Moving the heat around my Ranch....

[Brian W.]

Hello all! Let me first say how much I've enjoyed reading through this forum for info on my wood stove purchase. I ended up with a Pacific Energy NEO 1.6 to fit in my small firebox and having used it a couple times im quite happy with its heat output actually. The trouble now is getting that heat to the other parts of my home. Now i have done plenty of searching both here and the other depths of the internet and get so much mixed info it seems. Im really hoping to get some input on my particular home layout and some direct answers if possible from all of you experienced wood burners....

I have attached a ROUGH floor plan layout for the home. The living room area is probably not the right size its actually a bit smaller than shown, also nothing is to scale i just roughed it up but its pretty close, or close enough i would think to give you an idea. Where the stove is inserted is a big brick structure that doe not go all the way to the ceiling mind you. i also have ceiling fans in all of the bed rooms and the living room also.

sorry for the poor quality floor plan photo. the little red blob is where the insert is. Im looking to move heat out of that living room, through the foyers and in to the office(middle bedroom), master bedroom and the master bath.

I have tried a box fan on the floor at the master bedroom opening blowing the cool air OUT one night and it got a bit too chilly. I just picked up a couple of these entree air corner fans that I'm going to try despite the mixed reviews on them. Im hoping i can use those to move the air in to those rooms but will it be that easy ? Would the best placement be: one at foyer 1 facing out of living room down hall way, one in office door way blowing in, one at master bedroom blowing in and another around the corner at the master bath doorway blowing in?


Thanks so much for ANY input here. My heat pump is killing me(my wallet that is), ill be OK physically.

 

[begreen]

That looks like a tough setup. Is there a basement?

 

[Brian W.]

Yes there is a full length basement that is under the entire house except for the "Den" which actually used to be a garage. The basement is mostly unfinished with the duct work for the HVAC exposed for the most part. It has some drop ceiling under there but there was mold and water damage when i got the place so its been ripped out.

 

[John Galt]

that heat is going have a hard time getting to the den if it has to go out the front door, through the front yard, enter the side door, pass through the small room and then finally into the den. I think you're asking a lot.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Its going to be hard to get the heat to negotiate all those walls without transoms i think. Even with them your office, master bath and bedroom and den will be tough. How many sqft is this again.

 

[Brian W.]

that heat is going have a hard time getting to the den if it has to go out the front door, through the front yard, enter the side door, pass through the small room and then finally into the den. I think you're asking a lot.

haha, i forgot to put an opening in the top of the kitchen there but luckily I'm not trying to move heat that way. Just to the couple rooms i listed.

 

[Brian W.]

I don't need to heat the den, it is currently empty and we dont use it. (though one day ill want to figure that out. There is an opening at that end of the kitchen that goes in to those rooms.

Its about 1800 sq ft. Only real concern is the office, master bedroom and master bath. the den can stay cold for now, haha. it is unfurnished.

 

[Brian W.]

honestly the floor plan i made makes it seem worse than it is but maybe not by much.....

The ceiling in the kitchen, living room and through all 3 bedrooms is vaulted so a transom opening or a window i could put up there tastefully that opened and closed across all 3 bedrooms from the living room would be a possibility but more of a long term thing. Im thinking short term for now just using some fans.

 

[MagdalenaP]

Take toilet paper, and tape it to your door way ceilings. Then experiment, to see the flow of air.

I would try one fan down low, blowing cold air out of the bedroom (in the hallway), and one up top on an angle in the living room, pointing towards the bedroom.

 

[begreen]

Yes there is a full length basement that is under the entire house except for the "Den" which actually used to be a garage. The basement is mostly unfinished with the duct work for the HVAC exposed for the most part. It has some drop ceiling under there but there was mold and water damage when i got the place so its been ripped out.

That presents an opportunity that will be more effective if you can draw air out from a floor register on the far side of the MBr and blow it into the stove room. The displaced cool air will be replaced with warmer air as long as the door is open or has a gap at the bottom large enough to match the area of the floor register. The 6" ducting should be insulated. There are quiet inline fans that can be used or some fairly cheap, but not so quiet duct fans. The fan can be thermostatically operated if desired.

 

[bholler]

Honestly trying to heat 1800 squ ft with high ceilings with a 1.6 cu ft flush insert is going to be tough if not impossible. But you can certainly help reduce heating costs. Is the central heating system zoned?

 

[Brian W.]

Honestly trying to heat 1800 squ ft with high ceilings with a 1.6 cu ft flush insert is going to be tough if not impossible. But you can certainly help reduce heating costs. Is the central heating system zoned?

Yeah i figured that much. I was hoping i could use the insert to help offset some of the costs and finding a way to work in conjunction with the wood stove somehow or use it as a supplemental heat source. I know its a tiny stove and on top of that a funny layout.

Sadly it is not zoned though i was told i could potentially add zones without changing my heat pump....

 

[bholler]

Yeah i figured that much. I was hoping i could use the insert to help offset some of the costs and finding a way to work in conjunction with the wood stove somehow or use it as a supplemental heat source. I know its a tiny stove and on top of that a funny layout.

Yes I am sure you can suppliment with it but if your HVAC isn't zoned that can be hard

 

[begreen]

This is why I suggest considering an independent air moving system to get warm air moving down the hallway to the MBr.

 

[Brian W.]

This is why I suggest considering an independent air moving system to get warm air moving down the hallway to the MBr.

Im going to look at the ductwork tonight and see what i can make of it. Thanks for this idea. Could i pull from both the MBr and the office you think and pump in to the stove room?

Also, for now, i just bought a few of those EntreeAir fans, should i just return them before i even bother?

 

[Mark cerel]

I would say it's not impossible, what you need to accomplish is flow path. I would try a small circular fan the one that sits on the ground pointing down the hallway outside your master bedroom on setting two. This will push cold air towards the stove room ( like you have read 100 times. Keep all rooms you aren't using with the door closed. Example guest bedroom in that hallway keep it closed. You need to expirement with that fan. Try by the master at first if hot air isn't moving back there move the fan up a few feet at a time until you find the sweet spot. In order to get the heat to your den area might be a little harder but once again flow path. Start by turning on that white fan on rerverse to get some heat down from the ceiling. Then try putting a fan outside your den door on low towards your kitchen. All rooms you are needing to heat keep the door cracked through out the day. This will allow to slowly heat the rooms but keep the heat in the main hallways in the house. To quickly test your air movement try a candle. Once the fans are set and th stove has been on for a few hours. Go in the back hall way with a candle and blow it out. The smoke should pretty aggressively move towards the fan. If not start moving around the fans. The second or first aspect of this is the efficiently of your home. Adding insulation and retaining all the heat you can will play just as much of a factor. If you retain majority of your heat then it is possible to move that heat out of the stove room. don't give up yet keep us posted

 

[EbS-P]

Where are the air returns for the HVAC? I only have a single return and it moves air the opposite direction of my convective loop. That said running my heat pump and my stove together can get every room toasty pretty quick as long as it’s not too cold. It takes a good couple hours for the convective loop to get going again.
You might try a smaller fan. I had better luck with a small 8” fan at the end of the hallway than a box fan. The big fan was just mixing air and helping the loop.