Best Way to Heat

deronb1

In our new home we have a roughly 19' x 19' add-on room with a 12' vaulted ceiling. It only has one vent coming into it at the ceiling. There are also two old 4' x 1.5' wall heaters hard wired in with a thermostat. Probably installed in the late 70s. They do a good job of heating the room, but make my meter spin like a frisby! Any suggestions on alternate heating ideas. I have an infrared heater (Edenpure) that does ok, but I don't think it's quite big enough with the vaulted ceilings and all.

BlueFox

Good question. While ceiling vents are great for AC, they suck big time for heating. Any possibility of adding more vents at floor level? Then you can close the top vent in the winter, and open in the summer, while closing the lower vents.

deronb1

No chance of adding vents unfortunately. We do have a propane fireplace in the adjoining room. Could possibly tap into that and add some sort of propane heater. We just moved in in October and the tank is empty though (was empty when we bought it). Trying to get through this stupid cold winter without going broke. This room is the man cave with big screen and rig. Spend a majority of my time here. Was thinking maybe liquid filled baseboards might be somewhat economical.

BlueFox

Dude, why didn't you say this room is for gear. Buy two Pass Labs X600.5 amps. They will heat your room.

deronb1

BlueFox wrote: »

Dude, why didn't you say this room is for gear. Buy two Pass Labs X600.5 amps. They will heat your room.

Great idea! Then I would HAVE to keep them on. I guess I could live with one kidney.

deronb1

nbrowser wrote: »

Oil filled space heaters are rather nice....don't cost a ton to run either...just an alternative.

Yup, was thinking the same thing. Thanks

Thorton

BlueFox wrote: »

Dude, why didn't you say this room is for gear. Buy two Pass Labs X600.5 amps. They will heat your room.

I like this idea. Two birds with one stone. Warmth and awesome sound.

deronb1

DSkip wrote: »

Bourbon...

I'm a beer guy. Although, I don't mind knocking down a J and C on occasion.

nguyendot

Infrared heater?

deronb1

nguyendot wrote: »

Infrared heater?

Yup, got one running now. It's kinda smallish, but way more efficient than the gigantic glass wall heaters. May just add another one, i dunno.

mrbiron

Trash can fire right in the middle of the room.

Tires also burn for a good long time.

nguyendot

deronb1 wrote: »

Yup, got one running now. It's kinda smallish, but way more efficient than the gigantic glass wall heaters. May just add another one, i dunno.

Been contemplating the ones that look like a small end table with a slot for 1500-2000sq ft so it says. Anyone tried those?

deronb1

nguyendot wrote: »

Been contemplating the ones that look like a small end table with a slot for 1500-2000sq ft so it says. Anyone tried those?

Mine is good up to 500 sq ft supposedly. Have a vaulted ceiling so prob more cu ft than a traditional room. They are supposed to use less electricity.

cmy330go

You would probably be fine if you just add a ceiling fan or two to get the hot air off the ceiling.

F1nut

More heat than the Pass amps and everything else listed so far, a pair of Manley Neo-Classic 500 monoblock amps.

westmassguy

A couple of baseboard style or upright electric/oil heaters, placed next to the heat loss areas (windows and exterior doors) should suffice. Infrared heaters heat objects, not the air directly, so cold spots are unavoidable. I'd also recommend one or two small, low rpm ceiling fans to equalize the temperature. Even though you have a forced air vent at the ceiling, it doesn't operate all the time. Heat tends to collect at the ceiling level, and can be 20 degrees warmer up there. The fans will also make it more comfortable in the summer as well.

tonyb

I have the same problem, ceiling vents in a basement. The floor is always cold even though it's all mostly carpeted. Have a wood burning fireplace but that only draws more cold air in at floor level. Tried a blower to blow the heat out but got too much ash in the process accumulating on electronics. Tried electric heaters, but the cost is crazy on the electric bill.

Ideally, since gas is the cheapest form of heat, a ventless gas fireplace with a built in blower would be my choice. Assuming you have a gas line already down there. They also sell those ventless garage gas heaters, not pretty to look at but are cheap. A ceiling fan too will help to bring that warm air down from the ceiling. Maybe even 2 of them.

Tornado Red

cmy330go wrote: »

You would probably be fine if you just add a ceiling fan or two to get the hot air off the ceiling.

+1. Infrared space heaters are popular up here in Canada. Your vaulted ceiling really adds to your issue, I'd say a ceiling fan would be a good option as well. Have it blowing gently down keeping the warm air that inevitably makes it to the top of the room pushed towards the floor. If you can install one, I'd get the longest blades you can find. That way you can move a lot of air, at low speed (not as noisy) and of course one with a remote would be handy.

westmassguy

Ceiling fans should be set to blow up in the winter, and down in the summer. Blowing upwards in the winter, forces the warm air across the ceiling and down the cold side walls, warming them up as well. You don't want air blowing down on you in the winter. Once the room temperature evens out, the air blowing down on you will feel like a draft.

Mikey081057

Coal Stove .... you will be wearing beach wear in that room, and very economical

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/coal-stoves.htm

westmassguy

tonyb wrote: »

Ideally, since gas is the cheapest form of heat, a ventless gas fireplace with a built in blower would be my choice. Assuming you have a gas line already down there. They also sell those ventless garage gas heaters, not pretty to look at but are cheap. A ceiling fan too will help to bring that warm air down from the ceiling. Maybe even 2 of them.

