Have a walk up "attic" aka the third floor. it has three dormers and a window on the end - about 12-14' headroom. It is designed to be a bonus room, but was never finished. I call it the rumpus room. Plans for use include kids play room (once we have kids) and home theater (my 35 " TV is feeling neglected since the wife kicked it out of the family room).
Room is 24X24 which will be reduced to about 18X24 with the knee walls. There is also a smaller room 24X12 with less headroom that is cold storage (no insulation on roof).
Right now the room is insulated, but not finished - ie no drywall. I need to add a knee wall - probably with some built ins for storage. Also need to install outlets, lighting and HVAC. There is no HVAC there right now. Looking for advice.
Current house heating is forced HW baseboard - 3 zones, Basement, 1st & 2nd floor. I'll check tonight to see what the BTUs of the unit are. Not sure if I can simply add a zone or tie into the 2nd floor zone.
House has no central air conditioning. But it is my opinion that the rumpus room will require a/c to be useable in the summer. Considering adding central air to the rest of the house or maybe 2nd floor if the price is right. Also considering forced air heating for rumpus room if FHW is too costly.
The engineer in me wants to understand the HVAC calcs & rules of thumbs so I can talk intelligently with the HVAC contractor. So school me. Web sites and equations behind the "X tons per 1,000 sqaure feet" are appreciated.
Hazmat,
If you're only concerned with the one room for now, you might look into a thru-the-wall unit that will heat and cool. The type you see in hotel rooms quite often.
I'm facing the same situation sometime in my future, so I hope to learn from this thread. Our third floor is completely unfinished and gets extremely hot in summer and cold in winter. I'll need plenty of insulation.
There are furnace/AC units designed for upper floor installation. We considered that for our second floor but opted to have conventional furnace in the basement. My sister has a similar house in Illinois with a finished third floor and they have the upper floor furnace. It's in a closet in the knee wall area. The AC compressor sits outside like any other so you'll need refigerant lines in addition to gas/electric. Also, a robust drain pan and condensation drain line. This was one of my fears in putting a unit up for our second floor. There is also more noise but that could be contained with insulation etc. My sister's is rather noisy but no more so than my mom's ranch home with the furnace in a closet on the main floor.
Check with an HVAC installer for an attic unit. Not sure the exact terminology but with some explaination they should know what you are talking about.
Also, keep us posted. As I mentioned, I hope to be doing the same thing a couple years down the road [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
I also would recomend a through the wall unit. Better yet would be what we call a PTAC (package terminal air conditioner). Basically a hotel/motel unit. This would be your cheapest route and you can get them with electric heat or even a heat pump system. The price runs from about $650.00 up to $1,400.00 depending on the size and type. This way you can install it yourself, just plug it in and go. You can get ones with duct packages and external thermostats if you wish. We use them a lot for additions and they work great. Trying to run duct up from your existing furnace and then adding air to it won't work very good unless you get into a zoning system of some type.
Any other questions please feel free to write me at "steve@calltonna.com"
Sorry I didn't get back sooner but I have been out of town. I like Carrier. But you don't have to get Carrier. I know Grainger sells the GE brand which is good also. And I am sure the Grainger price will be less. Most of them that I see use the 20 amp 230 Flat volt plug style. See that attachment and I am sure you will recognise it right away.
As far as attic systems as one poster has shown they are fine also. You will find them to be more expensive and could end up with moisture problems during the winter months if not installed right.
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