Cold Air Return to Stove

Hello, I have a Pinebarrens handfired stove in the basement of my 2 story colonial. Pinebarrens stove are made locally in Chatsworth NJ. The basement gets very warm and the heat doesn't seem to get to the first and second floors. The only path for the heat to travel would be up the staircase approx. 15' from the stove. Above the stove in the basement are 2 registers cut into the floor approx 13"x4". I've tried register fans with little success. My stove has a 4" blower fans on each side of the stove where cold air is sucked in and exits out hot air near the top of the stove above the loading door. A rheostat controls the speed of the fans. My question is, if I were to duct the open registers(aluminum dryer flex hose) to the 2 4" fans, would that make more heat rise up the open staircase and make it just a little more comfortable on the 1st and 2nd floors. This would be creating a cold air return from the first floor to the stove in the basement. Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving. Bill

The cold air return you describe is exactly what will make the hot air travel up the staircase. What you are creating is a circulation loop. And you will be pulling warmer air out of the upstairs rooms than off the basement floor, improving the heat output of the stove.

The only improvement I can think of would be to have one of the cold air ducted returns come from a distant part of the house, pulling cold air from that part of the house. Once you see how well the circulation loop does, you may want to 'fine-tune it.

Let us know how it works for you, With temperature readings if you can.

Greg L

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Thanks Greg. I'll let you know how it works. Just a little too warm for coal burning in South Jersey right now 60*, Bill