Furnace is dead

[reuben.ahmed]

(01-17-2016, 09:36 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: It can if you have a good blower and ceiling fans.

If you don't know what it is, it is basically a log cradle made of hollow metal pipes that are tied to a fan system that sits outside the fireplace.  The fan will pull cold air from ground level into the system and through the pipes of the cradle, which are now hot from the fire.  The cradle heats that cold air and then the fan blows it out into the room.

Ceiling fans set to the winter setting (low speed and clockwise) will push the hot air at the ceiling out to and down the walls, and thus through entryways into adjoining rooms.  Ceiling fans in those rooms will do the same to the next room.

My dad was a cheapskate who hated to use the heat in the house, so the whole house was heated that way.  I've gotta admit, it worked pretty well.

I've acatually run the fan in the winter setting at high speed. I didn't think low speed was enough, at high speed I feel a little bit of air against me (with the fireplace on). I'll try at a lower speed, it does seem to help. I have a great room, so the fan is 20ft up in the air.

The other tip I found was making sure your furnace fan is set to ON (instead of Auto). It can still circulate the hot air your fireplaces are putting out, into the rest of the house. I think the smart programmable thermostats (NEST/etc) automatically do things like this to try and save money. e.g. they shut the AC down early but still run the fan, knowing there's still some coolant/cold air left in the vents that can be pushed out.

I've looked into installing a blower on the fireplace. I should probably get that done sometime. Thanks for the tips!