Basement theaters

[browndk26]

Our Walkout basement was finished and insulated when we bought the house. It still gets cold down there though. What have people done to keep the temperature in their basement theaters comfortable?

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by browndk26

Our Walkout basement was finished and insulated when we bought the house. It still gets cold down there though. What have people done to keep the temperature in their basement theaters comfortable?

I don't have a basement theater, but I'd suggest installing some baseboard heaters.....

An "easier" solution that would also be fairly efficient, would be to get one of these....

http://www.edenpurestore.com/

[SDon1969]

Nothing, really, I just put up with it. I get a little heat through a vent but not much. It's usually around 60 down there during the winter, so I just wear a sweatshirt or something...

[Johk]

Originally Posted by browndk26

Our Walkout basement was finished and insulated when we bought the house. It still gets cold down there though. What have people done to keep the temperature in their basement theaters comfortable?

Electrical heating like in the rest of the house... (it seems like a weird question for me because almost every house where I live has that). Last night it was -4°F outside

[tilallr1]

Are you sure everything is properly insulated? If it is, it shouldn't be that cold down there. Is cold air getting though and around the doorway? You can fix that. That can make a huge difference.

Also, is it possible to direct extra duct work from your furnace to your finished area? This could provide more warm air down there. Also, are all your basement vents completely open? Have you checked inside your basement vents to insure they are open and not closed?

[thePhoenix]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

An "easier" solution that would also be fairly efficient, would be to get one of these....

http://www.edenpurestore.com/

+1, my parents have one of these in thier basement and it works really well.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by SDon1969

Nothing, really, I just put up with it. I get a little heat through a vent but not much. It's usually around 60 down there during the winter, so I just wear a sweatshirt or something...

haha..... funny you should say that...... we have 2 forced air furnaces, and we keep them set at 60 degrees...... Our entire house is C O L D !!!! (another reason the insulation guys are working here even as I type this!)

It may sound crazy to put up with a 60 degree house, but last winter we turned it up to about 68-70 degrees for a month in January/February, shortly after we moved in, and we received a gas-bill for almost $800 for one month..... Cleveland is cold in the winter when you have an old house! It's actually pretty common for our neighbors to have theirs low too (not like us, they keep it at 63/64/65 or so......) We plan on making it more comfortable when we're done "weatherizing" it......

But yeah.... for the OP.... You need to add heat to enjoy your basement theater

[browndk26]

Originally Posted by tilallr1

Are you sure everything is properly insulated? If it is, it shouldn't be that cold down there. Is cold air getting though and around the doorway? You can fix that. That can make a huge difference.

Also, is it possible to direct extra duct work from your furnace to your finished area? This could provide more warm air down there. Also, are all your basement vents completely open? Have you checked inside your basement vents to insure they are open and not closed?

It is a heated basement and when the furnace is on it is fairly comfortable. It is just hard to maintain the temp. The door is not a big problem temp wise but a new one would be nice.

[Fors*]

My basement gets quite warm with proper insulation and with 2 vents that blow down from the ceiling. We even have a ceramic tile floor (with area rugs), but it is quite comfortable down there and we keep the heat at around 68-70. I think perhaps insulation/weatherizing is your problem......

[browndk26]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

My basement gets quite warm with proper insulation and with 2 vents that blow down from the ceiling. We even have a ceramic tile floor (with area rugs), but it is quite comfortable down there and we keep the heat at around 68-70. I think perhaps insulation/weatherizing is your problem......

If we ever remodel the basement the main focus will be making it comfortable. We know there is some insulation after repairing drywall due to a leak.

[tilallr1]

Originally Posted by browndk26

It is a heated basement and when the furnace is on it is fairly comfortable. It is just hard to maintain the temp. The door is not a big problem temp wise but a new one would be nice.

Move your hand around the entire door (but don't touch anything), wherever you feel cold air you have a problem. You need to insulate those areas somehow. Same goes for windows too. You shouldn't have any cold air coming in, unless the door is open of course .

[K_Williamson42]

sweats and a blanket

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by browndk26

If we ever remodel the basement the main focus will be making it comfortable. We know there is some insulation after repairing drywall due to a leak.

If you do, don't forget to make sure you have the basement properly sealed against any water getting in too. We had to spend $10,000 just so they could properly seal the basement!! They had to drill holes in the cement blocks in the wall and then dug down 3 feet deep around the entire circumference of the basement floor to put in a french drain. Only after this was done (it took 3 days for them to water seal the entire thing) could the contractor begin to finish the basement! We only had a small leaking problem, but to properly get it fixed cost us a lot of $$$!

Lastly, I don't know about your area, but ours has Radon, so don't forget to check for Radon or any other gases that may exist in the ground. Luckily ours came back safe, with a small amount detected.

[ambientcafe]

This might be a pricier option, but have you considered 'radiant' floor heating? It's likely more common here in Canada, where one can have the system preinstalled, or 'roughed in' before taking delivery of a new home.

[Uniquely]

I'd love to have the problem of how to keep a space "warm." Even during a particularly cold year, I might run my heat for about seven days total throughout the entire year. A 60F room would be like heaven to me!

[kareface]

Do you have carpeting, hardwood or conventional cement? If you didn't use a subfloor you'll be losing a ton of heat to the floor. If you are worried about losing a few inches of head room for the subfloor, you can always use a product like dricore. This is one of the biggest improvements you can make to a basement room outside of proper insulation and windows.

[browndk26]

Originally Posted by sentinel41

Do you have carpeting, hardwood or conventional cement? If you didn't use a subfloor you'll be losing a ton of heat to the floor. If you are worried about losing a few inches of head room for the subfloor, you can always use a product like dricore. This is one of the biggest improvements you can make to a basement room outside of proper insulation and windows.

Carpeting

[dolphinc]

You could always try this...

[kareface]

Originally Posted by browndk26

Carpeting

Is there a subfloor beneath?

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by browndk26

Our Walkout basement was finished and insulated when we bought the house. It still gets cold down there though. What have people done to keep the temperature in their basement theaters comfortable?

Hmm, I had a heat pump installed with a electric booster. Actual theater room is essentially self-heating considering I'm using a CRT projector.

BTW, did you observe the builder insulate the walls, ceiling, etc.? I have a walkout basement, too, but even without added heat it isn't all that uncomfortable. Then again I was born a yankee.