Basement has been a unique place to come of age for American teenagers. It’s not just a basement, for some Americans, it’s a place of nostalgia with some incredibly cherished moments. For most American teenagers, the basement has always been an escape from all those rules and regulations imposed by their parents, and for parents, on the other hand, it’s the much-needed privacy from all those parental duties.
The only drawback of a basement is its relatively colder temperature. This might come in quite useful during a hot summer, but things get worse during winter. Although during the winter, the basement temperature is less cold than the outside temperature, still it is not habitable. It brings us to the ultimate question— how to warm up a cold basement? Leave it to us, we are going to lead you to a complete list of tips to keep your precious basement warm and liveable.
Table of Contents
What Makes The Basement Cold?
Before we jump into business, let’s find out the science behind our cold basement situation. Multiple factors play a vital role here.
A basement is usually a damp palace since it lacks adequate ventilation with water seeping through the concrete foundation all the time. During the time of the hurricane, it has a high risk of getting flooded. Therefore, it tends to be cold. Besides, hot air always goes up and cold air does the opposite. As a result, the lowest point of our house is colder than other parts. The basement does not get much sun exposure, which also plays a vital role. With all things together, the basement remains colder than the outer atmosphere most of the summer and spring.
Related Topic: Pros and cons of space heaters
How To Warm Up A Cold Basement?
As we said earlier, we are here to help you out by solving your cold basement issue. Let’s find some decent solution to your unfeeling basement.
1. Ensure a Well-Insulated Basement
Even for a well-finished basement, lacking proper insulation can cause an unwanted chilling situation. There are multiple ways we can insulate our basement. For instance, foam-board insulation can be a perfect solution to this problem when your basement is not properly finished. However, when you have a well-finished basement, you can go with spray foam. It’s an ideal way to insulate your basement.
2. Install an Extra Heating System
Insulation might not come up as satisfactory as you wanted. In that case, you can go for other means to warm up your basement. Installing an extra heating system is the easiest solution you can find. Installing a few space heaters could be a great way to get rid of the whole chilling situation of your basement.
3. Use Radiant in-floor Heat
This is considered by many as one of the most aesthetic ways to warm up our basement as it is truly invisible and takes hot-water tubes or electric wires buried underneath the floor to warm up the basement. As you can see, the way it works makes the invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below and warm up all the objects on the floor. This is a very conniving way to heat up your basement.
4. Choose Inorganic Materials
People have a weird notion about organic materials as if they are always good for us. When it comes to your basement, it’s far better to choose inorganic finishing materials. Organic materials such as wood and drywall are susceptible to mold, mildew, and decay. This can cause great harm to both our basement as well as our health. Most importantly, they are not good enough to provide a sustainable warm situation in your basement. Choosing inorganic materials such as steel studs and gypsum wallboard for your basement construction would have a great impact since they are immune to mold, mildew, and decay even after having been exposed to flooding or water leakage.
5. Install TWO Sump Pumps
Most of our basements are water-proof, regardless, they can still get flooded in time of hurricanes. Sump pumps come up in handy to get rid of flooding, but having an additional battery-operated sump pump is the smartest decision. In times of hurricanes, our basement is at high risk of flooding, at the same time, we can potentially also face a power outage. This is when your battery-operated backup sump pump would thrive. Having a backup sump pump would eventually ensure the heating system of your basement remains stable. With that said, to avoid any further disturbance and moldy basement situation, Installing TWO sump pumps could be a smart move.
6. Invest In a Cozy Fireplace
Forget about heating, just imagine having a fireplace in your basement, the amount of warmth and vibrancy it’s going to give is not only aesthetically pleasing but also a solution to many of your problems. Make sure you are eligible to have a fireplace in your basement according to the homeowners association (HOA), building code, and local law before going for it. There are some drawbacks of having a fireplace in your basement, make sure you take it all into account and consult professionals accordingly.
7. Eliminate Crawl Space Drafts
You don’t want to spend a lot of money on your heating system and still not get satisfactory outcomes, do you? Crawl space is another potential source of leaking cold air into your basement. The better way to avoid this situation is to make sure they are all sealed and properly insulated.
FAQs
Is a cold basement bad?
First of all, it’s natural for your basement to be cold, however, it’s unnatural and uninhabitable if you keep it that way. A cold basement is not a win for you, you cannot make good use of your perfectly spare space as long as it’s cold and damp. In addition, a cold basement is caused by moist air which can grow mold or mildew in your basement. Having mold or mildew is never good for your health and most importantly for your house.
Is it better to heat a basement or not?
It’s always a good move to heat your basement even when you do not use it. Let me explain, as we know, warm air tends to rise, that’s the primary reason why our basement remains colder even during hot summer. During the winter season, even after using multiple heating options, our floor can remain cold and give us discomforting cold feet. Having a well-heated basement means your main floor would become more comforting and warmer. When you use your basement, there is no alternative. You must heat your basement to make it habitable and healthy. One of the healthy benefits of having a warmer basement is the prevention of mold growth.
How cold is too cold for the basement?
Despite being the coldest part of your home during your summer, your basement temperature is unlikely to drop lower than 40°F even during the coldest day according to The Chicago Tribune report. Keeping the thermostat of a vacant house at least 64 degrees (F) is highly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) during winter. It should not be lower than 70 degrees (F) in case of infants or elderly people in it. With that said, any temperature lower than 64 degrees (F) would be considered too cold for your basement.
What is the best heater for a basement?
Well, that’s a tough question to answer given there are arrays of options in the market and they all seem to be perfect to solve your basement heating issue. Still, when you are about to buy a device for your home, minimum market research is required and that also does not guarantee the perfect buy. Having gone through some nuanced researches among all the space heaters available in the market, we have come up with the perfect product for you.
You can unhesitantly go for Dr. Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater. With a dimension of 13 x 12.5 x 17 inches, this radiant space heater is capable of heating a large room. Comes with an automated energy-saving system with high and low features, it also provides tip-over protection and overheats protection. Its remote control feature with a programmable timer would ease up your work and perform with an almost non-existent noise level. Certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in the USA and Canada, you can go for it to experience the maximum comfort and the fastest heat transfer rate. It’s quite easy to install and maintain, you do not have to be an engineer to get the ideas unless you are one!
Final thoughts
We believe our article about how to warm up a cold basement has been a help for you. As we have said earlier, the basement has been an important part of many American teenagers’ coming of age and it will continue to help others grow up. They will have their first drink, first kiss, and their first puff of weed here! Having a habitable basement is important, and knowing the reasons that lead to a chilling basement is the key to have sustainable heating stability in your basement.
