I want to say in advance that this site has been invaluable. My quick story; i finally realized my dream of installing a wood burning stove in the former fireplace in the center of my house.(main floor) I knocked out rear, opened up sides/top to allow proper clearance and installed a two sided wood burning stove. Yes TWO sided with identical glass doors etc on each side. I am happy to share brand and experience as it entailed purchasing and shipping from across the pond etc. Installed late last year and got to know stove and its heat output(huge) as well as temperatures across main floor and above floor(bedrooms). I learned a lot from this site on proper techniques for burning etc. The purchase of an infrared thermo gun helped me get a good picture of the heat output and its effects on different areas of home. Now in addition to stacking four cords of wood personally(mind altering experience), I would like to fine tune my home to get most out of heat output. My issue is the same as many others; how to get heat up into above bedrooms. My home is a colonial with a staircase near stove area that services above floor and bedrooms.
My observations; when sitting on second step on main floor one feels a rush of cool air at your back. Clearly cold air from above bedroom floor is rushing down to main floor level stove area. This seems to be overtaking any strong heat from moving upstairs into bedrooms. The colder the temperature outside the stronger the wall of cold air coming down stairs. I would like to install vents in ceiling to allow hot air from stove to move up into each bedroom and keep stairway as large return. Perhaps one vent install in main floor ceiling directly below each bedroom. I would use thermo style so as to conform to fire codes.
My question is how to properly size vents and second where to install vents. Should they be close to stove area or further away so as to induce more horizontal flow across the bedrooms(further from location of stove) since stairway is outside of bedrooms and pulling air out and completing cycle.
Secondly,my kitchen is not getting adequate heat because my main floor rooms have decorative headers above openings. Amazing but thermo gun shows 8-10 degree difference on either side of headers.(heat gets stuck against stove side headers. I was thinking of putting in vents on upper wall separating kitchen from living room.
Thank you in advance for feedback and I am enclosing picture of my floor plan for easier understanding of issue. Three bedrooms upstairs..1,2, and 3 shown in dotted lines.

My observations; when sitting on second step on main floor one feels a rush of cool air at your back. Clearly cold air from above bedroom floor is rushing down to main floor level stove area. This seems to be overtaking any strong heat from moving upstairs into bedrooms. The colder the temperature outside the stronger the wall of cold air coming down stairs. I would like to install vents in ceiling to allow hot air from stove to move up into each bedroom and keep stairway as large return. Perhaps one vent install in main floor ceiling directly below each bedroom. I would use thermo style so as to conform to fire codes.
My question is how to properly size vents and second where to install vents. Should they be close to stove area or further away so as to induce more horizontal flow across the bedrooms(further from location of stove) since stairway is outside of bedrooms and pulling air out and completing cycle.
Secondly,my kitchen is not getting adequate heat because my main floor rooms have decorative headers above openings. Amazing but thermo gun shows 8-10 degree difference on either side of headers.(heat gets stuck against stove side headers. I was thinking of putting in vents on upper wall separating kitchen from living room.
Thank you in advance for feedback and I am enclosing picture of my floor plan for easier understanding of issue. Three bedrooms upstairs..1,2, and 3 shown in dotted lines.

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