[phantomvs]

Ok so i have attached a pic of my basement floor plan.

As you can see i plan on finishing an area of 23 ft wide by 13.4 ft long.

The dark black rectangles represent the 3 windows in this room .

Now this space contains 3 exterior walls. Last wall has opening connecting to existing basement and sharing a wall with garage.

So using the regular formula for baseboard watts x 10 , i need about 3000watt heater.

So i was thinking of 2 baseboards of 1500 w each or should i go 3 of 1000 watts .

My questions are the following , where would you put the 2 or 3 baseboards ?

Usually they go under the windows, but my 2 windows in the 23 ft section are 6 ft apart and not really centered on that long wall ...not sure if the baseboards there would look awkward or should i put them somewhere else.

My only opening in this space is the 4 ft opening you see.

I would like a nice even heat in there.

I was 1st thinking one on each end of opposite walls , but not sure .

What would you do or recommend ?

Also is 2 baseboards of 1500w better than 3 baseboards of 1000w for an even heat ?

Thanks again,

Matt

 

[beenthere]

Probably need closer to 5,000 watts.

 

[Bud9051]

Hi phanton,
What is your climate and how are those basement walls finished, insulated. Also, how about the wood rim above and sealing it to the top of the foundation. And, what portion of the exterior of those walls is underground.

If the basement walls are well insulated and air sealed at the top the heat loss is low and your placement can easily be where you want them. If everything is poorly insulated it will feel cold regardless of where you install them.

Bud

 

[Bob Sanders]

The more you can spread the heat out (more heaters) then the more even it will feel across the room. On the other hand you can't fill up all the wall space with heaters because you will then have problems with furniture placement so it's kind of a balancing act.

 

[phantomvs]

Hi phanton,
What is your climate and how are those basement walls finished, insulated. Also, how about the wood rim above and sealing it to the top of the foundation. And, what portion of the exterior of those walls is underground.

If the basement walls are well insulated and air sealed at the top the heat loss is low and your placement can easily be where you want them. If everything is poorly insulated it will feel cold regardless of where you install them.

Bud

Actually Bud , I am in the process of insulating it soon.
Plan on using 1 - 2 inch thick styrofoam on wall with roxul batts between studs. Same for ceiling.

Right now its all concrete with 75% of walls underground.
The ceiling is also cement .

It was an old cellar i plan on transforming into a room.

When i get ready to wire it for baseboards , i was wondering how much should and where should i put them.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

however you configure the baseboards, as a rule on the outside walls, put the thermostat on the opposite side of the room away from the baseboards so it doesnt shut off before the whole room warms up...

 

[Colbyt]

I think your assessment is closer that beenthere's, but it does depend on insulation and climate. I am basing that on this #1 Google page: http://www.kellyelectricalcontractors.com/blog/what-size-baseboard-heater-do-i-need-for-my-home and on personal experience in USDA zone 6.

I only had one house with full BB heat. For 1000 square feet, typical 40 x 25 ranch, it had 8500 available watts or 8.5 watts per square foot. Insulation factors: floor over crawl r-11, walls r-11 continuous vapor barrier, ceiling 6" of blown fiberglass.

Those suckers could run you out of the house if the spinning of the meter did not make you too dizzy to run.

I personally would try to get one unit centered on each exterior wall with the larger on the larger wall.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

what do you have for heat in the rest of the house?

 

[phantomvs]

I have baseboard heaters all over the house. Only source of heat.

I am in Montreal Zone 5b

So i was thinking putting in 3 baseboards of 1000 watts each .
1 on every exterior wall.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

electric or hydronic( water filled)? for the rest of the house?

 

[phantomvs]

electric or hydronic( water filled)? for the rest of the house?

No Electric baseboard heaters everywhere else.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

ok, if you had a main boiler type system you could just tap a new zone..but not in your case...

 

[Bud9051]

A scratch pad estimate with no heat above shows about 4,000 btu's at a 10 degree design temp. I suspect less as those walls are mostly below grade and if the space above is heated, way less. No windows or doors to the outside??

1 kw equals 3,412 btus, but that was just a wild estimate. Easy to do a real heat loss estimate.

Although air sealing is typically emphasized to reduce heat loss, it looks like you will have to create some ventilation. You may also want to test for radon in case you want to do anything before you seal it up. Plus, you might be able to merge the ventilation and radon mitigation functions to some degree.

Bud

 

[beenthere]

I have baseboard heaters all over the house. Only source of heat.

I am in Montreal Zone 5b

So i was thinking putting in 3 baseboards of 1000 watts each .
1 on every exterior wall.

Do you ever have a week or more of sub 0°F temps.

Whats your frost level.

 

[user_12345a]

Do a basic heat loss calc using some software or online, take btus and divide by 3400 to get minimum wattage. The formulas mean nothing.

Not a bad idea to go 10-20% over heat loss at design; no real harm for baseboards.

There are line voltage t-stats out now which will modulate the heat output (well, cycles them very fast to maintain proper heat output) so you don't get them heating up and cooling down all the time, making noise as the metal expands and contracts.

 

[phantomvs]

Do you ever have a week or more of sub 0°F temps.

Whats your frost level.

Oh yeah, its cold here. We can get to -20 F
still week long is rare but can happen

Frost level is 1.2 meters

 

[beenthere]

So basically, a 4 foot frost level. Your basement will need more heat then some people here expect. They don't have the low temps or frost level you do.

Could I be real high at 5KWs. Sure. may only need 4KW on those -20°F days, when its been -12°F for 4 days.

Myself, I'd rather have an extra KW or 2 of heat, then which I had more heat. Your call.

 

[Bob Sanders]

Oh yeah, its cold here. We can get to -20 F
still week long is rare but can happen

Frost level is 1.2 meters

Have you considered duct work and a heat pump... or even a ductless mini system? It would be cheaper to run than baseboard heaters.

 

[Bud9051]

Phantom, does that cement ceiling have a structure on top of it or is it exposed to the elements? If it is exposed to the elements then you might want more than r-20 up there. If there is a heated space overhead then even with your climate r-20 on those walls will make it toasty with limited heat.

Bud

 

[phantomvs]

Phantom, does that cement ceiling have a structure on top of it or is it exposed to the elements? If it is exposed to the elements then you might want more than r-20 up there. If there is a heated space overhead then even with your climate r-20 on those walls will make it toasty with limited heat.

Bud

eventually i would like to close the top, but for now its just a porch exposed to elements