Another moving air post.

[crater22]

I have read a lot of posts about placing the fan down the hall etc, but I can't remember reading anything about the recommendation of using the fan on a heat pump. My main air return is about 25 feet away from my stove, which faces directly toward the vent. I have had a couple of HVAC guy's say to do that. Does anybody have any recommendations/ideas on doing this?

Many thanks in advance.....

 

[DougA]

If you've got a newer DC variable speed fan motor in your heat pump, that would be my first choice. A regular motor will use a lot of power to have it on all winter and probably will blow enough air that it will make people 'feel' cooler.

 

[crater22]

Thanks Doug. The heat pump is at least 10 years old and I have been thinking about getting a new furnace. Is this motor something that can be installed on an old furnace? It would sure save me some money, as I am looking at a 2800.00 invoice for fixing my chimney. On top of the 5500.00 I just spent last year having my insert installed.....

Again, thanks for the help...

 

[begreen]

Our heat pump fan cycles when it needs to. It's a DC motor system. But normally with the stove going it's off. Some mornings if I sleep in and let the fire die out the fan will run while I am getting the stove up to temp. There's no harm using it with the wood stove but it is important to have fully insulated supply and returns to minimize heat loss. The system blower will use more power than a simple table or box fan if this is an older blower.

 

[DougA]

Is this motor something that can be installed on an old furnace?

Probably but you'd have to talk to your HVAC guys to be sure. I was trying to find a chart that shows the power usage/savings on a DC motor and couldn't find one quickly. The general assumption is that the cost (expensive) of a new motor will be returned in savings in a few years if you use the fan constantly. They are pricey to buy and pricey to replace but much lower cost of power. The other advantage is that you can run them on low speed just to move the air around. This will even out the heat without making people feel cool from the moving air.

At 10 yrs. old, you should have another 5-10+ yrs. left on it BUT, if you are replacing the motor, it may be a better bet to replace the whole thing and get a more efficient unit at the same time. It depends upon how efficient your old furnace is.