Relocating the stove - I guess it's not like moving the couch around the living room...

[KarynAnne]

Ok - winter got serious for our first season in New Hampshire and our first season of wood burning. Putting the wood stove in the basement seemed like a good idea in August. The theory was sound anyway.

I've gotten Mark sold on the idea of moving the stove upstairs to the living room - bless his heart. I promised that he wouldn't have to do it until next summer though.

Here's the question. We have a 1600 square foot Cape Cod, basement, main floor, top floor w/ bedrooms. The basement is a walk out, and fortunately underground on the prevailing wind side of the house. It is mostly finished, and what isn't will be by next winter. Could I expect the wood stove in the living room to do much of anything for the basement? I might even somewhat curtain off the upstairs because I don't need for much heat to be up there. If it's 50 degrees in the bedroom it just makes for better snuggling. I'm not hoping to make the basement cozy warm, just wondering if I could expect it to keep things from being frosty down there. Thanks.

 

[begreen]

I don't think it will do much for the basement unless a forced air circulation flow is established. Getting hot air to go down is tricky. But if the house layout is condusive you might be able to start some sort of air loop with a fan. You might do better to insulate the basement better (if possible) and put a space heater down there, even if it's electric.

 

[elkimmeg]

karyn I need to know more about your heating system if the space above is warmer than below then you will not loose the heat down ther upward.
However it will not add heat down

 

[KarynAnne]

The only thing I'm even a little concerned about are the water pipes on the outside/exposed wall of the laundry room in the basement. I've heard about some heater tape that can be wrapped around the pipe - maybe that's all I'll need.

 

[Corie]

This is a prime candidate for the following solution.

Move the woodstove upstairs, then use the existing hole (provided you went out the foundation and then up the side of the house with the wood stove flue) to install a pellet stove. You won't see much usable heat in the basement if the woodstove is upstairs and with the pellet stove on a thermostat, it will help the woodstove out while they're both running and might even carry a good amount of the load when it is still warm.

Or just pop another wood stove in the basement. One of those low cost century stoves might be just the ticket.

That's just my two cents, in my mind, a house can't ever have TOO many stoves.

 

[KarynAnne]

Yeah, I like the idea of a less expensive but still good quality stove in the basement - maybe an Englander. Then we're into the issue of the chimney. 3 flues/1 chimney. Flue for oil furnace that has not run for months - YAY!, and then a flue for the basement fireplace (where the stove is standing in front of now) and then the upstairs fireplace. I think I've read threads about being careful about running 2 flues at the same time.

 

[Jay H]

How much of your basement is below the ground and how much of it is above. I have a wood stove on my main floor of a Ranch. My basement has about 8" above the ground so it is mostly below, however, my copper water pipes do run somewhat along the southern wall of my basement. So far, the coldest I've noticed down there in northern NJ is 38deg...and this is from a thermometer right on a window which is going to be colder than the non-window sections that are above ground. My gas water boiler is off so the only source of heat down there other than the earth is a domestic water heater which has an insulating blanket on it. No other source of heat and so far, no problems.

You can buy those electric wire heating coils but I think perhaps a better solution is to insulate the basement and you can also insulate the pipes with insulation wrap, even if it's only the cheap polyethylene foam.

Jay

 

[elkimmeg]

There is no problem running 3 flues infact the heat in one helps keek the other warner it and vise versa. As long as each has it own separate flue you are golden

I think you confused 2 appliances in one flue is a no/no The pipes should be insulated that helps but is not prevention. Heat tape can be done but I would want a more permanent solution

with you Oslo upstairs you might only need an Intrepid II size stove down the basement if it is insulated It provides for a realistic productive 6 hour burn


BTW what is the burn time in the Oslo I mean in terms of fully loadeed stove top dropping no lower that 400/450?