I have been back and forth about wood stove in the basement and a wood boiler in my garage. It seems that the boiler in the garage my not work with the insurance company. So I am back to the stove in the basement. I have a two story cape with a finished basement, approximately 2800 sqft. My question is how or can I circulate the heat to the upstairs of the house? At lest I would like to get the heat to the first floor.
wood stove in basement?
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gangsplatt
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I have a wood stove in my basement (was there when i bought the house) previous owner cut holes out in the floor and inserted vents, about 1'x1' floors are not insulate either.
Thanks, I have heard that there needs to be almost a circle effect for the air to return to the stove. Before I install a wood stove I would like to be sure it will help heat the house.
FatttFire
Member
I have an old fisher in the basement ..................... I have dreams of a T-6 .................... and it heats my 3000 sq ft home in the winter just fine! I have an old pre epa stove so it tends to need some more baby sitting, but works great!
fishing lineman said:
How is the basement accessed? Is their a narrow stairwell on the side of the house or a fairly large central stairway? That's going to be the primary path for hot air to convect upstairs. What is the main heating system - forced air or hot water?
The basement is acessed from the kitchen, the kitchen is open to the living room and there is an open foyer to the upstairs. There is a stairway that is 36" wide. The main heating is hwbb oil. And it the only place to put the stove is kind of off to one side of the basement.
To be honest, that's a lot of strikes against it. But the central location of the staircase is at least positive. Some heat will get up it an might be enhanced with a fan in the doorway. But I doubt enough without making it pretty hot in the basement. What is stopping it from being on the first floor, maybe in a corner? FWIW, we have less square footage and managed to make room for a stove. It will heat so much better if you can possibly find a location where it will work.
STOVEGUY11
Feeling the Heat
Is there a chimney in the basement? If not I would consider a class A upstairs to heat the area you live in. To heat from the basement, you will have to go with a large unit, and you first will have to work to heat the walls in the basement before the heats gets upstairs. Most successful basement installs result in hot temps in the basement to achieve a reasonable temperature in your living area upstairs. If your not looking for anything decorative in the basement you can get away with minumum costs for a large unit. Most people when they install in there living area go with more decorative units in their living area which runs more$$$$
RedRanger
New Member
I will speak from experience on this subject. Our basement is finished but low ceiling (7.6). and we need 80+ degrees in the rec-room and the doorway fan running to get 65 upstairs. And it takes many,many hours of continuous burning to achieve that.We are still contemplating a second wood-insert for the upstairs.
I would love to install the stove on the first floor, however there in no chimney. The only place to put a chimney is through the kitchen which I would have no access unless I remove cabinets. My oil boiler is direct vent, wasn't thinking ahead when I built the house!
I added a chimney in our living room, ran it up through a second floor closet. Some folks run them exterior. It's a pretty common procedure. Have a pro stop by and take a look. Where there's a will, there's a way.
After reading this I started insulating my basement with 2” R-10 & 11/2” R-7 pink foam board
http://www.woodstove.com/pages/basement_install.html
http://www.woodstove.com/pages/basement_install.html
That's a very good article, but does not take into account condensation. Insulating a basement top to bottom will definitely improve the R value, but for basements that are completely underground, it is not recommended. Insulating the area from the top to the bottom of the frost line is the proper recommendation.
AFWIW, I have a Breckwell 2700 in the corner of my unfinished basement, stairwell in the middle of the house, and it kept the first floor at 72 degrees this winter. Large foyer to the second floor helped the heat rise, and was approx 7 degrees cooler upstairs.
AFWIW, I have a Breckwell 2700 in the corner of my unfinished basement, stairwell in the middle of the house, and it kept the first floor at 72 degrees this winter. Large foyer to the second floor helped the heat rise, and was approx 7 degrees cooler upstairs.
gangsplatt
New Member
gangsplatt said:
No, I’m gluing the insulation to the cinder block wall and attaching (screwing) 1”x3” boards . Then ½ “sheet rock will go on top of that as a thermal barrier to meet code.
It’s a little bit of work because of the cabinets and shelving all have to come down and be re-hung but it’ll be done right. Also I’m bring the electrical outlets and some plumbing out 2 ½”to adjust for the thickness. I’m about ¼ done.
Rigid foam is a good way to go. You should do the entire wall. Condensation is just one of the moisture issues one needs to be aware of when insulating a basement. Moisture wicking through the walls can also cause problems. Here's a great article on basements and insulation that defines the issues and solutions:
http://www.buildingscience.com/docu...lcontrol/heatflowbasics/insulation/main_topic
http://www.buildingscience.com/docu...lcontrol/heatflowbasics/insulation/main_topic
Good article.
I screwed treated 1x6” on top of the pink foam board on the wall along the bottom so the 1x3” rest on top of that to keep the sheet rock up off the floor. If I did get a few inches (which is very unlikely) of water in basement it wouldn’t get the sheet rock wet.
I screwed treated 1x6” on top of the pink foam board on the wall along the bottom so the 1x3” rest on top of that to keep the sheet rock up off the floor. If I did get a few inches (which is very unlikely) of water in basement it wouldn’t get the sheet rock wet.
gangsplatt
New Member
Since I also have my woodstove in my basement I'm planning on insulating my basement. I want to eventually turn half of my basement into my family room so I was planning on framing it in then insulating. But am always looking for ways to make things easier. Thanks for the basement article that will be a huge help!
We have a ranch with a walkout basement (insulated 2x6 with drywall on the inside and bricks on the outside). The stove is downstairs in the family room (where we spend most of our non sleeping time) and it does a good job of heating the upstairs. Right off the family room are the stairs that lead to the upstairs "great room" with high ceilings and ceiling fans. I can't run the house solely on wood but the heat from downstairs flows naturally upstairs and I save a ton on propane.
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