You have transformed your home with a full-scale renovation, but for remodeling your basement, you have absolutely no idea what to do.
You know the weather in your area becomes boiling hot in the summer. So, does that mean you should install an air conditioning unit in your basement?
An air conditioner a great idea to install into a basement, especially if you live in a warmer area and tend to spend a lot of time in your basement. You can also install an air purifier into the AC ducts, which will purify the air in the basement.
An air conditioner and an air purifier can prevent mold and mildew from building up in the basement. Also, a basement with an air conditioner can be a refuge for your tired, sweaty body in the summer months.
Depending on how the HVAC system in your home is set up, you may have to install a separate air conditioning unit in your basement. First, ask the installer if the HVAC system installed in your home can extend down to the basement.
If not, then you will need a separate unit for your basement. Also, do not position any furniture underneath the AC vent.
Is Air Conditioning Necessary in the Basement?
Air conditioning in the basement depends on how the basement feels during the different seasons of the year. If the basement stays at an even temperature throughout the year, then you might not need an HVAC system.
But if your basement stays warm all summer long, an air conditioning unit may remedy this issue.
Many homeowners are now installing air conditioning units in their basements. Some air conditioning units will only cool the basement, not the entire house.
Cooling a single room is far cheaper than cooling an entire house, so you can save money on your monthly power bill.
Plus, new air conditioner models now have an air purifier setting. Air purifiers can remove toxins, odors, mold spores, allergy causing bacteria, and other microscopic irritants from the air.
Running the air purifier mode in your basement will prevent mold and mildew from growing. You won’t have to use harsh chemicals to clean around your basement, and you won’t have to clean so often as well.
How Can I Cool My Basement Without AC?
You like the idea of an AC unit in your basement, but it’ll be a while before you have the money.
You just have to make do by manually cooling your basement until you can hire a contractor to start work installing the AC unit.
How can you keep your basement pool or cool it down if the heat builds?
Keep the window clear and open during the night.
Some basements have one or two small windows near the ceiling. Keep the windows open in the middle of the night and close the windows in the early morning.
Heat rises and floats to the top of the room. By leaving the windows open, any heat that is rising to the ceiling can escape through the windows.
Buy a portable air conditioner.
Air conditioning units are a great way to cool down a single room. There are different sizes of portable air conditioning units that correspond to the size of the room.
Measure the size and dimensions of the basement and find an air conditioning unit designed for the basement size.
One at a time, please!
One great way to cool your basement without AC, or to keep it cool if it’s already cool, is to limit the amount of people in the basement.
Don't forget that people generate heat as well; their body heat, to be exact. One or two people in the basement shouldn't affect the temperature of the basement much.
But if the whole family and some friends are in the basement for movie night, it can get pretty hot pretty fast.
Should I Heat and Cool My Basement?
Since you are installing an air conditioner in your basement, then it makes sense to spend a little extra money and install an HVAC unit.
If you live in an area where there is snow, fog, or rain, then a nice warm, cozy basement will lift your spirits. You’ll be able to hold game nights in your warm basement.
Meanwhile, other people without heaters in the basements will have to wear three or four layers of clothing in their homes.
Plus, no place in your home will be as comfortable on Christmas morning as your warm basement. If you have the money to install an air conditioner, then yes, install a heater as well.
If there is a draft in your basement, search for cracks or holes and seal them before installing the air conditioning unit.
The temperature in the basement should remain generally the same all year round, unless there is an extreme heat or cold weather emergency.
But drafty basements that become cold or hot quickly are likely to have cracks or holes in the walls and around the floor.
Before the contractor installs the air conditioning or HVAC unit, they should go around the basement and locate any cracks or holes and seal them.
Depending on the amount of cracks and how deep the cracks are, repairing the holes and cracks will add a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to the overall cost of the HVAC installation job.
But sealing old cracks is necessary. You do not want to purchase a brand new HVAC unit only for it to work overtime because the heat and the cold keep drifting into the basement through the cracks.
Not only will this draw a lot of power from your home, it will raise the power bill more than you expected.
Conclusion to Installing an Air Conditioner in Your Basement
Many basements need air conditioning. If you can spare the money, install a heating unit as well. Seal closed any cracks or holes in the basement before installing an HVAC unit.
Be sure to keep any windows open at the end of the night, so let out the heat during the summer. Some AC units will have to be installed into the basement independently of the house’s other AC unit.
