Basement “climate control”

[Kidcarbon]

Hello all,

I have been looking into a harman p35i to replace a wood insert in my basement. I would move the wood insert to the ground floor fire place.

I use the 1000sf basement as a music room. Guitars and other stringed instruments are kept and played down their. I like to keep the basement warmed to 68 and the humidity at 45%.

I cannot control a constant temp with the wood insert(jotul). I used electric for this winter. It has hurt my wallet.

Can I set this p35i low enough to maintain 65-68 degrees. I am not looking to heat the whole home or even reduce my oil bill. Just warm the basement.

I understand they make a little noise(I don’t mind). I have read up on proper upkeep and quality pellets. I understand the need for a liner down the existing flue. The need for cold air intake is confusing though.

Thank you for your thoughts

Nick

 

[bogieb]

I would think it would do so easily. That is assuming, that the basement is insulated and at least semi finished (I assume so since you use it for your musical instruments.

You can use the stove's room temp probe to control the temp. Or you can use an exterior thermostat to control the temp (this is the method I use). Regardless of the method, the stove will start up and shut itself down as needed. In the deep of winter, if needed, you can turn it to constant burn mode so it doesn't start right back up after shutting down.

I don't know how an OAK works with a chimney, so will let someone else address that.

 

[Kidcarbon]

Hi Bogieb,

1/4 of the 1000sf is finished, but is open to the unfinished areas. There is no insulation other than new vinyl basement windows. It cost me $275.00 per month in electric these last 4 months.

Thank you for the reply.

 

[EbS-P]

My parents quardrafire pellet stove works great when controlled by thermostat that is not in mine if sight to the stove. Can the p35i be hooked up to a thermostat?

Personally I would be looking at a minisplit heatpump. The ability to help control humidity in the summer would be great. NH have any heatpump incentives? I will be adding one soon to my basement. That and a heatpump water heater I won’t need to run my dehumidifier that much during the summer.

 

[bogieb]

IMO, a Mini split in NH would not work well during winter I don't think. I have mini split system on my main floor and use it when it is 20* or higher outside. It is a model that can work down to 5*, and I had it installed last summer for cooling during the summer since I am full time WFH now (I didn't even think of heating ability). In order to get a model that works down to -15* the ROI may not be there during its lifespan. OTOH, it would also cool and dehumidify - but my basement doesn't get that warm in the summer. AND, if you tried to heat more than just that room with a mini-split, I assume you would run into the the same issues that I discuss below.

Use of the insert pellet stove might work. It kind of depends on the layout and where the insert would be located. The biggest thing would be that all that uninsulated concrete (including any uncovered concrete flooring) will just soak up the heat and distribute it to the ground around the house. It might not be a bad if you have rigid foam insulation around the outside of the foundation (my house doesn't).

If the insert is close to, or in the finished part, that it would keep that portion warm. If it is not in the same room, then the insert would probably need to be situated in such a manner that the air stream goes into the music room. If the insert is too far away from the room you want heated, it may not be big enough to account for the foundation acting as a heat draw. Even if it is large enough, the amount of pellets used might be prohibitive.

Sorry that there is no cut and dried "yes" or "no" to you question.

 

[Kidcarbon]

Thank you for the thoughtful replies.

My thoughts on the heat pump idea are in line with BogieB. Many days below 0 here. With a week or two below -8 through -13.

The p35i insert would be in the music room where we play. This room is framed an dry walled 10x18 with wall to wall carpet. The previous owner did a nice cosmetic job. However they skipped the insulation part. Their is one door that exits to the unfinished portion. The other egress leads to the stairs. I could hang a thick blanket to block heat from going upstairs.

Thanks again.

 

[EbS-P]

10x18. Air sealed to some degree is small for a pellet stove. It will cycle. The radiant heat could heat items line of sight above the air temp. I have a nice old Gibson B-25. Personally the variable output of a mini split would keep temps much more stable than a pellet stove. If you don’t think the work at cold temps read this.

