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Sizing basement heater?

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QuintonS
QuintonS Member Posts: 50
in THE MAIN WALL

How would you guys size a basement heater? Basement is 525sqft with 6’6” in height. Has a leaky stone foundation but has insulated rim joists with 2” foam board + doing R25 Fiberglass batts in the floor joists. Want to keep the temp in the basement slightly above freezing (35/40 degrees). It was 13 degrees outside when I went to see it & the basement was 20 degrees with my thermometer. Located in Scranton, PA if that helps

Comments

  • jesmed1
    jesmed1 Member Posts: 1,377

    What kind of heater are you planning on, and what is the budget? For a small space that you're just trying to keep from freezing, it may not take much heat output. For a very simple system you could add a dedicated 15 amp circuit running a 1500 watt oil filled space heater. 1500 watts gives you about 5000 BTU/hr.

    If you want to use a different heat source, you can still use a 1500 watt heater for a test on a cold day. If 1500 watts gives you enough heat, you know 5000 BTU/hr would be OK for whatever heat source you plan to install.

    ethicalpaul
  • Jack
    Jack Member Posts: 1,057

    Rinnai EX-22 direct vent wall furnace. Ideal for these basement locations as they have vent extension sets that get up the wall of the basement to the supplied thru the wall vent. Modulate on burner (8,200-21,500btu) and blower. Programmable stat built in, quiet and cool to the touch. Below the programmable stat set-up there is a feature that allows you to set a maintenance temp from 38* Up to Stat L in 2* increments. Extremely reliable.

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