Please help ASAP!

[Bobbi Jo]

Hello! I have a 1,300 sq.ft. stick built cottage style home. The home has a huge basement that was hand dug after the home was built. The entrance to the basement is outside with the stairs enclosed in "room" and then when you get to the first level of the basement. Then the basement has two smaller sets of stairs that descend further and the ceiling is open with exposed rafters and the upstairs floors are accessible from the basement. The ceiling is approximately 10-12 ft tall. There is a chimney made from brick and then cinder block was used as the basement was being created. It appears as if people before me has a wood stove upstairs before with the stove pipe entering the chimney which is now behind a wall in my living room.
I used to have an oil furnace but some children used a water hose and poured water into the oil tank that is buried and then it ruined my furnace. (the kiddos didn't know what they had done and neither did i until it was too late). I then bought a wood stove and had it taken down to the basement with a "hood " that hung above the stove with a fan that I thought could be used to push the air as it rose into the existing ductwork from the old gas furnace. I burned out two fans due to the air being too hot and the stove pipe was a metal that was not appropriate for a wood stove as it was not the proper material and it got exceedingly hot. ( I know all this sounds so dangerous and it was.)
I received a large HVAC system and paid to have it installed with ductwork added and some extra floor vents placed. I would also burn a fire which heats the floor as it rises and radiates heat from the wall that encases the chimney. This is not as efficient as I would like. I just has a new liner installed in my chimney as there was some serious danger due to hardened Creosote from there not having a chimney cap. So, when I had the chimney swept by professionals they were able to really remove chunks of this material and discovered a hole where fire was able to escape and burn within the wall. Obviously, this scared me to pieces and I haven't burned a fire since last winter. Now it's all cleaned out and lined and I'm buying my chimney cap and new stove pipe.
This is what i want to do now and why I need your expertise! I want to safely capture the heat from the wood stove and blow it upstairs so that it heats my home with optimal results and safety. I have been reading and discovered what I already assumed which is that it is not recommended to blow wood heat into ductwork that is designed for an HVAC system. I still have the hood that was made to hang above the stove and wondered if I can buy an inline fan made for wood stoves, wood stove ductwork, and then cut vents in the floor in a few rooms upstairs. I just don't know what I need, how to go about it. what I need to buy, and how to keep it in my budget. I am having to buy wood stove pipe to go from the stove to the chimney but then do I need a different type of pipe to capture the rising heat to be blown into the specialized wood stove ductwork and what kind of fan do I need and how do I attach the ductwork to the vents and what kind of vents do I need? Do I need to insulate in some special way? Do I need specialized material to secure the pipe, duct work, fan? I am overwhelmed. I don't have anyone to help me with this like a man or woman with this kind of knowledge. I don't have any family to help me. And I just don't want to put myself in danger again with my stove.
Please help ASAP as it is cold here in the mountains of NC and I am ready to enjoy my awesome wood stove again. Thank you all in advance! I'm excited to hear your wisdom and guidance!!

With Warmest Regards and Gratitude~ Bobbi Jo from North Carolina Mountains!

 

[coaly]

Hot air will naturally rise. You don’t blow it or move it into a colder area. Warmer air is lighter and will not displace colder heavier air easily.

Any area you heat must also have a return air path back down to be reheated. Always blow return air down to stove, not the other way around.

Here is the reason; a stove works by hot exhaust gases rising up the chimney. This creates a low pressure area in chimney flue, pipe, and stove. This allows the higher atmospheric air pressure to PUSH into stove intake feeding the fire.

This low pressure area is measured as draft.

What you’re doing is not forcing hot air into your HVAC system, you are using the blower to pull the hot air away from the stove. The creates a negative pressure area around stove. Here is why this in not allowed for safety by codes;

As the fire dies, draft from rising gases in chimney decreases. The blower continues to pull air away from the stove. Instead of higher pressure outside of the stove, you now have a lower pressure area at stove intake pulling through the stove, and down chimney. The fire coals are still producing carbon monoxide now being drawn into home and distributed upstairs.

