Pellet stoves serve as an effective, environmentally-friendly home heating method. But in many homes, you'll end up with poor circulation, leading to one or two very warm rooms, and cold pockets in other rooms of the home. The room-to-room temperature differential is often more pronounced with pellet stoves, which are usually added long after the house is constructed. When a home is built with a fireplace, it's often placed in an optimal location and the contractor will usually place registers in the ceiling and over doorways. Often, these features are not present when a pellet stove is added, leading to hot and cold air pockets within the home. Some fairly simple measures can allow you to distribute the heated air throughout the home.
Instructions
1. Hire a handyman or home improvement service to install ceiling fans in main living areas and bedrooms. If funds are limited, install at least one ceiling fan in the room where the pellet stove is located.
2. Adjust the ceiling fan direction so it pushes warm air toward the floor. The fan blades will be tilted so one edge is higher than the other. If you look at the end of the fan blade and the higher side of the fan blade is on the right, make the fan go counterclockwise; if the higher side of the fan blade is to the left, make the fan go clockwise. Switch direction by flipping a switch, located somewhere on the fan base. Some models allow you to switch the fan direction via the control panel on the wall.
3. Run the ceiling fans at all times, with the fan set on a low or medium speed. Hot air rises, so the fan will push the hot air down toward the floor.
4. Open interior doors. Many homes have French doors that divide rooms; leaving these doors open will improve air flow through the home. Always keep bedroom doors open, as the heat cannot flow between rooms if the door is closed.
5. Place a portable fan near the pellet stove and aim the fan toward nearby doorways. This will help push the hot air into adjacent rooms. The back side of the fan should be facing the so it sucks in the hot air and propels it toward the nearby room.
6. Hire a home improvement or handyman service to install registers over doorways leading out of the room where the pellet stove is located. Registers -- grates that allows air to pass through the wall -- are placed on the wall between the top of the door frame and the ceiling, allowing more air to pass between rooms, even if the door is closed. Also install registers in the ceiling above the pellet stove (for two-story homes only). Cut a hole in the ceiling of the first story and floor of the second story. A register will be installed, allowing the hot air to flow into the room(s) above the pellet stove.
Tags: pellet stove, above pellet, , between rooms, ceiling fans, cold pockets, door closed