New to site - Basement install, heat loss correction

[Todd 2]

My PE Summit is in the basement (1100 sq. ft ) 8" block walls 3/4 under ground, 7 ft. height, 4" concrete floor, all painted for 50 yrs. Basement is dry and not much draftiness, no paint pealing, may reach 60 % humidity in middle of summer ( dehumidifier brings back down quickly ) No mold ever. I have come to learn that basements can rob up to 70% of your stoves heat, sure is hard on ones wood stash ! Im burning as much as a lot of you way up there further north than Ohio. i was wandering if any one has faced this heat loss concrete monster an any pointers on the cheapest way to insulate ( this is my man cave so works are better than looks ) that worked good or great. I heat 2200 sq. ft. total ranch style with basement and I can't put another stove up stairs or I would have done so already. This is a great site an I enjoy reading the threads and comments. I learn alot and laugh alot too ! She tells me I'm way to into burning wood when I told her I was looking at Progress Hybrids, Blaze Kings and such. You cat burners have me wanting to try one bad Gotta fix this basement problem first though than bring on the cat. Thanks, Todd

 

[dylskee]

Do you have it on a hearth or directly on the cement floor? You can lose a lot if it's just sitting on the floor.

Oh and welcome, this place is a great source of info and laughs!

 

[Stump_Branch]

Cheapest way to insulate, can be as simple as gluing foam panels to the walls. Any r value you can add is better then pure block wall.

 

[Todd 2]

Thanks, never thought of all the heat being absorbed right at the source. some kind of insulated hearth ???

 

[Todd 2]

Extruded foam ( water resistant kind ) I've priced it, seems to be about the best for the least $ Thanks !
1" = R5 $600 not to painfull 2" = R10 $1200 should work twice as good, cuts into my new cat stove fund harder though. LOL But it should pay back faster in wood use though. like you say anything is better than block wall, might as well try to do it the best possible.

 

[begreen]

The heat loss will be more like 30-35%. Still not good, but not as bad as 70%.

 

[daleeper]

Spend the money on insulating the block walls around the perimeter of the basement first. That will make a world of difference. Stud walls with insulation and drywall would make it look nice, but there are some foam board type products out there to do it fast, and keep cost down. I see cheap on the list, so I would look at sheet foamboard and furring strips.

While insulating, make sure you are getting air movement between basement and upstairs, and work toward getting the hot air upstairs, cold air moved downstairs.

 

[doug60]

That heat loss at the hearth is not a total loss . I find after days of burning ,the slab gets very warm and stays warm for a long time. Talk about thermal mass. Between the slab & fireplace brick the thousands of pounds ( thermal mass) is like putting your BTU's in the heat bank. The walls are are a loss though.

 

[Prof]

I have a basement install too, which is not ideal in many ways. One thing I did was to keep the doors shut to areas of the basement I don't use much. Not sure if this will help in your situation or not, but in my case I was able to decrease the amount of basement I heat by about 50%.

 

[begreen]

Take some time to carefully inspect and seal the sill plate and rim joist area too. Sealing up small cracks and gaps can add up to some nice savings. Then use some batt insulation to insulate the rim joist.

 

[realstihl]

You need to insuate the walls. Mine has 1" thick foam board and then 3 1/2 std wall studs w/fiberglass insulation. You'll be amazed at the difference. Look at my signature, it's a basement install.

 

[Todd 2]

Thanks guys for all the info. looks like i'll be headed for a load of insulation board today. Since my walls are 7' the cut off should do the rim joist area, foam in a can for sealing the voids. I'll see how much improvement this makes this winter an possibly frame and insulate more next year. The best deal on insulation board around here is Owens Corning ............. BRIGHT PINK !! Guess i'll have a PRETTY cave for a while, (no pic requests accepted)

 

[begreen]

Good plan, it'll make a major difference.