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Heating Options Seasonal Home

Dale
Dale Member Posts: 1,317
I have a place near lake superior where -30 is not uncommon, it is very well insulated and the calrod elect baseboard works great, thermostats in every room. I have kickspace heaters in one bath and the kitchen and they are noisy. Had I to do it again I would have put elect resistance mats under the kitchen, bath and basement floors. I have a wood burner backup in case the elect fails, had I to do it again I would go with an non elect propane gas heater rated fireplace.

Comments

  • Paul_62
    Paul_62 Member Posts: 4
    Heating Options Seasonal Home in NY

    Looking for input. I've just built a seasonal hone in the NorthEast. The house is on Lake Ontario and will not be used for the winter. Overall SF is 1100. there are 2 bedrooms and 2 baths on the 1st floor, along w/ multiple ceiling fans. The main living area is 500sf with an open loft

    Heating source options are electric, propane and oil. I would like to stay w/ electric. The house is insulated and has double pane windows. I have a water heater, and conditioning system in a full size block basement. If I don't heat the basement, I will be restricted to closing the house prior to the November freeze.

    I'm looking at Electric heating options including an Electric furnace, wall mounted heaters and baseboard heaters. I do not plan to have air conditioning. Other options would be to use electric space heaters
  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,343
    Hi Paul:

    Are you looking to just heat the basement until next year when you can invest into a total heating system or are you looking right now to take care of the entire house? Depending on if the house is done or not, I would go with whatever energy source is cheaper and will tend to stay that way. To me,..Propane fired Weil MC'Lain 80 mod/con w/ outdoor rest capabilities would be nice along with alarmed protection against freezing if you are not there during winter. More info would be great..

    Mike T.
  • Paul_62
    Paul_62 Member Posts: 4


    Mike,

    The house is finished. Our builder also discussed propone as an option his other customers used. They keep it set at 55 degrees through the winter. Our challenge with propane is winter access to refuel the tank is questionable.

    Our immediate need is to be able to strech the season into late November, before we have to shut the well down. To do that, we need a heat source in the basement for the water system, and then a heat source on the main floor along with a bathroom and back bedrooms

    The area does/can lose electric power, so if we went with a propane system set on 55, some type of alarm system would be needed.

    Let me know what other info you need.
  • Weezbo
    Weezbo Member Posts: 6,232
    sub the place out to a college student...

    > Looking for input. I've just built a seasonal

    > hone in the NorthEast. The house is on Lake

    > Ontario and will not be used for the winter.

    > Overall SF is 1100. there are 2 bedrooms and 2

    > baths on the 1st floor, along w/ multiple ceiling

    > fans. The main living area is 500sf with an open

    > loft

    >

    > Heating source options are electric,

    > propane and oil. I would like to stay w/

    > electric. The house is insulated and has double

    > pane windows. I have a water heater, and

    > conditioning system in a full size block

    > basement. If I don't heat the basement, I will be

    > restricted to closing the house prior to the

    > November freeze.

    >

    > I'm looking at Electric

    > heating options including an Electric furnace,

    > wall mounted heaters and baseboard heaters. I do

    > not plan to have air conditioning. Other options

    > would be to use electric space heaters



  • Weezbo
    Weezbo Member Posts: 6,232
    sub the place out to a college student...

    > Looking for input. I've just built a seasonal

    > hone in the NorthEast. The house is on Lake

    > Ontario and will not be used for the winter.

    > Overall SF is 1100. there are 2 bedrooms and 2

    > baths on the 1st floor, along w/ multiple ceiling

    > fans. The main living area is 500sf with an open

    > loft

    >

    > Heating source options are electric,

    > propane and oil. I would like to stay w/

    > electric. The house is insulated and has double

    > pane windows. I have a water heater, and

    > conditioning system in a full size block

    > basement. If I don't heat the basement, I will be

    > restricted to closing the house prior to the

    > November freeze.

