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Heating a Conventional House with RMH

 
Posts: 26
Location: Kentucky Zone 6
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Forgive me if this is a common question that has been asked and answered, but I looked for a while and couldn't find an answer. I am new to RMH's and I am wondering if you can heat a conventional 2000+ square foot house with these?

If so, how do you circulate the heat throughout the house?

Thanks!

 
gardener
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Location: Southern alps, on the French side of the french /italian border 5000ft elevation
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It's been done before.
 
pollinator
Posts: 4022
Location: Kansas Zone 6a
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The circulating the heat problem is the same as with a regular woodstove.

You can buy little fans to put in doorways (or build your own with computer fans for a LOT less). They help move air on a single floor, like into bedrooms. If you want them to work when the door is closed, you need to build them into the wall. Like this (link for item, not a great price): https://www.acwholesalers.com/Broan-Bath-Fans/510-10-Room-to-Room-Ventilation-Fan/31025.ac?catId=cat16619&mainCat=&subCat=

If you have forced air HVAC, you can retrofit it to pull the return air through the mass and use the fan to distribute it through the house. This is how add-on wood furnaces work. You can distribute the heat in a multistory house this way, but that whole house fan is still a pretty big power draw (MUCH less than the heating bill, though).

 
Chris Gray
Posts: 26
Location: Kentucky Zone 6
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I just so happened to have found a 6" Sunleaves Windtunnel at Goodwill today for $3.75!

http://www.sunleaves.com/detail.asp?sku=SW606




This thing is an inline fan. I believe it is designed for grow tents. However, I was thinking I could hook it up to existing duct work. It moves 409 cubic feet per minute, this 120-volt, 70-watt model has an 11” total diameter and 6” opening to accommodate ducting of the same size. You can also get a speed control to turn it down if needed.

I don't know much about air flow or HVAC. Do you think this fan would be enough to circulate air through a 2000 sqft house or is it too small?

If it doesn't work for the house, I am thinking about an outbuilding. I couldn't pass it up for less than $4.00! I will find some use for it.
 
R Scott
pollinator
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Location: Kansas Zone 6a
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probably not enough for the whole house, but you could push air to the hard to reach room or two and hopefully let it make its own way back.
 
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