Sure Freddy, some of this may be repetitive but its always good to remind ourselves of the basics.
It all revolves around the concept of "temperature differentials". This is what causes air to move - heated air rises, pushing down cooler air. It is the energy we want to take advantage of, both for heating and for transport.
It is also what creates heat loss, as materials in contact seek temperature equilibrium.
No matter how we go about it (fans, natural convection, whatever), what we're doing is moving heated air along the ceiling into rooms adjacent to the heat source. The ceiling is the transport mechanism, just like a water pipe is the transport for water.
Add to this, the hottest air is "trapped" in the room of the heat source, by the height of the doors. If door openings extended to the ceiling, the hottest air would move.
So how do we optimize this event?
Hyper-insulate the ceiling, to minimize heat loss along the transport mechanism, where loss would be the greatest. (I put R60 in my LR where the stove is, and R54 to R38 everywhere else)
Put a vent/opening in the wall at ceiling level between rooms where you want the heated air to move. (In my case, one 8"x28" opening did the trick).
That's all it takes.Your stove is making the heated air. It will move up and expand out. Colder air will then flow in along the floor from adjacent rooms to take its place. A natural convection loop, controlled by your stove.
It all revolves around the concept of "temperature differentials". This is what causes air to move - heated air rises, pushing down cooler air. It is the energy we want to take advantage of, both for heating and for transport.
It is also what creates heat loss, as materials in contact seek temperature equilibrium.
No matter how we go about it (fans, natural convection, whatever), what we're doing is moving heated air along the ceiling into rooms adjacent to the heat source. The ceiling is the transport mechanism, just like a water pipe is the transport for water.
Add to this, the hottest air is "trapped" in the room of the heat source, by the height of the doors. If door openings extended to the ceiling, the hottest air would move.
So how do we optimize this event?
Hyper-insulate the ceiling, to minimize heat loss along the transport mechanism, where loss would be the greatest. (I put R60 in my LR where the stove is, and R54 to R38 everywhere else)
Put a vent/opening in the wall at ceiling level between rooms where you want the heated air to move. (In my case, one 8"x28" opening did the trick).
That's all it takes.Your stove is making the heated air. It will move up and expand out. Colder air will then flow in along the floor from adjacent rooms to take its place. A natural convection loop, controlled by your stove.