    >

    > I'm looking at Electric

    > heating options including an Electric furnace,

    > wall mounted heaters and baseboard heaters. I do

    > not plan to have air conditioning. Other options

    > would be to use electric space heaters



  • Paul_62
    Paul_62 Member Posts: 4


    Dale,

    are you in your place year round? We are planning 1 or 2 weekends a month at best during the winter.
    I haven't finished the floors yet, so I still have options for ducts, etc if need be. Can you tell me more about the electric resistance mats?

    The Propoane fireplace you referenced, would have no electricity req? That would solve the concern of power going out.
  • SVDW
    SVDW Member Posts: 80
    Just an idea

    How about electric heat w/an LP fired generator that starts up if the power fails? You would only use Lp when the power is out so the re-fill issue is gone, you would always have heat as well as back-up power. Rig up an auto dialer for the telephone to let you know the generator is running if you want. There are a number of self-installed security systems on the market for less than $300 that include a dialer. X-10 was one of them & sold commonly through electonic stores. If a big generator is too much $ maybe you can get heat-tape to keep pipes from freezing & use a smaller generator. I would find out the amp draw of the electric heaters & go from there to size the generator. Just an idea for you.
  • Dale
    Dale Member Posts: 1,317
    not year round

    I'm not currently there year round but the house was used year round and it worked fine. The key is it is so well insulated that at 40 or so, which is what I keep it in the winter, I can have it up to 70 upstairs in about 2 hours. The coop elect utility offers an off peak elect rate for heat and hot water, 22 years ago when the house was built wood was a legal backup. Now, the more modern way to go is a thick warmed concrete floor, well insulated, with the legal backup heat being the correct gas sealed combustion fireplace. Fireplaces come in many types, what you want is one that's listed as "heater rated" meaning that you can legally put a thermostat on it compared to the cheaper ones with a wall switch. Size the fireplace for enough heat loss to keep the place at 60 or more and set the stat to 40 or as low as it will go, set the elect baseboard to 50. With the elect floor mats under the basement concrete you could a week on the entrained radiant. Having an alarm for temp drop is a good idea in case only your place loses power. I shut off my well pump, take pressure off the piping and put wind shield wash in the toilets and traps. I don't completely drain the system because I don't feel it's worth the effort given the risk. Personal choice of course.
  • JackFre
    JackFre Member Posts: 225
    Easy!

    We have many of these types of installs on the Cape and coastal Maine. Suggest a Rinnai Energysaver. LP, direct vent, 84%AFUE, easy install, wall furnace. Generally, as I do not know the floor plan, to extend the season in that space I'd use a 1004. YOu local rep is Elliott at 978 314-0966. Too, try www.rinnai.us &/or www.ductlessheating.com. These are also excellent for the basement with the vent extension capability.
  • Paul_62
    Paul_62 Member Posts: 4


    Jack,

    I'm going to look into the Rinnai. COnversations so far didn't support venting to cover basement and 1st floor living area w/ 1 unit
  • adambuild
    adambuild Member Posts: 414
    Solution...........

    We are just finishing our second vacation home in PA. In both we installed 90% propane furnace and ac coil. If you want you could also install a furnace with an electric coil if propane is not an option. The two clients both control their homes wit the Sensaphone FGD-1104-CS wit internal relay to turn up heat or ac before you arrive and also can tell you in human voice the current temp in the house and even outside temp with an added sensor, and it can call you and tell you in human voice if the temp has dropped lower than a preset temp!
  • flange
    flange Member Posts: 153


    in my cabin in NE pa, i use electric oil filled baseboard. each room has its own system utilizing the new honeywell line voltage programmable thermostats. they are in the vision pro line. I also have two lp fired wall hung units that i use to preheat the home when i get there on friday night. I keep the stats programmed for fifty degrees all the time unless i am there. works well and very cost effective.
This discussion has been closed.