Airflow question

[GabrielHill]

I am attaching a picture of my living area. The sizing is not correct picture wise, but the sqft is.

The insert will face the staircase / living room. There are two parts of the living room, you can kind of see that from the walls in the middle. There is a ceiling fan in the right middle side of the living room.

The staircase is open, the ceilings are 8ft.

I do not want to buy an insert that will cause my living room the burn up considering it is 500sqft. I know I can stick a fan between the door ways of the kitchen / living room and circulate air that ways, not sure how effective that will be.

I guess I am wanting thoughts of others when it comes to sizing. I was looking at smaller inserts that are rated for 1000sqft, which I think would be a safe bet. But, I also do not want to undersize the unit and regret it later. I am very green, so I am not sure if I could buy a unit that is rated for say 1500sqft to 2000sqft and just keep it from going full force via the unit fan.

 

[begreen]

Would it be possible to place a small table or box fan on the floor in the location shown? If so you should get good circulation. The fan can be run on low speed. It should point toward the opening to the living room. This will push cooler air toward the stove room which will be replaced by the warm stove room air.

Is the staircase exterior to the house or just at the end?

You are in a milder climate so a smaller insert will work. The downside will be shorter burn times. I would look for something in the 1.5 to 2.0 cu ft range. You control how warm things get by the fuel load size, air control setting and frequency of refeeding the stove. If it is warm enough, let the fire go out.

 

[GabrielHill]

Would it be possible to place a small table or box fan on the floor in the location shown? If so you should get good circulation. The fan can be run on low speed. It should point toward the opening to the living room. This will push cooler air toward the stove room which will be replaced by the warm stove room air.

Is the staircase exterior to the house or just at the end?

You are in a milder climate so a smaller insert will work. The downside will be shorter burn times. I would look for something in the 1.5 to 2.0 cu ft range. You control how warm things get by the fuel load size, air control setting and frequency of refeeding the stove. If it is warm enough, let the fire go out.

Thank you.

The staircase is interior.

Yes a fan is an option in the kitchen facing the living room. I saw some nice little corner door fans that looked neat.

 

[begreen]

I'm not a fan of the corner door fans. It's easier to move cold air, down low, than warm air up high. A table or box fan running on low speed is quieter too with their slower running speed and the sound down low and not at ear level.