How to move heat from basement to rest of house?

[VTrider]

I burn around 4.5 cord per year - only source of heat for 1600 sq.ft house. Big old non-cat, pre-epa workhorse woodstove located in basement. House is all heated w/radiant heat via 'metal hood' perched over stove which collects heat and funnels it thru one 8" duct which terminates to (2) 4x10 registers on the floor of main living area. Along with a cathedral ceiling, ceiling fans, good insulation and airflow this has served me well for the last 4 Winters.

My issue is that although the house will stay a comfy 70-80 degrees, the basement is usually around 20 degrees warmer, sometimes over 100! Now it makes sense to me (my wife for some reason doesn't see the logic in this?) that if I increase the efficiency of heat transfer from the basement (non-living area) to the upstairs, ultimately we would save money by not having to burni as much wood, is this crazy or am I correct?

I was thinking of installing one of those 8" in-line duct fans to help increase airflow in order to move more of that unused warm air which just stays in the basement. There is also always a noticeable draft of cool air flowing back down the basement stairs and by means of an additional 18x18 register located in a hallway - wondering if some extra cool-air return registers would help?

 

[jrousell]

yes- at least one cold return register, and one hot( supply) register would help immensly.

I suggest that you even look into building a simple filter box too and get a squirrel cage blower and do it up right... it will greatly help circulation - well worth your time

 

[VTSR5]

Your logic seems sound to me. Cold air return seems adequate. And if you power the delivery, that will power the return to some degree, no?

I say power that duct and see what happens. What do you have to lose? Well, you could lose your already good convection delivery because an in-line fan that is not operating will restrict airflow. So if the fan is too effective or if you want to use it only during peak stove output, or if the power goes out, it would be nice to be able to by-pass the fan somehow and still have the good unpowered delivery that you now enjoy.

By the way, I remotely monitor ceiling-level air temps in my cellar stove room using the wireless remote sensor for my indoor/outdoor thermometer (the part that would normally go outside), which I put up in the joists right under my floor register.

Good luck. Don't forget to post your results!

 

[VTSR5]

Another thought...

How about cutting one new floor register and powering that one register only, not powering the existing duct system? Simple, cheap, you turn the thing on when you feel cellar temps warrant it. But you leave your already good convection system intact and fully functional for times when the new powered duct is off-line.

 

[gloersen]

I have the same issue with moving the air from the basement. I have one bedroom that is very hard to get the pellet stoves air into. I will be constructing a hood and running a pwered 6" flex line to a register in the bedroom. But i think i'm gonna have this run from a therostat. What does everyone think?

 

[begreen]

Has anyone cleared these systems with a fire marshal or inspector? I am not one, but suspect they are illegal due to the risks if there is a failure or problem. It's far safer and better to put the stove where the heat is needed than to try to modify it's operation into a pseudo-furnace.

One applicable code might be that it is illegal to have a return air duct within 10 ft of the wood burning stove. I strongly suspect that the hood over the stove is considered the return air of a ventilation system, but I'll wait for the folks that are more code literate to comment.

 

[jrousell]

You should NOT have a sccop or ductwork collecting near or above the stove.

even a return and supply duct at some place on that level would make a huge impact -- not near the stove... just to kepe the air moving/mixing

 

[begreen]

That depends on the ducting system. Often the heat loss in the ductwork offsets the circulation gain. If the need is for a central heating system, a wood furnace is a better item for a basement installation, IMHO.

Here is a good discussion thread:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1287/

 

[SlyFerret]

You will probably see the best results by moving the colder denser air toward the stove to displace the warmer lighter air to where you want it.

Like BeGreen mentions, there might be code issues with running new duct work. Make sure you do your homework before cutting holes in floors/ceilings to add air ducts.

If you do add some sort of powered air vent, I would try blowing the cooler air from the upstairs into the basement, and leaving the basement door open to allow the warm air to be displaced to the upstairs.

-SF

 

[VTrider]

Thanks for all the replies - some really good points stated here regarding code(s) and safety. I've been living in this house for almost 5 years and this is the original setup since the house was built in early 80's. Guess I just assumed it was lawful and up to code? Hmmm, I'm leaning away now from installing an in-line duct fan because I didnt' plan on running it 24/7 because of noise and assumed I would just turn it on - on demand when I need to quickly heat the upstairs or move air. Good point taken that if the power goes out (which is does more than average around here), or when I'm not running it - it would probably inhibit air flow.

(BTW: Nice to meet you all, just wanted to introduce myself - been a member officially for almost a year and a lurker for longer than that - I don't post much. I feel like a newbie because I didn't realize that this topic was covered so much (until I did a search like I was suppose to after the fact))

 

[carpniels]

Hi VTrider,

I have been on the forum for a few years and we regularly see people who ask about installing what you have in your house. We had a few inspectors on the forum that continuously told people that such installations are illegal according to NFPA 211. You should not cut any direct vents in walls because they act as chimneys in case of a house fire. The place will burn down really fast. It can be done if you install the aluminum air return lines (similar to a forced air furnace) but that is a lot of work and hassle.

I suggest replacing the wood stove with a new(er) EPA approved stove. For you house a Jotul F400 Castine will work. They are a LOT more efficient, so you will burn less wood, less cutting, moving and stacking. I burn 4.5 cords for a 3,000 ft house in a Quad Isle Royale. You burn that for a house half the size with similar insulation.

Ideally, you want to install that stove in the room(s) where you need the heat. Upstairs that is. Stoves are meant as space heaters. Furnaces are used for central heating.

These are all suggestions of course. But I have seen post like yours and the responses often enough that I would like to spread the proper information.

Good luck

Carpniels