Basement Install Stove

[redpower]

I am looking at installing a pellet stove in my basement to help try and reduce the amount of LP I burn in the winter time. It seems that the reviews of this are mixed. I have a 50's ranch style house approx. 1400 sq ft with a block foundation.
My main question is: if I install the stove in the same room as my furnace, could I run my furnace fan continuously and use it to circulate the warm air the stove puts out through out the house? Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[TimfromMA]

IMHO, you would be better off putting the stove in the room your family spends most of the time, like your living room.

 

[Bioburner]

Being in corn country I would consider a nice multifuel. Basements seem to suck lots of heat with little making the way up unless very well insulated and pointed up the stairwell.
Welcome and good luck.

 

[mithesaint]

You'd have to have a cold air return in the room your stove is in for that to even have a chance of working. Even if there is a return there, I think most would agree that you will have trouble effectively moving heat upstairs. I think you'd be better off putting the stove where you need the heat. That or look into a furnace or ductable stove, like the Drolet Eco 65.

 

[redpower]

I have my name on a new Harman PC45 from a local dealer that will burn corn. ( I grow corn on my farm) Right now I don't really want the stove upstairs in my house as we do have a "mancave" area in the basement and our shower is down there. I like the idea of it being warmer in the basement, but I am really after making the whole house warmer. My plan was to take the door off my cold air return for the furnace and let it pull the air from the basement through the furnace. Then if the stove wouldn't keep up, the furnace would run and keep heating as well. Maybe that idea won't work?

 

[mithesaint]

It probably won't work well. It will probably help the rest of the house, but not as much as you'd like. Heat loss in the ductwork sucks.

 

[TimfromMA]

To do what you want you need a pellet furnace.

 

[redpower]

The more I think about this, the more I am thinking this won't work as good as I planned. Maybe I will still put it in the basement and try. Pretty sure I am going to take the stove anyway as I got a good deal on it. Worst I am out is my time and a hole in the side of my house?

 

[Bioburner]

The room fan on the PC45 is kinda weak too but has nice radiant heat. Just got the backup Harman spiffed up for sale this fall to some lucky individual.

 

[TimfromMA]

The more I think about this, the more I am thinking this won't work as good as I planned. Maybe I will still put it in the basement and try. Pretty sure I am going to take the stove anyway as I got a good deal on it. Worst I am out is my time and a hole in the side of my house?

I don't know about Iowa but here, a stove installation requires a permit PLUS an inspection afterwards.

Just more for you to consider.

 

[redpower]

I don't know about Iowa but here, a stove installation requires a permit PLUS an inspection afterwards.

Just more for you to consider.

I live in the country, so if a permit is required, they don't enforce it. My buddy is an HVAC tech by trade and usually will work for a few cold drinks after the job is done. He has installed a few corn burners but mostly deals with LP/natural gas furnaces.

 

[Brew]

I live in the country, so if a permit is required, they don't enforce it. My buddy is an HVAC tech by trade and usually will work for a few cold drinks after the job is done. He has installed a few corn burners but mostly deals with LP/natural gas furnaces.

I appreciate anybody who deals in the universal currency (fermented gold), but does homeowner's insurance care? They might ask for a lot of paperwork if you have a structure fire and file a claim. That's what stopped me from just having a friend install.

 

[redpower]

From what I gather the my insurance company adds a small fee to my policy for having the stove. The HVAC tech is licensed so I'm not sure it is any different than if he did the install for anyone else. Would the insurance be void if I installed it myself since I am not licensed?

 

[Pellet-King]

Want heat from the basement to blow you out and heat the whole house?, get a WOODSTOVE, pellet's are just space heater's in a sense, ok for living spaces but not to heat a basement and the upstairs

 

[Bioburner]

Want heat from the basement to blow you out and heat the whole house?, get a WOODSTOVE, pellet's are just space heater's in a sense, ok for living spaces but not to heat a basement and the upstairs

The OP is from IOWA, top in pigs and corn. Not known for anything reassembling a forest.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Want heat from the basement to blow you out and heat the whole house?, get a WOODSTOVE, pellet's are just space heater's in a sense, ok for living spaces but not to heat a basement and the upstairs

Or coal.. I live in a cold area, coal is a lot better than wood..
Did wood for many many moons.. Wish I had done the switch about 25 years ago!
My Harman is in the basement and does a good job.. If you are looking for a similar setup
And want to keep each room exactly the same, you can forget it, and do what someone else suggested.. Furnace..