Vent-less heaters can be dangerous due to oxygen depletion and combustion products in the air: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/avoid-unvented-gas-heaters . Direct-vent are a much safer option.

seabeerob213

those infrared space heaters are no joke, and the plug in oil radiators mentiond are great too, also, as with audio, room treatments are a must. make sure you have a heavy curtain in fornt of window, the vents are closed or better yet, blocked, door sweeps to keep cool air from blowing in. You might be able to build an acoustic panel right into the recessed area your window sits in.

tonyb

westmassguy wrote: »

Vent-less heaters can be dangerous due to oxygen depletion and combustion products in the air: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/avoid-unvented-gas-heaters . Direct-vent are a much safer option.

True, but ventless gas heaters are not meant to be run constantly either. You run them enough to heat up the room and turn them off. Like everything, you have to be aware of safety issues. Direct vent of course is the safest bet. I've been looking to convert my wood burning fireplace to do just that but the wife likes the wood crackling and the smell of cherry wood.

What can ya do...have to please the lady or your life becomes a hell hole. LOL

deronb1

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. The room is not in a basement. Basically it has 3 exposed walls, with the fourth leading out to an enclosed patio. There are two sets of sliding glass doors. One goes outside and the other to the patio. I like the ceiling fan(s) idea coupled with two infrared heaters (have one already).

When I had the installed wall heaters running, the meter was going around about every 2 to 2.5 seconds (no joke). I shut them off and it slowed down to about every five seconds. My next bill is gonna suckass. 3000kw/h in 12 days! Thats 250 bucks right there

I will try and get some pics up even though I suck at it. Need to get some gear pics up anyway for sale.

westmassguy

tonyb wrote: »

True, but ventless gas heaters are not meant to be run constantly either. You run them enough to heat up the room and turn them off. Like everything, you have to be aware of safety issues. Direct vent of course is the safest bet. I've been looking to convert my wood burning fireplace to do just that but the wife likes the wood crackling and the smell of cherry wood.

What can ya do...have to please the lady or your life becomes a hell hole. LOL

tonyb, you're assuming people actually read the instructions that come with the device. Every winter in Massachusetts, dozens of news stories of idiots using old kerosene heaters, propane salamanders, and even outdoor grills to heat their homes. you don't get the chance to tell them how stupid they are since they're all dead.

Green '01

All of these ideas are good for the winter, but what about the Summer? Have you thought about a mini-split system?
http://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/en/consumer/product-solutions/product-showcase

Tornado Red

westmassguy wrote: »

Ceiling fans should be set to blow up in the winter, and down in the summer. Blowing upwards in the winter, forces the warm air across the ceiling and down the cold side walls, warming them up as well. You don't want air blowing down on you in the winter. Once the room temperature evens out, the air blowing down on you will feel like a draft.

I respectfully disagree in this case I think part of the comfort in the room would be compromised by noise. If you have a 19' x 19' room with a 12' ceiling and you're able to send warm air down the perimeter walls from, assuming, a mid room ceiling fan, you're going to have to move some serious air. A good quality large fan (52"+) at low speed pushing down should be fairly quiet and with a vaulted ceiling shouldn't create a draft at that fan speed and height. And higher fan speeds are likely to cause dust issues as well, not just on furniture but ceiling and walls too. One thing for sure, air circulation is key and with a good quality fan the OP can forward/reverse and change speeds to get what bests works for his room.

obieone

I'd recommend a 1-ton heat-pump ductless split, coupled with a ceiling fan. And I'd recommend someone who does these a lot to install it.

BlueMDPicker

You need this:



And a compass that only points south!

Hope you can find a solution. It's absolutely NO fun being cold. Maybe update the resistive heaters?

dee1949

...an efficient wood burning stove and 2 ceiling fans to distribute the heat down. Nice and toastie. Used this setup when I had a house on a mt top in W. Va. Cover the windows with insulated curtains. Solar panels can run electric heaters.

westmassguy

Tornado Red wrote: »

I respectfully disagree in this case I think part of the comfort in the room would be compromised by noise. If you have a 19' x 19' room with a 12' ceiling and you're able to send warm air down the perimeter walls from, assuming, a mid room ceiling fan, you're going to have to move some serious air. A good quality large fan (52"+) at low speed pushing down should be fairly quiet and with a vaulted ceiling shouldn't create a draft at that fan speed and height. And higher fan speeds are likely to cause dust issues as well, not just on furniture but ceiling and walls too. One thing for sure, air circulation is key and with a good quality fan the OP can forward/reverse and change speeds to get what bests works for his room.

I agree the OP will have experiment with whatever he chooses. I never mentioned, nor would I ever recommend high speed fans, other than commercial installations. There are many variable speed direct drive, and belted fans, that are very low rpm. I respectfully disagree however, fans in the winter should blow upward, unless it's a VERY high ceiling, or some other extenuating circumstance. A 12' ceiling is not that high, and one or two low speed fans will easily move enough air to equalize the temperature in the room