getting heat upstairs

I say if you are going to be cutting holes then use some of these as well
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/hvacr/heating-equipment/fire-and-smoke-dampers

crazy_dan said:

I say if you are going to be cutting holes then use some of these as well
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/hvacr/heating-equipment/fire-and-smoke-dampers

Click to expand...

Crazy Dan: please don`t encourage that--it really isn`t neccessary. Heat "has" to rise. Lets first try to get him burning 24/7 or at least something like 20/7--you will be just as surprised and happy as I am with just doing that one simple thing. I am so tempted to add more, but it is too early in the season to really do it with an opinion that is meaningful. Suffice enough for now to say that the heat will find it`s way "upward"..

Move that baby to the first floor and hang out in your Bermuda shorts all winter. But seriously I had to make the hard decision to put my stove in the basement or the first floor. I just could not stand the thought of heating my basement to 90 degree's only to reach 65 degrees on my second floor. My first floor is 70 right now and it's 30 outside. On the other hand my kitchen is 90+. I love it but the wife is less than amused. I know you can't move your stove at this point, the best way to move the heat is to give it a highway ......if you will....to move on....... my HVAC classes are coming back to me. If you do not have make up air.I.E. cold air to replace the heated air , then you can't create the heating "highway". So do what ever you can to create a heating cycle. Cold air to the stove and hot air away. I hope this helps.

sonnyinbc said:

crazy_dan said:

I say if you are going to be cutting holes then use some of these as well
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/hvacr/heating-equipment/fire-and-smoke-dampers

Click to expand...

Crazy Dan: please don`t encourage that--it really isn`t neccessary. Heat "has" to rise. Lets first try to get him burning 24/7 or at least something like 20/7--you will be just as surprised and happy as I am with just doing that one simple thing. I am so tempted to add more, but it is too early in the season to really do it with an opinion that is meaningful. Suffice enough for now to say that the heat will find it`s way "upward"..

Click to expand...

Don't offer any safety devices that have a fail safe of shut just tell them NO NO NO. That doesn't work with kids why do you think it will work with somebody that doesn't have to answer to you? I am not saying cut holes or anything but if they so decide to cut holes would you rather there be some form of safety device in play or not?

crazy_dan said:

sonnyinbc said:

crazy_dan said:

I say if you are going to be cutting holes then use some of these as well
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/hvacr/heating-equipment/fire-and-smoke-dampers

Click to expand...

Crazy Dan: please don`t encourage that--it really isn`t neccessary. Heat "has" to rise. Lets first try to get him burning 24/7 or at least something like 20/7--you will be just as surprised and happy as I am with just doing that one simple thing. I am so tempted to add more, but it is too early in the season to really do it with an opinion that is meaningful. Suffice enough for now to say that the heat will find it`s way "upward"..

Click to expand...

Don't offer any safety devices that have a fail safe of shut just tell them NO NO NO. That doesn't work with kids why do you think it will work with somebody that doesn't have to answer to you? I am not saying cut holes or anything but if they so decide to cut holes would you rather there be some form of safety device in play or not?

Click to expand...

I hear you Dan--and of course I would rather see the safety devices. And yes, you are right, if he is damn hell bent on doing it, then kudos for you for the safety measures you showed him. Just saying that last year that is exactly what I was thinking of doing, but have now found it unnecesary. Don`t know about the op`s floors, but in our case it would have meant carving and kinda wrecking nice hardwood floors for no "good reason".. Anyway, hope he is following this thread, and will think twice about going in that direction. Not knocking your advice, just suggesting there is a better way-specially if you can keep the heat coming..

My sister has a big raised ranch with the big wide starway in the middle with a woodstove downstairs. Basement mostly finished. Garage under was turned into a bedroom. 4 bedrooms upstairs, big cathedral ceiling great room / kitchen. They used to heat the whole house with the woodstove. Heat just rolled right up those stairs. Had to leave doors open of course.

What I've found is if you have high cielings if you have a ceiling fan aimed up in the room the stove is located in the heat will get trapped, if you have the fan pointing down the air will be pushed out of the doors to other rooms. We have registers cut into the floors and cielings to circulate heat better as well, in the registers we have put fans to blow the heat up into rooms. My bedroom is unheated and without the fan to push the heat up from the living room to the bedroom it was 5-8 degrees cooler in the winter if the fan was left off to let the heat rise naturally. I put a digital thermometer in my room and tested it with the fan off and on and even switched the direction of the fans. Definitely up if you have registers cut between floors to pull the warm air from the room below. With 3600 sq feet we have two pellet stoves and a wood stove to cut back on oil.