Air Flow advice - diagrams included

[redbill]

As I posted in another thread, I've got a 3200+ sqft house, currently heated with Thelin (and propane furnace). I'm going to replace the Thelin after this season, but I also want to look at ways to better improve airflow through the house, starting with the 2nd floor.

Important information:
1. My ductwork is on 3-zones/air-handles. 1st floor / most of 2nd floor / rest of 2nd floor + finished attic.
2. ceilings are too low for ceiling fans
3. separate living room is heated with an insert by itself, very little air flows between those rooms, so don't consider that room as part of the picture
4. decently insulated. 300 year old house in Massachusetts
5. finished attic is out of scope for this purpose, heat is OK up there.
6. heat wants to go up the stairs, but it doesn't move around much once its up there.

My initial thinking now, is to install in-wall & floor register fans to move the air around. I've read several code-warnings here, so I am checking with my building inspector, so that I understand that could be a no-go.

Looking at my picture, I would start with 2 of these registers, one would be in the stairway blowing into the master bedroom (midway up the stairs, into the floor of the BR). The 2nd would then blow down through the floor of the Bedroom3 into the room with the stove. If needed I would add a third either in the wall of the bedroom or in the hallway (3a or 3b in the picture).

Thoughts? does this make sense at all or am I completely off base? The first floor also has problems heating the Office & workout room, but those are secondary to the bedrooms for now, especially once I can replace the Thelin and run something overnight. but any suggestions on moving air around on the first floor would be nice, I'd prefer not to run the air-handler, as its only 1 speed, and would probably use a lot of power.

I attached the diagram, but here is a link to it also: (broken link removed to https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6tfLjKHvjCjYm5WZFJKZDFzbmM/view?usp=sharing)

thanks, and open to any ideas.

 

[railfanron]

I think something like that might work. Just to give you some added information. You could get a couple of fire dampers and put them in the duct sleeve between the floors. That should satisfy the inspector. I don't know how much they cost but they come in a range of sizes and are failsafe and used all the time.
Ron

 

[redbill]

I will look into the dampers certainly. What I'm debating now is should I try to get the air up the stairs and send cold air into the stove room from above, or the easier way to send hot air up directly in the room with the stove. But I think it will be harder to get hot air into the master bedroom that way - based on where it is.

 

[chken]

As I posted in another thread, I've got a 3200+ sqft house, currently heated with Thelin (and propane furnace). I'm going to replace the Thelin after this season, but I also want to look at ways to better improve airflow through the house, starting with the 2nd floor.

Important information:
1. My ductwork is on 3-zones/air-handles. 1st floor / most of 2nd floor / rest of 2nd floor + finished attic.
2. ceilings are too low for ceiling fans
3. separate living room is heated with an insert by itself, very little air flows between those rooms, so don't consider that room as part of the picture
4. decently insulated. 300 year old house in Massachusetts
5. finished attic is out of scope for this purpose, heat is OK up there.
6. heat wants to go up the stairs, but it doesn't move around much once its up there.

My initial thinking now, is to install in-wall & floor register fans to move the air around. I've read several code-warnings here, so I am checking with my building inspector, so that I understand that could be a no-go.

Looking at my picture, I would start with 2 of these registers, one would be in the stairway blowing into the master bedroom (midway up the stairs, into the floor of the BR). The 2nd would then blow down through the floor of the Bedroom3 into the room with the stove. If needed I would add a third either in the wall of the bedroom or in the hallway (3a or 3b in the picture).

Thoughts? does this make sense at all or am I completely off base? The first floor also has problems heating the Office & workout room, but those are secondary to the bedrooms for now, especially once I can replace the Thelin and run something overnight. but any suggestions on moving air around on the first floor would be nice, I'd prefer not to run the air-handler, as its only 1 speed, and would probably use a lot of power.

I attached the diagram, but here is a link to it also: (broken link removed to https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6tfLjKHvjCjYm5WZFJKZDFzbmM/view?usp=sharing)

thanks, and open to any ideas.

Not sure if this would help, but you might install thermal curtains in order to help steer the heat at certain times of the day. For example, if you put a thermal curtain to block off the kitchen from the dining room, you could force more heat into the hallway and up the stairs. Of course adding a thermal curtain in the hallway may help that too. It might be useful after dinner, to pull the curtains and push the heat upstairs to the bedrooms. Assuming that is your goal.