How To Use A Wood-Burning Stove To Heat A House

A wood-burning stove is great to have, especially if you’re living in an area where the winter feels like an arctic freeze. However, operating a wood-burning stove and getting it to heat your entire house is far different than the standard electric heater that people use today. But it can do just as good of a job, if not better. The question is, how do you heat your house with one?

The first thing you’ll want to do is get a ventilation system going. A couple of ways to do this is installing a fan on top of your wood stove or purchasing a plug-in blower. However, the best choice will be to hook up your wood stove to your central heating ducts.

In the article, we will take you through the different methods to ensure your wood stove heats your entire house. We’ll also briefly walk you through how to hook your wood stove up to your central heating ducts.

Wood burning stoves give off immense amounts of heat, which is perfect for warming up a house. However, there’s one issue: The heat needs to be dispersed; otherwise, all of that heat will sit in one room. In this situation, you’ll have one room that’s too hot, and the others that are too cold.

There are many different ways to disperse the heat, ranging from installing chimneys and vents to using a fan. What you choose will depend on your budget, as well as the layout of your home.

One method that you can use to disperse the heat around your home is to install a fan on the top of your stove. As long as your stove is free-standing and it’s not in a fireplace, the fan will be able to push the heat up and out. While this method takes a bit longer to heat your home, it’ll soon be warm and cozy.

You can also use other fans to blow the heat where you want it to go. While this isn’t an ideal way to disperse the heat, it’s easy, and it’s budget-friendly. You’ll spend about $100 installing the fan on the stove and purchasing a couple of oscillating fans.

You need to measure about six inches down from the top of your plenum. It’s best if you use a carpenter’s tape measure, rather than one used for sewing or body measurements. This will help you get a more accurate reading.

At the six-inch mark is where the top of your starting collar should be. Make sure you do not mount the collar on the top of the plenum. The collar should be end-up to the plenum. Using a marker, you will then need to trace the outside diameter onto the sheet metal.

If you don’t have a duct system, there’s no need to worry. On average, it will cost about $1,800 and $3,300 to get a duct system installed so that you can adequately heat your home with a wood stove. This price also includes materials as well as labor.

Now, if you wanted to do this yourself to save on costs, you can. However, you’ll want to make sure that you know what you’re doing. A poorly installed duct system can lose up to 40% efficiency. Also, make sure you speak to your local building authorities to see if you will need to obtain any permits.

Related Questions

How long does it take a wood stove to heat a room?

In about one hour, the stove will heat the room to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. From there, you can make the necessary adjustments to either maintain the temperature or increase it. Check out our guide: How Much Wood Do I Need To Heat My House?

What happens if my woodstove gets too hot?

If your wood stove gets too hot, then it will result in a fire that’s burning inefficiently. Also, it will damage some of the stove components over time.

How hot should a wood stove flue get?

The hottest that your flue should get is about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This will help to avoid any chimney fires. Also, cleaning your chimney on a regular basis will also help to prevent chimney fires.

While many people may argue that a wood stove is inefficient in keeping a house warm, especially in winter, we politely disagree. Your best plan of action will be to use your home’s heating duct system to disperse the heat throughout the house evenly. Following the steps above and you can have this done in no time!

If you don’t have a duct system that allows you to do this, you can always install one. You will need to decide whether you want to hire an HVAC technician or do the work yourself. Either way, you’ll soon enjoy a nice and cozy atmosphere in your home.