Custom Woodstove Blower?

[DSaulnier]

Hey Guys,
Posting all over the place today on here, cause I keep getting ideas and wondering if anyone else has done this already.

I want to install a blower on my basement woodstove...It's a KUMA Tamarack,
Now, they sell a blower for this stove but it's only 160CFM. I Think I'd like a little higher as I plant to hook ducting up to it and run a line from one end of my basement to the other end into the floor of my kitchen, I'd also like to take a line into a crawlspace and into the floor of my powder room and mudroom which are over the crawlspace. I could not run Ducts off my current airhandler into these 2 rooms as it was originally the side porch of the house (built in 1896 by the way)

So, has anyone put their own beefy blowers on a woodstove? If so any pics to share. or has anyone done a "MINI" hvac system of this nature??

I'm curious to see if this is a good idea or if im just Blowin' smoke!....HAHAHA....ugh, I need to get out more


Thanks in advance guys....
Dan

 

[Corey]

Some have set up similar contraptions. Main issue is where to put the blower. If it's truly 'blowing' cold air, then no worries about the motor, but some hot air may be lost at the seal to the ducting...which may or may not be desirable. If you're 'pulling' hot air, then motor placement is more of an issue. IIRC, we had one poster who ran into trouble overheating the motor because it was drawing hot air off the stove and over the fan motor. I think he wound up going with an indirect drive blower where the motor was outside the air stream so it stayed cool and the blower housing handled the heat.

The next issue is noise. For a given airflow, a smaller / high RPM fan will generally be noisier than a larger/slower fan. So if that is a concern, you might want to look at large blowers turning slowly.

Another issue is control - do you want the fan to blow all the time, even if cold, or do you want to cycle it with heat of the stove, or even a thermostat out at one of the remote rooms? if you choose a place near the stove, I would recommend something with a moderate amount of thermal mass, otherwise, you would get into a situation where the blower cycles rapidly on/off as it alternately heats/cools the stove.

 

[DSaulnier]

Funny you should mention the controls portion...I'm an electrical engineer, the controls will be the fun part!! I'm not too worried about figuring out when I want it to turn on and off I can get all kinds of cool scrap gadgets from work that will aide me in that. I'm more getting at what you had said in the beginning of your post...trying to come up with a contraption that will collect the hot air (sheet metal box maybe???) and the blower on that into some ducting...thinking clamp a box to the top of the stove with a fan pulling that hot air out into the ductwork I run...sound feasible?

 

[realstihl]

Yes, it will work but you might want to read your owners manual.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

There are stoves meant to be ducted. But if yours isn't, you shouldn't.

 

[DSaulnier]

I was looking at that the other day...anything specific I should look for in there? U fortunately that manual is tiny...not much info

 

[begreen]

It is against code and mfg. directions to duct a wood stove as described. However, you could run a duct from those areas that sucks it out if those rooms and blows it towards the stove via insulated ducts that have an inline fan.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

We have an outdoor boiler draft fan on our lopi. It moves a lot of air but is very noisy.

 

[DSaulnier]

Can I ask why they can't be ducted? I feel like the only reason would be air quality issues?
If you can have the stove running in rooms you spend hours and hours in why can't you pump that air through your house?

 

[Isaac Carlson]

It probably has something to do with lawyers and stupid laws, but I could see someone ducting one improperly and possibly starting a fire.

 

[DSaulnier]

We have an outdoor boiler draft fan on our lopi. It moves a lot of air but is very noisy.

Is this a custom job you made work? Do you have any pics or a little more detail to helpe get some ideas

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Don't laugh, it is only temporary because the stove is supposed to be moved this year. We have the blower going into a cardboard box and the cardboard box sits under the front of the stove and up against the vent intakes and the air comes out the top of the stove jacket. It doubled the heat output of the stove. The blower sits behind the box.

 

[begreen]

Can I ask why they can't be ducted? I feel like the only reason would be air quality issues?
If you can have the stove running in rooms you spend hours and hours in why can't you pump that air through your house?

Very rapid spread of CO, smoke and fire if anything goes wrong would be my guess.

 

[begreen]

Don't laugh, it is only temporary because the stove is supposed to be moved this year. We have the blower going into a cardboard box and the cardboard box sits under the front of the stove and up against the vent intakes and the air comes out the top of the stove jacket. It doubled the heat output of the stove. The blower sits behind the box.

This is not helpful information. What one does in the privacy of their home is their business, but sharing it is not. Is there a family living in the house? Are their bungee cords on the car brakes too?

 

[begreen]

Blow cool air toward the stove and warm air will replace it in the far rooms. This is safe, legal and works.

 

[DSaulnier]

So I should blow air from my kitchen down into the basement? Remember too the stove is on the opposite end of the house so I would have to blow cool air from kitchen down into basement and through the basement 40+ feet? Will that still work?

 

[Dakotas Dad]

It's called convection, and it works. We have an 8" fan on the floor on the opposite end of the house, makes a huge difference.

 

[DSaulnier]

I'm already blowing a fan in my basement at the opposite end maybe a grate in the kitchen would solve some problems...?

 

[begreen]

So I should blow air from my kitchen down into the basement? Remember too the stove is on the opposite end of the house so I would have to blow cool air from kitchen down into basement and through the basement 40+ feet? Will that still work?

The best solution from a heating standpoint would be to not use the heat losing basement as a duct. The wood stove is an area heater and should be placed in the area one wants to heat. The added benefit is that one gets to enjoy the fire view and has a better knowledge of the state of the fire.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I'm already blowing a fan in my basement at the opposite end maybe a grate in the kitchen would solve some problems...?

Oh No! You can't do that. You'll be violating another code.

 

[begreen]

A grate is ok from the basement if it has a metal sleeve through the joist space and a fusible-link damper.

 

[DSaulnier]

Oh No! You can't do that. You'll be violating another code.

Seriously!?!?

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Seriously!?!?

So I've heard.
Read Begreen's post and do some research on your own to see if it applies to you. Call and ask your local building inspector, fire department, and insurance agent.
Let us know what they say.

 

[begreen]

Seriously!?!?

Canadian commentary on US code?

Here are some fire damper options for the grate.You can get them plain or already boxed with a round takeoff for ducting.
http://www.atlantasupply.com/swscri...ire Dampers&PC=A&SC=FD&REQUEST_ID=CCATSEL_AS2

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Canadian commentary on US code?

Is there anything wrong with getting local confirmation on that code? Perhaps they'll have a different view on it.
We have a national building codes in Canada too, but I can tell you they don't apply in the area where I live, and most other regions have there own building codes.
Are you telling me that US national building codes are exactly the same, and enforced everywhere in the USA exactly the same? You don't have state or regional building codes or inspectors? Could be, I'm just asking?

Edit: I'm just thinking how much simpler it would make things if a country did just have one set of of building codes that were applied uniformly throughout the country. But alas that's not the case here. I've been involved in home construction for nearly 40 years, and the only consist thing has been that there is no consistency. Region to region, year to year, inspector to inspector, the rules change. If in doubt about a specific code, or application of a code, what we do here is ask the regional inspector what he wants, then comply.