Best way to heat finished basement with baseboard heat

[Dunadan]

This isn't really stove related, unless the long term answer is picking up a second smaller insert, but here goes.

Our raised ranch/split level home has baseboard forced water heat. Last winter we had a new Buderus boiler installed, and re-piped the house to correct the mess the previous owner made of the heating system. We now have 3 zones, each isolated and run by it's own pump. Two zones are upstairs, and the third is downstairs in our finished basement.

Last year, I had no problem heating the entire upstairs with our insert, and rarely if ever needed to rely on the baseboard heat. Downstairs was another matter, as the baseboard heat is the only heat available, other than an oil filled space heater.

The main "play" room downstairs is about 12 x 25. It has baseboard heat along the long outside wall, which is about 3/4 below ground, and the thermostat in this room controls this zone, with it's own (isolated) loop of pipe.

My question is, if I want to maintain temps in this room around 60 when nobody is using it, and 70 when people are using it, is it more economical (that's code for "cheap") to try to heat this room with oil heat, or to use an oil-filled space heater?

The biggest problem I'm finding with heating the lower level, is that the insulation is not great. The basement has cinder block walls, and in most cases sheet rock covers a single layer of foam insulation. Also, part of the lower level leads into the garage, which come winter gets freezing, and the downstairs play room shares a short wall with the garage.

Any thoughts on the best way to heat the one play room?

Thanks,

Sean

 

[thephotohound]

Sean -

This sounds like my house almost exactly. The only difference is that 1/2 of my basement is completely above grade. Regardless, we have the same heating source (HWBB - Oil) and a similar "playroom" - mine is 18x24. In the past, I have just kept the thermostat at 55-60 unless someone was down there, then simply raise the thermostat. However, over the summer, I installed a pellet stove in the center of the room. It will take some trips up and down to keep above 55, but it will be worth it. It made sense for me because I had a free pellet stove. I understand that most people do not have this option. They do, however, have Craig's List and ebay. A lot of people are getting rid of "old" stoves that they are replacing. A lot of these stoves are not old by any means... just not the newest technology that some people "need". We decided not to go with another wood stove (upstairs) due to everything that goes with running TWO wood stoves, as opposed to one. Pellets made sense to us, but not to everyone.

If your only two choices are to use the baseboard or use an oil filled radiator, I would use the baseboard. IMHO, it will take far too long to get that space to temp (if at all) with an oil filled radiator. Last time I checked, electric is still more expensive per kWh than oil.

 

[elkimmeg]

Good boiler choice. What about a programmable thermostat? I have done some research and conclude the a 6 degree set back make sense more that that too much heat is lost and takes too much oil to bring it back up what about a 68- 62 heat range? I doubt the oil filled electric heater is cost efficient than your Budurus. Have you insulated you exposed piping?

 

[Dunadan]

Thanks guys.

The only difference is that 1/2 of my basement is completely above grade.

Actually, the back side of the basement (it's divided lengthwise into a playroom and a tiled utility area with stairs going up the center to kitchen), the tiled side, mostly above grade. Sounds even more like the same set-up.

Good boiler choice. What about a programmable thermostat? I have done some research and conclude the a 6 degree set back make sense more that that too much heat is lost and takes too much oil to bring it back up what about a 68- 62 heat range? I doubt the oil filled electric heater is cost efficient than your Budurus. Have you insulated you exposed piping?

Upstairs has the programmable thermostats, downstairs it's an old manual one.

Elk - how exactly would you suggest I use this? I'm not quite clear on what you're saying about the 68-62 range. Are you saying get a thermostat where you can set it to 68, but it won't come back on until the temp drops to 62? The thermostats I have upstairs I don't think give me the option of specifying when they kick on, it's 1-2 degrees lower than the set temp.

Which "exposed" piping are you referring to? I have lot's of piping ;-) Most of it is in the drop ceiling or behind/butted against sheetrock.

 

[elkimmeg]

say you want it to be only 62 degrees while you sleep and then 68 the time you spend in it so most programmable thermo will allow you to set a time range for 68 degrees say from 400pm to 10 pm it will hold 68 degrees the rest of the time it cools down till it hits 62 drgrees then and only then the furnace will come on to keep it only 62 in that time frame at 4: pm the thermostat will kick in and warm it back up to 68 degrees till 10: pm or what ever time tou need some will allow week days and weeken settings you could have as many as 8 or more different settings and still have manual over ride

 

[thephotohound]

Elk's right. I have them in all 3 zones (don't use the oil anymore, but they are there). Worked like a charm. My settings were: 10 PM - 5 AM: 62 degrees... 5 AM - 8 AM: 70 degrees... 8 AM - 4 PM: 62 degrees... 4 PM - 10 PM: 70 degrees. Any more than an 8 degree temp swing, and you use more energy bringing it back up than it would use if you were at a constant 70. Get a "5+2 Day". $35. This means you can program M-F at one setting and Sat-Sun at a second setting. If you require the ability to program each day (say if you or anyone else in your family is home during a day of the week) you may want a 7 day programmable to be able to set each day seperately.

 

[Dunadan]

Ok. Those are the kind I have right now.

The only catch is, it would be wasted so long as the current usage pattern persists. By this I mean, we so rarely use the downstairs, The temp would always be set at the minimum temperature needed to prevent things from freezing or the dehumidifier from not working (leading to mold).

Using your logic, though, I could just set the manual thermostat 6 degrees below where we would set it when someone was downstairs. That way we'd never be looking to heat it up more than the 6 degrees.

The biggest question I think has been answered....regardless of how I set it....better to use the oil baseboard heat to do it than try to rely on a space heater.

 

[begreen]

Yes, based on how you have described it, I'd leave the manual thermostat in the lower area and set it to about 55 or 60 degrees.