Furnace room door - OK to leave open?
Kimberly Young
We just recently moved into our first home, and are thus experiencing the
initial shock at the cost of heating the place in this Canadian winter!
Our furnace room is a relatively warm place in the basement of course. This
may be a stupid question, but is it acceptable to leave the furnace room
door open to provide a bit of warmth to the rest of the basement? While the
door isn't fireproof or anything, I'm concerned that leaving the door open
could cause the furnace to draw air from the rest of the house, sucking in
more cold air from outside.
Am I out to lunch here? Advice please!
Thanks,
KD
Wayne Boatwright
news:%y4_b.102360$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca:
No, out to dinner!
*CBHVAC*
"Kimberly Young" <kimber...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:%y4_b.102360$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
You dont have enough information there to give you an educated answer.
Do you have combustion air intakes to the furnace room?
Is the unit a new dual pipe condensing furnace that draws combustion air
from outside? If the answer is no to both those questions, then you can open
the door, leave it closed, it wont make a darn since its GOING to draw air
from inside, no matter what and yes, that same air is going to go right up
the flue, and pull air in from outside anyway.
Open, or closed, it wont matter.
IF, you have a dual pipe, condensing furnace that has the PVC flues to the
outside, one for exhaust, and one for combustion air, then again, it wont
matter, since the air for combustion is being pulled from outdoors, and
being exhausted outdoors.
IF you have a combustion air system installed as you probably should in teh
furnace room, then you are going to have a direct opening to allow for air
from outside to enter for the furnace to gain air to burn during the
combustion process without pulling from your home, and in that case, you
really should keep the door shut.
That way, since air is a liquid, and will follow the path of least
resistance, as the air is being used in the furnace room, the air from your
combustion air duct will be pulled into the room, and replace what is being
burned. Otherwise...a 3X8 door is a hell of a lot larger opening than a 5 or
6 inch round duct...you figure what the air will flow through better...
Eric Tonks
apartments are overheated. You may be trying to keep your home to the same
level of comfort. We are in Canada, we should be used to a little cold, and
houses that are not overheated and thus wasting heat and money. If you keep
the thermostat over 70 F or 21 C you are overheating, and your bills will be
exessive. Personally that is still too hot for me. I keep my house at 66 F
during the days and 59 F at night. My family all feels comfortable at that
temperature, and my heating bills are not that bad.
"Kimberly Young" <kimber...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:%y4_b.102360$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
Kimberly Dorsey
uncomfortable for us. My husband minds it a bit more than I do, but has no
problem wearing a sweatshirt or whatever when we're inside at night. The
basement and upstairs are even cooler than that, which suits me just fine.
I've never been one to make it very warm in the house, I prefer it cooler,
especially at night. The heating bill was just a shock after living for
years in apartments where the heat was included in rent.
Our spring project is going to be working on better insulating our windows
and such, probably covering most of them with plastic next winter. But in
the meantime, we're exploring ways to reduce our heating costs. At least all
this snow we got on the weekend has some insulating properties...
KD
"Eric Tonks" <etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM> wrote in message
news:4038f0ab$0$41294$a186...@authen.newsreader.visi.com...
Phisherman
I have never used a door to the furnace room. Actually I have two
furnaces in my home, one in the basement and one in the attic. The
one in the attic is closed off from the rest of the house, but it does
get ventilation in the attic. The furnace in the basement is open.
All combustion furnaces need air (oxygen) for proper heating but
probably not a draft. To reduce your heating bill, think about
adding more insulation especially if you plan on living there for more
than 5 years.
TURTLE
"Kimberly Young" <kimber...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:%y4_b.102360$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
This is Turtle.
I can't see how your system is set up but it would provide a little heat to the basement but would cost you way more fuel cost for a
little heat that you would get from it. It just would be too costly to try to get a little heat from it [ pull outside air in ] .
Now on the other hand your not suppose to burn liviable area air for the burner air supply to a furnace and it becomes a safety
issue. If you just wanted the basement to not get too cold for storing items or just going down there everyonce in a while. Get you
a Electric heater or panel ray heater with thermostat and set either on the lowest setting to keep it a little warm down there.
TURTLE
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Eric Tonks
the sill plate in the basement as well as all wires and pipes that go up
through the first floor from the basement (and any openings through the
ceiling/top plates into the attic). Have storm windows or thermopane glass
and leakproof seals on the windows. Insulate the walls and ceiling to the
max. Seal door openings and sills. Change the furnace to a high efficiency
gas or oil whichever fuel you are using. Do not use electric heat or
heaters. Keep good quality filters in your furnace and change very
frequently to reduce resistance to airflow.
I am located just north of Toronto, my gas bill for last heating season was
$980.00 CAD for the year to heat the house and hot water, including rental
costs of the water heater. This is for a 2000 sq. ft. bungalow with a
finished and heated basement.
