Most effective way to increase stove efficiency?

[begreen]

Original posting was 2005. I'm not sure if Michael is online.

 

[Todd]

Glad this old post came back. I have to say there is another way to increase a stoves efficiency instead of fans, using outside combustion air. Maybe this does not increase the stoves efficiency in reality, but since I did it my house is warmer. Probably because less cold air is leaking in cracks and windows. I'm not sure on the exact number, but I remember something like 50cfm is what a wood stove draws for combustion give or take. If you figure that for a 24hrs, that's 72,000 cf of outside cold air drawn through cracks, windows and leaky doors if my math is right. That's alot!

I have tried every kind of fan every which way with my basement setup and now I don't use any fan since I've hooked up outside combustion air. The warm air seems to rise and circulate throughout the whole house. I know this outside air debate has gone on forever, and there are other concerns like healthy fresh air and whether or not cold outside air creates a dirty burn, but as far as I'm concerned outside air works for me.

 

[fossil]

Todd - Outside air makes perfect sense...won't increase the stove's efficiency, but it will definitely increase the efficiency of the overall installation. How, exactly did you do that? Does your stove have a plate or something that can be removed to hookup the outside air supply? I have a Lopi Liberty that sits on a brick hearth, and just behind the stove in the floor of the brick, is a floor register for our electric forced air furnace that I could (relatively) easily convert to an air supply for the stove from the crawl space beneath the house...then the stove wouldn't be drawing all its combustion air in through all the leaks in my old house. I'll check my owner's manual and maybe talk with my dealer/installer...I think converting to outside combustion air supply is a great idea. Rick

 

[burntime]

I have an insert and 1st is the blower. I heat the entire home with just one insert. That being said a close 2nd is the ceiling fan to held distribute the heat.

 

[Carl]

Ceiling fan for me. Without it we would have one hot room and three cold ones. Whenever I light the wood stove I
turn on the ceiling fan to spread the hot ceiling air down again and into the rest of the house. We can heat the whole
house like this. I don't think I would like a stove fan but have thought of getting one of those hot air ones to sit on
top of the stove. Cool looking if nothing else.

Sometimes if it gets really hot in the living room where the stove is I turn on the furnace blower to spread some of
the heat to the basement. Our heated floor is 1000 sq ft. The 1.45 firebox stoves work fine for us and we have heated
totally with them for many years.

 

[Todd]

Todd - Outside air makes perfect sense...won't increase the stove's efficiency, but it will definitely increase the efficiency of the overall installation. How, exactly did you do that? Does your stove have a plate or something that can be removed to hookup the outside air supply? I have a Lopi Liberty that sits on a brick hearth, and just behind the stove in the floor of the brick, is a floor register for our electric forced air furnace that I could (relatively) easily convert to an air supply for the stove from the crawl space beneath the house...then the stove wouldn't be drawing all its combustion air in through all the leaks in my old house. I'll check my owner's manual and maybe talk with my dealer/installer...I think converting to outside combustion air supply is a great idea. Rick

Most stoves have an outside air adapter for their stoves. Lopi definitely does. My Woodstock also has an adapter that just bolts on, then I ran some 4" aluminum pipe across my brick hearth into my work shop and up the wall and out above the sill plate. I was afraid the long run of over 15' wouldn't work well, but it does. When it's unhooked from the stove you can feel the air coming in.

 

[fossil]

Thanks, Todd - I looked underneath my stove, and I'm sure I've seen where the air duct connection is. Should be a relatively simple thing to convert my stove to outside air. Great, another spring/summer project...just what I needed. Thanks, Rick