How to warm Basement

Robert_11

I occupy the basement of my house which is steam heated. The basement is not heated and I was wondering what's the most cost effective way to heat it. It's about 300 square feet and has a radiator in there but I think it's more a catchment raditor, I also have steam pipes overhead that go to the rooms above.
I have used electric heaters in the past but was wondering if I could somehow use the existing system to warm there.
Someone mentioned baseboard but I am curious to know what the board thinks.

bob young

baseboard loop

just slap in an auxilary hot water loop from below the water line with a pump & thermostat and your troubles are over

Bob Murray

Simply...

remove the insulation from the steam pipes...
A nice toasty basement!
JK

tommyoil

condensate loop heating

There are suggestions for the right way to do a condensate loop right here on this websight. Do a search for condensate loop heating and do the job properly. A pump and thermostat may be a little too over simplified as there are some pitfalls. It works great when done right.

Steamhead

\"Catchment radiator\"?

Tell me more about this thing.... is it hung from the ceiling and only piped into the returns? Something like this?

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tommyoil

some pic.

Is that what those are called??? I work in a church where there are a few of these, only, supply in one side and return out the other. The heat is unbearable in the rooms they are in. They dont care though, the hotter the better is what I've been told.

Bill Nye

Try this

go here


http://www.heatinghelp.com/heating_howcome6.cfm

Steamhead

The one in the pic

is used as a "condensing radiator". On old Vapor systems such as VECO (pictured, without the regulator unit) Broomell, Mouat, Vapor Regulator and others, they used the chimney draft to pull air out of the system, and the condensing rad ensured that no steam would reach the chimney. The Moline system used a condenser also, but not the flue connection.

The exact type of rad is a pin-type indirect. It was normally used where steam or hot water heated air in a duct, which flowed into a room above.

The ones in your church were probably put there on purpose to heat the basement. I've seen many of these in old upscale houses also. If they don't use the basement much, it would be well to correct the overheating problem. They'd save a bunch of fuel!

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