Heat transfer

[67440DartGT]

Just wondering if I can get some tips as I am a new wood burner. I recently installed a Englander NCH-30. The stove is in my dinning room/living room.. it's a pretty open area. I have a stove top thermometer and am seeing the stove top at about 450 degrees during my burns. I am burning very dry oak. The problem I am having is I am almost cooking myself out of that area of the house... I cannot get the heat to move to different locations of the house. My kitchen is directly down the hall as well as my bathroom and bed room. I have fans I can use to either blow cold air towards the stove or the heat towards the rooms.... I would also like to get the heat upstairs as my children have a large bedroom up there. What are your opinions on passive vents in the ceiling to the upstairs? Is this going to help or only cause them to pull the cold air down? Temps outside have been 50 during the day and mid 30's during the night. My biggest problem is even if I make a "smaller" fire I am still seeing temps around 80 degree's in my main living area and much cooler elsewhere... any tips? Thanks in advance, Colin.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Just wondering if I can get some tips as I am a new wood burner. I recently installed a Englander NCH-30. The stove is in my dinning room/living room.. it's a pretty open area. I have a stove top thermometer and am seeing the stove top at about 450 degrees during my burns. I am burning very dry oak. The problem I am having is I am almost cooking myself out of that area of the house... I cannot get the heat to move to different locations of the house. My kitchen is directly down the hall as well as my bathroom and bed room. I have fans I can use to either blow cold air towards the stove or the heat towards the rooms.... I would also like to get the heat upstairs as my children have a large bedroom up there. What are your opinions on passive vents in the ceiling to the upstairs? Is this going to help or only cause them to pull the cold air down? Temps outside have been 50 during the day and mid 30's during the night. My biggest problem is even if I make a "smaller" fire I am still seeing temps around 80 degree's in my main living area and much cooler elsewhere... any tips? Thanks in advance, Colin.

I guess it all depends on your square feet and the layout of your house, insulation, and the stove btu. The outside temps might not be favorable for what your are attempting to accomplish. Perhaps a smaller heater or an open window is best during the seasonal transition. Passive vents, especially above the stove should help with convection in conjunction with the stairway. You may feel the temperature difference until things level off and the outside temps become more consistent. Heat will travel towards the cold. Perhaps a strategically placed vent with one fan upstairs to direct the air toward or away from the stairs will prove best. 80 degrees is too hot when you come from the outside dressed in a light jaket but it might be more tollerent and your family's hangout when the temps are close to zero for some time.

 

[Pertzbro]

I have the same problem. I run my furnace on fan on to help circulate airflow. Probably burning more electricity that way, but anything helps. I also run my ceiling fan on the winter mode on high and have a box fan on low pulling cold air into the room.

Wood stoves are area heaters and will always be the warmest near the stove. That's just how they work. I supplement with electric space heaters when necessary (before bed after a fire) or in my kitchen with high ceilings and glass windows on all 3 sides. No matter what you do you wont ever be able to get a central HVAC like distribution of heat unless you build a brand new house with open floor plans and a centrally located stove.

Cutting holes in the ceiling/floor would theoretically get heat to upstairs easier, but from what I've read it isn't worth the hassle of noise transfer and it doesn't help drastically enough to do it.

 

[Pertzbro]

If anything for the bathroom, bedroom, hallways is having a vent or opening near the ceiling. Best way to do this is with a transom window or vent. Again, you may have noise issues with a bedroom.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/96/15/21/...276f6ced3--transom-windows-interior-doors.jpg

http://www.jeromelisuzzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_1102-e1445719784359.jpg

 

[begreen]

Just wondering if I can get some tips as I am a new wood burner. I recently installed a Englander NCH-30. The stove is in my dinning room/living room.. it's a pretty open area. I have a stove top thermometer and am seeing the stove top at about 450 degrees during my burns. I am burning very dry oak. The problem I am having is I am almost cooking myself out of that area of the house... I cannot get the heat to move to different locations of the house. My kitchen is directly down the hall as well as my bathroom and bed room. I have fans I can use to either blow cold air towards the stove or the heat towards the rooms.... I would also like to get the heat upstairs as my children have a large bedroom up there. What are your opinions on passive vents in the ceiling to the upstairs? Is this going to help or only cause them to pull the cold air down? Temps outside have been 50 during the day and mid 30's during the night. My biggest problem is even if I make a "smaller" fire I am still seeing temps around 80 degree's in my main living area and much cooler elsewhere... any tips? Thanks in advance, Colin.

Can you post a sketch of the upper and main floors?

 

[Woody5506]

Try to get as much colder air blown to the stove room as possible. I can tell a huge difference when I do this vs just running the stove with zero fans, and I'm in a split level home (notoriously hard to heat evenly) with my stove NOT centrally located.