Suggestions/assistance/brain storming

[ispinwool]

I've been pondering this for too long.... here's the layout of the main floor of our home.
To get the living room and dining room warmer, where would y'all put the fans?
(The door and both windows are always open when the burner is burning. There's good airflow...just not 'great' and those 2 rooms are quite cool.)

 

[begreen]

This is a tough layout to heat well with the stove. The stove is an area heater and narrow openings (doorways) to rooms don't help with heat circulation. In the least you could try to put a table or box fan at the far end of the hallway, placed on the floor, pointing toward the woodstove room. Run it on low speed. It will blow the cooler air down low, toward the woodstove. The denser cool air will be replaced with lighter warm air from the stove room. Running this way you should notice at least a 5F increase in the hallway temp after about 30 minutes running.

What room(s) do you want to spend most of your winter time in?

 

[ispinwool]

The TV is in the livingroom so we do spend a good deal of time in there...but the fire shining through the woodburner window is a strong draw so it's about
50% porch and 50% livingroom.
There's a top floor too but hot air rises so it's not all that bad up there. It's a big house and we got the mid-size Heritage...I think that has a lot to do with
it too....

 

[begreen]

Maybe change the config and make the bedroom next to the porch the living room?

 

[ispinwool]

Maybe change the config and make the bedroom next to the porch the living room?

That's a good idea but we added a full bathroom to the bedroom....

 

[begreen]

That's a good idea but we added a full bathroom to the bedroom....

No fair, that's not in the sketch.

 

[ispinwool]

No fair, that's not in the sketch.

LOL!!

 

[jetsam]

You're probably losing nearly all your radiant heat having the stove on a porch.

Knock down a couple walls and move the stove, and your difficult layout will be pretty easy to heat and use less wood.



Tell your spouse that "open layout" is fashionable or something.

 

[ispinwool]

You're probably losing nearly all your radiant heat having the stove on a porch.

Knock down a couple walls and move the stove, and your difficult layout will be pretty easy to heat and use less wood.

View attachment 245312

Tell your spouse that "open layout" is fashionable or something.

LOL!
ya...that ain't gonna work...the house was built around 1840 and is barnstone and brick. Even the inside walls are 10" thick
brick under horsehair plaster.

So I'll go ahead and see if a fan at the end of the hall will help this coming winter...it can't hurt!

 

[electrathon]

That's a good idea but we added a full bathroom to the bedroom....

Funny, I looked at the sketch and my first thought was, "How do they go poo?".

 

[ispinwool]

Funny, I looked at the sketch and my first thought was, "How do they go poo?".

LOL... I'll never be accused of 'attention to detail'!

 

[Dix]

LOL... I'll never be accused of 'attention to detail'!

Nice to "see" you again

Good luck

 

[redmanlcs]

Have you thought about cutting an opening near the ceiling to let the heat travel through?... I once lived in a four room house that only had 1 heater in the living room. I decided to cut a 2x2 foot square near the ceiling of the rooms and it helped a bunch..... as far as privacy goes, it took a tall person to be able to "peek" up through them... of course you could always make some sort of curtain to cover them when there might be someone staying over and your wifey/hubby decides to get frisky.,

 

[ispinwool]

Have you thought about cutting an opening near the ceiling to let the heat travel through?... I once lived in a four room house that only had 1 heater in the living room. I decided to cut a 2x2 foot square near the ceiling of the rooms and it helped a bunch..... as far as privacy goes, it took a tall person to be able to "peek" up through them... of course you could always make some sort of curtain to cover them when there might be someone staying over and your wifey/hubby decides to get frisky.,

that's pretty near impossible....in the previous 'description' I mentioned 10" thick brick walls...I measured them....and parts of the house needed
new plaster so I'm certain that the walls are solid brick. A 'stick' wall would be easy-peasy and hubby could make it happen in a few hours; but
brick is a whole new ballgame! LOL

I'm pleased that the window quilts I made had a big difference in heat retention so I'm not overly concerned with 'chilly, farthest from
the wood burner' rooms. After all, I knit/crochet too...I'll just make more afgans! lol!

 

[ispinwool]

Nice to "see" you again

Good luck

Thanks Dix!

 

[jetsam]

LOL!
ya...that ain't gonna work...the house was built around 1840 and is barnstone and brick. Even the inside walls are 10" thick
brick under horsehair plaster.

