Central heat dumper

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mcdougy

Minister of Fire
Apr 15, 2014
979
ontario
Where should I start reading and which models.....? I had a customer put in a Opel last year and I liked the idea of being able to dump some heat into the forced air system. I'm building a new house in the spring and im looking for a way to lighten the heating bill with a some aux. wood heat. If there is a system that could make the lp the aux. source I would be even happier.
Thanks for the help
Matt
 
First place to start is extra attention to sealing, windows and extra insulation. That will dramatically reduce the heating and cooling load year round. How large will the place be and what will the layout be?
 
First place to start is extra attention to sealing, windows and extra insulation. That will dramatically reduce the heating and cooling load year round. How large will the place be and what will the layout be?

It will approx 3000 sq ft ranch, large great room where I would like to locate a unit on the south wall, with kitchen and dining room somewhat attached. Not a complete open concept but large walk thru openings for these main rooms. The 2 bedrooms will be separated by walls from great room but no hallway to speak of. The basement stairwell will be a switchback set with open railing front and back in line with wood unit. Planning on finishing some of the basement and will end up with 2 bedrooms down there. It will have a lot of glass on the south wall.
 
What you'll find, if you start heating with a wood stove, is that this little space heater will surprise you in how well it can heat a very large space. Thank the fairly modest BTU output of the stove, just cruising 24/7, for this ability to set up a surprisingly uniform steady-state scenario.

That said, 3000 sq.ft. in a ranch configuration is about as far from ideal as one can imagine, for heating with a single stove. Much easier to keep 3000 sq.ft. warm, if it's split between two floors as a standard colonial, with the stove on the lower floor.

The first floor of my house is approximately 3000 sq.ft., and my solution was to put a stove at each end of the house. If you are saying you have 3000 sq.ft. on one floor, not counting those basement bedrooms, I'd be thinking two stoves for your house.
 
What you'll find, if you start heating with a wood stove, is that this little space heater will surprise you in how well it can heat a very large space. Thank the fairly modest BTU output of the stove, just cruising 24/7, for this ability to set up a surprisingly uniform steady-state scenario.

That said, 3000 sq.ft. in a ranch configuration is about as far from ideal as one can imagine, for heating with a single stove. Much easier to keep 3000 sq.ft. warm, if it's split between two floors as a standard colonial, with the stove on the lower floor.

The first floor of my house is approximately 3000 sq.ft., and my solution was to put a stove at each end of the house. If you are saying you have 3000 sq.ft. on one floor, not counting those basement bedrooms, I'd be thinking two stoves for your house.


Yes main floor 3000, basement another 3000
 
Is the intent to also heat the basement with wood or just the main floor? Will the pla e be super insulated? How high will the ceilings be?
 
Yes main floor 3000, basement another 3000
If you need heat down the basement on a daily basis, and want to heat down there with wood, there are a few things we'll need to discuss. Better would be if you plan to just heat the first floor with wood, and leave the basement to the traditional heating system (assuming it can be zoned as such).

A few broad and general statements about wood stoves in basements, any of which can spark some debate:

1. Wood stoves move a large fraction of the heat they produce by radiation. Some stoves have mechanisms to increase their convective properties, and reduce their radiant, but all stoves move a large part of their energy via radiation.

2. Radiant heaters work by heating high-mass objects within their line of sight. The air in the room will naturally rise (via conduction) toward the average temperature of the objects in the room.

3. The problem with a radiant heater in a masonry structure, like my house or the average basement, is that the high-mass objects in the stove's line of sight are four concrete walls and a concrete floor. These are tied to the almost infinite heat sink we call earth.

4. Folks throw a padded carpet over their concrete floor, and expect this 1/2" of insulation over several thousand square feet will resolve the above issue, but remember stoves have very limited horsepower. You may struggle to find a happy compromise of burn time and heat output in a basement, unless it is very well insulated.

5. Expect the chance of draft problems, in a basement install. A tall chimney and OAK thru sill to outside is usually the best solution, but some jurisdictions forbid OAKs in basements. Some assume they can reverse and act as a chimney themselves, in event of a chimney malfunction.

My solution was to put two stoves on my first floor, at either end of a long house, and leave the basement heating to the boiler and baseboard. We only use the basement as a rec room, probably less than 20 total hours per week.


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Agree this will be a 2 heater place if the intent is to heat mostly with wood. A ZC fireplace is mostly convective, radiating only out the front with no masonry structure involved. One unit will most likely not heat the entire place unless the weather is mild and/or the place is super-insulated. Cathedral ceilings, closed off areas, poor construction or design are all confounding factors.

Some stoves avoid the OAK issue in the basement by not direct connecting to the intake on the stove. In WA state an OAK is mandatory with new construction. Check with your local inspecting authority for requirements in your jurisdiction.
 
Is the intent to also heat the basement with wood or just the main floor? Will the pla e be super insulated? How high will the ceilings be?
The tent is Not heat the basement with wood, the place will be insulated above ontario codes which will make the wall r30 and the attic r50, windows will be excellent vinyl windows with a high r value as far as windows go. The ceilings in the main area will be cathedral to 11' and remaining rooms will be 9'.Basement walls will be r20 the joist ends will be r30. This will be a very air tight home and building code will require a hrv.
 
A good EPA ZC fireplace should make a nice dent in the heating bill. If the floor plan is open then it should do a very nice job.

Yes, OAK = outside air kit
 
What zc is highest on your list. My wife wants big glass. I like the option of a heat dump as I mentioned before. What zc performs better than the Opel ?
 
There are many good models on the market. It depends on which has the features one likes best and is sized right for the job. In addition to the RSF line there's the Quadrafire 7000, Kozy Z42, Astria Montecito, Osburn Stratford, Fireplace Xtrordinair 33, etc..
 
I have dropped by a few stove shops, was hoping to find out experiences or opinions on a couple models I am considering......Opel 2 non cat and the Pacifac energy fp30. Is there ant advantages to either one that any of you folks see or know of? Sounds as if the decked out PE will be a bunch of bucks less than the Opel. To the tune of 2500.
thanks for the help Matt
 
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