For this reason there is a 10 foot isolation distance required from the suction, or return air duct to stove intake.

As stated, hot air rises readily without much help. Pushing cooler air back down farther from the stove prevents tye negative pressure area in the basement giving the stove the air pressure it needs to work properly.

 

[coaly]

Missing a chimney cap does not create creosote.

The reason you needed a liner is to keep the chimney hotter inside. The object is keeping the inside of flue above 250*f all the way to the top while smoke is present. Below this critical temperature, water vapor from combustion condenses on flue walls allowing smoke particles to stick. This forms creosote. The liner keeps it hotter inside preventing creosote formation.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

since you are putting a new liner in, can you move the stove out of the basement? It'll heat the house better. Stoves are space heaters and work best when placed where the people are.

 

[stoveliker]

How dry is your wood? Wet wood.is one of the most common reasons for creosote formation (when the pipe gets too cold).

As said above, you need an air circuit, so that warm air can leave from near the stove, and gets replaced by colder air.

So you need.at least two penetrations on the floor; e.g. a stairs and another one. Then a convection loop may settle.

***Please buy smoke and CO detectors for every floor. It may save your life.***

 

[brenndatomu]

Was that new chimney liner insulated? Sounds like it should have been...and this sounds like a good application for a wood fired furnace honestly...

 

[Bobbi Jo]

Hot air will naturally rise. You don’t blow it or move it into a colder area. Warmer air is lighter and will not displace colder heavier air easily.

Any area you heat must also have a return air path back down to be reheated. Always blow return air down to stove, not the other way around.

Here is the reason; a stove works by hot exhaust gases rising up the chimney. This creates a low pressure area in chimney flue, pipe, and stove. This allows the higher atmospheric air pressure to PUSH into stove intake feeding the fire.

This low pressure area is measured as draft.

What you’re doing is not forcing hot air into your HVAC system, you are using the blower to pull the hot air away from the stove. The creates a negative pressure area around stove. Here is why this in not allowed for safety by codes;

As the fire dies, draft from rising gases in chimney decreases. The blower continues to pull air away from the stove. Instead of higher pressure outside of the stove, you now have a lower pressure area at stove intake pulling through the stove, and down chimney. The fire coals are still producing carbon monoxide now being drawn into home and distributed upstairs.

For this reason there is a 10 foot isolation distance required from the suction, or return air duct to stove intake.

As stated, hot air rises readily without much help. Pushing cooler air back down farther from the stove prevents tye negative pressure area in the basement giving the stove the air pressure it needs to work properly.

Hi Coaly! So, I do know that hot air rises as that is how I have previously heated my floors with the wood stove in the basement.

How dry is your wood? Wet wood.is one of the most common reasons for creosote formation (when the pipe gets too cold).

As said above, you need an air circuit, so that warm air can leave from near the stove, and gets replaced by colder air.

So you need.at least two penetrations on the floor; e.g. a stairs and another one. Then a convection loop may settle.

***Please buy smoke and CO detectors for every floor. It may save your life.***

I have loads of locus and oak seasoned wood. I don't ever burn pine but I do know that the lower temp is what allows accumulation of different saps/resins from all wood. And I do have two smoke detectors in the basement, a CO2 detector upstairs and in the basement, and two fire extinguishers. Thank you for responding and for the safety tips!!

 

[Bobbi Jo]

Hot air will naturally rise. You don’t blow it or move it into a colder area. Warmer air is lighter and will not displace colder heavier air easily.

Any area you heat must also have a return air path back down to be reheated. Always blow return air down to stove, not the other way around.

Here is the reason; a stove works by hot exhaust gases rising up the chimney. This creates a low pressure area in chimney flue, pipe, and stove. This allows the higher atmospheric air pressure to PUSH into stove intake feeding the fire.

This low pressure area is measured as draft.

