Trying to decide whether to install a wood burning insert, trying to figure out air circulation. In a nutshell: Am I correct to think that a central air return (register) in the same room as the fireplace will be conducive to warmed air circulation throughout my split level house?
Ok here's the long-winded explanation:
Here's a house with a layout very similar - not identical - to ours, which was built in 1967..
(broken link removed to http://www.eplans.com/split_level_house-plans/HWEPL06029.hwx)
Our fireplace is located in the Family Room (fam) on the Lower Level, which is a few steps down from the main level. So in the drawing of the front of the house (on that Web site), if you walked in the front door, to the left are the the stairs going down to the family room. But instead of that wall dividing the lower level in two even spaces, our Family Room takes up about two thirds of that level, then we have one more level down (the as-yet-uninaugurated-Mave-Cave). You with me?
So if you're facing the fireplace, that wall on the left is further back than in this floor plan, and there's a door to the left of the fp, out to the dog yard. To the left of that door, on the wall dividing the level, is the return for the HVAC system. So the fireplace is maybe ten feet from the return, but the insert's blower (I'm guessing ) will just blow straight ahead, up the stairs to the main level (a good thing). That family room will get nice and toasty, and I'm thinking a decent amount of warm air will get blown up the stairs, into the kitchen, but I'm wondering if I turn the central air fan on, will that return pull enough heated air up to the top floor and around the house genrally? Or maybe the better question is -is this set-up closer to optimal or closer to worst possible set up?
Thanks for your input.
Ok here's the long-winded explanation:
Here's a house with a layout very similar - not identical - to ours, which was built in 1967..
(broken link removed to http://www.eplans.com/split_level_house-plans/HWEPL06029.hwx)
Our fireplace is located in the Family Room (fam) on the Lower Level, which is a few steps down from the main level. So in the drawing of the front of the house (on that Web site), if you walked in the front door, to the left are the the stairs going down to the family room. But instead of that wall dividing the lower level in two even spaces, our Family Room takes up about two thirds of that level, then we have one more level down (the as-yet-uninaugurated-Mave-Cave). You with me?
So if you're facing the fireplace, that wall on the left is further back than in this floor plan, and there's a door to the left of the fp, out to the dog yard. To the left of that door, on the wall dividing the level, is the return for the HVAC system. So the fireplace is maybe ten feet from the return, but the insert's blower (I'm guessing ) will just blow straight ahead, up the stairs to the main level (a good thing). That family room will get nice and toasty, and I'm thinking a decent amount of warm air will get blown up the stairs, into the kitchen, but I'm wondering if I turn the central air fan on, will that return pull enough heated air up to the top floor and around the house genrally? Or maybe the better question is -is this set-up closer to optimal or closer to worst possible set up?
Thanks for your input.
