Another Air Circulation Question

I getting ready to "tinker" more with my 'new to me' Harman Mag.
We live in a 26'x52' ranch, with a full basement. A good portion of the basement is finished with a suspended ceiling. On the first level, I have 6- 2.5 x12" floor registers cut in along exterior walls. When we used to use the sf250, I would just leave the basement door open but now with the G-Kids that's not going to be possible. Thus I'm putting a louvered basement door.( stairs are in the "center" of the house) Additionally, when we used to use the 250, the basement wasn't finished.
My first question is :
Could I just "dump' the optional 6" distribution ductfrom the Harman, above the suspended ceiling ? ( act as a big plenum ?)
What kind of temps would be seen right out of the stove ?

I cannot easily get a return duct completly back to the blower inlet. Would cutting a return grille and ducting to the basement floor be of much use ? (This would be dumping on the B-floor quite a distance from the stove)

Am I heading in the right direction ?

Comments.

Thanks, Mossy Beard

Is the basement floor carpeted and padded?? or bare concrete?? If carpeted, it will provide some insulation from the cold concrete, but a duct right up next to the fan inlet is by far the best.. You can use two 4" dryer vent ducts one from each end of your upstairs,, keep the 4" above the suspended ceiling.. until behind the new Mag stoker.. then 'Tee' them together and drop the single duct to just in front of the distribution fan's inlet.. it will help a lot to pull some air from the extreem ends of that long ranch house.. otherwise I suspect you will have cool to cold rooms at the ends of the house.. It really doesn't take a lot of circulation when it is 24/7. The bigger circulation fans on Forced Air systems are meant to run only when heat is called for, and to quickly bring the temp up to target,, if a little air is moving 100% of the time, it is more comfortable, because of no drafts... Only when the outside temps drop way down will you maybe need more circulation..

As for dumping the hot air above the suspended ceiling, using it as a large plenum.. are the ends of the joists insulated? If not you will be wasting a lot of heat at the joist ends and perimeter of the deck.. I think you will be better off with ducts..if you can make them work.

Greg L

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I have a similar setup (stove in a finished basement family room with suspended ceilings) & find that by replacing a few ceiling panels with egg-crate panels you can easily get the heated air above the suspended ceiling & trap it below the first floor so it's like radiant heat. I also cut a few (maybe 8"X10") floor vents in the bedroom floors directly above the family room. If you can adjust the louvers in you basement stairway door, angle them up into the house for easier warm air movement.
This will become a hobby for you! (I have thermometers in all rooms & try to keep them as equal as possible)

Thanks for the responses.
A couple things I forgot to mention.... the stove in the basement is at the end of the house. ( 50' away from the other.)
When I finished my basement ( cheaper oil) I did not lend it to placing duct above the ceiling. There is about 3" between the bottom of joist and top of tile.
Yes the ends of the joist are insulated. I was a little concerned about dumping all that really hot air right above the stove ?
I did think about the open return grilles, close to the area of the registers.
I just thought about cutting a return at the other end of the house away from the stove. Then dropping a 6" duct down to the floor, including an in line duct fan. I would drop that close to a utility room door, toward the finished space.

Additionally to make it more interesting, my oil boiler in the utility room has a power venter ?? ( I intend to continue to use the boiler to heat domestic water)

The Harman is in a masonry flue.

Thx, Mossy Beard

Thanks, gave me some great ideas, likewise going to install a coal stoker in a finished room of the basement thought about the open grid style ceiling panels to radiate heat to the lfoors and cutting the basement door top and bottom, for return and exhaust of heat from basement. A little worried about overheating the basement and not getting heat upstairs, as well not a fraid to cut vents in the floors of any or all rooms of my home, any other advise will be taken with great appreciation.
Kevin