Oak coals and temps - help!

[schmutzler03]

Finally, I move heat from the basement through the stairs just like you. I do it like this.

That link you gave is really helpful. I don't think I'd seen your reply when researching.
The cat and I have been working on my husband to let us do something similar to your fan/vent for the last year, but he's not willing to cut holes in anything yet. Hence the resorting to trying for a second stove which would be a lot more $$ and silly. We've definitely been working on upgrading insulation and next on the list is windows.
We'll keep trying.

 

[stoveliker]

That link you gave is really helpful. I don't think I'd seen your reply when researching.
The cat and I have been working on my husband to let us do something similar to your fan/vent for the last year, but he's not willing to cut holes in anything yet. Hence the resorting to trying for a second stove which would be a lot more $$ and silly. We've definitely been working on upgrading insulation and next on the list is windows.
We'll keep trying.

It's good to think carefully before you cut.
I did keep the hardwood sections that I cut out (even the saw kerf is lost).
This is all there is to see in the living room. Downstairs there's nothing other than the chase I built with a similar (though white there) register at the bottom of the chase (the duct is between the joists).
The register is home depot bare wood, the stain we tried to match as well as we could. Not perfect, but for a casual eye good enough.

 

[schmutzler03]

It's good to think carefully before you cut.
I did keep the hardwood sections that I cut out (even the saw kerf is lost).
This is all there is to see in the living room. Downstairs there's nothing other than the chase I built with a similar (though white there) register at the bottom of the chase (the duct is between the joists).
The register is home depot bare wood, the stain we tried to match as well as we could. Not perfect, but for a casual eye good enough.
View attachment 334752

That's a pretty sweet setup you made

 

[stoveliker]

Back to coals. This is one split of pine on top of a row of coals.
My air is coming down along the window, so hits the split which burns, creating draft. And a lot of air goes thru the gaps in the coals below the split (have to have a thick enough one for best performance in my system). Those holes become white hot, looking like a blast furnace. This gasifies the coals, burning them down.

The heat that this produces is not insignificant. But short lived; half an hour and it needs a new split (after raking the coals into a new row so the ashes they made fall down).

At least that is how it works for me.

 

[schmutzler03]

At the end of a burn raking them to there where the air hits it, putting a small soft wood split on top (one that takes off quick and burns fast and hot), running it with the air open, helps burning down the coals and (in my case) provides sufficient heat to either stop or decrease the cooling of the home to an acceptable level for an hour or two.

I tried this again today and got a better result. I'd say about 3/4 of the coals were burned down to ash by raking the coals forward several times, leaving a channel for the air coming in the vent at the bottom and also throwing a thin split on them twice over the course of 4 hrs. Now there will be just enough coals to easily get the overnight load going before I hit the sack.