Inline Duct Heater

9 years ago

Hi. I have a 3000sq ft home in Chicago suburbs. We have hvac system upstairs on second floor and one in basement for first floor and basement. The furnace is in the NW corner of the house. The office/den that is located in the SE corner of the house doesn't warm up. The southside of the house is an addition and is built over a crawl space. I have gone down into the crawl space and checked out the duct work. The duct travels (from the furnace to the register in the office /den) approximately 45 feet. There isn't any air floor from the register in the den. The duct work in the crawl space that leads to the office /den isn't even warm about 20 feet from the register.

In order to get the office / den to 68 degrees I need to set tstat to 72/73.

Has anyone installed an inline duct heater?

Like:
https://www.acwholesalers.com/Tutco/81-0468-00-Heat-Pack-In-line-Heating-System-with-Wireless-Thermostat/41726.ac?catId=cat21752&mainCat=&subCat=

Or
http://www.morelectricheating.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=MARKEL290074&gclid=CKWVkbmA7sICFeVj7Aod_SYARw

Thoughts? Concerns?
Thanks

Comments (3)

DavidR
9 years ago
In the NW corner? Why? Hvac systems should be installed in the center of the home. In an ideal world you'd have a good hvac contractor fix this.

For a diy hack, you may not really need a heater (which would be pricey to run). Booster fans have their detractors, but I've had good luck using them in overlong heating ducts. They can boost duct airflow in both heating and cooling mode.

The external booster fans that bolt or clip onto the register opening are cheap and easy to install. However, I have yet to see one that I'd call a piece of high quality equipment. They are usually noisy.

This one (link below) is similar to the type I've used. Unlike most booster fans, it only requires cutting into the bottom of the duct, not cutting a section out, so it's relatively easy to install. It also fits rectangular ducts; the axial fan types only work with round ducts. This one is a squirrel cage type, so it does better than an axial fan at creating positive air pressure.

http://www.amazon.com/Tjernlund-DB-2-Booster-Increases-Heating/dp/B000LDEUGQ

It does need to be wired in, which might require a licensed electrician. You can get a thermostat that's supposed to turn it on when duct temperatures increase, but I don't see why you would. I just wired mine to the furnace's fan control.

It does add some noise. I used closed-call foam tape on the mounting shoe to isolate it somewhat. You could probably get more sophisticated with the isolation.

If you really do need supplemental heat for that room, not just more airflow, there are many options. The cheap one is a small baseboard heater with wall thermostat. This will not help with weak aircon in the summer, however.

More expensive but cheaper to run is a through-wall vented gas fired space heater. I do not recommend unvented gas heaters.

At the top end of the price range, a small mini-split heat pump will also give you supplemental cooling in the summer. This is not a diy solution, however.
stoveguyy
9 years ago
why not use a space heater? or a quality built amish heater? made with old world skills and craftsmanship while using a $33 chinese made heater
Related Professionals
Coachella Solar Energy Systems · Elizabeth Solar Energy Systems · Lakeville Solar Energy Systems · Waltham Solar Energy Systems · Crystal Home Automation & Home Media · Half Moon Bay Home Automation & Home Media · Safety Harbor Home Automation & Home Media · Wellesley Home Automation & Home Media · Dedham Electricians · Framingham Center Electricians · Lake Nona Electricians · Arvada Fireplaces · Colorado Springs Fireplaces · Seaside Fireplaces · Silver Spring Fireplaces
DavidR
9 years ago
Quality built? Maybe the cabinet, but I'm not so sure about the guts that do the heating work.

An "Amish heater" is a Chinese-made forced air heater worth perhaps $30, installed in a $300 "Amish made" wood cabinet with fake flames.

I don't recommend portable space heaters for permanent heat, certainly not one of this quality. But if you want to go that route, a name-brand oil-filled radiator-style heater would probably be safer, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amish Heaters