Should I really be able to heat my house?

[Snipe]

Hi everyone. I am planning on getting a Harman Accentra pellet stove but I'm a little concerned about whether or not I'll really be able to benefit from the stove if I put it in the location I'm planning on putting it. I have a basic ranch(3 BR's, combination kitchen/dining area and seperate living room)a little over 1100 square feet and I'm planning on putting it in my living room. The entrance to the living room is about 6 feet wide by about 6.5 feet tall and no other way for the air to get out and circulate. My plan was to move the air around my house with a fan or two but is it unrealistic to expect that I'll be able to heat the entire house if I put it in my LR? I really have no other option. It would be facing the corner opposite the entrance so that's another strike against this setup. Ideally it would preferable to put it in the opposite corner from the entrance and allow the stove to blow out toward the entrance and into the kitchen area and into the rest of the house. My only problem with this is the vent would have to go out the front of the house which I definately don't want. The place where I want to put it will allow me to go through the wall , out into the adjoining garage and up to the back side of the roof.

I'd appreciate some input from others who have a basic ranch setup like mine and what they've done to get the rest of the house warm also. I just don't want to end up having to get the LR to 90 degrees so that the rest of the house will be 60.

The image attached shows the basic layout of my house with the proposed stove location marked in red.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[RedRanger]

Perhaps, but then maybe you will have to get used to living like the wife and I. We migrate to the rec-room where the wood insert is located in the evenings when we are not that active. but it is nice and toasty. 80+ degrees. Oil or propane is only used as a supplemantary heat source.

For the upper levels -- get used to 60-65 degree temps. Or buy a smaller house. Not being fecious, cause we ain`t gonna move anytime soon,so we just live with the cooler temperatures upstairs. and try to stay active up there.

Just remember that pellet stoves and wood stoves are (space heaters) nothing more and nothing less. but a nice and even heat, and renewable..

 

[hoverfly]

Lets see.......Muffin fans, like the ones for computers but they run on A/C currant, I seen them made for this purpose if not you can get them form Radio Shack and make your own. You just mount them in a door way or between the wall and ceiling. If you use forced hot air you can run the blower to circulate the heat usually the cold air return is in a centralized location or a combination. Make sure the duct work is insulated. Also really consider putting the stove in the other corner and go vertical through the roof with the vent, no one will really know what you got.

 

[Shortstuff]

After a look at your floor plan I see one thing that would benefit your attempt to heat the entire house. Keep in mind that because of your somewhat closed floorplan at the bedroom end of the house, the goal would be to get as much of the warm air blowing somewhat directly down the middle of the house.

If it were me, I would seriously consider removing the wall between the living room and dining area. More than likely, that wall is a supporting wall and the installation of a proper beam would be necessary, but then you could place the stove in the position you currently show it in, but flat against the wall and facing directly toward the right. This would allow the majority of your heated air to be blown towards the hallway and greatly increase the ability to get heat down to the other end of the house.

Yes, this would involve some extra work and some proper construction, but it can be done. Let's say for example, that you currently have a couch along that living room wall. There wouldn't be any harm in leaving it in that same location to act as a separator between the living room and dining room area, as the heat blown out of the stove would be directed up and over it anyway. You could also put a single post where the wall was, located correctly, again with a support beam properly placed.

In my opinion, that would be the very best way to go to accomplish what you are trying to do which is heat your entire house. But as you know, pellet stoves do not radiate heat like a wood stove, so running it on high would not overheat the living room/dining area as you blow the warm air in the direction of the hallway. It would be impossible to evenly heat the entire house, but I think if your mind is set on attempting this, I would do it (if it were my house) and strongly recommend the removal of that interior wall between the living room and dining area.

Just my thoughts.

Steve

 

[mjbrown]

snipe,

like you i am heating 1100 sq ft.my lay out is similar to yours with the eception of the living room wall. i am wide open from the lr to the kitchen /dining room, and i set my stove so that it blows in that direction. i agree with hoverfly...if at all possible, consider the opposite corner. is there anything on the backside of that outside wall keeping you from installing there?

i also use ceiling fans in the lr and dr to help move the heat.you can purchase small corner fans for doorways, so to move heat down the hallway.BTW, i have the harman P38, and it does a great job for me.


mike

 

[Snipe]

Thanks all for your replies regarding my problem. At this point I'm thinking that I'll just try and circulate with fans as suggested and hope for the best. I'm zoning off the bedrooms with my oil furnace (baseboard HW) and doing my best with trying to heat the rest of the house with the pellet stove and keeping the bedroom doors closed. I think by doing this and keeping the BR's at 65 degrees with the oil furnace I'll still see a savings.

One of the suggestions that somebody mentioned here recommended removing the wall between the LR and kitchen and putting up a supporting beam but if you take a look at my revised drawing you'll see that I forgot to show the closet on the other side of that wall which I really don't want to lose.

Thanks everybody.

Mark

 

[Shortstuff]

I understand all that you are saying snipe, but can I suggest one more thing.

Just above the stove in your diagram, there is a short wall. If you could remove that short wall and place the stove right there, facing straight to the right, even that would make a big difference in being able to distribute the heat better.

Just another thought.

Steve

 

[Souzafone]

Our set up is almost identical to yours with one difference, our living room is larger than our dining room, allowing the stove a straight shot down the hallway. I don't think fans are the answer, as the one on the stove is pretty powerful. I'd consider moving or removing a wall. That said, our stove heats our entire house, with the furnace coming on during the coldest nights when the bedroom doors are closed, only because that's where I relocated the thermostat. We've used less than 1/8 of a tank of HHO in 2+ years, and the house is always warm.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

echoing others , your layout is similar to mine , could the dining room area back corner contain the stove?? would work better for distribution in my mind if possible. there is not layout of where the counters and such are locate din the floor plan so i couldnt tell if feasible but if so thats where i'd like to put it were it me