Heat conduction in old colonial style house

[smirnov3]

Hi, guys:

I am considering getting a pellet stove, but I am worried that the heat won't conduct in my home.

I have a two floor, 2,000 sqft colonial style house, with the the only connection between the upstairs and the downstairs (where the stove would be) a stairwell with a door that is often closed (to control where our cats wander)

The current heat system is hot water radiators, so there are no air vents

Now, I don't mind having a severe temperature gradient between the upstairs & downstairs: if the downstairs is 70F, I don't mind if the upstairs is 60F.

Does anybody here have any experience with this sort of house? Do you think a pellet stove would work for me?

 

[joshuaviktor]

Colonial style houses were built to maximize fireplace heating systems. Downstairs, where you lived most of the time, was closed off to keep the heat from a fireplace downstairs. Then when you went to bed, you would either open the door, for a couple of hours to let some heat rush upstairs, or leave it open. Or, sometimes, bed warmers were used.

You have a house that is custom designed to utilize wood heat. They may not have ever thought of pellets, but its wood heat. Open floor plan, right? All rooms open into center hallway? One little door corner fan could heat the whole house, probably.

Now, let's NOT discuss insulation. Argh.

(I live in a n old colonial myself.)

 

[saichele]

It certainly can be done, and if you find you don;t get enough heat through the doorway, you can always cut in some floor registers (with the fire safety links, of course) to allow some air to move to the upstairs.

Steve