Basement Heating

[mgambuzza]

I am looking to this board for their advice. I have a 1300 sq ft basement - painted concrete floor, wall and ceiling (7foot high), and I am currently using a Thelin Gnome (30kBTU) Pellet heater. I know - this is an undersized unit for the size that I am trying to heat. We are in Syracuse New York and winters typically range from 30F to -20F in the worst months. With just using the gas furnace and a couple of register cutouts this room will be in the 55 - 60 range. With the Gnome exclusively in use I can get this room between 62 and 67 degrees with the unit running on its highest setting and trim set at the maximum setting.

I would like to get this room at a warmer temperature and was wondering if I upgraded to the Thelin Parlor (40k BTU) if this would be sufficient to bring temperatures into the low 70s. My wife likes the style of the Thelin line but I am slightly worried that this may not be enough to make this room comfortable. We use this room as a "family room" as we also have our three Greyhounds residing in this room. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

any thing larger then the parlour you might not be happy with the sound. The parlour in theroy would give you 25% more heat then you currently have. If you want to go bigger, you have to be willing to live with the noise level of those high powered fans. And thats a very cool, industrial looking basement.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am looking to this board for their advice. I have a 1300 sq ft basement - painted concrete floor, wall and ceiling (7foot high), and I am currently using a Thelin Gnome (30kBTU) Pellet heater. I know - this is an undersized unit for the size that I am trying to heat. We are in Syracuse New York and winters typically range from 30F to -20F in the worst months. With just using the gas furnace and a couple of register cutouts this room will be in the 55 - 60 range. With the Gnome exclusively in use I can get this room between 62 and 67 degrees with the unit running on its highest setting and trim set at the maximum setting.

I would like to get this room at a warmer temperature and was wondering if I upgraded to the Thelin Parlor (40k BTU) if this would be sufficient to bring temperatures into the low 70s. My wife likes the style of the Thelin line but I am slightly worried that this may not be enough to make this room comfortable. We use this room as a "family room" as we also have our three Greyhounds residing in this room. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Are you just starting that stove up when you go down there in the evening. That sucker should be warming the place up pretty nicely. I burn a little Jotul wood stove in my 1,000 sq. ft. basement office (un-insulated concrete block walls) and on twenty degeee days it is up to seventy in and hour or two and headed up from there.

 

[mgambuzza]

I should also mention that I was also considering the Mt Vernon for its high heat output although the design is not as nice. We were also considering coal such as the Vermont Castings Vigilant II but we didn't want to have multiple stoves with multiple fuels(we already have a Vermont Castings Winterwarm and Quad Castile on the first floor). The chimney that the stove is connected to in the picture ascends approximately 40 feet(masonry). This is an old Georgian colonial house that was built in 1910.

 

[mgambuzza]

"Are you just starting that stove up when you go down there in the evening. That sucker should be warming the place up pretty nicely. I burn a little Jotul wood stove in my 1,000 sq. ft. basement office (un-insulated concrete block walls) and on twenty degeee days it is up to seventy in and hour or two and headed up from there."

I run this 24x7 - on low setting during day, and then high at night. Day will maintain steady 62-63, but night at full setting, and additional box fan to distribute heat, temperature is struggling to maintain 66 degrees. Without box fan, parts of basement revert to 62 - 63 range.

 

[elkimmeg]

I think you should adrress the dymanics of the area you are trying to heat. I would seal the sill area with expanding styrofoam insulation. I would cut pieces or r- 19 or 30 and fill in the joist bays over the foundation in front of the exterior rim joist. I would examine any exterior doors to and windows replacing the exterior door with a magnet sealing insulated steel door. A couple of supply cut into the existing duct work is useless without equal returns. I would rig up a return that opens near floor level to draw off the cold air and in turn draw down the warm air. Finally i would consider building walls in front of the masonry foundation and insulate the stud bays. It sounds like you have too many air leaks, no return path, and your existing concrete walls are absorbing the heat. Try preventing heat loss before trying to ignore it and go to a larger stove to overcome deffeciencies.

 

[BrotherBart]

I think you should adrress the dymanics of the area you are trying to heat. I would seal the sill area with expanding styrofoam insulation. I would cut pieces or r- 19 or 30 and fill in the joist bays over the foundation in front of the exterior rim joist. I would examine any exterior doors to and windows replacing the exterior door with a magnet sealing insulated steel door. A couple of supply cut into the existing duct work is useless without equal returns. I would rig up a return that opens near floor level to draw off the cold air and in turn draw down the warm air. Finally i would consider building walls in front of the masonry foundation and insulate the stud bays. It sounds like you have too many air leaks, no return path, and your existing concrete walls are absorbing the heat. Try preventing heat loss before trying to ignore it and go to a larger stove to overcome deffeciencies.

10-4 Elk. There are some massive leaks down there somewhere.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

As said in above posts, you probably have enought stove. If your set on getting a mount vernon, wait untill this fall. Its completly redesigned and much quiter. If you bought a current modle it would be way to loud for a tv room. Now in my area i would sell the gnome for no more then 1000 sq ft, and the parlor for no more then 1500 sq feet. But thats at my altitude and my climate.

 

[begreen]

I should also mention that I was also considering the Mt Vernon for its high heat output although the design is not as nice. We were also considering coal such as the Vermont Castings Vigilant II but we didn't want to have multiple stoves with multiple fuels(we already have a Vermont Castings Winterwarm and Quad Castile on the first floor). The chimney that the stove is connected to in the picture ascends approximately 40 feet(masonry). This is an old Georgian colonial house that was built in 1910.

Keep the Thelin and invest in insulation and caulking for that basement. A bigger stove is going to cost you more initially, then more in pellet consumption. Insulation will only cost you once and from that point on it's going to keep paying back.