I've searched a bunch of other threads that touch on this subject, but they don't quite answer my specific issue with circulation of wood stove heat. Most have said that with a forced air furnace system, the fan could be set to on, and that would circulate the heat. We're building a new house with in floor radiant heat. So there isn't air circulation throughout the house. EXCEPT, we are going to install an HRV.

Is the HRV enough to circulate the heat from the wood stove (air intake won't be near the stove, so no worries on carbon monoxide)? The house is fairly open concept. The dining room, kitchen, entrance and living room is all open. But there is a hall, with three bedrooms, and a bath. Another ensuite bath off the master bedroom. Anyway, to circulate heat from the wood stove, I've noticed a bunch of options. Some say install bathroom exhaust fans above the doors. Some say that might spread fire. Some say, to put a vent in the area above the door for passive circulation. I'm not sure what is the best here. Any insight? Thanks guys!

Ceiling fans and passive openings above doors will help. Hot air rises so you want to keep it off the ceiling. A friend of mine circulates his wood stove heat by the use of cheap 20 inch breeze box fan on low speed. He has 2500 sq ft on one level and it works well after you figure where to set the fans.

Do you think using a bathroom exhaust fan to bedrooms is a bad idea? I think what I'll probably do is have above the door able to be opened, but closed to for privacy, and ceiling fans like you said. That combined with the HRV should circulate not too bad. But what do you think of the bathroom fan idea?

Is the structure going to be cooled? If so, the fan coil circulating blower will help achieve heat distribution.

How much noise do you want to generate? Bath fans and all other types of small bladed high speed fans make a bunch of noise. Using ceiling fans on low speed or 20 inch breeze box fans on low speed are very quiet and rather cheap to install.

The HRV you talk about is a no starter. This is an energy recovery device designed to extract a little bit of heat as the air is exchanged with outside air for ventilation purposes. They are not designed to do what you think.

Definition!!

A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) brings in fresh air from the outside, preheats the incoming air during the winter and precools the incoming air during the summer. It can provide clean fresh air every day while helping to keep energy costs low. (Have you ever wondered how dirty the outside air is that you are bringing into your home by this device?)

As you can see they are not designed to distribute heated air especially in the volumes from a wood stove. In fact they are going to exhaust some of expensive air you just paid to heat as one of the byproducts of its operation.

In all actuality wood burning in a modern home is just about out of the question. First wood is not cheap to buy and if you cut and split your own it still has a major cost in time as well as money. The best bet is to take all that wood burning bucks and invest it in better insulation and an upgrade to your standard HVAC system. People get tired of playing in the wood pile along with all the smoke and dirt/ash it generates. Then just when you have it all figured out you have to call the insurance company to complain since they are billing you an extra charge since your home has a wood stove installed in it. One last item is the fact that the chimney has to be cleaned and quite often to keep it safe and prevent creosote build up. Those chimney guys are not cheap.

As I said the cost of owning a wood burner is not cheap and actually costs more than just paying the utility bill to start with.

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the info. My build is actually going beyond the required insulation and building envelope requirements for Canada, which is pretty good as you can probably imagine. But I live on 18 acres of wooded area, and I understand the work involved in wood stove heating. But it isn't going to be my primary heat source. It's more of an auxiliary, and also partly for the look and feel etc. Anyway, but at the same time, I want the heat to move around a bit more than normal, hence why I'm asking. I assumed the HRV wouldn't work, but I thought I'd ask. So I guess low speed fans, or just passive air movement is the way to go. Thanks!

The HRV usually will not have enough power to do what you want it to do. Usually those run at low cfm to be able to capture for the transfer.

That's what I figured. The HRV is required by code in Canada anyway, so I'll have one regardless. But that's good up here in the cold anyway, to replace damp nasty air. I think I'll install some sort of passive vent above the interior doors, and along with ceiling fans, that'll provide me with enough internal circulation. Besides, the stove isn't the primary heat source anyway.

The fans sound like a good idea as well as the vents above the doors. Good luck with your project.

Thanks for your help!

When you are done post back to this thread to let us know how it all worked out.