Thermostat Location

[Henz]

this year is the first yet that we have had a woodstove. Currently our thermostate is located on an interior wall about 6' from the woodstove ( I never moved it) Our kitchen is somewhat cool in relation..I am thinking about removing it and putting it someplacei nthe kitchen..any thoughts?

 

[begreen]

Thermostats in the room where the stove is can't accurately regulate the rest of the house temperatures. It reads the ambient room temperature and doesn't call for heat when the stove is running if the room temp is above the set point. This can also be true in kitchens which can sometimes have big stoves or ovens running all day long on holidays like Thanksgiving. A thermostat is best placed in an area that reflects the ambient norm for the house. It should not be put on outside walls, nor close to where opening doors and drafts will give it a false reading. Maybe it can be located on an interior wall in the dining area or hallway?

 

[Henz]

thats tough in my house, the kitchen/livingroom is really one big area..I think I can locate it in the kitchen which where I would put it is like 12' from the oven..should be ok

 

[nshif]

Best location is near the cold air return grill, if your system is layed out right. This way when the house has reached the set point in all areas the system is shut down before too much heated air is recycled.

 

[Henz]

what! I see. Well, it is currently like 5' on an inside wall and our cold air return is about 5' away basically located in between the Kitchen area and living room area/

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't move the thermostat. From the way the layout is described, it sounds like the heat from the stove will reach the kitchen better with a little assistance. We have a similar layout. I put a regular desk fan on the floor near the kitchen. It is pointed toward the woodstove and runs on lowest speed. A thermometer placed on the kitchen counter shows about a 3-4 degree increase with the fan running.

Another alternative is a ceiling fan, blowing reversed (upward).

 

[Henz]

the picture of my stove is my avatar The stove blos directaly into the kitchen really, there is a kitchen bar area about 8' in front of the stove and on the other side of the bar is my kitchen. to the pictures right is my livingroom and to the pictures left is a wall with a bathroom. The Thermostat is like 5-6' at an angle from the left front corner of the stove.

 

[begreen]

What kind of temps are you getting in the kitchen and in the living room? With the fan running on the floor we have a pretty even 71-2 degrees in both rooms with the stove going when its about 32 outside.

 

[Henz]

I will tell you this, I have never ever been in a house that varies in temps more than this one does. Its absolutly mind boggleing to me..1/2 is basement, 1/2 crawl space. Drafts along all sill plates, old stone foundation. Been insulating the areas regularly and its getting better. I have a serious temperature variance from floor level to checst height..On a day like today, where it is like 20 degrees as a high, if my thermostat reads 78 degrees my floor temp will be anyplace from 64-68 and that is no lie. We susually ahve to have the woodstove cranking so much that out thermostate will read in the mid 80's before we seem comfortable, but, if you lay on the floor, it would be still under 70.

 

[begreen]

I hear ya. Sealing and insulating the sill and cracks in the basement and crawlspace will work wonders. Our house temps are now remarkably even since I sealed the sills and insulated the crawlspace. A ceiling fan will help eliminate the heat stratification. But if you have a regular room fan, first try what I suggested with the fan on the floor for a day and report back if there's any change. It's an easy and cheap test.

 

[Henz]

hmm. we do use a room fan set atop a bar stool blowing across the stove towards the living oom area. this hels that out for sure..We ahve a blower on the stove that blows directaly towards the kitchen..

 

[begreen]

Try reversing the operation. Put the fan on the floor nearest the kitchen blowing towards the stove.

 

[Henz]

does that make sence????? what would i do? pull cold airfrom the kitchen towards the stove and then what

 

[begreen]

Try it. The goal is to create a circulation loop. The fan has to get it's air from somewhere. If it works, it will pull warm air from the stove, across the room, then down to the fan and help reduce the temp stratification. The cooler air gets returned to the stove low. With the fan on a stool only the upper 1/2 of the room air is circulating.

 

[Henz]

thanks, I will try it tonight and report back to you

 

[Roospike]

Do you have a ceiling fan in the stove room Adirondackwoodburner ?

How many Square Feet is the house?

Is the ceiling open from the stove room to the kitchen?

 

[begreen]

It can seem counterintuitive at first. Here is a simple diagram illustrating the idea. On the left is a rough draft of our floorplan. On the right the top image shows heat stratification occuring. The lower right shows the desired effect with a low fan running on low speed.

 

[Henz]

ceilings too low to have a ceiling fan. yes, open concept and not a big house.total swft including the upstairs is 1400

 

[Roospike]

ceilings too low to have a ceiling fan. yes, open concept and not a big house.total swft including the upstairs is 1400

Ok , How about a hallway to the bedrooms ? bedrooms off of the main area?

 

[Henz]

one room off the kitchen that we keep closed off in the winter and unheated. Stairs that go upstairs that is located between the kitchen and livingroom open area..Upstairs seems to be fine, not too hot nor too cold.

 

[Roospike]

If the ceiling is too low for a ceiling fan you can also use a floor fan as shown below in the middle od the room or over by the stove area. Put the fan on the floor and point it up ans it would serve the same purpose as a ceiling fan except its on the floor. You can angle it just a hair one way or the other to get more heat to go one way more than others.

It will pull the cool air off the floor and push it up to the ceiling were the hot air is and it moves the hot air around and off the walls ..........like a ceiling fan.

I found these pic off the net to give you an idea of the style fans that do this.

 

[Henz]

hey thats an idea..Dont know if I want it in the middle of my room but its a good idea.

 

[Roospike]

You can put it in different spots on the floor pointing up , dont necessarily have to be in the middle.

This waydoes a good job of moving cold air off the floor and moving the hot air around and off the walls. Ya just have to experiment with different way per the home to see what works best.

A not on these floor fans , the small ones make more wind / blowing noise then the larger ones but i guess that gos with any fan of these designs.

Best of luck and hope the ideas work for ya.