Loft too hot

[Rachob]

We bought this house last summer, used the stove in winter and noticed an issue. I Really have 2 separate issues. The 2nd probably doesn't have much of a fix but if you've got one feel free to share.

My main issue is with the loft and upstairs temp. I'll attach a picture if I can. The stove is in the entry, with the open staircase and single walled black pipe straight up to the ceiling/roof. The loft is way too hot. I'd love to spread the heat around, but I need to cool the loft. Is it the openness? The black pipe? No return in that part of the ceiling? My thoughts on those issues - swap to insulated pipe... block opening with curtains or a new wall... move return into the entry ceiling & run fan.

The stove has a blower on the back that we do run. Hvac guy said a booster fan on that return just inside the loft could damage the (new) furnace if the furnace fan was turned off. We do try to always run the furnace fan, but in-laws live in basement in-law quarters and say it blows cold air on them. Will probably close their vents and run fan this winter.

Issue 2 is the lack of heat in the basement.

 

[Prof]

So I had a couple thoughts, not sure how much help I can be though: Is the loft still too hot if you don't run the stove blower? Heat is going to rise no matter what, but I wonder if it would be more gentle if the air wasn't being pushed? Generally speaking I think you are going to have a hard time cooling the loft short of putting up a wall, as you mentioned. Another thought I had was about the height of the pipe--that seems pretty tall for single wall pipe. I hope the sections that are taped also have a few screws in them?

As far as the basement, some portable heater of some sort would be an option--though not a great one. Is there a way to use the central heating system to heat that space too? The good thing is that it shouldn't take much to heat a basement, the bad thing is that getting heat to go down is almost impossible.

 

[Squirrely]

We bought this house last summer, used the stove in winter and noticed an issue. I Really have 2 separate issues. The 2nd probably doesn't have much of a fix but if you've got one feel free to share.

My main issue is with the loft and upstairs temp. I'll attach a picture if I can. The stove is in the entry, with the open staircase and single walled black pipe straight up to the ceiling/roof. The loft is way too hot. I'd love to spread the heat around, but I need to cool the loft. Is it the openness? The black pipe? No return in that part of the ceiling? My thoughts on those issues - swap to insulated pipe... block opening with curtains or a new wall... move return into the entry ceiling & run fan.

The stove has a blower on the back that we do run. Hvac guy said a booster fan on that return just inside the loft could damage the (new) furnace if the furnace fan was turned off. We do try to always run the furnace fan, but in-laws live in basement in-law quarters and say it blows cold air on them. Will probably close their vents and run fan this winter.

Issue 2 is the lack of heat in the basement.

Your loft setup is exactly the same as ours...




...except our stove is the only source of home heating. A long single wall flue is very efficient at transferring heat. We installed a small return air fan near the peak of the ceiling that ducts the warm air down the wall to blow on the back of the stove.





Since you have forced air central heating, relocating the return, if logistically possible, is a good idea.

Greg

 

[Hogwildz]

Swap out the ceiling light with a ceiling fan if possible. If you do, make sure you either mount the electrical box to a rafter, or use a ceiling fan box kit. Looks like you will have to move the box over some, then patch the existing hole. With the ceiling fan run in reverse, it will pull cooler air up, and send the warmer air down along the walls.

 

[jetsam]

Your loft setup is exactly the same as ours...

View attachment 199811


...except our stove is the only source of home heating. A long single wall flue is very efficient at transferring heat. We installed a small return air fan near the peak of the ceiling that ducts the warm air down the wall to blow on the back of the stove.

View attachment 199812

View attachment 199813

Since you have forced air central heating, relocating the return, if logistically possible, is a good idea.

Greg

You know, you could paint that return so it's completely invisible from one viewing angle...

 

[bholler]

We bought this house last summer, used the stove in winter and noticed an issue. I Really have 2 separate issues. The 2nd probably doesn't have much of a fix but if you've got one feel free to share.

My main issue is with the loft and upstairs temp. I'll attach a picture if I can. The stove is in the entry, with the open staircase and single walled black pipe straight up to the ceiling/roof. The loft is way too hot. I'd love to spread the heat around, but I need to cool the loft. Is it the openness? The black pipe? No return in that part of the ceiling? My thoughts on those issues - swap to insulated pipe... block opening with curtains or a new wall... move return into the entry ceiling & run fan.

The stove has a blower on the back that we do run. Hvac guy said a booster fan on that return just inside the loft could damage the (new) furnace if the furnace fan was turned off. We do try to always run the furnace fan, but in-laws live in basement in-law quarters and say it blows cold air on them. Will probably close their vents and run fan this winter.

Issue 2 is the lack of heat in the basement.

With that long of a run i would not go single wall you will have to run the stove harder to maintain chimney temps and that will put out more heat which will end up in the loft. Also hog is absolutly right about a ceiling fan that would absolutly help

 

[Rachob]

Thanks for the replies. Great ideas.

So I had to double check but, yes, there are screws all the way up! I think I recall the blower helped a bit. Our previous one had the same knob and was variable speed, but this one is just high speed.

Our current basement solution is a little heater. Need 1 more, but works well so I guess it stays that way. The thermostat for central heat is just around the corner from the stove so if we run the stove the furnace won't usually kick on until early morning, if at all. There's only a single zone.. $5k to put in an additional one. Oh well.

Moving the return sounds like a decently small project. Then we thought we might be able to wrangle a new run, like Squirrely's, but one that takes that heat all the way to the basement.. set up with a little fan to help heat go down. That ceiling traps the heat so well maybe it's just hanging up there for the taking.

So, I'm thinking first leave return connected to furnace but move it and see results. If that works with the furnace fan on (close basement vents) we're set. If there's room for improvement we'll go poking around to see about an additional vent with run to basement, or somewhere. Then onto a fan (which is last because I'll be asked to help install it while standing on a ladder on a board 15 feet in the air). Will post results once it gets cold enough to run the stove

 

[Squirrely]

So I had to double check but, yes, there are screws all the way up! I think I recall the blower helped a bit. Our previous one had the same knob and was variable speed, but this one is just high speed.

Variable speed control is a nice convenience. I put one on our return air fan. It's nice to be able to fine tune the flow.

Greg

 

[Hogwildz]

It might be easier to move the cooler air from the basement up, which may help the hot loft issue, might not. You need to get air flow or a convection loop going on to move that heated air from the loft.

 

[begreen]

Our house has a large open stairwell and even though the stove is a room apart, heat convected across the flat ceiling to the stairwell, overheating upstairs. I had to add a false transom to block the heat. That made a very nice difference and is entirely passive.

Would it be possible to relocate the stove? As you have found out, locating the stove at a large open stairwell isn't a great plan. The open stairwell acts as a chimney for the heat to convect up through. Then one requires a mechanical means to try and get the heat back down where it's needed.