Hi sulynn,

What my folks did in the house I grew up in was put in a floor vent in the room ABOVE the room w/the stove / gas-heater. That allowed the warm air to rise up through the vent for a more even distribution in the house. In fact, when it got too warm up there, they set a small floor fan that blew cool air (along the floor) into the upstairs bedroom which would 'replace' the hot air that rose up through the vent. You see, the warm air would rise through the vent, and then the cool air that was blown in by the fan would 'push out' the warm air to other parts of the 2nd floor. (I'm assuming you have a 2nd floor if you attempt this ...) Warm air rises, cool air sinks.

As an aside, there are stove units that have fans built into them. In fact, the 2nd unit they bought a few years later had them built right into them. (Obviously, from my 1st explanation, their 1st unit didn't have fans ...) This worked much better. In fact, they 'cut' a hole in one wall (because the fan blew warm air right into a wall-corner, and that 'hole' was what allowed the fan (on the left side of the 2-fan unit) to blow hot air into other rooms in the house. So, if your unit is in a corner, where, perhaps, one wall leads to another room, consider having a 'nice hole' cut into it. Of course, make sure there isn't any furniture on the other side that would 'block' the air coming through the hole. If you have any ceiling fans, see what happens when they're turned on. You may get some added circulation.

Even if you were to move the thermostat, you could mess up the 'balance' in the Summer time. See if you can come up w/ways to move the warm air throughout the house. Perhaps, if your HVAC system has a recirculating feature, you can turn that on and just circulate the warm air. (It's fed by the return ducts and blown to 'other' parts of the house.)

Stick around - Others may stop by to offer their advice. For now, my best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!

[This message has been edited by Jay J (edited November 07, 2001).]

Hi sulynn,
Other than what has already been covered,your last alternative is to install a zone valve with another thermostat.However,it would be easier,and cheaper to move the existing thermostat away from the fireplace.

I moved my thermostat because of winter sun shining on it through a window in the afternoons.
It was not difficult and works fine now.

Just a thought: we were able to buy a battery operated remote control/thermostat for our gas fireplace. We just move the thermostat to a central part of the house for more accurate heating control. That and a ceiling fan in the fireplace room have helped warm the entire house.
Rob