I have my newly installed nc30 in the basement and cranked last night. I was trying to figure out last night which vents in my 1st floor would be heat vents and which ones would be cold air returns. My first floor consists on a living room, dining room and kitchen. Each room has 1 vent and the basement door is open to the kitchen. The thing that interested me was that the only place the hot air seemed to be rising was up the basement stairwell (which is on the opposite end of my basement) up into the kitchen. All of the vents had cold air going down (tested with a lighter). Even the vent right next to the stove seemed to be pulling cold air down opposed to letting heat rise (surprising to me). So will the heat rising up the stairwell and cold air going down a vent in each room be adequate to circulate the basement heat on my first floor?
Heat circulation and cold air returns
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are you sure each room doesn't have two vents and they're not covered with couches, dressers, etc. etc. that you're not seeing them? TYPICALLY depending on the age, the ones by the outside walls are supply and the ones on the interior walls are returns.
Unless you're just talking about floor grates that were installed to be used with the stove.
Unless you're just talking about floor grates that were installed to be used with the stove.
nope each room has 1 vent (floor grate). Just open grates to the basement. They used to have ductwork attached for oil furnace. Ductwork has been pulled down and now just open grates for heat rise. Yes I know someone will chime in about codes and such...doesn't apply here. So if we can just keep the commentary to heat transfer and circulation I'd appreciate it. Thanks
I transfer the heat of the wood stove thru my Forced Hot Air system all the time. Works! Not all that well, BUT........it "works."
I've seen advice (although admittedly mute for you at this point) that states that the "basement" is not the ideal location for a wood stove, since the heat never really adequately gets to the floors where the family hangs out most of the time.Yes, hot air rises, but it doesn't heat the primary living areas as well, when located so far from them.
-Soupy1957
I've seen advice (although admittedly mute for you at this point) that states that the "basement" is not the ideal location for a wood stove, since the heat never really adequately gets to the floors where the family hangs out most of the time.Yes, hot air rises, but it doesn't heat the primary living areas as well, when located so far from them.
-Soupy1957
Yes I know that its not the most ideal place to heat a house from, but I assure you many many people do it and it works fine for them. So hopefully some responses from the guys that do this and how the heat circulates for them?
jstellfox said:
If the system was ducted there would have been a return somewhere. Assuming there's none or they left the basement door open, unless the grates are big (14x14ish) instead of what's usually in a ducted system (12x3ish) you'll need something else to heat effectively unless it's super duper insulated and tight.
jstellfox said:
Honestly, I would try to help, but, your original post says ... "I was trying to figure out last night which vents in my 1st floor would be heat vents and which ones would be cold air returns." But then later something to the effect like ...' Just open grates to the basement. They used to have ductwork attached for oil furnace. Ductwork has been pulled down and now just open grates for heat rise.'
If you have openings in the floor directly to the heating room in the basement, you will get, and as you have noticed with your lighter, a natural convection? It will probably easiest to assist the natural convection, rather than fight it.
And, not to be smart, but, codes are established for safety and yours and your family's protection, that said sometimes we all do dumb things. And I'll include myself in there as well.
It was a forced air system with no return. Is it not strange now that I am just letting heat rise that it is only rising up the stairwell and none of the vents cut in the floor?
jstellfox said:
No, the hot air that is rising up the steps, has to be replaced, so colder air sinks to replace the air that went up your stairwell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convection
I've heated 3 different homes this way and you just never know which way the heat will go til you try it. One house we were renting had a large floor grate about 2'x2' right over the stove and I thought there was going to be some serious heat coming up through there, but turned out to be sucking the cold air down and the main supply just like your setup turned out to be the stairwell about 20' away. It still worked pretty good just a little warmer in the basement.
My present house has a 12x14" vent a little off center of the stove and the heat does come up through into the living room but the main supply and return is still the stairwell. I suggest you try installing some small fans in those vents and experiment with them blowing up and down, maybe even try a box fan blowing down your stairwell will reverse the circulation loop. You will never even out the heat between the basement and upstairs but you can get decent results.
My present house has a 12x14" vent a little off center of the stove and the heat does come up through into the living room but the main supply and return is still the stairwell. I suggest you try installing some small fans in those vents and experiment with them blowing up and down, maybe even try a box fan blowing down your stairwell will reverse the circulation loop. You will never even out the heat between the basement and upstairs but you can get decent results.
jstellfox said:
I don't really think that's possible. In the modern world we call that a "balloon".
If air is forced in, it has to displace air already there. That air HAS to go somewhere... and that somewhere is back to the pump/fan area, whatever that is sending air into the other spaces. It's a "closed system".
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