"Kimberly Dorsey" <kdo...@NOSPAM.ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:0B6_b.102476$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
Kimberly Dorsey
is a bit cheaper than oil though, isn't it? We're in Halifax and are using
oil for our heat and hot water. For the past three months or so, we're
averaging about $225 a month for oil. Our house is two story, finished
basement, withabout 1200 square feet of living space. The place is a little
over 30 years old, so it probably isn't the most energy efficient home on
the planet. The furnace is leased, and has a high-efficiency burner, and no
electric heat. We're very new to the home ownership thing, having only moved
in here in late August, so we're still learning how to do stuff. I
appreciate all the advice! Now I'm going to have to investigate the furnace
filters...sad to say, I've never even looked at them. Ya learn something new
every day!
KD
"Eric Tonks" <etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM> wrote in message
news:40390406$0$41284$a186...@authen.newsreader.visi.com...
Ivan
time.
Ivan, in Saskatoon
"Eric Tonks" <etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM> wrote in message
news:4038f0ab$0$41294$a186...@authen.newsreader.visi.com...
Kimberly Dorsey
course we don't generally get the cold you get, although we did get about
three feet of snow last Thursday. While shoveling sucks, I'll take the snow
over the deep freeze!
Perhaps I will try turning the temperature down while at work...it doesn't
seem to take that long to heat up again once I turn it up a few degrees. I'm
thinking a programmable thermostat may be a convenient way to control the
temperature, have it warm up a bit before we get up in the morning and down
again when we head for work.
Do any of you have experience with programmable thermostats? Is installation
difficult and best left to someone who knows what they're doing? Or can an
amateur do something like this without causing a fire? :)
KD
"Ivan" <mr_jerk...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:103iami...@corp.supernews.com...
*CBHVAC*
new thermostat...
Dont forget to shut the power off to the furnace before starting, or posibly
run the risk of crossing the R with the C while moving the wiring, and
shorting out the transformer.
"George Wenzel" <newsgroup...@recursor.invalid> wrote in message
news:MPG.1aa2f65c1...@news.interbaun.com...
> In article <O4a_b.102614$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca>,
> kdo...@NOSPAM.ns.sympatico.ca says...
> >Do any of you have experience with programmable thermostats? Is
installation
> >difficult and best left to someone who knows what they're doing? Or can
an
> >amateur do something like this without causing a fire? :)
>
> Thermostats (at least, all the ones I've seen) run off low-voltage
> wiring. Pretty much no chance you'll cause any fires.
>
> It's pretty simple to install a programmable thermostat - just make sure
> you keep track of where the wires were attached on the old thermostat,
> _before_ you disconnect them. Follow the instructions included with the
> new thermostat, and you should be able to install it without any
> problems.
>
> I'm definitely not the most handy person out there, but I replaced a
> standard thermostat with a programmable one in about 30 minutes,
> including the time needed to program it.
>
> Regards,
>
> George Wenzel
> --
> George Wenzel, B.A. (Criminology)
> E-mail: newsgroup...@recursor.invalid
> E-mail address is munged. Instead of dot invalid, use dot net
Ivan
I ever did. It's easy as pie. Remove two small wires from the old
thermostat and screw them onto the new one. Screw the thermostat onto the
wall. You're done. If you have A/C it's a few more wires, but basically
just as easy. They come with instructions.
Mine is a "Hunter" brand, from Home Depot. I think I paid about $30.
Don't worry, it's so easy to install. The only hard part is reading the
instructions in the tiny fine print. It's nice to have the furnace come on
in the morning before you have to get up.
Some days I think I'd rather suffer the snow you guys get on the east coast
instead of our cold. We hit a record here two weeks ago. Minus 45
celcius....and with the wind chill I think it was minus 65. We hovered
around there for ten days.
Good luck with your house. They are money pits, but at least you will have
something to show for your investment.
Ivan
"Kimberly Dorsey" <kdo...@NOSPAM.ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:O4a_b.102614$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
*CBHVAC*
> I did exactly that. I installed a programmable thermostat. The best
thing
> I ever did. It's easy as pie. Remove two small wires from the old
> thermostat and screw them onto the new one. Screw the thermostat onto the
> wall. You're done. If you have A/C it's a few more wires, but basically
> just as easy. They come with instructions.
Except they dont tell you what the R is for on older Lennox models...
Hint...connect it where you think, and you fry about $75 in parts.
> Mine is a "Hunter" brand, from Home Depot. I think I paid about $30.
And for $15 more, you could have actually had a real thermostat.
Yea...you got screwed hard.
Ivan
> > Mine is a "Hunter" brand, from Home Depot. I think I paid about $30.
>
>
> And for $15 more, you could have actually had a real thermostat.
>
> Yea...you got screwed hard.
Home Depot has the best prices and brand names.
