You Can Use a Wood Stove to Heat Multiple Rooms
If you have a wood stove or fireplace for backup heating or as your primary heat source, you’ve probably already thought about setting it up for the winter. But keeping your chimney and hearth clean and draft-proof are only part of the strategy for using a wood stove to heat your entire home. Here’s how to distribute heat throughout your home and keep it warm all winter long.
Security Note
Before using any equipment to spread heat further away from your wood stove or fireplace, make sure you consider safety. First of all, do not install plastic fans or any other equipment too close to the heat source. Second, make sure that any work that involves repairing your chimney or associated ductwork is done by a professional who specializes in working on these types of projects. We don’t want to heat your whole house by setting it on fire.
Use a vent
Taking advantage of the natural tendency of heat to rise, you can use this physics trick and simply add a vent that will allow the heat to move into the room above. This can be achieved by cutting through the ceiling of the room with a wood stove or fireplace, and then cutting through the floor above and adding a vent to connect the two. It is considered a passive method of heat distribution because it does not require an external source of energy. Heat dissipation through the floor will work even if your power goes out. You will need to choose a floor vent cover that is weight rated to avoid dangerous tripping hazards. If you are not comfortable with this type of installation, you can hire a contractor to install this type of vent for you.
Add ducts
In some cases, adding ductwork to allow heat to flow through may be beneficial. This definitely requires professional installation as proper protection and design are required to reduce the risk of fire. The heat ductwork from a wood stove may be separate or matched to your home’s existing HVAC system, so consulting with the appropriate HVAC professional on this part is key. Some simple duct types don’t need fans if the air moves mostly vertically, so this may be an option that requires no other power source than the wood-burning fireplace itself.
Use a blower
Installing a fan in your fireplace or wood stove can help distribute the heat further from the source. These blowers can be installed with a wood stove or added later to circulate heat. For a small home, a fan can effectively circulate heated air throughout the space.
Use a thermally driven fan
Using external fans designed specifically for a wood stove or fireplace that use heat to drive the blades can be a good way to move the heat further away from the source. These fans are especially good if you want to use your wood stove as a backup heat source during power outages, as they will operate without electricity, unlike leaf blowers or electric fans.
Use an electric fan
A fan that uses electricity can also help circulate heated air throughout your home. A well-directed fan can move air from one room to another faster than you might think, with even smaller electric fans moving 185 cubic feet of air per minute and moving air about 25 feet away, which can heat a large room. area is much faster.