I have a 1200 unfinished sq/ft basement. The entire basement is my gym. I pretty much use 3/4 of it as a gym. Living in MN it is damn cold. The house is 1 yr old and because the basement wasnt finished there are no vents in it to supply heat from the furnace. (Does that sound right? Im just going by what people have told me ).
Anyways…
Because I live in my house solo. I keep it pretty cool in the winter month. A meeger 60 degrees. Yes Im trying to watch my $$$ on heating expenses. For what my neighbors keep theyre homes @ in the tiner months by April I couldve bought a GHR from elitefts!
So does anyone have any suggestions for keeping the gym warm and toasty whenIm using it?
Ive been looking on craigslist for heater. But not sure what would be appropriate?
Kerosene heater?
Propane heater?
Etc…?
Im pretty sure some of these heaters are meant to be outside/garage use only. So I dont know what would happen if I used one in my basement?
And no put on a couple hoodies and long john comments please.
*Are there any safe heaters I can use in the basement?
The newer infrared heaters are pretty good. No fuels, no fumes. Put it on and let it warm the area for an hour before you lift. As long as there’s no possibility of water getting on it, it’s a safe heater.
Check out a radiant heater. A lot of garages use them.
You should be able to get one cheap from Harbor Freight or some such company.
They warm objects (like you) and not the air. So, they’re pretty efficient.
Im trying to avoid using the furnace to heat up the basement.
Like I mentioned I like my place cooler. 60 degrees. It honestly doesnt bother me. I am gone about 12+ hours a day. So when I get home I usually just put on some thermals and a hoody and Im good. But it does suck when Im lifting. Last yr I think my biggest heating bill was $60/mos.
My neighbors who keep theres around 72 degrees+ are around $175 a month. From Nov.-April. Thats a bit of $$$$$. Hence why Im trying to just buy some kind of protable heater to use just when Im lifting in the basement. It doesnt have to be anything great or super fancy. But if it can get the temp. up to 66+? Thatd be awsome!!!
If you looked @ those links. God bless ya.
So what do you guys think? Is it possible I can buy a heater of CL for under $250 that will be safe to use in my gym a couple times a week for maybe 1-2 hrs @ a time?
HG Thrower is right, if your furnace is in the basement add a duct and use that. If you leave the basement door open the heat will still end up on the main level. Worry free and efficient. If you don’t want to heat the basement just close the vent.
You could use the Kerosene heater in the first link, but it is really not for heating 1200 sq ft.
DO NOT use the Torpedo heater as shown in your second link. These are for well ventilated areas only. No point in killing yourself to stay healthy.
I second using your furnace. Just cut a couple vents into the existing ductwork, I am assuming forced air? If it’s hot water it will be a little more work, you would have to tie in a new radiator with a shutoff valve. Still, if you have a natural gas furnace, there is basically nothing you can buy which will cost less in energy expendature, so if your heat bill goes up to 70 or 80 bucks, it will be beter than your electricity bill going up by 30 or 40 bucks.
Another cheap option is to buy a woodstove. You can find some good deals on old but useful ones and they can heat a pretty god area. Wood is most likley cheap out where you live, just fire it up 1 HR before you lift and one load should last quite a while. Also this will actually LOWER your normal heating bill because the heat is going to seep upstairs and keep your regular furnace off longer. Have a professional or at least someone who knows what they are doing install it for you though.
I use radiant heaters in my gym/garage. Before I train I go out and turn on all 5 of them for about an hour. It brings the temperature up pretty quick and with the use of the two overhead ceiling fans circulating the air makes it warmer faster.
During the cold winter months here in Montana they are a plus. My electric bill goes up maybe 20-30 dollars a month when they are in use and I think of it as my gym fees.
[quote]MNguns wrote:
So it sounds like a kerosene heater is the way I want to go?
Kerosene heaters are safe inside?
How much does kerosene cost and where do you get it?[/quote]
I find kerosene heaters to be messy. They also need proper ventilation, so you would probably need to crack a window open an inch or so. Not to mention they do not really have adujustable temps–there is one maximum efficiency setting and the only regulation is turning them off, or opening the window. You have to be careful to get the right size heater for the job or it is a waste of kerosene. And then you have to haul kerosene to fill the thing.
On a positive note, they work, even if the electricity goes out!
Hehe, and a guy I dated a few years back, a true survivalist, pointed out that there is a HUGE advantage to kerosene over other combustable heat sources. It burns ckean, so no smoke to give away your position. Hah. (I did not date him long, btw, and I found out later his biggest interest in me was the arty photo I had posted of light shining through peaches I had canned; he liked that I had the skill and knowledge to put food by, just in case the world goes to hell in a handbasket…
The setup up in our garage mentioned by BiggJames is quite nice; I do find that it quickly gets hotter than I like when working out. I prefer it to be no more than about 60 degrees, max or I get way too hot.
Go to walmart and buy a couple small electric heaters(that may be what the other posters are calling radiant heaters). Since you would only turn them on before/during lifting, your e-bill shouldn’t suffer too much.
Another, more expensive, option would be to put in a wood burning stove. This would also require a smoke stack of some kind, though. Would put off plenty of heat, once you got it done.
