So I have a really nice woodstove in the cellar and run it allot during the winter as I spend allot of time in the mancave doing stuff.

Gets nice down there. Would love to get some of this heat up to the first floor. I leave the cellar door open and the heat travels up but not as good as I thought it would.

Been thinking of cutting a hole in the floor and putting in a register but I am sure that is not allowed code wise for fire stop etc. But what if this was a register vent with an auto fire damper fusible links in it.

So any of you builders / HVAC guys know what the rules and code is for a hole in a floor between levels. Can it be done or not?

I use a small plastic cheap clamp on fan to circulate the air for my stove. A friend has a coal stove in the cellar and he put registers, grates, in the floors in each room. It is all he uses for heat. Code wise I have no idea.

I assume as Long as you install a fire damper should not be an issue. Basically a mechanical louver that carries a two hour fire rating. A fuse link would close the damper at say 135 degrees keeping fire localized to a point.

You may need to supply more air to the system as well not certAin how the positive negative pressure system works. To get maximum flow you may need to relieve air
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I'm no expert but a buddy of mine just did this. He bought a register with a fan in it....that is safety CODE. Has some sort of safety feature that will shut the register if there is a fire. I think it was relatively cheap in price as well....like less than $200. He swears by it and wishes he had done it sooner. It's not huge either....fits in between the rafters and needed to be hard wired....maybe 3 or 4 inches in width.

What is fire code in a 50-60+yr old house? I have a finished basement, previous owners remodeled so that basement access door only 1/2 height. I totally removed door. There is good airflow exchange up/down the stairwell. Yes I have a woodstove in basement wherein I cut two opening in floor above, blocked off between joices and have standard registers in floor above (maybe 3 1/2-4 x 10"). BTW I made a box with one end open, kind of like ram air, to force the hot stove air as it travels along ceiling into the vents. I do have an electric fan in one but rarely use it.


There is no fireblocking in house walls that I can tell.

Installation passed inspection by proper fire authorities.

Phil and Mugz,

That sounds about what I want to do. WRT code or whatever you want to it I just want to prevent an accident if something stupid happened to slow a fire down.......just cutting a hole and putting a register without a auto damper I can see the insurance co just loving that......even if the stove is installed correctly but hole cut later.

I think just natural circ will be fine. But Mugz if you could get me that info from your Buddy I would appreciate that.

Phil and Mugz,

That sounds about what I want to do. WRT code or whatever you want to it I just want to prevent an accident if something stupid happened to slow a fire down.......just cutting a hole and putting a register without a auto damper I can see the insurance co just loving that......even if the stove is installed correctly but hole cut later.

I think just natural circ will be fine. But Mugz if you could get me that info from your Buddy I would appreciate that.

Next time I am over there....I will get make and model and take a picture for you. Possibly today.

Check with your local fire department about fire code in your area...most go by state codes...:)

Check with your Building Inspector first then double check what he says with your insurance company. The only thing the FD is concerned with is if the woodstove is installed correctly.
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Cutting in a grate would certainly let the heat rise and AC sink, so you'll want something you can regulate. I'm sure there is a product made for it. Sounds like Someone's got you pointed in the right direction there.

To truly protect yourself from any future denial of claim, you may need permits for the work as you are modifying a fire separation assembly (the floor). I would ask that of your insurance co.

A permit is the only thing you will get in writing from an AHJ that says you asked how to properly do this and they approved it.

Yes, a pain in the ass and it will add some cost but your question was about how to do it and protect your assets.

when cutting a hole in the floor for heat to rise I would think U would also need a cold air return hole futher away as the warm air turns cold and falls to floor level...U need circulation...:)

Here is the secret method, well it works for rooms on the same level. Hang a curtain on one of those expandable curtain rods in the open doorway with space above and below. Helps to set up a convective loop.