Stove placement in basement

[kchan25]

Hello, first post here. I have a new construction 1500 square foot home with a full walkout unfinished basement I recently finished building. I have tried doing some research but can’t seem to find the exact answer I want. I have electric heat and air, but have a wood stove I would like to install in my basement for some supplemental heat or in case of a power outage. I do not care to cut the wood, I have a large area to cut the wood. I know from most of what I have read people will say not to put it in the basement, but that’s where it is going, not trying to be smart or anything. I guess my question is, if I put the stove on the end of my basement, underneath my bedroom, will it make it unbearably hot up there in the one room? There is a stairway about center ways of the basement. I may be leaving out some important details, but hopefully this will get me started in some direction. Thanks for any reply’s.


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[jatoxico]

Some folks heat fine from the basement. Your more likely to have success if you insulate the walls. You may run into down draft issues especially if the house loses a lot of heat thru the attic so try to seal that tight.

 

[kchan25]

The house is insulated very well, I plan to finish the basement eventually, but for now it is just a man cave type of deal and workshop, as it’s just me and my 5 year old son living here. My plan was to go straight through the basement floor onto the main floor in a closet I have at the end of my hall, up into the ceiling into the attic, then out the roof. If possible. All of this done with the proper pipe and fittings and ceiling boxes and attic insulation shields of course. If


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[ABMax24]

I have almost the exact setup you are talking about. We have a basement plus 2 floors above, we are about 750 square feet per floor for a total of 2250 square feet. Our stove is located in the basement against the north wall, our stairs are on the south wall from both the basement to main floor and main floor to top floor. Almost everyone I know also heats this way, its always easier for heat to rise up the house from the basement then to push down from the main floor.

The basement is the warmest when the stove is running, right around 25c, the main floor is about 22c and the top floor about 18c. The heat of convection moves the air up the house, there is a noticeable warm draft in the top of the stairwell and an equal movement of cold air down the steps to the basement. I do notice that it does take a little while for this chimney effect to take hold within the house after the stove is started, but once its going it keeps the house warm. The nice thing for us is the bedrooms are on the top floor so its nice and cool to sleep when running the stove.

I think your concern about the bedroom being too warm is unwarranted. In our house the floors are warmer over the stove, but definitely not to the point where it heats the room, the bulk of the heating is from the warm air currents.

My parents also have a similar design. Their house is longest from north to south, with the wood stove located against the south wall in the basement with a stairwell in the middle of the house. There is a definite temperature gradient in the house as well, with the basement south side being the warmest and the main floor north side being the coldest. But they have run it this way for the last 17 years in temps down to -40. You get used to the temperature gradient and learn to run the stove to make the room you are using at that time a comfortable temperature.

 

[xman23]

It will work as well as any stove does placed where we all have put them. That is, a lot of heat in one space that can have issues getting to other spaces. If your reason for a stove in the basement is to use it when your down there, it will be fine. If your heating, I suggest putting the stove in the main living space. It requires casual attention. I couldn't imagine climbing up and down the basement stairs to run my stove.

 

[kchan25]

Thanks for the reply’s. I didn’t think that it would be too much of an issue, but I just wanted to make sure I’ve got all my research done and questions answered before I get started with installation. I haven’t fooled with a wood stove since my parents had one up until I was around 10, and them and most of the rest of my family have went to gas heat as an extra source so I’ve been trying to look up as much as I can.


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