# Wood Stove Heat Distribution



## conscious (Jan 4, 2005)

My idea is to install 2 computer fans about 5 feet apart down near the floor in the wall directly behind my wood stove (where the air is very hot) to blow warm air directly into my kitchen and bathroom. I was also thinking about cutting a hole through the bottom plate behind one of the fans for a duct to blow warm air into my root cellar where my well pump is. Of course I would want those vents to be operable so that I could use the root cellar vent only when temps dip down close to freezing. 

Would anyone be willing to give some feedback on this idea?

Thanks,
Paul


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## mdharris68 (Sep 28, 2006)

I have had better luck blowing cold air towards the woodstove, from the area that needs heat and therefore the heated air is sucked into the space you want to heat. When you try to blow the heat it tends to rise unless you are going straight through the wall behind the stove. Hope this makes sence.


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## seagullplayer (Nov 6, 2008)

With my home layout I get pretty fair air movement with an oscillating fan behind my stove, and a couple of ceiling fans in the rooms.

But back home our house interior was in a âUâ configuration; my father cut a vent in the bottom of one wall and the top of the other (top being the woodstove side). It was an interior wall so there was just two pieces of dry wall, no isolation, he then mounted a blower, you could use a PC type fan, and the warm air from the ceiling of one room was vented onto the floor of the other room, it moved air rather nicely. The 2x4 wall studs act as the sides of the âduct workâ in the wall, Iâm sure they where on 24â centers being an interior non load bearing wallâ¦


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

If i were you i would do it right up by the ceiling an i think i would use something bigger than a pc fan like a blower or small AC fan the problem with pc fans is that they are 12 volt and move very little air i might also use a thermostat on the wall near the stove set it to use the air conditioning controls to turn on and off the fan most most are good for 120 volts ac , but verify that it is before you buy it. 

then you have a system so that when the stove is hot the fan will run and push the hot air near the ceiling into the kitchen 

just wondering what is on that wall of the kitchen it might be a nice place to install a pass thru that way you can place the bread there when you want to rise it , be able to see what's going on in the other room while making dinner and have the convinice of not carrying hot kettels from the stove where you might be cooking or keeping warm things back to the kitchen and you get the benifit of a good place for the air to move thru it can be made vary atractive looking with some bi fold luvered doors for when you don't want it open


my aunts house has openings near the ceiling in every room on the main floor to get the heat from the room to room my great great grandfather built it this way in 1888 there are also holes in the floor to upstairs with iron grates on them to let the heat up to them
it has worked for 120 years no fans needed 

but a ceiling fan sure moves the air around the room nice and keeps evrything a more even temp rather than hot ceilings cold floors 

as for the pushing heat into the root celler i would insulate the pipes and well head and call good enough pushing heat down a hole is a waist of energy talk about trying to fight the laws of nature


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i knew a fellow who used to use computer and refridgerator fans many years ago. he placed them at the top of doorways, blowing air into the rooms he wanted to heat. it seemed to really help.


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## conscious (Jan 4, 2005)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> If i were you i would do it right up by the ceiling an i think i would use something bigger than a pc fan like a blower or small AC fan the problem with pc fans is that they are 12 volt and move very little air i might also use a thermostat on the wall near the stove set it to use the air conditioning controls to turn on and off the fan most most are good for 120 volts ac , but verify that it is before you buy it.
> 
> then you have a system so that when the stove is hot the fan will run and push the hot air near the ceiling into the kitchen
> 
> ...


Pete, thanks for the response. The reason for the fans down low is that I've got a cathedral ceiling so I want to take advantage of the real hot air directly next to the stove.

Axial (computer) fans will push 400 cfm and come in 120 v.


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## RayG IA (Jan 22, 2008)

I have a Ecofan, see link below, on my wood stove and it works really well for the 700 sqft that I heat.

I purchased one of these for my son and he heat almost 1400 sqft with his wood stove.

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/pro...emID=306&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=ecofan

Both of the ones I've purchased were from Leham's, but I have seen them at lower price at other places. Check the net for a better price.


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## swampyoaks (Jan 6, 2008)

I think a plenum above the stove with fans in it would be far more effective.


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## just_sawing (Jan 15, 2006)

I heated a 2000 foot home on two levels by bringing in outside air to the stove jacket heated it and this caused the home to be pressurized and where there were drafts the warm air went to. It made a 10 degree difference immediately and cold rooms became warm.


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## solidwoods (Dec 23, 2005)

A exhaust heat exchanger that heats water.
Built like a box of straws.
It has a mixing box on the bottom, then through the "straws" , top is a mixing box to bring the exhaust back together and on out the normal route.
Rtn water goes in the bottom, supply outlet is on the top.
But these must also have a expansion tank that is open to the air to allow water expansion/contraction and to allow air bubbles to leave the system. Water will also be added at the tank to replace evaporated water.

Circulate the water with a hotwater circulating pump, 1/25 hp range.
jim


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