which numbers to use to size a stove

[fossil]

Stale thread (OP was last heard from 7 months ago), but a perennially applicable and talked about topic. My experience fully supports Mike's advice...do what you can to move cool air down low toward the space heater, and it will be replaced by warm air up high. Ceiling fans are wonderful for mixing (destratifying) the air in a room (as can be a blower kit on a freestander), but do little to move air sideways to other rooms. It's a challenge we all face to one degree or another. Rick

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Thanks guys.

Good thing we have many months here in the NE until we'll have to experiment again to move air around the house!

I actually tried putting a fan in the "lower" room, aiming outward. There were predictable drawbacks... tripping over a fan placed precariously in a small room; the noise that said fan was making in aforementioned small room; and the acknowledgment that the warm air still didn't seem to be making its way in there. Go figure. I threw my hands in the air and then reached for the thermostat.

Too warm now to experiment! Gives me something to look forward to in the cold months!

 

[firefighterjake]

How large is your home in sqft? I am considering a Jotul oslo and I have a 1388 sf ranch with the stove being installed at the far end in the family room ( where the chimney is) with a doorway and another opening into the LR.

If I was a betting man I would guess you should have no problem moving plenty of heat throughout your home with the Oslo and a well-placed floor fan . . . assuming it's a single level ranch and not a bi-level or split level. My home is a two-story Cape (approximately 1,800 square feet) and the entire house is heated quite efficiently . . . the master bedroom located on the ground floor on the far side of the house is cool, but not uncomfortable and I do run a space heater in my mudroom (but that's mostly to make sure the temp doesn't get below freezing as I would hate for my oil boiler's water pipes to freeze up from non-use!)

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Too bad you couldn't put your stove nearer the middle of the house somewhere. Maybe even on the near end of your family room? I had to put mine where it is, cause I had to go outside through the wall, and it's the only real choice I had.