem is that there's only 1 return in our entire 2200 sq foot 2 story cape cod and it's in the kitchen, on the first floor. I added the pellet stove to assist in heating this electrically powered dollar vacuum. Is it possible to add an additional filtered return air register in the baement and just use the furnace fan to circulate the air into the top two floors?



Thanks,

 

[Countryboymo]

A couple return and supplies would not hurt but I think your best bet would be to put some 1.5-2" insulation board on the basement walls if they are not already insulated and finished. The second non pellet stove item would be consider adding a heat pump if you do not already have one with a good stat and outdoor temp sensing so you can control what temp range the heat pump runs at and what temp range the strips will run at.

I have a 15 Seer heat pump with the pump shuts off below zero and the strips will not activate unless the temp is below 35 or a defrost cycle is called upon. The strips are staged so I usually only use 7.5kw and if absolutely needed the other 7.5kw will kick in which saves a considerable amount.

I also have a Castile in the basement which was mainly purchased for the bitter cold and in case of a power outage I can have a source of heat without needing a huge generator. I let the air handler circulate at around 2-300 cfm. I have 1.5 inch foam board insulation on 2 walls in the basement so far and it makes a huge difference. I burned 2 tons of pellets last year because there is nothing more cozy than wood heat and if I had the whole basement insulated it would have been just as warm burning 1 ton. It makes a huge difference in comfort and effective heat that can radiate upstairs.


I have cut my electrical heating usage by more than half with a case of caulk a dozen or so cans of foam and a good thermostat that I control when the strips and or heat pump runs. The best thing about the stat is when its going to drop to the point most people just go to emergency mode and then have to remember to reset it. I let the stat do it for me. So when it hits zero out the stat turns the heat pump off and operates on strips... the minute the temp goes back above zero the heat pump activates. Of course the pellet stove is already in the basement doing its part.

If you have any questions feel free to PM or email me.

 

[jtakeman]

Before you cut in anymore holes in the floor, Just try putting a fan over the return to force the cold air down to the basement. Basement install's are a struggle. Instead of cutting in a return, I used my doorway as the return. I found a louvered door at a tag sale and replaced the solid door entering the basement. I mounted a fan on the door to push the cold air toward the stove.

The cats meow, Was doing a no-no and ducting the heat where it was needed. Simulated a forced air furnace. Only because I can't afford the furnace. But in the future I see one sitting where my stove is now!

 

[elroyyboy]

Thanks for the input.

I'm trying to avoid using the basement door as my woodshop is in the basement and I'm trying to force any air that goes upstairs (other than what radiates through the floor) through the wall louvers in the stairway. They're all return air filtered vents going from basement stairway (near the top) through the walls on both sides to the living room and hallway/dining respectively.

We'll see what November brings and I'll revisit the extra return in the basement if we need more heat!


Thanks,

 

[save$]

my daylight basement install works really well. All walls are insulated. Most all the area is finished and most of it is above ground level. All windows are double glass, and the walk out entrance in through a glassed in porch. The door to the lower level opens up to a split foyer. 16 ft up there is a ceiling fan on winter mode.
At the base of the doorway, on the floor, there is a fan pulling cool air down the stairs (a natural flow) and blowing it toward the stove a few feet away. Cool air being pulled down and warm air pulling up and freely distributed in an open concept living area. Very comfortable!
No holes cut in floors or room to room. No extension cords. The ceiling fans are silent. I have 6 of them and swear they make all the difference.