Good afternoon, keepers of the flame:
Can an existing forced hot air circulation fan be used to help even out/regulate the heat coming from a wood stove insert to the rest of a house? A little background here might help...
Our home is a post-WWII Cape Cod house, approximately 1500sq ft, with forced hot air heat and central air conditioning run through the same duct work. We have both the forced air and return ductwork going to both floors. The basement has no return opening in it, but a couple heat/AC vents. Also, unlike many post-Cape homes, ours has a more open floor plan where the stairs are open to the living room, and the back BR (now an office) is half-open to the living room with only a 3/4 wall separating the two rooms. The central 1st floor hallway is very short, only 6' before you get to the kitchen.
My original intent was to buy a wood stove insert for our existing open fireplace. As with most post-WWII Cape homes, our fireplace & chimney are on the side of the house, in the middle of the living room's side wall. My wife is concerned that 1) an insert is going to heat us completely out of the room, and 2) we will freeze everywhere else. She has also been resistant to the upfront cost, which is understandable. Other than the initial chimney sweeping/inspection, I can pull the permit and handle the installation of both stove and liner myself.
I suppose my question to the group is, are her concerns about uneven heating with merit? If they are, can I use the home's existing return lines to help circulate air throughout the home and even the heat out? Will this adversely affect a stove/insert's ability to draft? Are there other concerns I should be aware of?
Any advice or past experiences would help. TIA.
Can an existing forced hot air circulation fan be used to help even out/regulate the heat coming from a wood stove insert to the rest of a house? A little background here might help...
Our home is a post-WWII Cape Cod house, approximately 1500sq ft, with forced hot air heat and central air conditioning run through the same duct work. We have both the forced air and return ductwork going to both floors. The basement has no return opening in it, but a couple heat/AC vents. Also, unlike many post-Cape homes, ours has a more open floor plan where the stairs are open to the living room, and the back BR (now an office) is half-open to the living room with only a 3/4 wall separating the two rooms. The central 1st floor hallway is very short, only 6' before you get to the kitchen.
My original intent was to buy a wood stove insert for our existing open fireplace. As with most post-WWII Cape homes, our fireplace & chimney are on the side of the house, in the middle of the living room's side wall. My wife is concerned that 1) an insert is going to heat us completely out of the room, and 2) we will freeze everywhere else. She has also been resistant to the upfront cost, which is understandable. Other than the initial chimney sweeping/inspection, I can pull the permit and handle the installation of both stove and liner myself.
I suppose my question to the group is, are her concerns about uneven heating with merit? If they are, can I use the home's existing return lines to help circulate air throughout the home and even the heat out? Will this adversely affect a stove/insert's ability to draft? Are there other concerns I should be aware of?
Any advice or past experiences would help. TIA.