Heat getting trapped in one room

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

in the old houses in quebec they had openings in the floors to help the heat rise to second floor .i don't think your allowed to make openings now .back then who cared check and see if they were covered up and reopen them might help

There are apparently special registers made for this, that close automatically if they get too hot. The reason regular ones aren't allowed is because they allow fire to spread too quickly into the upper stories. I can't remember what these are called.

Edit: fusible link dampered registers.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/29820/

I've had similar problems in my late 1700's vintage stone rubble farmhouse. I opened up a wall, and between the stove blower and a tower fan blowing away from the stove, we now get the upstairs reasonably warm. Have plans to tighten up the doors, windows, and add a bunch of cellulose insulation to the attic. Maybe even a fusible link dampered register.

There is no insulation on the walls, just stone, mud (mortar), and a layer of plaster.

We've only turned the boiler on twice so far this winter. Stove can't quite keep up when we hit single digits, especially if it's windy. I'm hopeful that once the improvements are done, I'll only use the boiler to keep the lines from freezing.

 

[begreen]

There are apparently special registers made for this, that close automatically if they get too hot. The reason regular ones aren't allowed is because they allow fire to spread too quickly into the upper stories. I can't remember what these are called.

Yup. There are fusible link dampers with a special link that melts under high heat. That releases spring-loaded doors that shut the grille closed.