Trying to get heat upstairs

[1stmale]

My downstairs it toasty warm while my upstairs is 10* colder. I have a 100yr old house 4sq farm house when I bought it it had not heat or air conditioning so I installed separate units for upstairs for upstairs and downstairs.

I have the hotblast 1400 by US stove. I also bought the cold air return plenum that goes around the blowers. My Idea is I could run an 8" duct to the center of the upstairs and tie it into the cold air return of the wood furnace. Then I would cut floor vents along the outside walls of the house between the 1st and 2nd floor.

Do you think this could work in getting heat upstairs?

 

[tomtrees58]

:hmm3grin2orange: twins work well tom trees

 

[woodbooga]

We had a similar problem wih our 150 year old farm house. The set up was such that it was hard for the cooler air upstairs was having a difficult time circulating down to the main floor heater.

Our solution was to cut a couple of holes in the upstairs floors and finish them off with grates so the cooler air could more easily "sink" to down below where it could be warmed and recirculate to other parts of the building.

 

[vikingjake]

We remodeled our 150 year old farm house two years ago and put a second forced air furnace upstairs. Then this summer we decided to put in an OWB, so I ran pipe from my basement furnance up to the second floor laundry room to hit the hot water heater and then into the attic to get over to my second furnace. 300+ feet of pipe in all, but it is sure working nice now.

 

[Laird]

1stmale, I did something similar but only put a cold air return upstairs thinking that the return would pull some of the warm air upstairs. It did work for the most part but is still not as warm as downstairs. Part of my problem is that the wife likes it 65* in the house & I like it 75* and my office is upstairs.

Menopause.........sheesh

 

[1stmale]

We remodeled our 150 year old farm house two years ago and put a second forced air furnace upstairs. Then this summer we decided to put in an OWB, so I ran pipe from my basement furnance up to the second floor laundry room to hit the hot water heater and then into the attic to get over to my second furnace. 300+ feet of pipe in all, but it is sure working nice now.

excuse the ignorance but what is an OWB. The only think I can come up with is Outside Wood Burner.

 

[Laird]

Bingo,
or Outdoor

 

[1stmale]

I think owb has somehting to do with heating water. Does anyonw know of a source for a boiler system to put into my 1400?

 

[Joshlaugh]

I also have the temp difference between floors at my home. It is 113 years old. Similar to another poster I suggest cutting some holes between the floors to help the air circulate. I plan to do that as soon as my wife "allows" me to finish sanding and re-finishing our hardwood floors on the 2nd story. Good luck

 

[1stmale]

so If I do both a cold air return and floor vents it very well might work.

Is that what I am getting for the different replies?

 

[watchamakalit]

I have no personal experience with any of them but I would think that convection with a cold air return and some floor vents would be the most logical. Due to the fact that it won't cost anything after install and should work really well.

 

[1stmale]

Thanks guys

I though my idea would work just wanted some other opinions.

My wife is more comfortable now with cutting holes in the floor.

I will probably start cutting this weekend.

 

[TJ-Bill]

I cut a few vents in my floor and installed little fans with thermostats. work great. I bought them an HomeDepot and I think they were $30.

 

[Coldfront]

We had a similar problem wih our 150 year old farm house. The set up was such that it was hard for the cooler air upstairs was having a difficult time circulating down to the main floor heater.

Our solution was to cut a couple of holes in the upstairs floors and finish them off with grates so the cooler air could more easily "sink" to down below where it could be warmed and recirculate to other parts of the building.

I had the same situation old farm house we rented but it already had a few holes cut in the floor upstairs with metal grates over the holes we had heat upstairs no problem with the wood stove in the livingroom, heat rises, and cold air sinks. Fans also help circulate the warm air down the hall ways.

 

[clawmute]

1. Rectangular or square hole(s) thru floor and ceiling...wherever, near stove.

2. Grilled cover on topside.

3. Architecturally concealed facade over ceiling hole.

 

[1stmale]

my furnace is in the basement but the blower moves air through the downstairs duckwork. So I am essentually trying to move heat up two floors.

 

[Coldfront]

It will still work better than you have now, the warm air will find its way upstairs through the grates. Those old farm houses are drafty and you have to keep that wood stoked up good all the time when it really gets cold, before wood, the gas furnace would be on constantly and it never got above 65 in the house when it was below zero. You can't beat wood heat in those old houses.

 

[1stmale]

It will still work better than you have now, the warm air will find its way upstairs through the grates. Those old farm houses are drafty and you have to keep that wood stoked up good all the time when it really gets cold, before wood, the gas furnace would be on constantly and it never got above 65 in the house when it was below zero. You can't beat wood heat in those old houses.

5 years ago I blew in insulation. I have also replaced almost all the windows in the house. The upstairs windows are cheap and are little better than the single pane windows that were in originally. They leak when the wind blows.

this wear I took off the old cedar siding and put on fiber cement. I wrapped the house in tyvec and I think it has made a difference in the draftiness.