With that said, with reference to a cathedral ceiling, it would probably be beneficial to bring some of the warmest air from the ceiling back down to "living height".
edit:
Heat transfer is always most efficient when the temperature differential is the greatest. So, it would be more efficient to send the coolest air in the house back to the stove for reheating.Adamiscold wrote:Would having a return duct near the top of a cathedral ceiling work for this type of setup? I know I see more and more systems having the return air ducts closer to the ceiling where it can get the warmer air to return back to the furnace, but would this be ideal for a coal stove set up or should the return be placed in the floor instead?