ReplyWith no plenum isnt the strips exposed
Regular Guest
I mounted a Coleman electric furnace in the basement of my camp to keep my pipes from freezing in
the winter if the mini-split can't maintain 50 degrees.I am not using any ductwork as the basement is just one large area.
Is there any thing I should do as far as setting the fan speed? Do I need to create static pressure because there is no ductwork?
Any tips to optimizing this simple set up would be welcomed.
Professional Member*
With no plenum isnt the strips exposed
Regular Guest
Yes ,but they are 8ft. off the floor.I will add expanded metal to keep idiots out.Originally Posted by turkey
Regular Guest
This is model Eb17b coleman furnace made for a house trailer.
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
Its not approved for horizontal installation.
Regular Guest
I changed the mounting so it is now a downflow unit .Is there anything else I should know?
Professional Member*
How are you going to roast marshmallows at camp now?
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
I would probably run a trunk or make an ell to direct the air to the far end, so as to have a slightly better temp distribution.
Regular Guest
Thanks for your reply.
Professional Member*
Just curous, but for freeze protection, why not use something simplier, cheaper and with less moving parts like baseboard heaters or a wall mounted electric unit heater? You don;t need much if any airflwo just for freeze protection.
Regular Guest
I only paid $150 for the furnace.Trying to keep the first floor, 896 sq. ft.,10 ft ceilings, poured concrete and the 2nd floor,stick built,which is very well insulated from freezing.I figured I need 40k btus.The first floor is in a flood zone so trying to keep every thing down there as high as possible.
Professional Member*
Where are you at location wise? For just freeze protection, you BTU requirements can be roughly 1/2 that of comfort heating. You only need to keep it 35-40F. If most of that is a basement, where the ground temps are above 40F, then now it takes even less. You probably only need 10k BTU's. I just ran adjsuted the number for the basic laod calculation in my home and at 3500sqft and a lot of windows, it would only need 50k BTU's for freeze protection of 2 floors and a basement.
... but $150 is pretty cheap.
Regular Guest
I am in central Pennsylvania.None of it is basement(underground).The first floor is poured concrete(8" thick R value about .8 to 2)The 2nd floor is 2x6 walls,no insulation between 1st and 2nd floor to allow heat from first floor to go to the 2nd floor.Electric furnace is in 1st floor.I understand what you are telling me needing less btu's to protect against freeze.The furnace presented itself and I went that direction.Thank's for your replies I appreciate the help as HVAC is not my forte.
Professional Member*
As stated above I would make an ell or tee to direct airflow in different directions other than that I see no problems other than high utility bill but that beats busted pipes. Check temp at furthest point when it gets cold and see how low you can set the temp to stay above freezing to keep your electric bill as low as possible
Regular Guest
The electric furnace will only be an emergency back up to the mini-split heat pump system which the spec sheet says is good down to
down to 0 degree f.It usually does'nt get to zero here very much and if it does it does'nt stay there long.The electric bill should not be too bad with the heat pump.
Professional Member*
The minisplit will still function below 0F, but capacity will be greatly reduced, and it won't be a much more efficeint that heat strips depending on outdoor humidity levels... but likely enouhg capacity for freeze protection.
However, having a reliable heat soruce for emergency back-up isn't a bad idea. Getting it for $150, makes it a simple choice, I can't disagree.
Just make sure all electrical codes are followed in terms of proper wire size, breaker size, etc. A fire from improper electrical will do a LOT more damage than a busted water line. IF you're going ot be away for a period of time in winter, you can also just winterize the place using antifreeze in traps and draining the plumbing. You can do that in 20-30 minutes in most cases.
Regular Guest
I will probably use the cabin every other week in the winter as it's only 14 miles from my home.The only part I dont like about winterizing is making sure the dishwasher,clotheswasher and icemaker in the fridge are done properly.
I have been looking for remote temperature monitor for use with a pre-paid cell phone to keep tabs on things about $190 is as cheap as I have found.Of course it is fairly close so I can just drive down and check.
Thanks again for all the helpful advice. Bob
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