What is everyone doing this year ahead of the cold to improve your wood heat comfort this year.

[stoveliker]

An 8" trunk that branches via a Y to two 6" branches should suffice. If this is through the basement, then pull colder air from the office and br and blow it into the stove room. The axial fan can be suspended off of rubber or noise isolating mounts, though there are good ones that are quite quiet at a reduced speed producing 200 cfm. Look for their sone or db rating if this is a concern.

Amazon.com

426 CFM? That's a LOT. I would say it's far too much.
And that much air will create a lot of noise, even if not from the motor itself. 42 dBA motor

I use this one:

Amazon.com

Sufficient to "heat my home" (push enough BTUS from the basement up the stairs by depositing the cold air on the basement floor)
188 CFM (unloaded; so I have much less due to the 18 ft or so ducting); 39 dBA motor (so half the sound).

 

[begreen]

426 CFM? That's a LOT. I would say it's far too much.
And that much air will create a lot of noise, even if not from the motor itself. 42 dBA motor

It's variable speed. There is no need to run it at 100%. There are several variations listed on the same Amazon page in case one want to downsize. This is the 8" model.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes, mine can do variable speed too.

 

[Tron]

Yes, mine can do variable speed too.

That's what I'd be using, too. Plus a smart fan/motor controller.

 

[begreen]

That's what I'd be using, too. Plus a smart fan/motor controller.

The one mentioned has a 10 speed variable controller built in.

 

[Marty_Deux]

I have been thru a few different stoves and figured out that here in Kentucky I need a big firebox for long burns so I’ve settled on Pacific Energy stoves. Had osburn, lopi and buck stoves but non quite did what the house needed. The heat pump does just fine heating almost 4000sqft but I start fires when it gets into the low 40s or 30s. I’m always evolving the setup to make things better. I work nights and have used the nest thermostat on the heat pump and some inkbird temp controllers to track temps while I’m away. I have multiple temp/humidity displays around the house that I keep an eye on while I’m at home.

This year I’m putting in a new fan system to move more heat out to the farthest reaches of the house since it’s a large walk out ranch style home. Small vornado fans and such just wasn’t doing what I needed. Every home is different and heat flows thru them differently also. When I was burning in the basement everyone says move the cold air towards the stove. My situation worked best by blowing the hot air up to the main floor. It’s hard to put convective loops in to a fully finished basement but the stairs are wide open. Now that the woodstoves are not going anywhere the wife asked that the bedrooms be a little warmer which are at the far end of the house. I mainly burn a PE summit on the main floor for most of the heat thru the winter. I’m going to pull air from the stove room and run thru insulated duct in the attic to the three farthest bedrooms. I’ll have a thermostat in the master bedroom to control fan on/off. A inkbird temp controller will read if there is heat in the stove room not allowing the fan to come on if not warm enough. The fan will push around 200cfm per register into each large bedroom. The grill for the system will not be very close to the stove since it’s at opposite end of the stove room and in the vaulted ceiling up high. With doing R-8 insulted duct and will throw extra blown in over it I think she should be happy.

I owned and ran a Hvac business for years so the air movement and static pressure and such is right in my wheel house. I’m going to be using a greenheck insulated fan with speed controller to set the air flow since I know I may have to dial it down if the Mrs says she hears too much air movement. Will try to keep the velocity low enough thru the grills to keep her happy.

What are you guys doing this year?

Trying to decide on new wood stove. Have 2 old Wedgewood stoves made for coal. One installed in room used the most with computer, couple of guest chairs and other things. House was built in 1900s with living room added in 30s or 40s then 2 bedrooms and a full bath added in early 50s. Single pane windows except in bedroom where I replaced one glass wall with dual pane slider. The other glass wall has 10ml plastic cover outside and styrofoam panels covering most of glass area. Have 2 anderson dual pane doors I plan on replacing that wall stacked sideways on top of extension from top of floor to bottom of lower window. Am hesitant to cut holes in stucco, brick and river rock exterior walls to blow insulation into the cavities between wall studs. Open to suggestions on a wood burner that will handle around 1000sq feet Or use fans, 1 high in room with wood burner and other low in bedroom door. It helps to warm bedroom doing that now. Then I fill 2 cast iron pots and put them on brick bases in bedroom to keep it somewhat warm.