OK, here's my floor plan let the advice begin ....

[Boozie]

I have enclosed two scans; one of my walk-out basement (where the insert was installed in my existing fireplace), and one scan of the upstairs. First floor and basement amounts to around 2900 sq ft.

The cool air vents upstairs are about 2 inches down from the ceiling. The heat registers upstairs are on the floor.

In the basement the heat vents are in the ceiling and the fresh air vents near the floor.

You walk down the stairs to the landing, turn right, step another couple steps and down hallway to family room where fireplace is on opposite end.

There is no wall in the kitchen along the top of the stairs ... it is a railing, so the kitchen and stairwell are all open.

There are no heat vents in the back half/unfinished portion of the basement.

There is an OVERHEAD FAN in the downstairs family room where the insert is and another upstairs in the master bedroom.

I'm looking for suggestions on how best to get heat upstairs.

I will appreciate all suggestions.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

What are you asking about? I don't see a question.

If I can make up my own, I say to paint it blue. I've always liked the color blue. :lol:


Matt

 

[BrowningBAR]

I have enclosed two scans; one of my walk-out basement (where the insert was installed in my existing fireplace), and one scan of the upstairs. First floor and basement amounts to around 2900 sq ft.

The cool air vents upstairs are about 2 inches down from the ceiling. The heat registers upstairs are on the floor.

In the basement the heat vents are in the ceiling and the fresh air vents near the floor.

You walk down the stairs to the landing, turn right, step another couple steps and down hallway to family room where fireplace is on opposite end.

There is no wall in the kitchen along the top of the stairs ... it is a railing, so the kitchen and stairwell are all open.

There are no heat vents in the back half/unfinished portion of the basement.

I will appreciate all suggestions.

This might be the greatest floor plan drawing ever!

2,900 sq ft? In an a basement? Get a big stove. Blaze king, Hearthstone Equinox, Country Flame, Buck, etc. I'm not a big fan of locating the stove where you don't spend the majority of your time, but you don't seem to have many options.

 

[Boozie]

No, No, NO .... the upstairs AND the basement amounts to about 2900 sq ft.

I'm seeking advice .... MY QUESTION IS: What is the best way to get warm air up the stairs to upper floor?

 

[BrowningBAR]

1. No, No, NO .... the upstairs AND the basement amounts to about 2900 sq ft.

I'm seeking advice .... MY QUESTION IS: 2. What is the best way to get warm air up the stairs to upper floor?

1. Not sure what you are saying "no, no, no" about. 2900 sq ft is a lot of space to heat. My stove recommendations remain the same. And I didn't notice you already have a stove... which happens to be a Buck... which was one of the stoves I recommended.

2. Still not a big fan of basement installs. Some have great success, others, not so much. Place a small fan at the top of the steps aimed down to help move the cold air down to the basement.

 

[Boozie]

1. No, No, NO .... the upstairs AND the basement amounts to about 2900 sq ft.

I'm seeking advice .... MY QUESTION IS: 2. What is the best way to get warm air up the stairs to upper floor?

1. Not sure what you are saying "no, no, no" about. 2900 sq ft is a lot of space to heat. My stove recommendations remain the same.

2. Still not a big fan of basement installs. Some have great success, others, not so much. Place a small fan at the top of the steps aimed down to help move the cold air down to the basement.

I was saying "no" because the posting said upstairs AND the basement.

As to placing a fan at the top of the steps aimed downward ...... would you place it at the top of the steps up in the kitchen (which is around the corner from the hallway to the family room) or at the top of the steps downstairs on the landing?

Thanks.

 

[Dix]

Barb, I'd face it going down the stairs & pulling the air from the upstairs bedrooms. Let that heat rise up, and roll into the kitchen, and migrate down the hallway along the ceiling.


*Edit* are there any ceiling fans?

 

[begreen]

Great floorplan drawings. Truth is, this house is going to be a booger to heat from the basement stove due to the stove location, stair location and rooms closed off by lots of doors. But I think you already know that. Have you tried just running the fan on the HVAC system?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Barb, I'd face it going down the stairs & pulling the air from the upstairs bedrooms. Let that heat rise up, and roll into the kitchen, and migrate down the hallway along the ceiling.


*Edit* are there any ceiling fans?

From the cocktail napkin diagram (which I still think is awesome), there only shows one ceiling fan and that is by the fire place.

 

[Boozie]

Barb, I'd face it going down the stairs & pulling the air from the upstairs bedrooms. Let that heat rise up, and roll into the kitchen, and migrate down the hallway along the ceiling.


*Edit* are there any ceiling fans?

So, to clarify ..... At the TOP of the stairs (kitchen)?

Yes, there is an overhead fan in the family room where the fireplace is and one in the master bedroom upstairs (MBR).

 

[Boozie]

Great floorplan drawings. Truth is, this house is going to be a booger to heat from the basement stove due to the stove location, stair location and rooms closed off by lots of doors. But I think you already know that. Have you tried just running the fan on the HVAC system?

Yes, I'm aware that it will be impossible to heat the whole upstairs with this one stove down in the family room. I'm just trying to get as much heat upstairs as I possible. And, yes, when I'm burning, I run the fan on the HVAC and close the overhead heating vents downstairs in the family room.

 

[begreen]

Well, the fan trick mentioned above is worth a try.

 

[Dix]

Barb, I'd face it going down the stairs & pulling the air from the upstairs bedrooms. Let that heat rise up, and roll into the kitchen, and migrate down the hallway along the ceiling.


*Edit* are there any ceiling fans?

So, to clarify ..... At the TOP of the stairs (kitchen)?

Yes, there is an overhead fan in the family room where the fireplace is and one in the master bedroom upstairs (MBR).

