The Learning Curve

[mac cloud]

Cheers all !

Been lurking around here for a couple of months,figured I'd sign up and pick your brains or just tag along .
We just got a new PE Vista installed before xmas and are toasty warm as this frigid air mass pummels us .
It replaced the small 1980's unit that is currently residing under my deck.
Our situation is a little different to the majority around here it would seem,wood is only a secondary heat source for us,it keeps our basement warm.That's important because that's where our home theater(tv and stereo) reside.
The stove is in the basement of a raised ranch with walkout basement,the only way for heat to get upstairs currently is the lone staircase in the middle of the house.I'd like to get some of the heat going upstairs but that is a work in progress .
The stove is working great,lots more heat than the old unit,but we're still in the learning stage.
I'm burning a hardwood mix of ash,maple,birch and some beech that is pretty well seasoned.
A split thrown on a good bed of coals is pretty much completely engulfed within a minute,there is the odd stubborn piece ,but mixed in it's not an issue .
Being a smaller stove,pretty much all my loads are E/W,3-5 splits at a time,getting 3-5 hours burn time depending how it's packed.
This weekend is going to be warm,so I'll check the flue and chimney for buildup and see how we are fairing.
Here's a pic of the stove and a burn shot .

Happy burning !

 

[BrotherBart]

Welcome and thanks for the pics. Looks like that heater is getting the job done.

 

[pen]

Beautiful setup!

I'm guessing the walls behind the stove are concrete? Or does that stove have extremely low clearance requirements for corners? I really like the extra touch of the stone on the bottom of the hearth walls.

Well done.

Is that stairwell in the same room as this stove? Is the stairwell out of the way enough that a small fan could be set at the top and blow cold air down over the stairs to help aid the warm up rising up to the next level?

pen

 

[mac cloud]

Thanks pen,it took some work to get it how I wanted it
The stone is actually part of the hearth that the old stove sat on,the pad was big enough but it was too high for the low ceiling.
I tore it up and laid the ceramic on the concrete pad to get the clearance required.
The walls are just drywall with a texture finish, but the stove only requires 3" at the corners,we have 2-3" to spare.
The stairway is just off the room that the stove is in,and our front door entrance is 6 steps up and then another 6 steps to the main floor..
There is a ceiling fan in the entrance way ,I had been running the fan trying to suck air up the stairway,but recently shut it off and found the oil furnace hasn't been coming on as much,
Maybe reversing the fan will help more,thanks for the suggestion,I'll switch it and try it for a day or two

 

[pen]

Again, well done! Love a nice setup.

I too have a ceiling fan at the top of the stairwell in a foyer from the basement up to the main floor. I find if I run it that I disrupt the fact that hot air wants to come up the top of the stairwell, and cold air wants to go down by the actual stairs. I don't run a fan here, but others find that a small fan pointed down the stairs helps promote the hot air coming up the head space of that stair well.

pen

 

[BobUrban]

Very nice looking hearth and basement - I like how the walls are finished. As long as your clearances to combustibles are met with extra tolerance it looks safe to me. I think I would be more worried about candles burning in that cool starburst/iron sun sconce thingy you have there on the wall - but I am a little "candle paranoid" some would say. I burn them inside my stove on rainy days in the summer but like to keep flaming objects inside my house enclosed.

Welcome to the forum - we love new members.

On the fan at the top of the stairs I would try a tiny desk fan on low, set on the steps and angled down if possible. Doesn't take much other than patience to get the convection flowing and once you get the circulation going it will kind of take care of itself.

I describe it as having two different colored liquids with a lighter liquid filling the basement(warm air) and a heavier liquid upstairs(cooler air) as you slowly poor the heavy down the stair well it displaces the light stuff and forces it to rise up the stairs. Eventually there is a convection of flow with a natural cause of heavy down/light up circulating throughout the house until an equalization(one color) is created. Depending on layout this can be very effective and as it is rather cheap - worth a try. A nice slow pour and patience for the desired effect seems to work better than just picking up the bucket and turning it over so to speak. ie. Big fan blasting.

 

[mac cloud]

Thanks for the input Bob,I've been messing around with fan placement,so I'll try your suggestion for sure.
The unit was a pro install,so all clearances are well within regs .

.The basement is basically three rooms,the one with the stove in it is the largest and is to the right of the stairs.
There is a smaller room to the left of the stairs where wifey does her painting and thinking of things for me to do.
Straight off the steps is the utility room with furnace,water tank washer etc. and exit door.

No worries about the wall piece,there's nothing in the candle holders except dust .