Hey Gang,
My wife and I are considering buying a large split entry (~3000 sf.) We heat almost entirely with wood right now in a 2000 sq ft Cape with a nice centrally located insert in the fireplace.
The current owners already have two small/medium sized stoves: one in the downstairs part at one end of the house, and the other on the standard above part at the same end of the house. The downstairs stove looks like it uses the chimney flue, and the other stove has pipe going up through the roof. There is also an unused fireplace which is blocked off at that same end, right above the downstairs stove. The current owners think there is a second flue available there, but aren't sure.
As I was walking through this house I was trying to get a feel for how to heat it entirely with wood. It seems it will be challenging to get one end of it heated. The house really has three levels: the standard below and the standard above, plus an upper third floor which is an open loft at one end (heat can easily get here from the second floor stove which is below it), and the closed off master at the other end.
The current owners say that they can heat the half of the house with the two stoves without anything else, but the other half they have to use the baseboard hot water (oil, no gas on the street).
I'm sure there are people on here with experience heating split entries.
1) How practical is it to get that heat down the hallway on the second level to the kids' bedrooms?
2) Is it worth looking into putting a third stove (large, Ideal Steel) at the other end of the house, and just not using the stove downstairs? I'm not sure I even want to run two stoves.
3) Any advice from current split entry owners is appreciated!
Thanks!
My wife and I are considering buying a large split entry (~3000 sf.) We heat almost entirely with wood right now in a 2000 sq ft Cape with a nice centrally located insert in the fireplace.
The current owners already have two small/medium sized stoves: one in the downstairs part at one end of the house, and the other on the standard above part at the same end of the house. The downstairs stove looks like it uses the chimney flue, and the other stove has pipe going up through the roof. There is also an unused fireplace which is blocked off at that same end, right above the downstairs stove. The current owners think there is a second flue available there, but aren't sure.
As I was walking through this house I was trying to get a feel for how to heat it entirely with wood. It seems it will be challenging to get one end of it heated. The house really has three levels: the standard below and the standard above, plus an upper third floor which is an open loft at one end (heat can easily get here from the second floor stove which is below it), and the closed off master at the other end.
The current owners say that they can heat the half of the house with the two stoves without anything else, but the other half they have to use the baseboard hot water (oil, no gas on the street).
I'm sure there are people on here with experience heating split entries.
1) How practical is it to get that heat down the hallway on the second level to the kids' bedrooms?
2) Is it worth looking into putting a third stove (large, Ideal Steel) at the other end of the house, and just not using the stove downstairs? I'm not sure I even want to run two stoves.
3) Any advice from current split entry owners is appreciated!
Thanks!
