Hello.
I've stumbled into the beer brewing scene and need the ability to ferment the beer in an environment where I can control the temperature, and it needs to be stable. Many people use refrigerators controlled with a universal thermostat to lower the temperature to the right level. I'm planning to work in the basement, which holds 13-15 degrees for a large part of the year, so I have the opposite problem; I need to raise the temperature.
The idea is therefore to build a two-part storage area that I can insulate and where I can put a heat source.
The house was built in '36, the basement has never been re-drained but it's on sandy soil so it's relatively dry in the basement. In the long term, I plan to replace all the windows which are original and leak like a sieve. That should raise the temperature in the entire basement slightly. Then I might need to generally increase the temperature to keep moisture away.
It's said you shouldn't have organic materials in the basement, yet I have a wooden basement staircase built directly against the floor and wall below ground, and it's still largely sound. A little rot damage where it touches the thin slab. That corner is also most exposed since we live on a slope.
Is it necessary to frame with steel studs and glass wool in between?
Or can I use the small supply I have of 45x45 lying around?
I was thinking of building with an air gap against the outer wall just to be safe.
Is it worthwhile to insulate against the floor in some way?
I've stumbled into the beer brewing scene and need the ability to ferment the beer in an environment where I can control the temperature, and it needs to be stable. Many people use refrigerators controlled with a universal thermostat to lower the temperature to the right level. I'm planning to work in the basement, which holds 13-15 degrees for a large part of the year, so I have the opposite problem; I need to raise the temperature.
The idea is therefore to build a two-part storage area that I can insulate and where I can put a heat source.
The house was built in '36, the basement has never been re-drained but it's on sandy soil so it's relatively dry in the basement. In the long term, I plan to replace all the windows which are original and leak like a sieve. That should raise the temperature in the entire basement slightly. Then I might need to generally increase the temperature to keep moisture away.
It's said you shouldn't have organic materials in the basement, yet I have a wooden basement staircase built directly against the floor and wall below ground, and it's still largely sound. A little rot damage where it touches the thin slab. That corner is also most exposed since we live on a slope.
Is it necessary to frame with steel studs and glass wool in between?
Or can I use the small supply I have of 45x45 lying around?
I was thinking of building with an air gap against the outer wall just to be safe.
Is it worthwhile to insulate against the floor in some way?
Feel like I might have been a bit unclear. I have a bunch of wooden studs 45x45 lying around that I need to use (or throw away, don't really have space).