I hope all you basement folks get your radon levels checked. Mine in Utah (basement and upstairs) is very high. Everyone in our neighborhood is now adding radon reducing systems as word got out last year and everyone is testing 2 to 3 times acceptable levels.
Blazeking or Pacific Energy - 1st time buyer
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I'm torn on the fan. I'll probably never get it if I don't get it now. But I'm not sure I need it since I can just run the house HVAC fan along with a couple free standing fans to move the air. I don't see a $500 advantage to having it on the stove. But it would be less cluttered than putting a fan on the floor in front of it.
Woody did I understand correctly that you did get the fan in the end and you use it to move the air?
Woody did I understand correctly that you did get the fan in the end and you use it to move the air?
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Really just last year?? When were the home built? We know exactly what formation release radon. I’m quite surprised that unless it’s a new development it wasn’t on the states radar sooner. BTW anyone with well and high radon should have their water test for radon too.
My stove is basically dead center of the first floor. The traffic flow from the door we enter the house from takes us from entry way, to kitchen, to "dining room" which is where the Ashford is, then into the living room. It's very open between the rooms. The Dining room and first section of the living room and kitchen were always warm, but as you got a little farther toward the ends of the house it wasn't quite as warm. Adding the fans helped that warm air reach the father ends of the house. I'm sure I could have just used small box fans on the floor to move cold air around and replace it with warm air, but I decided to just add the fans on the back of the Ashford. Happy with the setup.
red oak and hard maple. Split on the large side with 3 years split/stacked/top covered
I use my fan overnights when it’s below 25deg. I use it day and night when it’s in the teens and no daytime sun. If you’re away for a bit of time and the house has cooled off OR if you come in and want to kill the regular heat and play catch up with the wood stove the fan kit comes in handy. Many times I’ve had a cool house, no fire then stuffed it full, got it up to temp then put the fans on high and the house really warms up fast.Hey guys, do you recommend the stove fan kit for $450? It seems kind of crazy expensive compared to a box fan from Walmart for $20.Do you use your fans or is just the radiant heat enough. It seems like the fan might be able to better move the air to get it up to my staircase. But so would a cheap stand fan or box fan. How often do you use your fans?
(I'm ordering the Ashford 30.2. I can cancel if it doesn't ship on time.)
It’s just my assessment. I’ve only burned Norway spruce as far as softwoods go only because I took a bunch down in my yard a couple years ago. I wouldnt go looking for it but it was either burn it or try to get rid of it. I do have to run the stat up to :30 higher burn rate to keep things happy with the lower btu and my tall flue. That probably cuts into the burn time as well.
We have 38 windows and a glass porch door. Plastic framed windows is how we ran for many years after we moved in. Now all windows are double-paned, except for 3 that are exterior storm windowed.
Is all of the ductwork (supply and returns) sealed, insulated, and inside the heated house envelope?
It would be easier to help with air distribution by seeing the floor plans for the basement and 1st floor, indicating stove location & stairwell.
What works in one house is often not a solution for another.
We have a blower on our stove. It's only used in very cold weather, but at those times it's quite helpful for getting warmth distributed to the farther reaches of the house.
An update: As I mentioned earlier I did get the Ashford 30.2 placed on order yesterday. I was told 3-4 week lead time. Hopefully that is still accurate. Otherwise, if I'm going miss the tax credit, I would probably cancel the order until my basement is completely finished. I was hesitant to order the stove and have to work around it, but couldn't pass up the tax credit. I'll let you know. Its going to be a stressful 3-4 weeks just waiting for shipment.
I missed this earlier. The ductwork is all inside the house envolope. But its not insulated ducting. Its just standard galvanized ducting with 8"+/- foil return lines. I'll see if I can draw up a floor plan for you. Thanks.
Oh, one other thing. I've been considering putting a floor vent in the ceiling above the wood stove. Kind of like gravity vents in old houses. Is this a good idea? I might need to start a new thread on this.
Noise will also pass thru along with the warm air if thats a concern.
I don't know if there might be a fire damper code for that in the US, have heard it mentioned on here.
You could have acoustic insulation on that transfer air to kill some noise transfer...
I would be surprised if it does much though considering how much my stairwell (doesn't really) transfers.
They do make floor registers with fans in them, I have not personally tried one though.
Uninsulated ductwork is lossy. That was not considered a big deal when oil was cheap and the ductwork was carrying 135-145º air. This is not the case with a heat pump system or when the system is being used to move wood stove warm air.. Duct losses can be large enough that 80º room air drops to below room temp when delivered to the farthest registers.
Cutting a hole above the stove may not be advisable. Sometimes, greater efficiency and comfort is achieved by cutting return air floor registers on the opposite side of the house to create a convective loop. This is why seeing the floor plans is important. Regardless, all floor pass-thru ducts should have fusible-link dampers.
Good information here, thanks.
I'm in a lot of houses for my work and I've never seen insulated ductwork unless its up in the attic. Otherwise, everything is typically in the basement and is just galvanized ductwork.
Floorplan coming...
I'm in a lot of houses for my work and I've never seen insulated ductwork unless its up in the attic. Otherwise, everything is typically in the basement and is just galvanized ductwork.
Floorplan coming...
I've attached a sketch of my floor plan. Its not to scale, but not too far off. The daylight basement is currently unfinished, but this is the tentative plan for it. The woodstove chimney will be going up through a closet in the bedroom above it. The stove will face the stairwell, so without vents in the floor, I would expect the heat to rise up through the stair well. The stairwell upstairs is open railing. It does have a wall in the basement. So there is no hallway around it and heat should move freely from basement ceiling to upstairs.
Since all you ductwork is inside, at least all your heat loss through your ductwork will be lost inside. A loss, but not lost!
Our entire system has been sealed, taped, and fully insulated since 2006. It is considered necessary for best performance out of heat pump systems with the much lower duct temps.
I've been in a lot of houses with improper, unsafe flue systems and stove hookups too. The quantity doesn't make them right.
The loss counts when the end of the line registers are pumping out cool air. It might be a zero sum gain, except that there is the wear on the fan motor bearings and the power used to run it.
Thanks. The drawings are really helpful. I would try out the stove with no holes cut for a season. If the basement is decently tight then natural convection up the stairwell may suffice as long as it is open at the top. You can actually feel the convection and see it by taping a length of toilet paper to the top of the stairwell opening.
If a decent sized register is placed in the living room, then the stairwell may act more as a return, but I would try without it first. It may not be necessary.
Many variables.
All my ductwork is exposed in the basement, all of the metal is exposed to the basement heat, (and cool in summer) I wouldn't want it insulated.
My fan is set to run circulation at 40%, 24/7, no hard starts (not that it does ECM). It just cruises along, filtering air as it goes.
Since the stove is facing the stairwell, would you recommend the stove fan? Or again, I guess I could try without it and see. I do think natural convection will move it up the stairs. Or like you said, the stairs would act as a cold air return with a register above the stove. But after some of the comments about noise and fire safety, I think I'd rather not install registers above the stove. Good idea with the toilet paper
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