Okay, was just talking to a friend in Boston who said it was snowing. Here in Cali its 60 degrees and I feel a need for warm socks and a pullover, but I get cold fast.
Thinking back to when I visited her 2 yrs ago at Christmas and how her furnished basement which doesn't get heat from the furnace felt like a walk in freezer every time we went down. Literally you could see your breath, cold enough to take your breath away, couldn't go down without lots of layers and gloves etc. Basically it felt no different than how cold it was outside.
Now its been a while and I have watched soo many home improvement shows in which lack of insulation/improper vapor barriers/ etc.. were all culprits. Watched soo much Holmes on Homes that I feel like I am an unofficial guru in general knowledge about that kind of stuff. (amazing how those shows make you feel like you now know something )
Anyhow I postulated that maybe there may not be a dense enough insulation in her basement. She says they are supposed to be that icy, and that since I live in warm weather I haven't a clue.

Well its true I don't know much about cold weather, but really... how cold is a basement supposed to be? I mean is it supposed to be as cold as outside in the winter? Or is there a set number of degrees different that they should normally be in comparison to outdoors?

Is this what everyone in the NE deal with normally? Or should she look into causes?

Quote from rosprncss : Okay, was just talking to a friend in Boston who said it was snowing. Here in Cali its 60 degrees and I feel a need for warm socks and a pullover, but I get cold fast. Thinking back to when I visited her 2 yrs ago at Christmas and how her furnished basement which doesn't get heat from the furnace felt like a walk in freezer every time we went down. Literally you could see your breath, cold enough to take your breath away, couldn't go down without lots of layers and gloves etc. Basically it felt no different than how cold it was outside. Now its been a while and I have watched soo many home improvement shows in which lack of insulation/improper vapor barriers/ etc.. were all culprits. Watched soo much Holmes on Homes that I feel like I am an unofficial guru in general knowledge about that kind of stuff. (amazing how those shows make you feel like you now know something ) Anyhow I postulated that maybe there may not be a dense enough insulation in her basement. She says they are supposed to be that icy, and that since I live in warm weather I haven't a clue. Well its true I don't know much about cold weather, but really... how cold is a basement supposed to be? I mean is it supposed to be as cold as outside in the winter? Or is there a set number of degrees different that they should normally be in comparison to outdoors? Is this what everyone in the NE deal with normally? Or should she look into causes?

A basement needs to be above freezing. It can be any temperature the homeowner is willing to pay for. If your friend throws enough money at her basement, she can make it feel like the Sahara in her basement, during the middle of winter.

Quote from rosprncss : Okay, was just talking to a friend in Boston who said it was snowing. Here in Cali its 60 degrees and I feel a need for warm socks and a pullover, but I get cold fast. Thinking back to when I visited her 2 yrs ago at Christmas and how her furnished basement which doesn't get heat from the furnace felt like a walk in freezer every time we went down. Literally you could see your breath, cold enough to take your breath away, couldn't go down without lots of layers and gloves etc. Basically it felt no different than how cold it was outside. Now its been a while and I have watched soo many home improvement shows in which lack of insulation/improper vapor barriers/ etc.. were all culprits. Watched soo much Holmes on Homes that I feel like I am an unofficial guru in general knowledge about that kind of stuff. (amazing how those shows make you feel like you now know something ) Anyhow I postulated that maybe there may not be a dense enough insulation in her basement. She says they are supposed to be that icy, and that since I live in warm weather I haven't a clue. Well its true I don't know much about cold weather, but really... how cold is a basement supposed to be? I mean is it supposed to be as cold as outside in the winter? Or is there a set number of degrees different that they should normally be in comparison to outdoors? Is this what everyone in the NE deal with normally? Or should she look into causes?

If it's not getting heat from the furnace then of course the basement is going to be cold. Doesn't matter how much you insulate if you are not heating it.

It's 18 degrees outside right now in WI, I have the heat set at 61 degrees. (I'm cheap) It's 52 degrees in my basement. I don't have the heat turned on in the basement. In the summer the basement probably warms up to 60 degrees. I'm not really sure though, I never took the temperature gauge down there to check.

How one interprets cold is relative to the environment they are used to. When it warms up to 40 degrees's here in WI in spring, everyone will be out without jackets. Some people be wearing shorts and t-shirts. The exact opposite happens in autumn. Everyone is used to 60 degree weather, so when it hit's 40 we all bundle up. When it hit's 10 degrees we stay inside.

Last week it was 35 degree's here. It was beautiful outside.

