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ThisOldCabinNJ
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2023 08:32
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Hi Folks,
As I'm re-building my cabin from the inside out, I keep coming up with ideas/inquiries. Sorry for the long post but its necessary to convey the information.
In January I installed a wood stove. Its one of the best investments I never thought I needed or would like as much as I do. Its primary purpose was only to help supplement heat but as I've been going along these past few months Im thinking this could be my primary source of heat except for when I'm not home.
One concern with wood stove as primary heating is the extremities of the building will remain "cold" and need use of the baseboard heat to keep these areas more "comfortable" feeling. These extremities won't really be cold per se but feel much cooler than the main area by the stove.
The cabin is set up as following: the main building is split in half. One half is a bedroom and bathroom with a ceiling above it. The ceiling will create a loft space but less of a loft and more like a conditioned attic space (I plan to insulate the roof rafters). I plan to use it for storage as its only going to be about 4 feet in height.
The other half of the building will remain a cathedral ceiling and be for the kitchen/common area. There is then a front porch running the length of the building and a back porch running the 2/3 of the building.
The porches, bathroom and bedroom are my concern. Yes, some heat will radiate throughout the building and keep these areas above freezing but they won't be nearly as warm as the common area.
Natrually, heat rises. If the roof rafters are insulated then any heat that rises up towards the ceiling will be trapped, especially in the loft area where I won't exactly have a ceiling fan. I plan to have a ceiling fan in the common area to circulate air but that only circulates the air in that area. The loft area will have a bit of trapped warm air in it. I was thinking I could use a small fan or even one of those 4" duct booster fans with some 4" duct work to create a slight air current and draw air in from the loft area and pipe it into the porches and bed/bath rooms.
I'd probably have to install several fans but the idea is to draw the really warm air collected in the ceiling vicinity of the 'loft' and move some of it into the porches and bed/bath.
While in theory this sounds like it will work. I'm hoping someone here might have some advice to either support or counter why this will or will not work and if so, could you offer some suggestions on how I can possibly move some of the heat around?
In the past, I've had those fans that go in the corner of a doorway and needless to say, they were just a waste of $ as the other rooms didn't warm up any from the little fan. I'm hoping though that a ducted fan will work.
Thanks for any input!
-al c
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2023 11:41
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Does sound like you need some ducting and fans.
Id take it at the peak/as high up as possible and route it to floor level in the cold spaces; no sense dumping it into the top of a cold 'room'.
Fwiw, in our simple 16x24 one room I have run a fan at a cold corner blowing the cool air toward the ceiling. It mixes in the top warm air and all moves downward keeping a circ-current rather than just stacking warm air up top to eventually(hardly ever) reach feet.
The cool air moved put of the cold corner gets replaced by the warmer room air because the warm air moves to the cold spot. Trying to blow warm air over there didnt work near as well.
But that is our simple open one room, your more complicated 'roomed' space has too many walls, thus my thinking you need ducting/fans.
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2023 18:11
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I can exactly picture your layout but I will tell you what i did with my 14x36 cabin. LP “wood stove†is at one end in the living room with vaulted ceiling that connects to the 14x20 loft. My bedroom is at the opposite end. I installed ceiling fan above the living room which keeps the loft from getting too hot. The bedroom stays comfortable on all but the coldest nights which is when I place a 10†fan in the doorway on the floor blowing cold air back to the stove. I would say there is only a couple of degrees difference between the living room and bedroom.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2023 08:07
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I cant picture your cabin lay out but I can tell you..dont try to blow the hot air where you want it. Blow the cold air (at the floor) out of the area you dont want it.
Either way with a wood stove and a loft it's going to be hotter up there unless you have a whole lot of fan going 24/7.
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ThisOldCabinNJ
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2023 12:25
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Quoting: gcrank1 no sense dumping it into the top of a cold 'room'
I like to consider myself a fart smeller...i mean smart feller. I don't know why I didn't think of this.... but this is also why I ask questions here with like minded cabin owners. Most other people I know just say "you're nuts Albert"....especially my father who just doesn't get cabins or cabin life.
Anyhoo, thanks for the input. I'm going to see what it takes to put some duct work in.
Attached is a quick sketch of the layout of the cabin for those interested.
A long while back I considered getting an old central air/air handler and just using the fan section of the unit to duct and move air however that's a lot of ducting/work. I just need an air current to move the lost warm air in the ceiling area to the cooler areas or the other way around it sounds.
Thanks Again
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ThisOldCabinNJ
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2023 12:26
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In my drawing above, the light blue area didn't show up. Not sure why but hopefully that's not confusing to anyone.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2023 12:45 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Running 6-8" alum pipe as the main manifold in the 'peak' as the collection point and distributing down a corner with even 4" pipe would put the warm peak air 'outlet' near floor level to spread outward in those cool/cold areas.
A fan, even a small one, at cool floor level would kick that cool air out to mix in the warmest room and help draw the warm air down from the ducting. Id use an in-duct fan too.
Paint the ducting dark to 'hide' it visually if that matters to you.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2023 10:21
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At least try a $20 box fan before you go cutting holes and installing duct work.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2023 12:45
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Just so, Brett! I always do the KISS trials first 
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