[brookbend]

Any idea how well a 1500 watt portable heater will heat a room used 50 hrs per week:

-basement with door
-no other heating present; does not take advantage of rest of house
-volume: 25'L x 18'W x 8'H
-Massachusetts
-used mostly 9-5; and off and on weekend days and nites

I assume a fan-base heater is best, with a thermostat. What's opinion on using 2 heaters (1 used at 750 watts; the other at 1500) if 1 not powerful enough.

[Who's Me]

Thats all gonna depend on the rating of the heater, most hair driers are 1500W but they wont heat your basement.
The manufacturer should tell you how much space a particular heater should heat.

[brookbend]

So if they say "heats 600 ft" ... that's a rating? Or, should I be looking for a formal number or formula?

[JohnWill]

First off, the real issue here is how well is the door insulated, that's a major factor. Basements don't require nearly as much heat as other spaces, because they're normally at around 50F with no heat. Truthfully, the heat in my basement is electric baseboard, and the total capacity of the heaters in my recroom is around 1800 watts. I can easily run the temperature in there into the mid 70's in the dead of winter in SE-PA with those heaters, and I'm sure they're not running all the time.

My basement recroom is 34 x 20 with two insulated windows and no outside door. It's insulated with 4" fiberglass behind sheetrock all around.

I've used it to dry painted furniture at 75F.

I'd be more worried about making sure you have proper wiring for sufficient power, and thermostatic control for the heaters that's separate from the heaters themselves to properly control the heat.

My personal guess? One 1500W heater will do the trick unless you like it hot.

One question. The comment "does not take advantage of heating in the rest of the house" confuses me, since the ceiling of the basement is a heated surface. Given the fact that over half the heat in a typical structure escapes through the ceilings, this seems to be a large advantage for the basement heating.

[brookbend]

the real issue here is how well is the door insulated...
***dunno - i'll take a look i believe it s metal door

...with two insulated windows and no outside door. It's insulated with 4" fiberglass behind sheetrock all around.
***i have 3 un-insulated windows, no fiberglass on walls nor sheet rock (studded out, not finished)

I'd be more worried about making sure you have proper wiring
***i guess an electrician could figure that out easily

...and thermostatic control for the heaters that's separate from the heaters
***i guess you dont trust the manufacturers..?

...does not take advantage of heating in the rest of the house"
***i implied most basements get some heat from the furnace or adjoining spaces... there's a great room above, and the basement in question has insulation in the ceiling


NOTE: assuming proper wiring... i suppose i could use 2 heaters..if needed - perhaps running 1 at half output for safety.. on the other hand it seems you can buy a 1500w heater for $30...right up to $400. the latter usually specifies for use in substantial room sizes. (my alternative solution is a $2500 install to extend piping etc from an existing furnace in the original basement.. so you see i have "plenty of money" choosing electric)

[vicks]

We travel in a motorhome much of the time, and even though it has a propane furnace, we frequently use 2 little cube shaped Holmes portable heaters. the coach is 8.5 feet wide X 38 feet long with lots of windows. If it gets really cold outside ( in 20's f) we still need the furnace but otherwise we just used the cubes. They are thermostatically controlled and reasonable quiet.
vicks

[wacor]

My first house was an old one that did not have a well heated basement. Back then kerosene heaters were quite popular. some people hated them due to the odor. I never had an issue with odor except when it started and when i turned it off.

I am not trying to sell you on the idea of a kerosene heater but just throwing out the idea.

As to your 1500 watt heater I doubt one will be sufficient. We use one to warm up our bathroom. I suspect one alone will not do the job but that depends upon the temps you are starting at and how warm you want it.

one thing to add is these little 1500 watt heaters we have bought for the bathroom have been garbage. They do not last.

oops. one more point. going electric is expensive. at least look into the oil filled heaters that look like a radiator if you must go that route. i think they are more efficient.

good luck

[Rollin_Again]

FYI.....I found that radiator type heaters work better than the little fans type heaters. I bought a DeLongi brand radiator heater and it worked a treat. It also allowed me to set which hours I wanted to run it so that the room would be nice and toasty in the morning when I woke up.

Regards,
Rollin

[buck52]

Originally Posted by brookbend

***i have 3 un-insulated windows, no fiberglass on walls nor sheet rock (studded out, not finished)

Is this a place you rent or do you own it?
How long are you planning on staying there?

I assume you are a do it yourselfer after all this the do it yourself forum ...

The first thing I would do is..... seeings how it's already studded... I'd insulate and sheetrock the walls and either storm window or put plastic sheeting on the windows... all very easy an cheap for the dollar return...

my guess is that you"ll be calling the electric company to replace the bearings in the electric meter with no insulation whether it's the basement or not...

I know I would not want to pay your electric bill...

[brookbend]

re JohnWill's sniper cat pretty funny

the avg guy sees those small heaters first.... but they're too small.. look a bit more and find the $400 units... 17,000 btu's and they're spec'd for 1,000 sq ft rooms and they run at 1500w
(just like a hair drier)

3 [cubic ft volume] = req'd btu for a poorly insulated room... no coincidence that this formula yields about what the expensive units are rated for, for btu and space

i'll insulate the walls and improve the windows, and door correct-this is a good return for the money

i own the house.. no plans to move but i'm strapped for $ it's my office 9-5+

[Knotbored]

If its an office then don't skimp on lighting. Note that 15 100W light bulbs put out the same amount of heat as one 1500W heater, and turn off immediatly when you leave the room.
Thhat 25' X 18' seems huge for a home office, isn't there a way to screen off the desk space you use 80% of the time and have a warm zone/cool zone? Use that 2" insulation board from HomeDepot and $20 could make a cozy corner.

[brookbend]

interesting idea - but i like space and there's 2 people in the office

the 15 light bulbs idea... hard to believe you walk into a basement at 45 degrees, flip the lights and in an hr its 68 degrees in there...

[wacor]

Originally Posted by brookbend

interesting idea - but i like space and there's 2 people in the office

the 15 light bulbs idea... hard to believe you walk into a basement at 45 degrees, flip the lights and in an hr its 68 degrees in there...

My grandparents had a little building out in the back yard that housed their water well. It might of had an insulated ceiling but certainly not the walls. They kept things from freezing by means of only a light bulb. We live in the north so when it go down around to zero they would turn on a heat lamp bulb but as long as it was above that the single light bulb threw off enough heat to raise the temps.

[JohnWill]

I agree with the idea of insulating the room if you want to heat it. Rather than spend a ton of money on electricity, I'd spend it on improvements to the room. I stand by my estimates if you have proper insulation and double-pane windows. Obviously, something has to be done to insulate that exterior door too.