Looking to circulate warm air to upstairs

[dhickok11]

Hello all, I just recently purchased a Harman Accentra insert and installed it into my finished basement fireplace. The stove heats the finished basement very well, but the heat doesn't seem to be getting upstairs into the main living area efficiently. My house is heated with baseboard radiators so their is no ductwork in the home. Above the pellet stove is drop ceiling and then hardwood into the living room. So my thought was to install a passive vent into the drop ceiling panel and then a small one in the wood floor above.

My questions: Is a passive vent the way to go or should I get something with a fan in it to blow upstairs? Do I need to connect a duct between the drop ceiling vent and the floor vent above or is leaving it open ok?

Thanks for the advice. I do love the stove, the only air flow currently is through the entry door down to the basement. With the door open I do get some heat heading upstairs but not as much as I'd like.

Thanks in advance!

Dan

 

[joescho]

I have the same situation but have a wood insert which I will be replacing with the same pellet insert you have. I have found with the wood burner moving the ceiling blocks away in a few spots help. Leaving the door open helps. But I admit the wood burner probably puts out a bit more heat.

I love the wood heat but have been doing wood since I was like 12. I'm 52 now and pretty tired of it. I can still physically do it but I'm pretty sick of doing it

 

[Rob711]

Lots of people on here smarter than me about this stuff. But I think most will say push cold air into basement. Seem moving cold air towards the fireplace works better than moving hot air. Maybe a small box fan at the top of stairs will help. Good luck.
The vent in the floor might also be illegal as far as building code and such

 

[SidecarFlip]

Hot air rises, cold air sinks. Leave the basement door open or cut a passive vent in the ceiling / floor above the stove and another 'cpld air return in the floor to the basement at the farthest point from the stove that you can access. Make them as large as possible, you can buy very nice flush floor registers of substantial size. Which is EXACTLY what my friend in Maine did. His woodburner is in his basement, only way to get heat upstairs is floor vents and he installed a Dutch door on the basement stairs so he can keep the upper half open at all times.

 

[tlc1976]

Cold air is denser too so I would think that moving the cold air would be more effective. Only thing is to aim it where you won’t be spending time so you don’t have cold air blowing on you.

At one time I thought about making a fan in a tube to take cold air from the upstairs floor and send it to the ceiling below. Or take warm air from the ceiling below and send it to the upstairs floor. That way you could see how it would work without cutting holes in the floor.

 

[dhickok11]

Cold air is denser too so I would think that moving the cold air would be more effective. Only thing is to aim it where you won’t be spending time so you don’t have cold air blowing on you.

So, like I said currently there's only 1 door (which I'd keep open) from the basement to upstairs, the stairwell is not far from the stove. Would it make more sense to have a mounted fan blowing colder air down those stairs or does it need to be in another location to allow the hot air to go up the same stairwell?

 

[tlc1976]

So, like I said currently there's only 1 door (which I'd keep open) from the basement to upstairs, the stairwell is not far from the stove. Would it make more sense to have a mounted fan blowing colder air down those stairs or does it need to be in another location to allow the hot air to go up the same stairwell?

I would try a fan on the floor, and aim it down the stairs if you can. Then hopefully you will keep a free path for the warm air to rise back up. If your stairwell is enclosed all the way to the bottom then you might want to try a second fan at the bottom to help pull the air along.

 

[SidecarFlip]

The warm air will pull the cold air down the basement by convection, just like the draft in a flue in a woodstove As it sises up, the cooler air replaces it. Simple physics.

 

[FirepotPete]

You better check with local building inspector on cutting holes like you are describing. Also your insurance company. Most Zoning codes do not allow it anymore. Older structures with existing "gravity fed" type vents are usually grandfathered in.
Or if you know any heating contractors they should be able to tell you the local/state code on it.

 

[zrock]

If it were me i would cut a vent into the floor ceiling attached together with some ducting and a booster fan... I would try to find a booster fan with a speed control or use a ceiling fan speed control so you can find the sweet spot for the fan where it will move the most amount of air without cooling the air down to much... With leaving the door pen it will create its own convection so their is no need to cut in a cold air return. Just remember not to cut any floor joists and you will be fine..