Advice needed - small room pellet or wood

[willyasfarm]

Hello all,

I have a 2900 sq ft. center hall colonial home built in 1979.

The home has a yukon eagle wood / oil furnace combo in the basement (works great but eats a lot of wood and I do not run it much)

I recently installed a new hearthstone mansfield in the kitchen area where it says "stove" in the drawing. This does a great job with the downstairs, kitchen, and family room but has a hard time getting into the stairwell or living room beyond the wall.

The upstairs however, is not getting much heat from this stove. In the drawing below is a smaller room "living room" that has a good size wood fireplace and a 8-10" liner installed from a prior chimney fire from the adjacent flue. We use this room to watch moves, work from home at a desk, etc. The door opens directly into the hallway with the staircase to the upstairs.

Would a wood insert in this space overwhelm the room with heat? The hallway in this area gets cold as the upstairs is all baseboard electric and we try to limit the use of that.

I am considering adding another wood burning appliance here or possible a pellet insert. I love watching the fire and cutting/splitting my wood.

Thoughts or advice?

 

[EbS-P]

Running two stoves takes a lot of enjoyment out of it for me. It’s a small room. Is the staircase open or will the hot (and cold) air have to make a 180 degree turn to get upstairs?

 

[willyasfarm]

It would have to move through this 36" wide doorway into the hallway which is all open with an open staircase.

 

[EbS-P]

It would have to move through this 36" wide doorway into the hallway which is all open with an open staircase.

View attachment 313425

36” doorway means the room will get warm. I don’t think the cost savings of a second stove are nearly as attractive as the first stove. If you did a budget it might make money sense. My second stove was the cheapest option I could find a Drolet 1800i insert. Today’s pricing for a DIY install with insulated 25’ liner is probably $2500-$2800.

If you go pellets I’d seriously consider a mini split heatpump. Having the upstairs on a separate zone is really the way to go.

 

[begreen]

A small insert could work here, especially if you can set a fan in the entryway on the floor so that it blows cool air into the Living Room. This will also help get more heat upstairs. What are the fireplace dimensions?

 

[willyasfarm]

A small insert could work here, especially if you can set a fan in the entryway on the floor so that it blows cool air into the Living Room. This will also help get more heat upstairs. What are the fireplace dimensions?

The opening is 33" wide brick to brick, 21 inches deep, and 27 inches wide in the rear, height is about 30"

 

[begreen]

That should be large enough to accommodate a medium-sized wood-burning insert or a pellet insert. Both have their pros and cons. Will the insert be used 24/7 for heating in the winter or more occasionally?

 

[willyasfarm]

That should be large enough to accommodate a medium-sized wood-burning insert or a pellet insert. Both have their pros and cons. Will the insert be used 24/7 for heating in the winter or more occasionally?

I would likely use the Mansfield in my kitchen 24/7 and this one a few times a week when temps are low. When it is very cold I would probably run both continuously. 3-4 weeks a year.

 

[EbS-P]

I would likely use the Mansfield in my kitchen 24/7 and this one a few times a week when temps are low. When it is very cold I would probably run both continuously. 3-4 weeks a year.

How important are looks? Classic? Modern? Flush or one that sticks out for more radiant heat? What is your budget??

 

[willyasfarm]

How important are looks? Classic? Modern? Flush or one that sticks out for more radiant heat? What is your budget??

I do like the flush mount stoves or something similar. I really like the looks of the blaze king Sirocco and the Lopi flush mount stoves.

Budget isn't too much of a concern.

 

[BKVP]

I know there are devices that move room ceiling temp air into adjoining rooms. One model looks like a normal register, uses the space between uninsulated wall studs as ductwork. The warmest room would have the register at the top of the wall and the adjoining room the register is mounted at floor level. They are powered and use remote control devices.

I have seen these in use in Fairbanks. Very quiet and effective. I cannot recall the brand name, but I'm certain others here will recall the product. They are great to move the higher near ceiling temps of a room with a wood stove into adjoining bed, bath and kitchens.

Might be worth considering....

BKVP

 

[willyasfarm]

I know there are devices that move room ceiling temp air into adjoining rooms. One model looks like a normal register, uses the space between uninsulated wall studs as ductwork. The warmest room would have the register at the top of the wall and the adjoining room the register is mounted at floor level. They are powered and use remote control devices.

I have seen these in use in Fairbanks. Very quiet and effective. I cannot recall the brand name, but I'm certain others here will recall the product. They are great to move the higher near ceiling temps of a room with a wood stove into adjoining bed, bath and kitchens.

Might be worth considering....

BKVP

I could look at this; do you think an insert in this space would be too much?

 

[BKVP]

Not really. You can run ours pretty low. But in that lower output range, you won't see flames, just glowing.

You can also regulate how much heat projects into the room by either running the variable speed fans or not. Most insert have this feature.

 

[begreen]

I know there are devices that move room ceiling temp air into adjoining rooms. One model looks like a normal register, uses the space between uninsulated wall studs as ductwork. The warmest room would have the register at the top of the wall and the adjoining room the register is mounted at floor level. They are powered and use remote control devices.

I have seen these in use in Fairbanks. Very quiet and effective. I cannot recall the brand name, but I'm certain others here will recall the product. They are great to move the higher near ceiling temps of a room with a wood stove into adjoining bed, bath and kitchens.

Might be worth considering....

BKVP

Tjerlund makes these but there have been complaints of them being noisy, especially if the wall acts as a sounding board. Perhaps the folks in Fairbanks are using a quieter brand? Or maybe the design has been improved.

AireShare™ Transfer Fans : Room to Room Fan : Crawl Space Ventilation : Dryer Booster : Tjernlund Products, Inc.

Tjernlund Products offers superior draft and ventilation solutions. We offer just some of the following products: Room to room fan, crawl space ventilation and dryer booster.

www.tjernlund.com

 

[EbS-P]

I have been happy with my AC infinity fireplace/stove blower.

They make a 300 cfm through wall fan.

AC Infinity Room to Room Fan 8”, Two-Way Airflow Through-the-Wall Fan with Temperature Controller, Precise 10-Speed Quiet In-Wall Vent Fan for Kitchen, Laundry Room, and Workshops https://a.co/d/csTuEmz

 

[BKVP]

Tjerlund makes these but there have been complaints of them being noisy, especially if the wall acts as a sounding board. Perhaps the folks in Fairbanks are using a quieter brand? Or maybe the design has been improved.

AireShare™ Transfer Fans : Room to Room Fan : Crawl Space Ventilation : Dryer Booster : Tjernlund Products, Inc.

Tjernlund Products offers superior draft and ventilation solutions. We offer just some of the following products: Room to room fan, crawl space ventilation and dryer booster.

www.tjernlund.com

BeGreen,

Here is the line sold by the dealer in Fairbanks. He has no complaints of them being noisy.

 

[begreen]

Thanks. That's a register booster but could work for the described in-wall ducting application. Amazon reports it is not available, but there are several other register boosters sold. AC Infinity sells this one.
Amazon product ASIN B0792QR5YT