Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 05, 1999 06:26pm | #1

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   If there is a large enough gap under the doors, a central return will work. The gap under the door should be about 10% more square inches than the supply for that room. It's not the perfect answer but it works.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 06, 1999 10:10am | #2

   *Marco: Can you get your first floor plenty warm? And you still need heat upstairs? You could cut two registers through the first floor ceiling in opposite corners of the house. If the second floor is open or doors can be left open, the heat will thermosiphon up one register and down the other. Especially if you extend the "up" register towards the second floor ceiling for more chimney effect. Once installed, one will naturally be the up register. Could be done for any cold second floor room above a warm room. Put two registers in opposite corners of the room. I've seen this approach really help in distributing heat from a wood stove on the first floor, without using duct work or fans. -David

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 08, 1999 12:28am | #3

   *David, My old house was proof that heat won't necessarily rise unless there is a huge delta-T from floor to floor. In winter our upstairs bedroom was 40 degrees, while the thermostat downstairs was set at 67. All three small upstairs rooms had 12 x 12 transfer grates in the floors, plus another in the hallway. There were continual cold drafts and feet downstairs. This was worsened when supply ducts were run upstairs. The cascade of cold air down the stairs was chilling. The key was adding the cold air return on the second floor. It kept temps closer together floor to floor and eliminated the drafts.A woodstove would operate differently than the furnace. The woodstove creats very hot air driving up the delta-T. Where a furnace wouldn't get as hot.-Rob