Have a 1600 sq ft ranch style house. Previous owner vaulted the ceiling in our living room (which is in one end of our house) in the top corner of the vault they added an air intake in which they take the air from the living room and then blow it into our main hallway(other end of the house) which is access to all of the bedrooms. The idea seems to work "ok" i get about an 8 degree temperature drop between the living room and the hallway (duct work is coved with insulation). The owner appears to have started to entertain a new air circulation project as there are registers in in all of the bedroom ceilings with flexible insulated duct work ran toward the duct fan in the attic. My question is has anyone entertained using an air handler that would be installed in the attic and then tied into the insulated ducts to blow heated air into the bedrooms? I apologize if I am asking a rhetorical question but I question things like effectiveness and cost versus reward.
Entertaining Running an air handler in my attic to circulate hot stove air....
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Poindexter
Minister of Fire
If the ductwork is insulated its prob worth a try. If the ductwork is not isulated, probably not cost effective.
toddnic
Minister of Fire
spudman99
Feeling the Heat
The cost of running an air handler fan on a newer system is pennies per day. The blowers are that efficient and durable that it almost doesn't make sense. Many run their existing HVAC fans to circulate the air in the house to balance the heat from the insert or stove. With insulated duct I don't see any downside to running a fan, certainly it would be cost effective.
I have the exact same layout and am planning on doing that setup this year. I have a two speed inline fan and want to take the hot air and pull it down to the back bedrooms.
You say an 8 degree difference though? That's big.
You say an 8 degree difference though? That's big.
Yes, now that's just ambient not vent temp. I have an inline two speed fan as well but I couldn't tell you what cfm it is. I can tell you however that is extremely noisy or at least it is to me. I have not put any kind of filter on the inlet as I didn't want to lose any flow. I was hoping to gain more cfm and ALOT quieter noise with an air handler as they are a squirrel cage. not to mention I could run a cheap thermostat on cooling mode and if I was away and the fire died as the room cooled the air handler would shut off.
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I have a similar setup for my AC (that I didn't install) - everything is routed in the attic with insulated round ducting. I have to seal these off each year at all of the ceiling vents for the winter as the insulation doesn't do anything in the winter, plus whatever leaks there are at joints and whatnot. Otherwise cold air just rushes down. Never again will I buy a house with ducting in the attic, it's a PITA come winter.
Just my .02
Just my .02
@SportyMan Do you have a central heating and cooling system or just this? I have no central system. House originally had electric ceiling heat only. Mine would be just a 3" system. How does yours compare?
electrathon
Minister of Fire
This will be key. This is not what's done in my attic and its awful in the winter.
Bootstrap
Burning Hunk
I've seen moisture condense on roof plywood from excessive heat loss to the attic. So keep that in mind.
electrathon
Minister of Fire
Heat loss and moisture travel are very different but often grouped together. You can have R60 insulation and have huge vapor migration out of your winter heated area to the outside. Most houses are not built to the "best" standard. Many contractors are ignorant or just do not care.
For moisture loss, you need a vapor barrier. There is a very poor one on the insulation, it is not adequate if you are trying to use best practice. You need a plastic layer, continuous with as few penetrations as possible. It goes behind the sheetrock and over the studs. Ceiling it the worst, then walls, floors last. Only on exterior walls. As a band aid for poor initial construction, there is a paint that is (rubberized) that will help tremendously. It is great to use even if there is a proper plastic layer behind the sheet rock. More is always better.
If you insulate your house very well, you will find less need to burn as much wood. The insulation should have precedent over the stove producing heat, but it is a harder path to take.
I have central heating. Whatever is in the attic was either an old system or the previous owner trying something new.
I just recently had my shingles re-done and they ridge vented the house along with ALOT of soffet vents. I havent seen any moisture issues in my house but Im hoping that im at tip top shape now.
I was hoping to use an attic hvac system that doesn't have the evaporator coils or heat strip in it and control it thermostatically like you suggest. I dont know what this is called exactly. My other goal is to have this all hooked up and then blow insulation in and then not have to worry ever again!
rkofler
Burning Hunk
2 things you might try first. Small fan on the floor in the hallway leading to bedrooms pointing towards stove room. Second would be a ceiling fan, running in reverse, in the stove room. I think you might have even better results with these options, and they are much easier to implement.
Btw, i have a ranch, and I am successful with this setup.
Also my cold air intakes are in two bedrooms far away from the living room stove so running my hvac doesn't seem to have much value compared to the duct fan that I currently use to circulate the air in the house.
![[Hearth.com] Entertaining Running an air handler in my attic to circulate hot stove air....](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/222/222291-ce5bb4b2a19e3ce39449bbd602b901f4.jpg?hash=iDx1i10Gk1 "[Hearth.com] Entertaining Running an air handler in my attic to circulate hot stove air....")
Here is the inline i got. 4 inch, not 3.
I rock the fan on the floor and ceiling fan in the stove room. Helps tons.
Yours Looks alot better than the fan thats currently installed in mine, mine is literally made out the same gauge galvanized pipe that you buy at the stores.
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