Further to moving warm air (due to sunlight through patio doors) from the back of the house (S. facing) to the front of the house (N facing).Architect seems to think this might work as long as there is an intumescent joint in the ducting to guard against fire transmitting along the duct.Current (today) plan for routing it is from the ceiling down behind a false fireplace, under the floor, and up through floor vents in the receiving room just like proper blown air heating.Given that it is passing through the false fireplace, which is designed to hide the ugly chimney bits associated with the solid fuel stove, it is also passing very close to the stove.This offers the opportunity to pick up some of the heat from the stove when it is lit, and transfer that to the front room.However a simple heat exchanger would potentially lose heat back to the room when the fire is not in.I am now trying to work out if:(1) This won't matter because the whole rear room should be roughly at the same temperature (although the stove area may be cooler because of the chimney).(2) There should be two routes for the air, one bypassing the stove and the other using it for heat. (Warming to this.)(3) If there is such a thing like a one way heat exchanger - a bit like a Zenner diode which allows electrical current to pass in one direction only.This is part of us trying to design into the new building work stuff that would be easy and relatively cheap, fun and useful, but harder to do after the building work was completed.So does anyone have a solution to (3)?CheersDave R

It does help some, but warm room air is at far lower temp than theoutput of a hot air boiler, so for the same noise level you get wayless heat movement.Intumescent compounds have limited expansion, and take enoughprompting to expand. If you want to block the duct in a fire I'dconsider a grid coated with an intumescent product.When the fire isn't lit, the stove is at the same temp as the rest ofthe warm room, so heat wont be lost back to the warmer room.If you're going to the trouble and expense of ducting warm air, Ican't help thinking it would make more sense to take the air from ahot air solar panel, of the shadecloth type, mounted outside. You getfar greater temperature and far more solar gain, plus you canthermostatically control the duct fan in autumn, and you can block thepanel output with a panel of insulation for winter. Better results allround.And if youre going to do that, do make more use of it by including afine filtering system to cut down on house dust and reduce the...

One way heat exchanger?

Jan 27, 2012 23 Replies

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Andy Champ 14 years ago

I can give you a structure.

Fill your double glazing with hydrogen for high conductivity (I think I have that right!) and pump it to vacuum for insulation.

May be a slight problem maintaining the gap between the panes, and dealing with large quantities of impure hydrogen, and doing it all without using more energy that you save, but WTH.

Andy

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David WE Roberts 14 years ago

Could also be a few problems putting this too close to a solid fuel stove unless all the components are heat resistant. Hydrogen near a heat/fire source also sounds...er...bangin....

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Chris J Dixon 14 years ago

Once upon a time..... imagine a power station, whose 500 MW alternators are cooled by internal circulation of hydrogen, and liberally plastered with "No Smoking" signs. Nearby picture CEGB security bloke, warming his cockles on just such a heater. I didn't linger.

Chris

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Chris J Dixon 14 years ago

Must check re-used text. :-(

It was one of those flaming rocket heaters.

Chris

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