So I'll go ahead and see if a fan at the end of the hall will help this coming winter...it can't hurt!

That is an argument against removing walls, but it is also an argument for moving the stove inside.

All those stone interior walls are excellent thermal mass, wasted due to the stove's location.

 

[redmanlcs]

Wow.. brick interior walls and horsehair plaster... I did a hvac install in an old house that had that plaster with metal mesh backing... I bet we spent over 500 dollars just on sawsall blades. Tuff stuff....

Sorry I didn't notice the mention of brick walls/plaster.... I'm at a loss what to do now.

On a side note... I think I'm about the only guy in the area that knows how to crochet... I learned it by watching my grandmother..... I started off by pulling the yarn out of the skein for her and I was intrigued how she could make a blanket with her yarn and crochet needle... don't ask me to knit tho.. lol

Doing what you do is a dying skill... teach everyone you can.. trouble is finding someone interested in it in today's age of store bought goods and video games.

 

[EbS-P]

Are the windows double hung? If so I’d just open the top portion. I would put a small 8” or less fan on the floor pointing out the door and down the hallway of each back bedroom or one larger just at the end of the hall pointing to the porch door. Keep the cold air moving toward the stove and the hot air away. I might even try putting window fans in the top of the windows if they are double hung to force the hot air into those rooms and force the circulation pattern. Just my two cents. One small fan at the end of a 24’ hallway helped me a lot.

Evan

 

[ispinwool]

Wow.. brick interior walls and horsehair plaster... I did a hvac install in an old house that had that plaster with metal mesh backing... I bet we spent over 500 dollars just on sawsall blades. Tuff stuff....

Sorry I didn't notice the mention of brick walls/plaster.... I'm at a loss what to do now.

On a side note... I think I'm about the only guy in the area that knows how to crochet... I learned it by watching my grandmother..... I started off by pulling the yarn out of the skein for her and I was intrigued how she could make a blanket with her yarn and crochet needle... don't ask me to knit tho.. lol

Doing what you do is a dying skill... teach everyone you can.. trouble is finding someone interested in it in today's age of store bought goods and video games.

Sheesh...I must be losing it...I could have sworn I'd replied to you! Sorry.
Ya. These wonderful old walls do pose a bit of a problem....but we love old houses and wouldn't
change it for anything! Hubby and I both grew up in 100+ year old houses.

It's great that you crochet!! Not many guys do. A few hundred years ago the guys did the needlework (knit/crochet) and
the women spun the yarn. I'm not sure when things changed. Our church has a knitting ministry and we had one
fella that was brave enough to sit with us 'old hens' and make hats. His current health issues prevent him from coming---but
we all keep in touch with him.

(edited twice due to a shortage of coffee)

 

[ispinwool]

Are the windows double hung? If so I’d just open the top portion. I would put a small 8” or less fan on the floor pointing out the door and down the hallway of each back bedroom or one larger just at the end of the hall pointing to the porch door. Keep the cold air moving toward the stove and the hot air away. I might even try putting window fans in the top of the windows if they are double hung to force the hot air into those rooms and force the circulation pattern. Just my two cents. One small fan at the end of a 24’ hallway helped me a lot.

Evan

This looks like it'll be our best bet. We do have newer windows that will open on top...that alone made an enormous difference in
heat distribution! So I'll try a box fan at the end of the hall this winter and see if there's additional improvement. I also have
one of those 'top corner of the doorway' fans that I can use--I'll have to experiment to see which doorway it'll work
best in.
thanks for the reply

 

[ispinwool]

That is an argument against removing walls, but it is also an argument for moving the stove inside.

All those stone interior walls are excellent thermal mass, wasted due to the stove's location.

I absolutely agree! However, all but one chimney (which is used by the furnace)
are gone due to old age/deterioration and we haven't had
the extra $$ to replace them. Each of our rooms used to have a small stove or a fireplace (and our house had 4
big beautiful chimneys!) ...but previous owners closed the chimneys off when central heat went in. To bring
the woodburner inside, we'd have to replace a chimney.
But all is not lost!! ...we sit out on the porch in front of a lovely fire and actually talk to each other! There's no TV out there so
we achieve actual human interaction just like 100 years ago! LOL

(edited...going for more coffee now!)