Can I do it?

[wallpaper79]

My wife and I are currently in the planning stage of building a new home. The house will be approximately 2800 SF including the basement. The question is, if I put a woodstove in the basement with it, will I be able to heat the entire house. The house is mostly open on the main level, and the top level is open to the downstairs. Anyone here heating that kind of space with a Pacific Energy T6?

Thanks

 

[NH_Wood]

Basement installs can be tricky in terms of getting adequate heat to the upstairs. You should insulate your concrete walls (they absorb a lot of the heat that you'd like to move upstairs. Floor registers are great, but you need to check local codes to determine if you can have floor registers + check this with your insurance company. You will also want to get a small fan, place at the upper stairway to the main floor, and blow the cool main floor air down the stairs toward the stove room. This will move the warm air upstairs much more efficiently. I doubt you'll be seeing a lot of heat in the second floor - you'll likely be using the heat for the main floor. Cheers!

 

[Todd]

It would be best to either have a stove on each floor or a wood furnace in the basement. Figure at least a 10 degree difference from the basement to the upstairs if you just have a stove installed in basement.

 

[branchburner]

Masonry heater, if you can afford it.