*CBHVAC*
That is soooooo damn funny.
man..you almost had me for a sec, and then I thought...yea...HD carries
Robertshaw...and then I said..NOT....and then I said..oh thats right, they
sell that crap Hunter, and a couple of basic homeowner series Honeywells....
Yea..you almost had me thinking you were serious for a second, cause no one
is that damn stupid.
Kimberly Dorsey
variety? Inaccurate? More likely to catch my house on fire? What does $15
more buy me?
KD
"*CBHVAC*" <stephen@screweduponpurpose@carolinabreezehvac.com> wrote in
message news:FNv_b.341$g81....@eagle.america.net...
Doug Boulter
wrote on 22 Feb 2004:
> If the answer is no to both those questions, then you can open
> the door, leave it closed, it wont make a darn since its GOING
> to draw air from inside, no matter what and yes, that same air
> is going to go right up the flue, and pull air in from outside
> anyway.
Actually, here in Northern Virginia at least, it would be a code
violation to have a door on the furnace room unless that door had a
grill to permit combustion air to pass into the furnace room. If
there's no grill, the door should NOT be closed, especially if
there's a gas water heater in there as well.
> since air is a liquid,
Huh?????
--
Doug Boulter
To reply by e-mail, remove the obvious word from the e-mail address
*CBHVAC*
> So, what would be the benefit of the 'real' thermostat vs. the Home Depot
> variety? Inaccurate? More likely to catch my house on fire? What does $15
> more buy me?
>
> KD
Quality.
Accuracy.
MUCH less prone to fail.
Hunters....Lux...I throw away, no less than 10 a month on the slow months,
and 10 a week during the summer...seriously.
Ask anyone that sees this on a daily basis, anyone in the HVAC trade...whats
the best single money maker that Lowes and Home Depot sells for us...
Hunter and Lux stats...
A 24 VAC thermostat most likely wont catch your home on fire, as long as the
wiring is ran logically, and not near items of combustion, and normally, IF
there is a short in the stat, the board in your furnace will fail and fry
long before the wiring gets hot enough to burn.
HeatMan
*CBHVAC*
"George Wenzel" <newsgroup...@recursor.invalid> wrote in message
> In article <Xns9498C9DCD6C97d...@216.196.97.132>,
> dbo...@nospamhere.speakeasy.net says...
> >> since air is a liquid,
> >
> >Huh?????
>
> it's _really_ cold. :-)
>
Yup..thanks for the correction...duh...
One of those days where you know what you mean to say, but the fingers
override the brain.....
here..the correction :-)
Since air is a FLUID,
There...I stand corrected and thanks again for that...I would have totally
overlooked it.
Manual D, nothing but alot of fluid dynamics...:)
TURTLE
"Kimberly Dorsey" <kdo...@NOSPAM.ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:5Ow_b.103333$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> So, what would be the benefit of the 'real' thermostat vs. the Home Depot
> variety? Inaccurate? More likely to catch my house on fire? What does $15
> more buy me?
>
> KD
>
This is Turtle.
KD , Hunter just sucks from day one. I change thermostats out for problem with them and about 80% of them is going be a Hunter or
Jade. Both are the same manufactor. Buy any brand except a Hunter if you want it to last for more than a year or two. Now maybe 50%
will work good for a long time but the cards are stacked against you when you start out with a Hunter. Now hunter makes very good
ceiling fans but when it comes to thermostats. They have trash.
TURTLE
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Haha
Great job not answering the question and giving us a personal memoir instead!
14 years later hahaaaaa
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/furnace-room-door-ok-to-leave-open-510570-.htm
trader_4
> "Kimberly Young" <kimber...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:%y4_b.102360$IF6.3...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> > Greetings folks:
> >
> > We just recently moved into our first home, and are thus experiencing the
> > initial shock at the cost of heating the place in this Canadian winter!
> >
> > Our furnace room is a relatively warm place in the basement of course. This
> > may be a stupid question, but is it acceptable to leave the furnace room
> > door open to provide a bit of warmth to the rest of the basement? While the
> > door isn't fireproof or anything, I'm concerned that leaving the door open
> > could cause the furnace to draw air from the rest of the house, sucking in
> > more cold air from outside.
> >
> > Am I out to lunch here? Advice please!
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > KD
>
> This is Turtle.
>
> I can't see how your system is set up but it would provide a little heat to the basement but would cost you way more fuel cost for a
> little heat that you would get from it. It just would be too costly to try to get a little heat from it [ pull outside air in ] .
> Now on the other hand your not suppose to burn liviable area air for the burner air supply to a furnace and it becomes a safety
> issue.
in the USA allows drawing air from the living space or basement for
a furnace. Today, the vast majority are being installed as high
efficiency ones that do pull air from outside instead, but if you read
the install instructions, they typically allow air to be instead
pulled from inside if desired. Some areas may have different local
rules, as always.