Heating a Tri-Level House

[Bigun]

We got to use the fire insert for the first time last week. All went well except for two things:

1) I need a hearth extension. A hot ember hit the carpet and I had to toss it back in with the fireplace gloves. Now I have a short stack of carpet after I cut the hard pieces out. I know, a hearth extension, I'll get one.

2) This is the bigger problem. I have a tri-level house, the fire insert is downstairs. While the downstairs room feel like a sauna, the mid level feels lukewarm, and upstairs is chilly. I tried turning on the central unit's fan on with little to no results. I have fans that I use during the summer to circulate the cool air, I set one at the bottom of the stairs at the bottom and mid levels, blowing upwards... nothing. help?

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Blow the cool/cold air near the floor down the stairways towards the stove, this will help form a convection loop. The warm air will flow up the stairwells over the top of the cooler air being forced down.

 

[Grisu]

Blow the cool/cold air near the floor down the stairways towards the stove, this will help form a convection loop. The warm air will flow up the stairwells over the top of the cooler air being forced down.

And the reasoning is that cold air is denser than warm air and therefore easier to move. Some paper strips along the ceiling will also help to determine air-flow.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

help?

Get another stove, or possibly 2.

Wood stoves are space heaters. You wouldn't put an electric heater in your basement and expect it to heat your entire house, would you?

 

[Bigun]

And the reasoning is that cold air is denser than warm air and therefore easier to move. Some paper strips along the ceiling will also help to determine air-flow.

I'll try that. Also, with that knowledge, I'll try the house fan again, this time shutting the vents upstairs and opening the vents downstairs. Forcing the cold air downstairs. I'll report back the results next week when the massive cold snap comes through.

 

[Bigun]

Get another stove, or possibly 2.

Wood stoves are space heaters. You wouldn't put an electric heater in your basement and expect it to heat your entire house, would you?

This is not an option.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I played with the vents on my HVAC system and found what your describing to work for me. It doesn't always work for everyone though. I also have an air return near the cieling by my stove that helps move the warm air through the ducting and keeps the temp between floors more balanced. But all my duct work is insulated so there is minimal heat loss. All you can do is try it and see how it goes.