How to Make a Cold Basement Warm
One of the coldest places in a home is the basement. It’s a scientific fact that heat rises, so it makes sense that the basement often is cold and uncomfortable for regular living. Your best bet for reducing the cold is to try to keep as much heat in the downstairs quarters as possible. Review the situation in your basement carefully, then insulate where necessary. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Caulk
- Insulation strips
- Door sweep
- Screwdriver
- Vented electric portable heater
Instructions
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1
Check the basement windows for drafts. Use the movement of a feather or candle flame to find the air leak. Cover the window cracks with caulk and insulation strips.
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2
Attach a door sweep to the bottom of all basement entrance doors. Screw it in place with nails.
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3
Place one or two vented portable electric heating units in the basement. Use a heater that matches the size of the room. You need 10 watts of power for every square foot in the room, so if the basement is 200 square feet, you need a 2,000-watt heater.
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4
Close some of the air returns on the floors above the basement. When you have a heating source in the basement, the warmth escapes from these returns upstairs. Home improvement stores sell magnetic covers for covering vents when they are not in use.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are running a gas heater, furnace or other type of forced-air unit from the basement, keep your air returns open to properly circulate the air. Always keep an operational carbon monoxide detector in the basement since some of these forced-air heater systems produce toxic gases.