What you’re doing is not forcing hot air into your HVAC system, you are using the blower to pull the hot air away from the stove. The creates a negative pressure area around stove. Here is why this in not allowed for safety by codes;

As the fire dies, draft from rising gases in chimney decreases. The blower continues to pull air away from the stove. Instead of higher pressure outside of the stove, you now have a lower pressure area at stove intake pulling through the stove, and down chimney. The fire coals are still producing carbon monoxide now being drawn into home and distributed upstairs.

For this reason there is a 10 foot isolation distance required from the suction, or return air duct to stove intake.

As stated, hot air rises readily without much help. Pushing cooler air back down farther from the stove prevents tye negative pressure area in the basement giving the stove the air pressure it needs to work properly.

I just read a question from a different post on this site and I think it makes what I am asking a little more clear. I'll paste it below. This post shows a stove that already comes with ductwork with a blower fed into the heat pump. What I need help with is what do I need to buy and how do I go about constructing a system that will enable me to more efficiently experience the warmth of the wood heat throughout my entire home using the HVAC system. Here is what the other person posted:

"I recently purchased a home that has a nashua wood stove tied into ductwork. My home is all electric so it has a heat pump. I am new to this, so pretty unsure on how this works but can anyone point me in the right direction on how to use the wood stove that's attached to the ductwork? I will attach a picture of my setup."


He has a picture of his set up on his post, The member's name is:

Ejraste​

His post is titled

Nashua wood stove tied into duct work, how to use?​

 

[stoveliker]

HVAC systems are often poor heat spreaders, because they are leaky and poorly insulated. And the hood sucking air away from near the stove is dangerous, as said above.

As a ranch home is often hard to heat with a stove because heat likes to go up but does not spread horizontally easily, I think it would be good to post a picture of a sketch of the layout of the house. Main floor and basement etc.

Oh, and pine is fine as long as it's dry.

 

[coaly]

I just read a question from a different post on this site and I think it makes what I am asking a little more clear. I'll paste it below. This post shows a stove that already comes with ductwork with a blower fed into the heat pump. What I need help with is what do I need to buy and how do I go about constructing a system that will enable me to more efficiently experience the warmth of the wood heat throughout my entire home using the HVAC system. Here is what the other person posted:

"I recently purchased a home that has a nashua wood stove tied into ductwork. My home is all electric so it has a heat pump. I am new to this, so pretty unsure on how this works but can anyone point me in the right direction on how to use the wood stove that's attached to the ductwork? I will attach a picture of my setup."


He has a picture of his set up on his post, The member's name is:

Ejraste​

His post is titled

Nashua wood stove tied into duct work, how to use?​

You didn’t mention the name of the stove you are using. It makes a difference.

Some stoves are radiant heaters which radiate heat into floors, walls, you, and the mass around them. Others heat by convection, which have a second outer box around the stove with a blower to remove heat by convected air. All stoves have both since the air around the stove rises heating a certain amount of air.

Using a stove like you describe within 10 feet of the intake duct takes away from the heat output of the stove. The fire can’t get atmospheric air pressure feeding it oxygen if a blower is pulling air away from it. The blower is competing with the chimney trying to make the stove go. An outside air intake allows the correct amount of air into the firebox, as well as preventing the negative pressure created by blower from pulling CO in through intake vents using basement air.

I was referring to hot air rising naturally is better by only using fans to blow colder air from upstairs back down. The floor plan layout has a lot to do with how a gravity system works. When stairs are close to stove, floor vents allows hot air to rise up them. You still need to force the upstairs cooled air back down. This also balances the pressure in the home since rising air away from the stove competes with the chimney draft as well. This is called stack effect. To avoid all these negative pressure issues, push cool upstairs air down, don’t pull basement air up.

We don’t know how well balanced your HVAC system is. Each heated room with a heat duct requires a return air vent. The return air duct over stove has to have the same amount of air coming back down into basement. We don’t know if the suction side over stove is pulling from basement without returning air back down. If a basement door slams shut when blower is on, the air handler is removing more from the basement than it is sending back. That is the kind of negative pressure in basement to avoid.