fireplace/stove size for heating

[TJ-Bill]

I was wondering what you guys are using to heat your houses? I have a fairly large stove in the basement of my house. the house is about 2800 sq/ft. I found last winter that he oppiste end of the house was always cold.. I'm trying to figure out a way ot boost the eficency of my stove.. I was thinking about a cold intake ( home made???) or running some heating ducts with inline fans.. also I have no draft/flew on my stove.. just the dials on the front. would installing one help?

here's a picture

by the way these are picture from when I was looking a the house before we bought..

 

[A. Stanton]

I know a guy with a similar set up. He cut a few holes in the floor and put in grates. I have also seen a fan you could install in the pipe and have it blow hot air away from the stove. I think between these two options, you should be in business.

 

[TJ-Bill]

I've actually already cut 2 holes in the floor.. 1 directly above the stove and on about 12' back.. I installed an electric grate fan tha runs off a thermostat. it works really well..

Also there's a hole in the back of the stove for a fan that will blow air up through he top 4 holes. anyone know anything about that? what I can use ot get one.. . I'd have to move the stove away from the wall but thats fine..

 

[lobsta1]

On my old Russo stove I mounted an 8" elbow by screwing a stove pipe block off plate with a cut out for the stove opening. Then screwed the elbow to that. At the other end of the elbow I screwed in another plate. I had cut it out to fit a computer "muffin" fan. Plugged the fan into a timer. Doubled the heat output from the stove.
Al

 

[olyman]

and if you have really good draft--install a damper in that chimney------on mine--if it starts to blow, i have to dampen it down--as it "sucks" the fire out of the stove----hard to eggsplain!!!!

 

[gink595]

What about just moving it upstairs, Do you heat primarly with the free stander down stairs? I would think not but? I have one in our living room with a blower pushing air over the top and ceiling fans pushing the air back down and it gets hot in the whole house. If the ceiling fans are off it will cool down, thats pretty much our temp control. I put a thermometer on the fan blade and it was 6-8 degrees hotter on the ceiling than at chest level. I don't know how that stove can heat your upstairs to where it would be comfortable.

 

[TJ-Bill]

Last winter I heated the whole house with that stove.. 100% wood.. bedrooms were great. to warm most of the time but the living room was always cold during the week, when I was only able to tend to the fire in the morning and after work.. I'm going to stop by a few store and see if can't find something to use as a fan in the back..

I lik eth eidea about the heat sheild, and a damper

 

[gink595]

Last winter I heated the whole house with that stove.. 100% wood.. bedrooms were great. to warm most of the time but the living room was always cold during the week, when I was only able to tend to the fire in the morning and after work.. I'm going to stop by a few store and see if can't find something to use as a fan in the back..

I lik eth eidea about the heat sheild, and a damper

Thats impressive that stove can heat the house from the basement, I bet the first time you figured that out you were surprised, I would have been. Talk about thermal dynamics!

 

[ericjeeper]

Ifn it was me

I would go to the far end of the house and cut a hole in the floor to put a register in. The cold air should fall through it and will create a loop.
PS Find a nice looking,sturdy floor register before hacking up the floor.

 

[lugnut]

If your furnace is in the basement install a return to it.And run your blower fan continuously .This will remove the heat from the basement and distribute it thru the house.Also leave youre upstair door open to allow the cooler upstair air to be drawn to the basement.

 

[Chuck Diesel]

20" box fan hanging from the cieling joist. Heats the basement very well. Is that wood stove a Fisher?

 

[Hugenpoet]

What about just moving it upstairs, Do you heat primarly with the free stander down stairs? I would think not but? I have one in our living room with a blower pushing air over the top and ceiling fans pushing the air back down and it gets hot in the whole house. If the ceiling fans are off it will cool down, thats pretty much our temp control. I put a thermometer on the fan blade and it was 6-8 degrees hotter on the ceiling than at chest level. I don't know how that stove can heat your upstairs to where it would be comfortable.

+1 I agree, you are asking that single stove to heat 2800 sq. ft. from the basement (even though you have two vents). That is way beyond the BTU output of virtually any free standing stove.

 

[bore_pig]

I heat about 2400 with my stove and my windows suck. If you were almost happy this year, you'll be able to get what you want with a few mods.

I do the duct with inline fan. It works pretty well. I would suggest using 8 inch duct. Mine is 6". The fan blows 250cfm. 8" moves 500cfm. These numbers are in a perfect world, so use the big one, these fans are easy to slow down with a restrictive grate. Also, use insulated duct, it does make a difference.

Next, put a blower on the stove. The output of my stove seems to double when I turn on my blower.

I will try to get some pics of my dad's setup. It's a home-made steel heat shield that mounts on the back of the stove. Looks good, and very effective with the fan mounted into it. Blows a ton of heat.

 

[myzamboni]

I know a guy with a similar set up. He cut a few holes in the floor and put in grates. I have also seen a fan you could install in the pipe and have it blow hot air away from the stove. I think between these two options, you should be in business.

That is a major code violation and a bad idea if there ever is a structure fire. if you do end up having a fire, good luck getting your insurance company to pay.

 

[Zodiac45]

My house is quite long and has 3 brick chimneys. I've always run the cookstove in the kitchen which throws allot of heat but down at the far (North side)end it was always cool/cold. The middle chimney has the oil burner on it and since they are all unlined, I was not willing too run the Ashley heater that had been installed in the middle too. (Took that out and used it in an apartment over the barn.) The answer for me was a small(er) Jotul stove down at the 3rd hearth flued up that chimney (with stove pipe and capped). I used a couple more cords of wood, but the house was always plenty warm. In addition too this i also installed some small fans that mount in the corner of the door frames between rooms. This helps too move the air around a bit.
My house is more than 200 yrs old also and has allot of the original wavy glass windows, so it's not the tightest.