Cathedrel Ceiling

[Gotcha6]

If you added a return air duct to your HVAC in the room in question, and turned your furnace fan to the "on" position, it would draw the warm air out of the room and recirculate it through the house, and not require a lot of power in the process

Philip, the thing you'd need to consider is putting a return into the crawl from the attic in a closet corner if it's available. Also be sure to make any return grille a filter grille accessible for changing. Squirrel cage blower and bladed fans become very inefficient when they accumulate dust. You'd be hard pressed to find an air handler of the sufficient size - they will either be too big or too little.

I'd like to think I'm saving propane, but there are so many variables (degrees days, doors opened, sun vs clouds), there's no way to scientifically determine.

Jim, the thing you need to consider is that the gas logs run all the time - unless they are controlled by an automatic thermostat. The forced air furnace cycles on & off & only runs 90 - 100% of the time when the temperature get to oh, say 0 -10 degrees. If your gas logs are the 'ventless' type, they typically are high on efficiency, but it will focus the heat in the room with the fireplace obviously. Most people like this & use them because they want the bedrooms a little cooler anyways FWIW.

 

[PChristy]

Thanks guys for all of the responce - I think that I will get my heating man out here to see what he says - this might be an end of summer early fall project

 

[Jim Murphy]

Jim, the thing you need to consider is that the gas logs run all the time - unless they are controlled by an automatic thermostat. The forced air furnace cycles on & off & only runs 90 - 100% of the time when the temperature get to oh, say 0 -10 degrees. If your gas logs are the 'ventless' type, they typically are high on efficiency, but it will focus the heat in the room with the fireplace obviously. Most people like this & use them because they want the bedrooms a little cooler anyways FWIW.

I am the thermostat for the logs. I turn them on when it gets cool and off when it's warm. However, regarding the efficiency thing:

The heat loss calcs for my house show I need a 30,000 BTU unit. I have a 60K unit. That means that the furnace does not really run long enough to be efficient. Just when the heat exchanger has reached normal operating temperature it shuts down, and I lose the heat I spent warming it up. It's the same as an air conditioner that's too large--it's cold, but doesn't have time to dehumidify before it kicks off.

And I'll grant that my situation, with only two old coots living in the house, differs from having kids with cold rooms. I'm in my office right now, it's toasty in the LR, but my fingers are freezing. You are right about the cool bedroom. It's real nice to cuddle up in a warm bed in a cool room with the other warm coot.

 

[scsmith42]

Philip, the thing you'd need to consider is putting a return into the crawl from the attic in a closet corner if it's available. Also be sure to make any return grille a filter grille accessible for changing. .

+1

One other option to discuss with your HVAC guy is to partially block the returns elsewhere in the house, in order to balance out the draw from the new one.

As I understand it, the 1" gap at the bottom of the bedroom doors usually allows air to flow though even when the doors are closed.

Scott

 

[PChristy]

+1

One other option to discuss with your HVAC guy is to partially block the returns elsewhere in the house, in order to balance out the draw from the new one.

As I understand it, the 1" gap at the bottom of the bedroom doors usually allows air to flow though even when the doors are closed.

Scott

Yes I get that pull from under the door when I have the fan on or when the unit is heating/cooling but what I don't get (with the doors shut) is when I run the fan with the fireplace going is warm air blowing into the bedrooms - it is just plowing cold air into them - the return air just pulss the air into the unit from the fireplace through the living room - dinning room - down the hall them blows out cold air :dontknow: I don't understand it either