wood stove & heat pump

JackFre

mixing the basement air with the rest of the building. I would at least get a radon test done prior to proceeding. You can use the passive method by cutting registers into the first floor. If you do so, look at the areas you want to get the heat into. Try to see (imagine?) how the air will circulate and travel in those spaces. Make sure the registers can be tightly closed. That type communicating air can screw up your HP's duct system/air flow if left open when the hp is in full swing. I don't know how your basement is finished but I have seen people build a large (big enough to get around to inspect the stove) sheet metal surround over the stove and run ducts off the top to the first floor. Keep in mind that should anything go wrong these ducts/registers are a direct conduit for smoke and fire into the primary living area, and should it happen, you cannot believe how fast it can travel. If you do this, please look into smoke and fire dampers for the duct and/or registers.

Ben Ward

My main heating system is an electric heat pump, but I also have a large wood stove in the basement. When outside temp is below freezing, I fire up the wood stove turn on the fan in my air handler. I'm wondering if it would put more heat upstairs and be worth the time and expense to cut pass thru vents--one directly above the stove and one in another room for return--to get heat from the wood stove up stairs via convection. If so, how large do the vents need to be?

don_163

It depends.

> My main heating system is an electric heat pump,

> but I also have a large wood stove in the

> basement. When outside temp is below freezing, I

> fire up the wood stove turn on the fan in my air

> handler. I'm wondering if it would put more heat

> upstairs and be worth the time and expense to cut

> pass thru vents--one directly above the stove and

> one in another room for return--to get heat from

> the wood stove up stairs via convection. If so,

> how large do the vents need to be?