heat from stove in basement does indeed circulate upstairs.............

[MCPO]

.....................as I have 2 vents thru the floor plus the open stairway.
I was getting strong drafts of cold air (66 degree) returning thru the first floor hallway floor vent (adjacent to the bedrooms) and from the basement stairway on the other end of the house.
This was of course after about 15 minutes of burning from a start temperature of 65 degrees in the basement and not until the room was about 74-75 degrees.
From what I can determine the excess basement heat is riding upward above the cold air returning down low on the stairs.
Strangely enough the vent directly above the pellet stove seems to be static and not beneficial as it was with my previous wood and oil stoves but I guess I can attribute that to the forced redirection of warm air from the pellet stove.
I can well imagine that as it gets colder the heat exchange might even improve some.
The first floor was 66 and the basement was 74. My past and current experience burning stoves tells me that this is about the differential that must exist to get an adequate (noticeable) heat exchange / transfer between floors.
I`m just throwing this out for general information on what can be expected from installing a pellet stove in an insulated finished basement. (approx 24 X 40) It should definitely help reduce overall heating costs but not the magic bullet some folks think it will be.
I was burning my P38 at #3 setting for one hour this cool morning (39 outside)
Actually I was impressed with everything. It takes about 30 seconds to stir a cupful of pellets/starting fluidjust close the door and a reasonably quick high flame producing heat within 2 minutes. A significant advantage from having to build a fire in a wood stove every cold morning /evening.

 

[webbie]

Gio, your experience means very little until the temperature falls below 40 for 24 hours per day.

I have seen lots of people get fooled by what stoves and air circulation does in the off-season. Look at the calendar - it says SUMMER.

The exterior walls of a house, windows, ground and everything else gets cold and stays cold after about thanksgiving. Let's hear an update then - still a month before winter officially sets in.

Your experience only shows what can be expected in the summer - FWIW, I live near you and used zero heat in the last day and my house was decently warm. I'm sitting in the basement now and it is 69 here with no heat - upstairs is 70+ - again, no heat.

 

[billb3]

Maybe he left the windows open and let some of the frost warning air conditioning out.

 

[MCPO]

Gio, your experience means very little until the temperature falls below 40 for 24 hours per day.

I have seen lots of people get fooled by what stoves and air circulation does in the off-season. Look at the calendar - it says SUMMER.

The exterior walls of a house, windows, ground and everything else gets cold and stays cold after about thanksgiving. Let's hear an update then - still a month before winter officially sets in.

Your experience only shows what can be expected in the summer - FWIW, I live near you and used zero heat in the last day and my house was decently warm. I'm sitting in the basement now and it is 69 here with no heat - upstairs is 70+ - again, no heat.

Nah Webmaster , you must not have seen the thermometer this morning.
And there`s really nothing to be fooled by. The calendar says it`s still summer but that`s a moot point and means nothing regarding last nights near frost temps. You ought to know that. Since you are further East and not in Pittsfield you might not have known?
BTW, at 3:30 this afternoon it`s in the high 60`s outside and my basement is a couple degrees warmer (no heat) and so isn`t the upstairs too but at 6AM this morning it wasn`t the case. Ground temps do tend to get a bit colder come the winter and obviously will require more heat but some heat will still circulate upstairs.
But facts are facts. My basement did heat up very quickly (even in the winter) and when it does heat rises if cold air is returned . I wouild have thought you knew that!
Anyway, my experience with airflow in my house is mainly based from using a wood stove (12 yrs) and I do know that the colder it gets the better the air movement/exchange.
Regarding house temps, if you are in the Westfield/Springfield area (Ct valley?) you will enjoy slightly warmer weather and your basement could very well be a bit warmer.
So I feel your remarks are probably invalid especially since you aren`t here , our regional temps vary , and that every house has it`s own unique air /flow currents.

 

[MainePellethead]

Oh my Craig.....another time I agree with you. What ever will come of my image. I do agree a good efficient test is when it falls below 40 consistently....then you will see the true air flow comfort level.

 

[MCPO]

Oh my Craig.....another time I agree with you. What ever will come of my image. I do agree a good efficient test is when it falls below 40 consistently....then you will see the true air flow comfort level.

I can`t say I dissagree with that. Matter of fact I did say that I expect an improvement in the heated air exchange when it gets colder based on my past 12 yrs heating with a wood stove.
Heat is heat regardless of what type stove used to generate it and should not significantly change air flow.

 

[MCPO]

Maybe he left the windows open and let some of the frost warning air conditioning out.

Oh Oh! This post above got me to thinking and concluding that I`m the only one in the house that is concerned about heat and the costs.
I did a walk around the house and found 3 open windows (yes open last night too) and a window A/C in one of the unnoccupied bedrm windows. (I have 5 bdrms) I must have forgotten to take this one out the other day.
OK, so I might have to eat a little crow since all this might account for such a strong cold air return into the basement room and the house dipping to 66 degrees this morning . I`m kinda relieved since I always knew that the house could hgold heat in better than what happened last night.
I`m still however very confident that my usual air currents and heat flow will be the same as in previous years using a wood stove. And I remain quite impressed with this Harman P-38 pellet stove.

And yet I just this current post below that also supports my earlier remarks about how the house temperature can drop overnight. And at the other end of the state at that

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/23454/

 

[natnyer]

This will be my second winter using my pellet stove. I have a small finished basement about 5oo sq feet .However my basement isn't underground more than 3 feet.My pellet stove is here. I have 7 steps up to my living room and kitchen ,dining room.about 600 sq feet. I have another 7 steps up to a hallway and three bedrooms and a full bath another 700 sq feet.The heat does rise to the upper level very nicely as long as all the bedroom doors are left open.Yes you can feel the colder air coming down as you sit on the steps and of course the heat rises.I live in southeast ny and it does get pretty cold here.My house is very well insulated and I used 2 and a half tons of pellets last year. It does get really warm in the basement playroom but the upper level stays at a nice temp.I have an englander 55shp10 which I have never used a higher setting than 4..The secondary system is hot water oil fired baseboard which also heats my hot water.The basement playroom is also very well insulated. No place for the heat to go but up. I love my pellet stove.