Dirt basement with forced air heating?
Hi there. I am moving to Philladelphia, and looking at a nice rowhome (3floors/4br), but have several concerns: -heating is baseboard electrical, and I beleive this is going to cost me a lot. There are ducts in place and an old (non-working) gas furnace in the basement. But the basement floor is dirt, with some…
Hi there. I am moving to Philladelphia, and looking at a nice rowhome (3floors/4br), but have several concerns:
-heating is baseboard electrical, and I beleive this is going to cost me a lot. There are ducts in place and an old (non-working) gas furnace in the basement. But the basement floor is dirt, with some damp areas. I would like to get a newer furnace, but I think that is not going to be great to have the humid/moldy/musty basement air being circulated…Any recommendations? I am thinking I’ll need a concrete floor, vapor barrier and all before putting a new furnace. Or a de-humidifier is enough?
Yeah, do the concrete floor. You could limit it to a boiler room, although keep in mind it will mostly likely need to be fire rated and a fresh air intake provided.
Shouldn’t be a problem as long as the furnace doesn’t rest on the dirt floor. They’ll likely pour a slab. As far as the dust, etc, just make sure you get a high quality filtration system installed inline with the return to the furnace.
I have a house in Philly and can make recommendations for contractors.
I would look into the cost of a concrete floor though, if just for the fact that it’ll keep the basement warmer & drier. If there’s really a lot of moisture then yes, it will shorten the like of anything mechanical down there.
Contractor: Bob Vincent
215-694-9690
Tell him Dave recommended him