Basement Wood stove Advice

[Baltiace]

I’ve been in my home for about 1 year and looking to finish the basement and was looking for advice on what to do around existing wood stove. Right now, the stove sits recessed below the chimney of the main floor insert fireplace (two story colonial). The stove pipe goes up a separate flue within the brick chimney. It appears previous owners used this stove for heating through forced air duct which is valved to air handler part of heat pump system. I’m looking to remove duct elbow near the stove and just have a flush intake on the ceiling. Besides that I want to insulate and finish the cinder block. The ceiling above the stove is drywall and was thinking of replacing with cement board. I ran this stove briefly last year and it works but is tough to get going due to cold air in the pipe. Didn’t have seasoned wood to do much more than that. Beyond finishing advice, looking for operating advice from others with basement stoves and moving heat with air handler through house ducts.

 

[begreen]

The return duct needs to be at least 10 ft away from the stove per mechanical code. The stove ceiling clearance looks dubious. Most need an 84" ceiling.

Are any of the basement walls insulated? If not, outdoors is where about 1/3 of the heat is going.

 

[stoveliker]

Also, are all the ducts within the insulation envelope? If not this is not a very efficient way to do things.

Sucking air out of the basement can result in smoke rollout. Often basements already have a relatively low pressure due to the home acting like a chimney.

What works better is to fan air into the basement and have warm air be pushed up e.g. stairs to the main floor.

Do you have dry wood now?

I second the insulation recommendation.

 

[Baltiace]

Also, are all the ducts within the insulation envelope? If not this is not a very efficient way to do things.

Sucking air out of the basement can result in smoke rollout. Often basements already have a relatively low pressure due to the home acting like a chimney.

What works better is to fan air into the basement and have warm air be pushed up e.g. stairs to the main floor.

Do you have dry wood now?

I second the insulation recommendation.

Currently only two of four basement perimeter walls are insulated and finished. I plan to insulate all walls along with the rim joist sealing. The basement doesn’t have return ducts. The only duct is the supply near the stove which is normally valve closed when heat pump is functioning. Only insulated duct is supply air from outside. I have a cord of seasoned/dry mixed wood along with two cords of 1 year old oak which is probably still less than ideal.

 

[begreen]

I’m looking to remove duct elbow near the stove and just have a flush intake on the ceiling.

The basement doesn’t have return ducts.

I'm confused when you said intake, I assumed a return and didn't see a damper in the elbow. Why is a supply duct blowing toward woodstove and cold basment walls?

 

[stoveliker]

Terminology aside, does air flow into or out of that duct?