Wanted: Small Natural Gas Furnace

Have you looked at small boilers (in closet/ with exhaust venting / fresh air make up) and a radiator mounted in the room?

http://www.alliedboilers.com/mini_gas.php

These units only go down to 50,000 Btu/hr but are good and much smaller than forced air. You can also get used units for 10 cents on the dollar. (Craigslist has them under appliances - search for "boilers" and you will find people who have done home remodelling work with good spare units. I got lucky and paid $75 for a 135,000 Btu/hr unit to replace my old junker with rusted heat exchanger.). Use quality PEX piping to get the water routed to to the radiator - maybe buy an old 1920's radiator at the scrap yard - they generally don't wear out. Also install a small surge tank/ $50 water regulator / bleed valve to vent air/ isolation valves. Add a thermostat / wiring and you are finished. Of course, you need natural gas too at low pressure as supplied to your existing (?) natural gas hot water heater.

You will still need a certified plumber / city inspector to verify your installation.

Add a CO detector plug-in type ($50 at Home Depot) with battery back-up for safety in case the exhaust system is plugged or leaks due to corrosion over the years.

One approach to this problem is to make your central heating system less efficient. Most modern heating plants derive their efficiency (in part) from not losing heat to an unheated basement. This works great for those who don't require a warm basement and it saves them considerable money. If you want a warm basement, you will have to pay for it one way or the other. You could add a basement zone to your domestic boiler or take other steps that lower the efficiency of your heating system. That's probably the lowest cost approach.

Look in Grainger. They have wall mounted natural gas unvented units with thermostats for under $ 300 in the range of 25,000 BTU. You may not get a 5-2 thermostat however. It may just be a temperature setting . Home Depot and Lowes also carry similar models in fall and winter.

A 6EE98 should be close to what you're looking for.

That's where we started, even purchased then realized that it wasn't capible of being controled with a hardwired thermostat, took it back.

Upon more consideration decided that in the area it may be better to have a vented system anyhow.

Now looking around more maybe a natrual gas fireplace could fit the bill? The question that remains can I hook it up to a thermostat, or just work with having to turn it on when wanted? Only problem there is that is going to be the kids area, and at I think they will often forget to shut it down.

Modine makes gas units, that mounted from the ceiling for commercial and residential spaces.

You can pick up an HD30 model, for around five hundred bucks, as long as 25,000 Btus isn't too much more than you could use.

Get a diagram of the control circuit wiring, but normally they work via a wall stat.

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/Modine-HD30-Unit-Heater/productinfo/HD30A-01/

Look to the bottom, and recommended, even programmable wall thermostats are offered.

The only real issue would be venting...

Had one of those in my old garage...

Not sure the teenage child moving into the basement will like the roar that those put out, very good unit for it's purpose tho... I loved it in the shop.

Here is my ideal solution... if anyone from a furnace manufacture is listening in, this could be an idea for ya.

1) Efficient gas furnace that is wall mounted 10k - 40k BTU/hr models.

2) Easy to plumb exaust, PVC pipe as in the high eff. furnaces.

3) Quite operation with air circulation.

4) Standard thermostat contoler.

5) Cost under the $500 threshold.

6) 5% royality to me for the idea...

Erik Peterson PE