Hi there,

We design a 2 storey house, the first floor (slab on grade) has a large efficient fireplace (wood) and hydronic radiant floor, on the second floor we plan hydronic radiant baseboards. No ducts/furnace in the house.
There isn't much air flow between the levels, so I wonder what could I do in order to transfer the heat from the fireplace to the upper floor. I thought of installing some kind of vents in floor/ceileing, having a fan inside. Is this the way to go? Are there already such products on the market? (Canada/USA)

Thanks,
Beno

Check building codes on this, I had someone once that wanted to do the same thing with a wood burning stove, it was a big NO NO with the building/fire department.

Chris

Check into heat exchange systems.

If I google it I get over 30 milions hits!
And a definition:
"What are heat exchangers? They are devices specifically designed for the efficient transfer of heat from one fluid to another fluid over a solid surface. "

Is this relevant to me?

Probably not. Now, if you were using a direct vent gas fireplace, add on fan kits are very common. Some of them include ductwork and a wall vent for sending the heat to another room.