Basement heat can't be vented upstairs

By Peter Hotton, Globe Staff  |  March 19, 2009

All of today's questions are from the Handyman's chat room, which appears on Boston.com every Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m.

Q. My 80-year-old home is heated by forced hot water/oil. The basement is toasty warm and the basement ceilings are heavily insulated. Should the insulation be removed or should I put a vent in the floor to the room above to permit the heat to rise and warm the room above?

SUZANNE, Falmouth

A. Do not remove any insulation in the basement ceiling or cut a vent in the floor. The basement heat is not high enough to add to the heat in the house. Basement heat would have to be more than 100 degrees for this to happen. If you don't live in the basement, that heat is wasted. You could insulate all the boiler pipes because they are losing heat to the basement and not to the upstairs radiators.

Q. This summer I plan to be away from home for a week and would like to shut my water off. Should I have any concern about the hot water tank? I was once told not to shut the water off. Anything I should be aware of when shutting the water for that time?

JENNIE

A. Most hot water tank (heaters and boilers) have automatic fill valves that keep both units full of water. When either is shut off, there will be no demand for water, so you can shut off the main water valve. I would check with the water heater dealer first. Short of that, do nothing, but have a house sitter check the house once a day for leaks.

Q. What can be used to insulate/fill in the gap between a wall and the brick facade of the chimney?

JEFF

A. If the gap is between the attic floor and the chimney, fill the gap with fiberglass. Some people suggest you not do this, but I have done it without problems. It also stops breezes from wafting up in the chimney hole. If the gap is between a full-size wall and the chimney, the wall itself should be insulated, not the gap.

Not a question but more of a public service message. We went through the scary experience of a furnace puffback this winter. I'm not sure all your readers know what this is, but it might be worthwhile extolling the need to clean your furnace on a regular basis (particularly if you have wood floors refinished; dust from the sanding is what causes the blockage). The aggravation of a puffback is unbelievable. I wish I knew about this beforehand.

JOHN

Puffbacks are not that common, but scary when they occur. What happens is that the oil burner pre-ignites or delays ignition and then burns soot particles, sawdust, and other blocking debris in an explosive way. Puffbacks in hot air furnaces are particularly dangerous because the explosion debris is sent throughout the house by way of the ducts.

A preventive measure is to keep the burner clean, well-adjusted, and in good condition. Oil companies are well aware of this hazard, and offer cleaning and adjusting services. Another thing to guard against is to keep dust, sawdust, and other fine debris that can aggravate a puffback to a minimum.

Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton also appears in the Sunday Homes Section. He's available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton (photton@globe.com) also chats online about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays: Go to www.boston.com.