I want your opinion on the following, I have an open plan house with a hallway to 3 bedrooms, the main source of heating is a slow combustion wood heater which heats the lounge/dining/kitchen nicely but as you get down the hall to the bedrooms it gets a few degrees cooler.

This is where I want your opinions,

option 1
installing a heat transfer system, using an inline fan to suck some of the heat out of the lounge and blowing it into the 3 bedrooms.

option 2
installing some type of panel heater in bedrooms, Ive looked at heaters from econo heat(425watts, good for 12m2) through to nobo panels(2000 watts good for up to 20m2), the nobos are twice the price of the econo heat panels and use radiant heating instead of convection.

your thoughts, opinions, reviews of the above would greatly be appreciated. Or what you have done in the same situation.

The heat transfer system is the same price as the 3 econo heat panels at around $600-$700 or using the nobo panels $1200.

Put more wood on the fire
and leave the doors open.

__________________
p.t.c

Dan, for bedrooms it is generally best to have convection heat. Convection heat is suited to rooms with standard ceiling heights. Radient heat is best for living areas and for rooms with high ceilings. We will have similar setup to you. An open plan area for kitchen, dining lounge and bedrooms down hall at other end of house. Our living area has high ceiling so we have opted for a radient wood heater and radient floor heating. The bedrooms will have convection panel heaters. I have used both the panel heaters you have mentioned. The nobo we have is convection and worked better than the econo panel due to being more powerful, and the nobo had a thermostat which is a must have. But, the thermostat/control setup on the nobo is a pain to use. Look at other brands, ther are a few out there.

Regards,
Peter

Dan is your house a conventional 8 or 9 ft flat ceiling with access to the roof space?

Does your slow combustion easily heat the living area or does it just do it?

Do you use it as slow combustion heaters are best, buning gently 24 hrs or just light it and expect instant heat?

If you answered yes to these a good simple and surprisingly effective way to move the heat is put a ceiling
register in the living area and one in each of the bedrooms conected with ordinary ducting.
Say 8" fom the living then divided and stepped down to 6" in the bedrooms.

Natural convection will move the warm air gently to the bedrooms and cooler air will return to the living.
You will be surprised how well this works.
Comercial setups are available which put a fan in the system but they can work quite well without it.
Don't expect a blast of heat as if you turned on a gas or electric heater but it will gently raise the temp.

And best of all this is really cheap

Greolt

Thanks heaps greolt and peter, I was starting to think no one cared.

I have found the system you are talking about greolt surprisingly cheap with a inline fan, I may use that with econo panels in the rooms and it should be good, the panels for the mornings when the wood fire isnt fired up and the ducting to keep it warm in the evening before bed.

Radient heat is best for living areas and for rooms with high ceilings.


Peter,. I am searching for a warm cosy heater for the living room/kitchen, you suggest radiant heat ? can you recommend any heaters ? I dont like those oil things as they look cold. . I have had two Atlantic heat panels , 2000 watts and I only used one and it was pretty much useless too . . there is a new Atlantic 2800 wattage one. . I wonder if that would warm up a small living room and kitchen ? thank you

Radiant heaters are generally poor choices for space heating - whatever the type. See the other threads on this.

Might sound silly, and I can hear my grandpa and my Mum & Dah speaking from the grave, but seems to me the smartest and cheapest thing is to buy some better clothes and bedding . . . low energy, low impact, highly flexible to changing temperatures.

Air transfer Kit with Zone Controller is the way to go in my op. As long as the wood heater has enough capacity for the WHOLE house in the first place..