Dan

 

[mithesaint]

From what I gather the my insurance company adds a small fee to my policy for having the stove. The HVAC tech is licensed so I'm not sure it is any different than if he did the install for anyone else. Would the insurance be void if I installed it myself since I am not licensed?

Time to call your insurance provider. My insurance didn't care, but wanted pictures after the install was complete. They didn't care who installed it. Your company may be different.

 

[redpower]

I'd love to heat with wood, but I don't have the timber or the time. I figured that corn would be easy since I have a full bin of it every fall. If money was no object, I'd put a corn boiler in my detached garage and run a pipe underground to the house and put a radiator in my existing furnace. Right now I just don't have the funds to put in a corn furnace or a boiler.

 

[Don2222]

If you duct the hot air from your pellet stove into the cold air return of your furnace and just run the fan, you will heat your house with your pellet stove very comfy!

 

[mithesaint]

If you duct the hot air from your pellet stove into the cold air return of your furnace and just run the fan, you will heat your house with your pellet stove very comfy!

I was under the impression that this was a bad idea...

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah. Get the duct loses and torture your furnace at the same time.

 

[Don2222]

I was under the impression that this was a bad idea...

Wood Pellet furnaces hook into a regular furnace the same way. It is a good way to do it and some people on the forum do it that way.
Some inspecters say it is ok even depending upon how it is done. I am not getting into code requirements because they vary so much from one municipality to another. It is up to the owner what to do there. I am stating it works well and some have had it inspected and approved but not all.

 

[redpower]

Yeah. Get the duct loses and torture your furnace at the same time.

I understand the duct loss, but why is it hard on your furnace? Say you heated the room the furnace was in to 80* and used the cold air return to move it around the house via the furnace. Am I following this correctly?

 

[Arti]

80 Degrees into the cold air return will feel cold and drafty when it comes out of a register. In comparison your furnace is approx 140 degrees at the furnace.
If you put 120 heat into the cold air return it flows over the motor and more than likely the electronics in a modern furnace heating them beyond there design temp. resulting in shorter life.

Also if you run the the blower motor 24/7 this increases the electric bill as you have 2 motors running to move the air.
Also if you heat the basement as well as the upstairs you are doubling the sq ft of conditioned space some basements aren't very well insulated so they really soak up the btu's. Sometimes there are things like radon etc. in basements and they are better alone. Just some things to consider as we can't see what your situation is.

 

[Don2222]

I understand the duct loss, but why is it hard on your furnace? Say you heated the room the furnace was in to 80* and used the cold air return to move it around the house via the furnace. Am I following this correctly?

The heat coming out of ducting connecting to my pellet stove is 150 Deg F!
It is not hard on the furnace. The heat going into the cold air return from the pellet burner keeps the furnace from coming on. That is exactly how wood pellet furnaces are connected into the house!

See the US Stove 8500 pellet furnace Add on Installation page 11 - I am a US Stove Dealer and I have serviced this setup.
(broken link removed to http://www.sylvane.com/media/documents/products/usstove-8500-multi-fuel-furnace-owner's-manual.pdf)


When installed as a secondary furnace, it may only be connected to the ductwork of the existing primary furnace (Gas,
Electric, etc.). It should not be wired in conjunction with the existing furnace’s circuitry. A Duct Damper must be installed
between the air discharge of the 8500 furnace and the primary furnace. This duct damper prevents the air of the primary
furnace from back flowing to the secondary furnace. The damper must be a mechanical (spring return) style with
a simple closure switch to determine if the damper is opened or closed. The damper will connect to the 8500’s printed
circuit board (PCB) as a signal connection only. See wiring diagram in this manual. The PCB will not supply power to
an electronic damper requiring a power supply. This power supply must come from a different source.
CAUTION: Do not connect your furnace’s ductwork to the cold air return duct of your existing furnace because a possibility
exists of components of the central furnace overheating and causing it to operate other than intended. Only connect
to ductwork that is in good condition. Never direct the air flow from the exisiting furnace thru the Add-On furnace.