Mini Split Heating at -8F

Mini Split Heating at -8F In another recent thread, the subject of mini splits and heat pumps came up tangentially in a heating context. I have been heating for two seasons at my new house with a mini split, and this may be one of the last times I can report on cold weather performance with the...

www.hearth.com

 

[ThePoncho]

IMO, a Mini split in NH would not work well during winter I don't think. I have mini split system on my main floor and use it when it is 20* or higher outside. It is a model that can work down to 5*, and I had it installed last summer for cooling during the summer since I am full time WFH now (I didn't even think of heating ability). In order to get a model that works down to -15* the ROI may not be there during its lifespan. OTOH, it would also cool and dehumidify - but my basement doesn't get that warm in the summer. AND, if you tried to heat more than just that room with a mini-split, I assume you would run into the the same issues that I discuss below.

Pretty much my experience with a Fujitsu Halcyon mini split. It's a small home, only 24x44. One interior unit on a very central wall. It works great for A/C and dehumidifying in the summer months.
Winter and heating season, not so much unless we're in the mid to upper 30's or warmer. And that's with the door closed on the main entrance room into the house from an attached garage. The whole home is less than 1,000 square feet to begin with and the mini still is not impressive as a heat source. In fact it's been turned completely off all winter and a Ravelli RV80 pellet stove heats the home nicely.
I also have a propane furnace. It's been seldom used this winter with the pellet stove handling the load. Fortunately in 2020 I locked in at $1.09 per gallon for the first year and $1.19 for the second year, which takes me to June 2022. I'll be having them top it off in May, you can bet.

 

[bogieb]

Pretty much my experience with a Fujitsu Halcyon mini split. It's a small home, only 24x44. One interior unit on a very central wall. It works great for A/C and dehumidifying in the summer months.
Winter and heating season, not so much unless we're in the mid to upper 30's or warmer. And that's with the door closed on the main entrance room into the house from an attached garage. The whole home is less than 1,000 square feet to begin with and the mini still is not impressive as a heat source. In fact it's been turned completely off all winter and a Ravelli RV80 pellet stove heats the home nicely.
I also have a propane furnace. It's been seldom used this winter with the pellet stove handling the load. Fortunately in 2020 I locked in at $1.09 per gallon for the first year and $1.19 for the second year, which takes me to June 2022. I'll be having them top it off in May, you can bet.

I also have the Fujitsu Halcyonm. I have two indoor units; one in the living room (at one end of the house) and one in my office. I have a small house at 24x40 and 1 head would normally do, or so they say. But my office is a 9x9 room that is full of electronics (personal use as well as work) and that is the room I need comfy for 10-12 hours a day. Air does not circulate well in my house as it is not open concept.

They do heat well enough to 20F, but when it is overcast or windy, the house still feels cold. Add to that the precipitate temperature falls in the house during the defrost cycle, and there were times it was 67* in my office despite the 70* set temp (and all the electronics putting out heat). Also note, that the office only has 1 outside wall,T so temp falls in other rooms were just as bad. The P43 keeps the main floor feeling warm when it is run at 69* off a thermostat in the office and most overcast/windy days I chose the pellet stove over the mini split.

The cost between the the minni split and pellets stove was pretty much dead even if I figured in the cost of pellets at $5.50/bag. However, that does not account for the fact that most of the pellets I use are <$4/bag as I stock up during sales or off CL finds.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies.

My thoughts on the heat pump idea are in line with BogieB. Many days below 0 here. With a week or two below -8 through -13.

The p35i insert would be in the music room where we play. This room is framed an dry walled 10x18 with wall to wall carpet. The previous owner did a nice cosmetic job. However they skipped the insulation part. Their is one door that exits to the unfinished portion. The other egress leads to the stairs. I could hang a thick blanket to block heat from going upstairs.

Thanks again.

Ah, that should be very doable for that stove. Running it at room temp should work and you would always have the option of running in constant mode while you're down there if you wanted a little extra warmth.

 

[mtnbiker727]

It'll heat that little room. Probably going to want a humidifier for when you flip the switch to igniter disabled when it's really cold.

 

[Kidcarbon]

Thank you all for the responses! I won’t hesitate to ask for help here. This is a super forum!