Yes, at the top of the stairs. And I'd turn on the fan in the upstairs master bedroom and put it on "down" & low.


That's a tough floor plan, Barb. I thought mine was bad, and I solved mine with a second stove.

 

[Boozie]

That's a tough floor plan, Barb. I thought mine was bad, and I solved mine with a second stove.

Yes, I know I can never depend on it to keep the upstairs as warm as the downstairs. I really don't have a good place to put one upstairs. If the power ever goes out, I can cordon off the downstairs area with me and the cats and not freeze to death.

 

[Dix]

Put one in the living room, and open up the hallway wall. Viola !

 

[PapaDave]

Put one in the living room, and open up the hallway wall. Viola !

That was exactly my thought. That wall between the LR and hall just really screws up any good chance of heating the main floor.
Probably not an option though, eh?
The idea to use the furnace fan is a good one, but insulate the ductwork to help keep heat loss to a minimum, even in a conditioned space. Does the furnace have an adjustable blower speed? If so, use a low speed setting. Newer furnaces (some) have a jumper on the control board that you can change to adjust.

 

[Boozie]

Put one in the living room, and open up the hallway wall. Viola !

That was exactly my thought. That wall between the LR and hall just really screws up any good chance of heating the main floor.
Probably not an option though, eh?
The idea to use the furnace fan is a good one, but insulate the ductwork to help keep heat loss to a minimum, even in a conditioned space. Does the furnace have an adjustable blower speed? If so, use a low speed setting. Newer furnaces (some) have a jumper on the control board that you can change to adjust.

Tearing that wall out ...... not really an option at this point.

The main ductwork is insulated, but the fingers running to the individual rooms from it are not. How does one insulate those? Do you wrap them or what?

And, no, my furnace doesn't have an adjustable blower speed.

 

[joel95ex]

does the insert have knock-outs for venting? if so you could connect it to existing vents. otherwise blow the cool air down the stairs --- most people recommend moving the cooler air towards the heat source. you could try the miniature "floor blower" which is a squirrel cage type fan at the top of the stairs to blow cool air down. it is in the northern tool catalog

 

[Boozie]

does the insert have knock-outs for venting? if so you could connect it to existing vents. otherwise blow the cool air down the stairs --- most people recommend moving the cooler air towards the heat source. you could try the miniature "floor blower" which is a squirrel cage type fan at the top of the stairs to blow cool air down. it is in the northern tool catalog

I'm not aware of any knock-outs. I went to northern tool website. I saw some blowers that look like one you would use outside to blow leaves. I don't know what you mean by a "squirrel cage type". Can you describe a little better or send me a link to look at. Thanks so much.

 

[joel95ex]

they use a different type of wheel rather than a prop. the advantage of them is that they are usually quieter and seem to move more air. here are two examples:


http://www.squirrelcagefan.com/Stanley-Fan.html

http://www.squirrelcagefan.com/index.html

 

[Hogwildz]

Go HUGE. I was just looking at Buck Stoves whom has both cat & non cat Models 4.4 df firebox stove/inserts, Blaze King also has a large firebox on their King model. And they have a couple interesting looking wood furnaces,one with secondary burn and the other with a cat. That might be perfect for your needs, and can hook to your existing ductwork.

 

[tsquini]

You have cold air returns in the basement? If so, get the cold air returns to pull the hot air from the basement to the rest of the house. You can cut back the air flow into the first floor cold air returns by 50%. This will pull more air from the basement into the rest of the house.

-- or --

Just place 3 floor vents in the hallway on the first floor. You could also place a floor vent in each room on the first floor. This way the heat doesn't have to go all the way to the stairs and up.

 

[Boozie]

Go HUGE. I was just looking at Buck Stoves whom has both cat & non cat Models 4.4 df firebox stove/inserts, Blaze King also has a large firebox on their King model. And they have a couple interesting looking wood furnaces,one with secondary burn and the other with a cat. That might be perfect for your needs, and can hook to your existing ductwork.

You must not have noticed in my signature I tell the type stove I have: A Buck 91, the biggest they have 4.4 cubic ft. I'm not sure how it it could hook into existing ductwork however.

 

[Hogwildz]

Ah, my mistake.
Well hooking in to ductwork, I meant with a wood furnace to any existing HVAC ductwork.
You won't be able to hook the 91 into any ductwork as far as I know as it is not set up for that. Again hence the furnace suggestion.
If thew buck will fit in to the existing fireplace or even set in front and possibly hook into the chimney flue there, if you leave the basement door open and put a few grates in the floor above, you may just get plenty of heat upstairs. Note that without fire dampers, your losing fire spread protection between floors. Leaving less time to escape should a fire happen.

I have a cousin & an uncle that heat from their basements, and their houses are very warm.
Uncle switches to coal when it gets cold enough and his house is an oven, all basement heat rising.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Barb, I'd face it going down the stairs & pulling the air from the upstairs bedrooms. Let that heat rise up, and roll into the kitchen, and migrate down the hallway along the ceiling.


*Edit* are there any ceiling fans?

So, to clarify ..... At the TOP of the stairs (kitchen)?

Yes, there is an overhead fan in the family room where the fireplace is and one in the master bedroom upstairs (MBR).

Yes, at the top of the stairs. And I'd turn on the fan in the upstairs master bedroom and put it on "down" & low.


That's a tough floor plan, Barb. I thought mine was bad, and I solved mine with a second stove.

Barb, I do think Kathleen has about the best idea. This is a tough one for sure for heating from the basement. I'd try the fan trick and then I might also try a couple fans and try them in different places but for sure the one blowing down. On the overhead fans I think I'd try blowing them up rather than down but you may have to experiment with that too.

Whatever you do on the fans, I'd run them only on low speed else the draft you get will be too cold. Low speed will circulate the best anyway.