HVAC Considerations for Finishing a Basement

If you’re considering finishing your home’s basement, arranging for proper heating and air components is often among your first steps. While finished basements may or may not end up containing plumbing, depending on your precise needs and desires, virtually all of them will require basic HVAC setups to make them comfortable and livable.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, our expert team of plumbers, electricians and HVAC professionals is here to help you with any and all such remodeling or construction services within your home. Let’s go over some basic tips on hiring the proper professionals for this kind of job, the heating and cooling areas you’ll need to consider for a finished basement, and a couple other tips to help prevent any long-term issues in the new space.

Hiring the Right Team

So why is it important to involve HVAC professionals in a basement finishing project, anyway? Well, for several reasons. One such reason is the potential need for permits, which could be the case in your area if you’re installing ductwork, getting certain pieces of new equipment or making major additions to certain parts of the system.

In addition, HVAC contractors can help with large pieces of equipment like furnaces or hot water heaters. We’ll assist you with concealing these items but not closing them off entirely, plus ensuring you meet accessibility requirements for the space.

HVAC Areas to Assess

A couple general areas to think about when it comes to a finished basement and HVAC equipment:

• Space: Finishing a basement means adding significant extra square footage to the area of your home that requires heating and air services. This means you’ll want to take a hard look at your current equipment, such as your furnace and AC unit, to ensure they can handle this additional space. In some cases, the more efficient move will be to replace a component or upgrade the system for this reason.
• Purpose: What will the finished basement be used for? Will it be an occasional fun space for the kids, or will someone in the home be living in the space on a daily basis? These questions will help you determine what kind of temperature control you need in the basement, including whether you might require a zoned thermostat system.

Moisture and Air Quality

Another vital area our pros will help you with is ensuring you have proper drainage, waterproofing and dehumidifying solutions present in the finished basement. Basement spaces are more prone than others in the home to moisture and condensation issues that may lead to mold or other air quality concerns, but the right simple precautions taken here will prevent these risks entirely.

For more on how our HVAC pros can help you finish your basement, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the pros at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.