thoughts on fan install ?

[KrisP]

Was thinking of installing a mounted fan up on the exposed ceiling above my basemnet insert to move the rising hot air... thoughts on if its worth it/ good idea ? pics of insert and type of fan im talking about, would go ceiling directly above insert.
I do have a fan on floor level blowing at insert and recently stuffed roxul in all the exchange chambers around the old heatform and installed blockoff plate ( have not had a fire to see the difference yet)

 

[K-Mac]

with the the basement ceiling being exposed floor joist i cant see it helping any. id think it would just make it feel breezy down there. a box fan away from the fireplace pushing air toward it should be enough to circulate the warm air around the room. i'd assume youd want to insulate between the joist and install a drop ceiling. i dont know if they still make them but my old house had a basement where the drop ceiling panels were insulated themselves. kept access to any wires or pipes open.

 

[kennyp2339]

I'd wait for the cold season to set in and see how well the additional insulated blockoff plate adds to the overall performance. Many members here that have ran inserts both without and then with a blockoff plate have reported something like a 10% or better of increase heat / better burn times (can get more bang for a lower air setting) so I'd wait and see, like @K-Mac stated, an open joist ceiling might hinder the additional blowing of hot air.

 

[KrisP]

yeah ill wait for a bit, I've only burned a few small to medium size fires in there so far and the truly cold temp haven't gotten here yet either. Im not expecting the insert to heat my entire house, but I would like it to make a nice dent in the gas bill this fall/winter.
Im keeping the ceiling open, I just prefer my basement to be open and airy, there was a drop ceiling in there before but it makes a nice home for critters.

 

[K-Mac]

oh. i guess i was thinking this was more for turning the basement into a comfortable living space. definitely wouldnt do a drop ceiling if i needed/wanted the heat to rise to the main level of the house. what about a fan on low at the base of the staircase so it has a more direct path upward? i use to do that in the summer when i didnt want to turn on the air conditioner just yet haha. push that cold basement air right up the staircase. worked pretty well.

 

[begreen]

I'd hold off and run without the fan for a month or two. See how natural convection is working now.

 

[sadpanda]

NFPA has rules on ducts in relation to solid fuel stoves. Look em up before cutting.

Get what ever ceiling you are going to do done first and burn for a year. I'm assuming there is not another stove otherwise you would not be trying to move heat around... If the stove has more than enough output to keep the basement toasty then I would think about ducts.

A vertical duct with a small duct booster fan can really help throw some heat into the next floor for sure. Just be safe and follow code... It's there for a reason.

 

[sadpanda]

Short answer is fan/duct directly above insert is a NO NO. Check NFPA for minimum distance guidelines.

 

[begreen]

The return air (duct intake) needs to be at least 10 ft away from the stove. This is mechanical code.

 

[KrisP]

no duct work, just a simple multimount fan. im going to burn for a few months first anyways

 

[KrisP]

Well I finally figured out what this trap door from my basement to the upper level was for..... heat! What a difference blowing a fan at the stove and opening this trap door between floors

 

[K-Mac]

i almost suggested something like this hahaha. my neighbor did this to his house as his wood stove is in the basement. few different spots between basement and main floor he cut out register size slots and put registers in the floor so the heat of the basement just comes on through. i dont know how bad it might look so i didnt suggest it.

 

[KrisP]

this ones hidden in an open hallway closet so not too ugly, its also right by the stairs to the basement so im still playing around with where to place fans. Its mid to low 40s outside and the basement is 75 degrees but the upstairs is 65. I can feel the cold draft coming down the basemenet stairs but not much heat heading back up, or not as much as id like/feel like should be

this is my first indoor wood heat source so im still learning and experimenting . I grew up with an outdoor wood furnace that could keep the house 100 degrees in the dead of winter if you wanted it too.... but it was also the size of a shed haha

 

[KrisP]

So here is a video of the set up, any suggestions for fan placement ? Should I set a fan in the cut out by the stairs blowing upstairs ?

 

[K-Mac]

i think i might try putting it in the opposite corner from the stairs. as it then would be pushing the air thats being heated in front of the insert vs trying to pull it. but who knows.

 

[ispinwool]

Well I finally figured out what this trap door from my basement to the upper level was for..... heat! What a difference blowing a fan at the stove and opening this trap door between floors

....hmmm....my first thought was "laundry chute"....LOL

And I'm with @K-Mac ...register slots would be easy to make.
The old farmhouse I grew up in had 2 bedrooms upstairs with no heat--It wasn't
until I moved out that I discovered that a couple of well places register slots
would have been a HUGE help! I could see my breath on many winter mornings!