We are considering installing either a stove in our basement or a zero clearance unit on our main floor to provide a back-up heat source in case of power-outage. We're in a stand-still debate about which will better meet our needs and especially need some input re: risk of pipes freezing. Here are the details-
Our home is builtin the late 80' but is relatively well insulated. It previously had a brick chimney and stove in basement but we haven't used it as it needs some safety work (ie: liner or use 2nd flue and needs proper inspection- this is in progress and seems positive).
Our basement is a half-walkout with a door right near where the stove would be installed. Water pipes into the house that we are most worried about are on the opposite side of the open basement from the stove. Water tank and a potential future 3rd bathroom are around a corner from potential stove placement.
We heat our home with a mini-split heat pump (LOVE IT!) and don't have natural gas or any other heat source (still have some baseboards but prefer not to use them). We don't have much ducting in our home although we do have an old but good condition HRV system (which obviously wouldn't run in a power outage).
Home is about 1200 sq ft in basement (cement floor, insulated but needs some additional insulation along headers), 1200 sq ft on main floor and 600 feet on 2nd floor where the bedrooms are). We have vaulted ceilings on main and a LOT of windows on main (decent but not awesome, energy advisor says they are fine and doesn't recommend much upgrades for them due to cost benefit).
We would like a unit that would supplement our heat pump in cold snaps and function as a back-up for emergency situations in an outage. My husband does work from home in the basement although he's quite cold-tolerant. (I work from home on main floor.)
I think we would get more enjoyment and benefit from a zero clearance in our living room to heat where we spend most of our time. However I am concerned about pipes freezing in the winter during a particularly cold snap if the power was out. We're not sure how much heat would get to the basement or if putting vents in the floor, or a space heater in the basement run off a generator would be sufficient? My husband is leaning towards a basement stove. Cost is also a factor but we can manage either.
We live in Southern BC (Canada). Winters are mild by Canadian standards but we have had spells of -35 C for a week or so on occasion. Otherwise we hover between -5 and +5 C.
So my questions are:
Our home is builtin the late 80' but is relatively well insulated. It previously had a brick chimney and stove in basement but we haven't used it as it needs some safety work (ie: liner or use 2nd flue and needs proper inspection- this is in progress and seems positive).
Our basement is a half-walkout with a door right near where the stove would be installed. Water pipes into the house that we are most worried about are on the opposite side of the open basement from the stove. Water tank and a potential future 3rd bathroom are around a corner from potential stove placement.
We heat our home with a mini-split heat pump (LOVE IT!) and don't have natural gas or any other heat source (still have some baseboards but prefer not to use them). We don't have much ducting in our home although we do have an old but good condition HRV system (which obviously wouldn't run in a power outage).
Home is about 1200 sq ft in basement (cement floor, insulated but needs some additional insulation along headers), 1200 sq ft on main floor and 600 feet on 2nd floor where the bedrooms are). We have vaulted ceilings on main and a LOT of windows on main (decent but not awesome, energy advisor says they are fine and doesn't recommend much upgrades for them due to cost benefit).
We would like a unit that would supplement our heat pump in cold snaps and function as a back-up for emergency situations in an outage. My husband does work from home in the basement although he's quite cold-tolerant. (I work from home on main floor.)
I think we would get more enjoyment and benefit from a zero clearance in our living room to heat where we spend most of our time. However I am concerned about pipes freezing in the winter during a particularly cold snap if the power was out. We're not sure how much heat would get to the basement or if putting vents in the floor, or a space heater in the basement run off a generator would be sufficient? My husband is leaning towards a basement stove. Cost is also a factor but we can manage either.
We live in Southern BC (Canada). Winters are mild by Canadian standards but we have had spells of -35 C for a week or so on occasion. Otherwise we hover between -5 and +5 C.
So my questions are:
- Will a zero-clearance throw any heat to the basement? Will heating the floors provide enough heat to keep the pipes from freezing?
- I read another thread that said advised against a stove in the basement if the primary function is heating the main space. Will a stove be wasted in the basement re: heat/comfort upstairs?
- Would our 2nd floor bedrooms get any heat from a stove in the basement?
- What would you do?