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GhostnKitty
Oct 13, 2007, 07:33 PM
I need to heat my basement due to how cold it gets in the winter..

labman
Oct 13, 2007, 08:01 PM
If you have forced air, it is simple enough to chop a few holes in the ducts and add registers. Be sure and get ones you can close to control the heat.

If the basement is cold, it may have cold air leaking in. Meticulously caulk between the plate and foundation, the plate and band joist, and the band joist and the floor. Also around any pipes and wires through the wall or ceiling. In some cases, cold air can flow down from the attic into the wall cavities, and then into the basement cooling your whole house. Going up in the attic and caulking there helps too. It also reduces warm moist air reaching the attic and causing condensation problem.

You may want to look at furring out and insulating the basement walls. Once again, they are predicting sharply higher heating cost this winter. Caulk and insulation is a one time expense that saves in all the years ahead.