Has anyone tried electric radiant to cure cold basement rec room?
I'm trying to determine the best way to go in heating my basement rec room, and I'm leaning towards NuHeat electric radiant and tiles. Does anyone have any experience with this and how well it works? I'm in Massachusetts and in the winter the basement is pretty chilly and I want it to be an inviting room year round, but due to water and dampness issues, I want to tile. My house has forced hot air and I wouldn't think that cutting into the vents for basement heat would do a good enough job to offset the cold floor. The room is fairly large (12x14 and 10x10 L shaped) and only about 2/3 will be used for entertaining, while the other 1/3 will have fitness equipment, so cooler is ok. I'm going to do it myself and the cost of the NuHeat I will need is around $1200 and then whatever the tiles run. thanks, Tom Well as I had different thought about it....as you would better off of getting carpet there with underpadding that is some type of thermo protection (some type of thin film on top of the padding)...in other words, that the cold air or feel won't come up to the surface....as well as you should also add some vents on the ventilation to heat the basement during the cold days, and cool during the hot days.......just like finish basement....you would save $$ by doing this instead of tiles, because the the basement floor will change over the time and cause some crackings in the tiles.....my basement has the carpet along with padding underneath....I don't feel anything cold there... Rick Dosperado, I'm not sure where you got your pricing from but NuHeat is not cheap. It average cost is about $11.35 per square foot. The largest pc that is available is a 8'x9' running $817.00. The sole purpose of NuHeat is to just take the chill off the tiles, nothing more. It will not heat the room if you are wanting this for an end result. I just got done having this installed for a client and the total cost for a 15' x 24' room cost $2852 plus the thermostat at $195.00. This cost is wholesale - MATERIAL ONLY If you have the height, would it be possible to do a subfloor application with sleepers, in essenece, can you give up 2 and possible lay 1x sleepers down 16 O.C., rigid insulation between them, 3/4 T G plywood then your tile or carpeting? The rigid would act as a vapor barrier. If your existing F/A unit is capable (I think it would be) and asking a heating man could determine this for you, adding extensions from your existing duct work may be the best way to totally warm the area. Balancing the system would have to be done but the overall cost would be cheaper than what you are proposing with NuHeat. Hope this helps! So, I guess what I'm really trying to find out is does Nuheat do what they claim? And will it work in a cold basement? I don't know anyone that has it so I can't go check out a real world application. Was you're client unhappy with it? Did you check it out? I don't want to do it and find out the only one happy with a warm floor is my dog and the Nuheat salespeople It's my understanding that as long as you are on the tile, sitting, standing, whatever, you will feel the warmth from the radiant heat, and will feel warm, but the room really won't be warm. Is this what you're client found? I'm heating the occupied area essentially. As for the subfloor, I would rather lose as little height as possible, and the water issue would probably be a problem, no? I was thinking tile on concrete because it should be very resisitant to any water damage. My basement air temp is currently 54 degrees. Brrr! There is one vent cut in already, and it doesn't make any difference unless you stand right below it, and then only while the furnace is blowing. I'm sure several more properly placed would work much better, but If I can get comfortable with radiant, I would rather go that route. I would do the install and my pricing was quoted from a dealer in CT and the price on the largest sheet they had (118X116, or roughly 10'x10') was $693, the thermostat is $180 and a 118x36 piece is $395 so that $1268 plus shipping which ends up around $1300. I was close, didn't think the 118x36 would be that high. Dosperado, The client knew that the NuHeat product was only going to warm the tile, nothing else. He did install additional registers only because of what I warned him about. It is not designed to warm the room, rather just take the chill off the floor. This is the quote from the manufacturer; high-tech floor-warming system offers a consistent distribution of heat across the floor and comes with a 25-year warranty you're right, the dog will love it and so will the NuHeat saleman but it's intent is to make the floor FEEL warm and as such you think it is warm but in reality, the temp within the confines of the room will not be what you are looking for. If you don't have damp floors now, the application I mentioned will do you right. I don't think 2 would hurt. Carpeting, plywood and insulation is alot cheaper than NuHeat and tile, even when you consider doing it yourself. The prices that you