Moving heat upstairs question

[Mohawk4242]

So my woodstove is in the basement. We leave the basement door open to allow heat up, is it necessary or smart/efficient to cut a vent in the floor to allow cold air down? This will be the first year in the new house with a woodstove so my apologies if this is a stupid question or one that's been asked recently


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[jetsam]

It's been asked a lot, and the answer is always "maybe". Depends on the layout and airflow.

My advice would be to go through a season with the door open and see if you are happy with the heat distribution.

Basement stoves can struggle, especially ones in uninsulated basements, as they lose most of their heat to earth through concrete floors and walls

 

[kennyp2339]

I cut vents in my floors when I put the stove in the basement, I did (4) 4x10" vents thinking I could have the heat ooz upstairs...no Bueno don't waste your time unless you cut a large hole think 2ft x 2ft minimum for a cold air return with a grate, which then may make it a building / fire code violation.
Just try to leave the door open and see if you can establish a convective loop.

 

[Niko]

So the best solution i have found for my house is a very small fan on the ground pointing towards the stairs where the heat is coming up.. In my case its in my master bedroom which is in the opposite direction of the downstairs stove. Slow moving cold being pushed towards hot air is what you want. Now the heating up of the house upstairs could take hrs it all depends on the insulation and air leakage in your house.. But i can tell you it definitely works but be patient because its not the same things as turning your baseboard heat on. Again don't get a big fan to fast of air will actually cool the hot air...

 

[Alpine1]

This might be off topic, but I ask anyway: why put a wood stove in a basement? I understand this is very common in US and Canada, but here no one (and I’m sure of this) would place a stove in a basement. A wood boiler for sure, never a wood stove. If I understand, this means heating the basement to unbelievably high temps so that the heat rises up the stairs. Or is it that everyone has a mean to circulate warm air from basement to upper floors?
This is in no way criticism, I just want to understand, since in Europe this is simply unknown.

 

[maple1]

This might be off topic, but I ask anyway: why put a wood stove in a basement? I understand this is very common in US and Canada, but here no one (and I’m sure of this) would place a stove in a basement. A wood boiler for sure, never a wood stove. If I understand, this means heating the basement to unbelievably high temps so that the heat rises up the stairs. Or is it that everyone has a mean to circulate warm air from basement to upper floors?
This is in no way criticism, I just want to understand, since in Europe this is simply unknown.

Warmer floors? Wood mess in the basement vs. main living area? Maybe a lot of living is done in the basement?

It all comes down to the situation & layout though. But basement insulation should be a must.