Convection Heating at Home

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Convection Space Heating

The most popular wood-based heating installation is convection space heating as no electricity is needed - it works well even when grid power fails. Place the wood stove in the main section of the home with good air flow to all parts of the house. The heat emitted from the stove is able to reach all parts of the house, even up the stairs, while displacing cold air.

The most common issue with this type of heating unit is a bad size choice: many homeowners buy a unit that is larger than they need. Discuss your requirements and your home structure with your dealer. Many first-time purchasers of wood stoves think that small wood stoves cannot heat the whole house – you may be surprised how efficient they are.

If you have an enclosed area or one which can only be accessed through other rooms, try using a “computer fan” to push air to them. Such fans are easily purchased at wood stove retail shops. Most building codes permit the breaking of ceilings and floors for improved air circulation. 

You can use a pellet stove if your space is limited. This type of unit has exact electronic controls to reduce the burn intensity without upsetting the environment, while giving sufficient heat to warm the space. The hopper of the pellet stove can store enough fuel for one and a half days.

Homes that are on-grid with a central furnace can supply backup heat automatically. As the fire dies, a thermostat-controlled furnace can be switched on. The furnace fan circulates the hot air from the wood stove. The wood stove heat gathers at the ceiling; the cold air “suction duct” is placed up there too.  The furnace fan in “manual” mode (or low-speed) transfers the hot air to other parts of the house.  If your home has high ceilings or no centralized air distribution, ceiling fans in the heated area can force the warm air down to mix with cooler air. 

Wood-Fired Hot Air Furnaces

Wood-fired furnaces operate similarly to fossil-fuel models but have the advantage of an even distribution of heat from the fan-forced and temperature-controlled system. For safety, there are automatic dampers, shutdown components and thermostatic fan controls in most units.  Central air conditioning can be included thanks to very accommodating unit design.  Wood-fired furnaces come as dual-fuel systems that switch from wood-based to fossil- or biodiesel-based. They can also engage on-grid systems automatically when the fire goes out.

Check your model for an EPA certification label before purchasing. Models released around the 1970s oil crisis are extremely inefficient and expensive to run.

Hot-air furnaces that use fans for circulating the heat are not suitable for off-grid homes due to the blower motor’s energy requirements during winter, when the production of renewable energy is reduced. The amount of time the fan needs to run depends on your location, the season and your heating requirements. If you are using oil backup, you will need extra energy to work the combustion blower and oil pump effectively.