were quoted seem good but unsure as to why the cost difference. I am good about getting the best price but you are still spending alot for an unfullfilled expectation. If you can, inquire on references to who has the product installed within your area and check it out. You be the judge and determine if this is your best option. I fear that it is not for what you are wanting as each person has their own needs. Hope this helps! Thanks Doug. I checked with the local oil dealer who's been handling the heating maintanance the past few years and he suggested just adding a couple of 6' baseboard electric heaters and see how that works, rather than change the ducting on a 20+ year old furnace just to maybe find out electric heat may be the best solution after all. I'm under the impression that the electric can be quite inexpensive to install, but does it get too expensive to run? I even had one guy tell me that 220 heaters are much cheaper to run than 110? That doesn't make much sense to me, I thought a watt was a watt, but doubling the voltage cuts the amperage needs in half, and so wiring is easier. P=IxE, right? thanks Dosperado, I would direct the question over in the Repair under Electrical forum, they would know more about that than I. I have heard that 220 costs less but when you consider electrical costs versus F/A, it will be higher costs but possibly more efficient to your needs. A 20 + yer furnace is old...maybe the best alternative is to upgrade the furnace and forget about all this other expense when the inevitable will certainly happen! Seems like you're going to pay now and pay more later. Good luck and let us know! Dosperado You are right about a watt being a watt. The only way a 220 is cheaper than 110, and only if it is a very large system, is the cost of materials to install. The advantage of 220 over 110 is to help maintain a balanced load in your panel! Before investing hundreds of $$ on heating, are the walls insulated? You'd be suprised how warm the room will be once the walls are insulated. I live in a cold climate, too, thought not as cold as yours. My insulation was paid back in two years by utility bills savings. The basement is the warmest room in the house. I have just one small vent in the whole basement (900 sf). Yes, insulated all the way around with foil faced R-11 I believe, and it's 54 degree's down there all the time. There is 1 vent cut in, but it really doesn't seem to do anything. I think I'm going to throw in a couple of 6' electric baseboards, and then maybe cut in one more vent. At least the electric baseboards are cheap, so if that doesn't work out, not a big loss. Dosp. Your temp./dampness problems stem from a single one element. That is, the difference of temperature between the soil surrounding your basement walls and your interior temp. This temp. difference is stated as delta temp.or dt. You did not state the location of said insulation,but i presume it to be on the inside of your wall surface. If this is so then if you attempt to raise your interior temp. the dt will increase and if there is any moisture present this moisture will form at the point of the greatest dt which will be on the surface of your wall. It will then run down unto your floor. A dehumidifirer would help remove this unwanted moisture.. A basement wall should only be insulated on the outside with rigid insulation. There fore the wall will be at the temp. of the interior and if any slight dt that exists will be as before stated between the insulation and wall which in the case will be outside the wall not inside. At your loc. in Mass. your floor should have been insulated beneath the slab with rigid insulation also to prevent the same problems as with the wall. I live in an earth sheltered home which i desighed/built. This is my first time at web communations so please forgive my spelling etc. nfg, All this information you wrote sounds good except when dealing with existing conditions. This isn't new construction and as such, other considerations and alternative methods must be used. What you describe is more for new homes and all is correct. In alot of cases with members, we deal with existing conditions unless the questions are more detailed, Moderators must assume age, types of methods used within a certain time frame as an older home will definitely be different than a newer one. New construction is one thing but more times than not, most projects are done by DIY's and we strive to deal with what they have now, not what you think they should have. This home may not have rigid insulation under the slab nor will it have rigid placed on the exterior walls. What he descibes is an older home, 20 plus years old! Most standards for rigid under slabs wasn't mandatory, just an option but use of rigid insulation on the exterior walls was just beginning to be used as long as it was protected with fiberglass panels or a stucco type covering or covered with exterior siding type applications i.e. brick, in the mid 1980's. Thanks for the comments and have a Merry Xmas!
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