Moving warm air from basement to upstairs living area

[kcmclellan]

Hello everyone. I saw a post in the last week or 3, about moving heat around the house, and it got me thinking about my own situation. My house is around 36' long by 28' wide (around 1000 sq feet), with an open unfinished basement (ICF foundation), and a stairwell leading up to the main living area in the middle of the house. I run a Drolet Austral (2014). In order to move warm air upstairs to the main living area, I took all of the gyprock off the walls at the base of the stairwell, including that around the transom of the door, in order to open up the stairwell and facilitate warm airflow up through the stairwell. I recall using toilet paper strips in various spots around the bottom of the stairwell so I could visually watch and see if there was indeed air movement. I also placed a small fan at the top of the stairwell that pointed directly down the the stairs, following the angle of the stairs as closely as possible, in order to move cooler air from the upstairs living area down into the warm basement, thus creating a nice thermal convection loop that warms up the main living area quite nicely. I always leave our whole house heat pump set for 20° Celsius, and when running the stove like this it boosts the upstairs temp to around 22°C and warms up the floors, which we find very comfortable. I've posted some pictures and a couple of short videos to document the process. I hope this might help someone, by showing how a small change in technique can have some grand effects.

 

[kennyp2339]

A couple cold air returns in key spots also works well.

 

[begreen]

It's good that they have several perimeter return grates. Not so good is the lack of fusible line fire dampers.

 

[appointed EPA deviant]

I think a ducted wood furnace with a blower would have been a better choice for the home in the video. In the event of a power outage it would also naturally convect the heat. From the looks of the electrical panels behind him, power is readily available. For most ppl power outages are rare so running it more efficiently with a power fan during the 99% of the time he is "with " power only makes sense.

 

[kennyp2339]

It's good that they have several perimeter return grates. Not so good is the lack of fusible line fire dampers.

All depends on where the grates are located, if you have an open air stairwell and then add grates that vent to open common areas upstairs, no fire code violations, if you add a grate to an area that requires a door to close off like a bedroom, then it’s a violation.
If it were me, I’d add fused grates to the furthest returns, not to say if there’s a small fire the temps are lower and the smoke will more then likely get the occupants, unless there are working smoke detectors.
I can’t believe it’s 2023 and when I go on fire calls, people still don’t have detectors in there homes, think about how steam or burnt food will set one off, now imagine a real fire, the smoke is so thick and caustic, the only thing that can save someone is time, and once out, not going back in.

 

[zak77]

I installed an inline fan with a speed controller & ductwork on the opposite end of my house from the stairs that go down to the basement(ranch style house) so that the heat from the basement stove comes up the stairs and is drawn down the hallway to where the fan is thus creating a convection cycle. I noticed a more even temp throughout the house than before with quicker warmup times. Total cost was a little over $100 and i run it in the summer to bring cooler air upstairs to help with the AC.

Kcmclellan, I gotta ask, what's up with those concrete blocks on the floor under the lally columns? I've never seen that before. I know that'd NEVER pass code her in Mass. due to the orientation of the block and "adjustable" lallies.

 

[kcmclellan]

I installed an inline fan with a speed controller & ductwork on the opposite end of my house from the stairs that go down to the basement(ranch style house) so that the heat from the basement stove comes up the stairs and is drawn down the hallway to where the fan is thus creating a convection cycle. I noticed a more even temp throughout the house than before with quicker warmup times. Total cost was a little over $100 and i run it in the summer to bring cooler air upstairs to help with the AC.

Kcmclellan, I gotta ask, what's up with those concrete blocks on the floor under the lally columns? I've never seen that before. I know that'd NEVER pass code her in Mass. due to the orientation of the block and "adjustable" lallies.

Hey there Zak77. The blocks under the jacks? They were put in after the house was jacked up to install the new ICF foundation. I guess the increased basement height that we gained after this meant that the jacks were bit short, thus requiring the blocks to make up for the extra height. I didn't do the work, but the builder must have had to follow code etc....
I hope.... 🤔🙄😊

 

[kennyp2339]

Having an insulated basement must be awesome, I occasionally go on job sites while crews are putting in foundations and all new res construction is pretty much superior wall kits.

 

[appointed EPA deviant]

Hey there Zak77. The blocks under the jacks? They were put in after the house was jacked up to install the new ICF foundation. I guess the increased basement height that we gained after this meant that the jacks were bit short, thus requiring the blocks to make up for the extra height. I didn't do the work, but the builder must have had to follow code etc....
I hope.... 🤔🙄😊

the better choice would have been a solid 4x8x16" concrete block instead of the hollow core.

 

[kcmclellan]

Having an insulated basement must be awesome, I occasionally go on job sites while crews are putting in foundations and all new res construction is pretty much superior wall kits.

Yeah, I love the ICF. If I had my wish, or if I win the lottery, I would build the whole house, up to the roof, with ICF. Alas, that might have to wait for my next life....

 

[kcmclellan]

the better choice would have been a solid 4x8x16" concrete block instead of the hollow core.

Yeah, I agree, a solid block under each post would probably have been the better choice (although they've held up fine for the last 17 years. I wonder if I can replace them with solid blocks??? I'll have to ask our builder, my bother-in-law... although I think he's got all the solid blocks stored in his head....