Circulating The Heat

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FireRod

Member
Aug 22, 2014
125
Blackwood, NJ
A few years ago I posted a question asking how I could move the heat from my wood stove into my other rooms. Suggestions were posted from those in-wall fans to setting a fan on the side of my stove to a Peltier chip driven fan as well as a fan placed on the floor in the room forcing cold air back into the warm room thereby pushing warm air back into the cold room. I do heat my house with my wood stove through the winter and enjoy my house being on average 76-78 degrees. So, I did go with an Eco fan and a fan place along side my stove as well as a small 10" fan placed on the floor at the door in the cold room. Just recently the 2 speed Lasko small fan on the floor (in the cold room) would not run on the higher setting for more than an hour or two. So I figured it was tome to replace it. I have to mention this fan did move the air into the room but not as well as I wanted. So I started to shop for another small fan and cam across an XPOWER P-80A Mini Mighty Air Mover/Floor Fan. It's basically takes up the same amount of space on the floor as the small fan but moves air incredibly better. When I ran the Lasko fan I would have a 10 to 12 degree lower temp in the colder room and in the morning it would take almost 3 hours to get to a comfortable temp of 68°. With my new fan on the lowest setting the room is 8° lower and in the morning I'll bump it up to the #2 setting and within 40 minutes the cold room is with in that 8° and sometimes only 6° lower reaching as high as 73°.

So my suggestion here is spend a few more dollars and be more comfortable with an air moving fan instead of just another small fan.
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Getting the cold air out along the floor allows the warm air to replace it. It's the best way to heat cold spaces quickly. My rear bedrooms do this without fans. When the stove gets the great room hot, a blast of cold air comes rushing down the hallway along the floor.
 
Getting the cold air out along the floor allows the warm air to replace it. It's the best way to heat cold spaces quickly. My rear bedrooms do this without fans. When the stove gets the great room hot, a blast of cold air comes rushing down the hallway along the floor.

Any suggestion on moving heat to the basement? I just posted yesterday my situation. Do you think using one of these fans and having it blow air up from the basement would work? Or would some sort if in floor/wall air share type system work better?
 
Any suggestion on moving heat to the basement? I just posted yesterday my situation. Do you think using one of these fans and having it blow air up from the basement would work? Or would some sort if in floor/wall air share type system work better?
That almost always works out poorly.
 
How about adding a return in the wall up high towards the ceiling and using the furnace on fan mode to circulate throughout the house? Ductwork is in the basement rafters. Temps around 62-64.
The results are likely to be anemic for heating the basement. If the ductwork (including the return) is well insulated and not installed in exterior walls then it may work for distributing the heat. results vary a lot with home construction and layout.
 
Any suggestion on moving heat to the basement? I just posted yesterday my situation. Do you think using one of these fans and having it blow air up from the basement would work? Or would some sort if in floor/wall air share type system work better?
Move the woodstove to the basement, then direct hot air from the stove into an air return. That's the absolutely best way, if you can swing it.
 
With the Physics of heat rising getting heat to fall would be contrary to the law of physics. If you want heat in your basement either put a wood stove down there or an electric heater.
 
Plug in a thermostatically controlled electric heater as a part time heater and be done with it easily and without home modification. The other discussed efforts are likely to leave you frustrated.