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Best way to Transfer Heat

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DSurette01
DSurette01 Member Posts: 4
in Indoor-Air Quality

 I had my basement walls sealed with closed cell spray foam insulation and then finished the basement with a dividing wall between the gas furnace and main room. There are two doors along the wall in opposite ends so the furnace isn’t completely blocked. Though Once the insulation was complete and the walls finished the heat in the basement especially the furnace area went up dramatically since there was no more cold walls or open areas. My question is how can I help remove the trapped heat? I was thinking of cutting an open vent/grate that is basically just off center to the furnace that would let the heat rise into the dining room. Is this a good solution and how much heat will transfer? I don’t really have a way to have a vent fan go outside. The only way due to floor joists would direct the heat to a crawl space under a back room.

Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 20,327

    The heat build up is one problem, but you may have created a more serious problem.

    You furnace (and water heater if it is gas) need a fair amount of combustion air.

    Lack of combustion air can cause carbon monoxide.

    You have to replace the flue gas (the fuel mixed with combustion air) that is going up the chimney or out the vent if your appliances are taking air from the basement.

    In most homes there is enough leakage into the basement to cover this. Now that you have enclosed the furnace and insulated it could be an issue.

    We need the BTU rating of the furnace and water heater and the square footage of the basement on the furnace side.

    You may have to install a combustion air duct.

  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,830

    A small rectangular floor register above the furnace would work. Where is the cool air floor plenum?

    One question, have you considered having the ducts covered with foam board insulation???? granted it would cost more than a floor register above the furnace but there would be less heat lost to the surrounding basement?

  • DSurette01
    DSurette01 Member Posts: 4

    The sq footage of the furnace area is 135 sq ft. There are 2 78x30 doors on either side and I’m going to install a wall vent infront of the furnace that goes into a 300 sq ft room. There’s also a half bath adjacent to the furnace area that’s 22 sq ft.
    the furnace BTU input is 164,000 with a HTG Cap of 136,000BTU per hr.

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,468

    I totally agree with @EBEBRATT-Ed above. Check that combustion air!

    And I will add: you need a CO (Carbon monoxide) detector which will sense at low levels like this one:

    21009942 - Kidde 21009942 - KN-COU-B Ultra Sensitive AA Battery Powered Carbon Monoxide Monitor

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • DSurette01
    DSurette01 Member Posts: 4

    I’ve always had a carbon monoxide and smoke detector in my basement that is hardwired.

  • DSurette01
    DSurette01 Member Posts: 4

    @EBEBRATT-Ed The sq footage of the furnace area is 135 sq ft. There are 2 78x30 doors on either side and I’m going to install a wall vent infront of the furnace that goes into a 300 sq ft room. There’s also a half bath adjacent to the furnace area that’s 22 sq ft. 

    the furnace BTU input is 164,000 with a HTG Cap of 136,000BTU per hr. The cubic feet of air in the furnace area is 1320 cubic ft. The total basement area is 3,872 cubic ft.

    It’s never been an issue probably because heat went through the ceiling floor boards as well as a couple small openings along the top of the foundation. As well as the block foundation being cold in the winters.

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,631

    This is the NFPA requirement for the amount of air you need into that 135 sq ft space. It is a little different for a ducted combustion air requirement

    Local code may vary a bit.

    IMG_2492.jpeg
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 12,399
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/204366/best-way-to-transfer-heat

    This is a classic example of spending money to seal up a home to keep all the heat inside the home and finding out that you need to cut a hole in the house to let in some cold air back in so the heater can breath. this makes total sense to me!

    Sounds like all your work created a confined space: A confined space is: a space whose volume is less than 50 cubic feet per 1,000 BTU/hr of the total input rating of all fuel-burning appliances located in that space. According to your information you need 8200 cubic feet of space in the furnace/boiler room. More if there is a gas clothes dryer and a gas water heater in that room. Those count as gas appliances too. You say you have only 3872 cubic feet. You need to cut some holes in your house to let in some outside air.

    Makes sense to me. Seal out all the cold air and the house gets too hot so you cut some holes in the house to let in cold air. If you don't want to let in all that cold air, maybe you can install an ERV or HRV to warm up the cold air you let in with the hot air you need to let out. That will cost some $$$ but save on the energy you will waste just letting cold air into your home thru a hole in the wall.

    A lot of people in the trade call it by the slang term "a combustion air inlet", but the technical term is "a hole in the wall"

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

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