Quote from teenbean : If it's not getting heat from the furnace then of course the basement is going to be cold. Doesn't matter how much you insulate if you are not heating it. It's 18 degrees outside right now in WI, I have the heat set at 61 degrees. (I'm cheap) It's 52 degrees in my basement. I don't have the heat turned on in the basement. In the summer the basement probably warms up to 60 degrees. I'm not really sure though, I never took the temperature gauge down there to check. How one interprets cold is relative to the environment they are used to. When it warms up to 40 degrees's here in WI in spring, everyone will be out without jackets. Some people be wearing shorts and t-shirts. The exact opposite happens in autumn. Everyone is used to 60 degree weather, so when it hit's 40 we all bundle up. When it hit's 10 degrees we stay inside. Last week it was 35 degree's here. It was beautiful outside.

Shorts?!! ahh... so I am just cold intolerant. I am supposed to feel cold when I go into the basement huh?
Extra insulation won't make it warmer? Just keep in what you have already?
I actually cut short my vacation up there that year cause I was just tired of feeling cold all the time. The tv was in the basement, did I mention, and so the only way to watch was go down there and I didn't have a reliable laptop to stay cozy upstairs. She keeps inviting me over for Christmas again, and I escape. I think I'll visit next during the summer

Thanks

Quote from rosprncss : Shorts?!! ahh... so I am just cold intolerant. I am supposed to feel cold when I go into the basement huh? Extra insulation won't make it warmer? Just keep in what you have already? I actually cut short my vacation up there that year cause I was just tired of feeling cold all the time. The tv was in the basement, did I mention, and so the only way to watch was go down there and I didn't have a reliable laptop to stay cozy upstairs. She keeps inviting me over for Christmas again, and I escape. I think I'll visit next during the summer Thanks

Heat rises, so the basement will never get warm by itself. Maybe you should buy her a space heater for Christmas.

Our basement is really warm because wife wont let me close off the damn duct vents

Quote from teenbean : Heat rises, so the basement will never get warm by itself. Maybe you should buy her a space heater for Christmas.

Space heaters are nice!

I have a heat pump in my basement and some really cold days it just doesnt do the trick (unless I crank it up to 80, then I am sweating my balls off), so I bust out the space heater in the main room and everything is nice!

And yeah, in cold climates basements should be heated. Actually... I think every where you can have a basement is likely cold enough that it needs heat.

I keep the heat around 65 and use space heaters upstairs. The basement does have heating ducts, but the heat doesn't come on that much. Still my basement is fairly warm. Maybe because its finished Its definitely not freezing down here ( as I type this)

Now in the summer with the A/C on it gets cold!

I keep my house at 62 to 64 degrees in Michigan winter. Any warmer, and I'm sweating! As long as my FEET are at the right temp, the rest of me is fine. I could shiver in 90 degrees if my feet are cold. So, I keep my feet warm with good slippers.

In the summer, I keep the air at 78-79 degrees, as any warmer and I'm sick.

I have ceiling fans that run 24/7/365 to circulate air.

Quote from rosprncss : The tv was in the basement, did I mention, and so the only way to watch was go down there and I didn't have a reliable laptop to stay cozy upstairs. She keeps inviting me over for Christmas again, and I escape. I think I'll visit next during the summer

I have the theater in the basement and I keep a down comforter folded up there in case I have a guest who feels cold, but it never really gets that cold down there. You could always use a blanket, sleeping bag, or snuggie to make your own cozy downstairs. It's actually rather nice because the basement temperature is offset from the outside temperature by a few months, so it's cool down there through the spring and most of the summer, and then by the time the basement has warmed up, it's almost fall and having it warmer down there is nice.

I don't normally have any heat running down there, but the server room is by the back staircase, so if I leave the doors open, the air will naturally circulate from the extra heat the machines give off.

Last time I checked, with no heat in my basement the temps are always at least in the 50's in the winter and slightly warmer in the summer.

Ours is mid to upper 50s in the winter. It probably hits the 70s during the hottest days of the year.

No heat registers, but the furnace throws a fair amount of heat out.

I'd say outside temp < 40 is cold. Fully clothed inside I'd say I'd be comfortable around 60. Over 70 I start getting warm, and by 75 I start to hot.

I typically keep my house @ 62-65 in the winter.

The GROUND is +/- 10 degrees from the average climate temp all year round. Ground takes a VERY long time to heat up or cool down so at about 5 feet underground, in NE, the ground will be near 55 the whole year. (Geothermal Mass principal or something like that)

Our basement is always chilled. It is nice and cool in the summer, and even though it is not heated it is never freezing during the winter.

You probably think it is SOOOO COLD and it is over 50 degrees. Which isn't warm, but not that big of a deal.