Basement Workshop Heating

[Davida]

I have a 1500 sqft house with a full 1000 sqft basement with 8 ft unfinished ceiling and I need to be able to heat it for several hours at a time during the winter here in Virginia.

I have an 80K Btu condensing boiler for the whole house with 5 zones. One zone is for domestic hot water in an indirect water heater.

I am thinking of getting an air handler with fan and heating coils that would be connected to the boiler using a spare unused zone. When the basement thermostat calls for heat, that zone valve would open up and the blower would start.

Is this kind of system feasible? What size blower and coils might I need for such a space?

Many thanks for any advice on this.

 

[Bad LP]

Unused zone, unfinished basement space.

Why all that work when a Modine type unit heater will work with a lot less work.

 

[peakbagger]

I have Modine type heater I bought used off a local ad. Frequently the fans are oversized but they usually are standard frame. I yanked my large fan motor and replaced with old fractional horsepower fan I had kicking around. I mostly use it as dump load when I max out my storage.

One thing to note is old unit heaters frequently got yanked as they leaked. It not worth trying to repair them. If you cant pressure test them walk away from the deal. I went through a couple of them for sale before I found one that didn't leak.

 

[maple1]

I am kind of contemplating the same kind of thing this winter, for next winter. Don't have a workshop down there, but our basement is unfinished & not heated. It used to get more heat with the old boiler, but it's almost chilly down there now with the new one.

I think I will go with used cast iron rads. No fans needed/used, and can use lower supply temps. Maybe with a mixing valve with separate pump. Maybe. Added bonus will be warmer floors next level up. Possible draw back is slower response to a heat call vs. a Modine type.

(Also need to do better insulating down there...)

 

[Davida]

Good ideas. Are the Modine heaters reasonably quiet?

 

[Fred61]

I am kind of contemplating the same kind of thing this winter, for next winter. Don't have a workshop down there, but our basement is unfinished & not heated. It used to get more heat with the old boiler, but it's almost chilly down there now with the new one.

I think I will go with used cast iron rads. No fans needed/used, and can use lower supply temps. Maybe with a mixing valve with separate pump. Maybe. Added bonus will be warmer floors next level up. Possible draw back is slower response to a heat call vs. a Modine type.

(Also need to do better insulating down there...)

That's exactly my plan. Before adding the wood boiler and storage in that space we had a Modine to take the chill from the space. It's actually still hanging there but disconnected. The heat loss from the storage tank has been keeping the basement about 60 degrees. Couldn't stand the noise nor the rushing air. Because of my age and ill health I plan to stop burning wood and reverting back to oil. I'll use a small amount of space now used by the boiler and tank and place a good sized radiator there. Funny how these things are so quiet in an industrial space and make so much noise when they're installed in a home.

 

[Bad LP]

Re: Insulating

If you don't insulate that concrete you are just wasting your time and money.

 

[Bob Rohr]

Unit heaters with propeller fans are fairly noisey. Some of the wood boiler dealers sell slab coils with a squirrel cage blower behind them.

Or make your own with a hot water coil, an old furnace fan, and some sheet metal.

I doubt you need too much heat with heat living space above. What temperature does it run down below without heat? Certainly above freezing, you may only need to add 10° -15 or so?

Sometimes you can find those large convector heaters like you find in schools. A big sheetmetal inclosure with rows of fin tube, no blower.

Modine builds them, also. A good old Wisconsin company.

 

[Bad LP]

I don't find my Modine that loud. But I've only used it a few times as it's more of an emergency heater. When I built the house I expected to use it more but I don't. Prior to placing rigid insulation on the walls most of the heat I made got sucked up into the concrete. Even my old non airtight stove that ate 30" logs could barely make a dent in heating the basement.

A few months ago before wood burning season I was making some stuff on my Bridgeport with music in the background. Between the music, compressor, air nozzle and the machine the heater was the last thing I cared about. Same if I was working with wood tools having the air filter running plus a saw, jointer, sander, ect.

 

[Fred61]

I don't have a Bridgeport. Wish I did. I have the air compressor, saw, sander, etc. but they're in the garage. My tools in the basement consist of a 40 power microscope, tweezers, picks and probes and a 25 watt soldering. even a radio is distracting.

 

[peakbagger]

I agree trying to heat an un insulated basement is a major effort, you might heat the air but the walls will suck the heat out of the place. I have only 1" foam on the outside of the walls and none in the floor and wish I had more. I would like to do the floor but just cant figure out something durable to put on top of the foam when I am done.

Our family home had woodstove in the basement with oil boiler in separate room long one wall of the house. My mom had here roses planted alongside that side of the house. They tended to bloom early and she didn't have much winter kill as the heat from the basement kept the ground warm.

 

[Bad LP]

If the radio is distracting then you belong working in a library. LOL.


My basement is officially known as "Tool Town".

 

[maple1]

My basement is a disaster.

I'm in a Catch-22. Wifey won't let me build a garage until the house gets finished (only been here 20 years - pfffft). Can't finish the house because there is so much stuff in it that there's no room to put things or move things around to, to work at it, so no room to work - could fix that just fine with a new garage. In the mean time, basement is almost at the bursting zone. Woodworking tools & stuff, lumber, building supplies, motorcycles (many, in various stages), firewood, filing cabinets, on & on - disaster, can hardly move around down there.

We're both getting to the point of 'just get it done' (the house) - so I think there will be a dumpster getting parked in the yard come spring time, and a wholesale purge like never seen before happening. For starters....

 

[Bad LP]

I would go right out of my mind. I'm not a neat freak but stuff needs a home. The messiest part of the basement is my work bench where if you put it there you might not find it again and then the floor around the woodstove and the milling machine. I just finished a job on it last weekend and returned home before I cleaned it up.

All other items go into tool chests, roll arounds, hung up and storage cabinets.

 

[huffdawg]

My basement is a disaster.

I'm in a Catch-22. Wifey won't let me build a garage until the house gets finished (only been here 20 years - pfffft). Can't finish the house because there is so much stuff in it that there's no room to put things or move things around to, to work at it, so no room to work - could fix that just fine with a new garage. In the mean time, basement is almost at the bursting zone. Woodworking tools & stuff, lumber, building supplies, motorcycles (many, in various stages), firewood, filing cabinets, on & on - disaster, can hardly move around down there.

We're both getting to the point of 'just get it done' (the house) - so I think there will be a dumpster getting parked in the yard come spring time, and a wholesale purge like never seen before happening. For starters....

Sometimes you just have to make the executive decision even if you have to sleep on the couch for a couple months.. The dogs will still luv ya.

 

[Mike Fromme]

Good ideas. Are the Modine heaters reasonably quiet?

Definitely not quiet.

But these fan convectors are very quiet
http://smithsep.com/products/profile-fan-convector/

The psu23 and smaller are quiet enough that the only way you can tell they are running is by putting your hand on them to feel the air moving.

They also make ceiling mounted versions. I assume they are quiet too but have never used one... I've found smith convectors to be quieter than any other brand fwiw.