[RH913RH]

Hi
My son has 2 zone forced air in his home, one unit in the attic for the upper floor, and one unit in the basement for the main floor, each on separate thermostats.
the basement stays cold . the basement is unfinished at this time.
Is there anyway to split the basement unit into 2 zones, or is it more cost effective to install a third unit just for the basement.

Thanks in advance for your help.
RALPH

 

[Bitters]

I would just add a couple of vents to the existing ducts in the basement.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

A wall furnace in my basement with an open stair well works real good and has it's own thermostat that requires no AC power in case of power outages. Wouldn't ever own a house with a basement without one.

 

[RH913RH]

Bitters thanks for the quick reply.
there are vents in the main trunk but 1000 sq foot basement doesn't warm up enough when controlled by the main floor tstat.

SeniorSitizen, Thank you as well, More info would be helpful, make and model etc.

 

[RH913RH]

eventually it will be finished, with a bath room, 1 or 2 rooms.
so 1 single wall furnace probably wouldn't work.

 

[roughneck]

The basement will never have the heating and cooling load as the rest of the home. Adding another zone may be possible, but also may cause performance issues with the equipment and/or airflow.
Most basements only need a little heat and a dehumidifier.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

SeniorSitizen, Thank you as well, More info would be helpful, make and model etc.

Mine is a gas Cozy brand but very similar to this one linked. I haven't been able to find a BTU rating on it and if we still have the paper work I'm sure its buried deep some where.

Distanced from the open stair well as far as possible they work the best for heating the complete basemen area. As warm air convects up the stair shaft opening cooler air from the first floor travels down the steps to replace it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/35-000-B...PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-100073147-_-100059323-_-N

 

[supers05]

Plenty of houses here use a few extra vents in each downstairs room for hvac. It works, but not great. They don't use a different stat, but simply balance the basement during fall and spring. (close off some of the vents and then reopen them as needed) It's not perfect, and can only achieve moderate comfort.

A zoned residential forced air probably won't work unless it's done right, including a furnace and a/c that's multi-stage and a bypass.

Hot water baseboards might be a good option, if you have cheap hot water. You'd control it with zone valves or pumps. It won't cool, so you'll still need some vents for a/c. (basements barely need cooling, and it's more for ventilation.)

The wall furnace would work almost the same, but the more rooms you make, the worse it'll perform. Make sure it's to code wherever you live.

The final option is a multihead ductless heat pump. They should heat well enough to keep the basement warm year round unless you live in the coldest of places. (below -13*F/-25*C for extended periods of time. Use another heater above for backup then) This is especially true if you insulate the walls. They will cool, and dehumidify well. (the dehumidification is important) This is the most expensive option, so weigh it accordingly. (the retrofitted zoned forced air wouldn't be much cheaper either)

I can't imagine more then 24,000 btu for a basement heater, unless you have a ginormous or walkout basement. A heat calc would be highly beneficial. www.loadcalc.net

Cheers!