Insulated Basement Keeping the Heat Downstairs?

Hey Everyone,

I've had my coal stove warming up the basement (80 degrees) with only the basement door open to the middle of our house to let heat upstairs. I don't have any registers cut in the floors at all, so there is no cold air return to speak of. The heat seems to be radiating through the floor and getting upstairs OK, but I'm wondering if I should remove the insulation in the basement rafters. Wouldn't the heat get through much more easily if I were to remove it?

Right now we are heating the entire house with the coal stove in the basement. It is in the lower 30's outside now and all is well, but I'm thinking we are going to need more of that heat upstairs rather than down (unfinished basement) when the temps drop to 20 degrees/10 degrees/and lower.

I have not cut any holes in the hardwood floors. Right now I simply use one 20" box fan to blow the air from the stove toward the middle of the house and have another box fan blowing the air up the stairs. I don't know if that is the way to go...

I need some help here.

By removing the insulation you would probably get a bit more heat upstairs. At the very least, your floors should be considerably warmer.

Well, if my floors are warmer, doesn't that mean my upstairs rooms are warmer as well?

I would remove the insulation. If you are doubtful, try the area beneath one room and see how it feels.

Also, try running the stove with and without the box fans running (and try one fan or the other). In my home the heat seemed to go up the stairwell better by convection rather than being pushed with a fan.

-Rob

I guess I don't see the point in insulating the basement ceiling since I am heating the basement in hopes that "heat rises" (I'm told it does). I think the previous owners used the baseboard electric and wanted to keep every bit of heat on the main level.

I will try NOT using the fans (and wasting electricity). When the fans blow the hot air around, it cools off on it's way across the room, do I actually "lose" the heat? I'm so retarded when it comes to physics it isn't funny.

Yes, your floors will be warmer without the insulation. We have the stove in our unfinished basement, there is only one 8 x 8 section that has insulation and drywall on the ceiling and that area of the upstairs floor is cooler than the other areas.

In the uninsulated area of the ceiling we have a 2 x 2 square cutout in the subfloor where the previous owners had a floor vent to move the heat from their woodstove. I laid 3/4" subfloor over the existing subfloor to match the height of the hardwood in the hallway, covering that vent hole and we carpeted that room but the 2 x 2 hole is still there in the old 1/2" subflooring. Don't you know our cat will lay in that exact spot just about all winter. There cant be much difference in the temp from that spot to the other area, especially after the stove has been running consistently getting the house up to temp, but that is where you will find her.

Use the insulation from the basement ceiling in your attic or on those basement walls!

If the source of your heat is in the cellar then there really is no need for there to be insulation in the ceiling all it is doing is helping to keep the heat in the basement. It's like if you didn't have any insulation in your ceiling right below the unfinished attic space, all that heat would be wanting to go into the attic so you would need to have insulation put in to keep all that heat in the finished part of your house.

Like mentioned above just try it out in one room first and see if you can tell the difference or not.

I would think by heating your floors you might not need a fan to blow it upstairs, but experiment with it and see what you like best. Also note that your basement will be a little cooler if more of your heat is going upstairs. Heating your floors will warm the room, it's how radiant floor heating works.

Funny thing is, the house is 25' x 50' and every square foot is covered in insulation. I bet I could completely insulate my garage with it. I don't need it in the attic. I'd have to stud up the walls to insulate them...not sure I want to bother with that.

By studding up the walls and insulating them you'll be saving more heat for inside your home instead of going through the foundation and outside. Plus you'll be adding finished sq footing to your home and that adds value to your house.

Adamiscold wrote:By studding up the walls and insulating them you'll be saving more heat for inside your home instead of going through the foundation and outside. Plus you'll be adding finished sq footing to your home and that adds value to your house.

Adam,

Can I borrow some cash?

Thanks man, this conversation has been very helpful.

wes

WessWackos wrote: Adam,

Can I borrow some cash?

Thanks man, this conversation has been very helpful.

wes

I asked the wife and she said sure once I finish our house. I don't think that's going to be any time soon

Adamiscold wrote:

WessWackos wrote: Adam,

Can I borrow some cash?

Thanks man, this conversation has been very helpful.

wes

I asked the wife and she said sure once I finish our house. I don't think that's going to be any time soon

Adam, your wife is a keeper.........not get your stinkin house finished!

Something to consider.
Keep the insulation around the perimeter of the home at least 4 feet in on all sides. Use what you have and double it even.Cold migrates and by keeping the insulation in those areas it will also keep the upstairs floor from getting cold near the walls. Some of the energy programs recommend the practice of higher R values such as R 30 perimeter and R 19 the rest. And remember when insulating the joist bays at the box,(above the foundation) insulate there with a piece as if it were a wall stud bay, then put the insulation against that in the joist bay. Air/cold will migrate through the ends of insulation batts.

My stove is in the unfinished basement and I have no insulation. I actually bought a few old grates from an antique store and cut
them in. They fit my 110 year old house. I bought a $13 bathroom vent fan for above my stove and used a 3" flex duct to go over to the location of the floor grate I installed. I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer and placed the 'outdoor' probe into the flex duct. Now, I can see the temperture of the space at the bottom of the basement steps or switch the reading and see the temperture of the air being blown to the next floor.

offcoursey wrote:My stove is in the unfinished basement and I have no insulation. I actually bought a few old grates from an antique store and cut
them in. They fit my 110 year old house. I bought a $13 bathroom vent fan for above my stove and used a 3" flex duct to go over to the location of the floor grate I installed. I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer and placed the 'outdoor' probe into the flex duct. Now, I can see the temperture of the space at the bottom of the basement steps or switch the reading and see the temperture of the air being blown to the next floor.

I'm in Telford, what antique store did you find the grates in. I'm not sure I'll need to go that route yet, but who knows.