Generalities hold more truth than particulars in my mind. Lets elucidate: I have a Quadrafire 5700 with a 3 cu ft bx. and secondary tube burn. It is placed in the unfinished cellar. It is heating about 2000 sq ft log home with very poor R numbers both for walls and roof. As it is a "log home", there is little option to add more insulation for either the roof or the walls unless I'm willing to lose the character of what the aesthetics provide and I'm not inclined to do so. Sq footage includes the cellar, main floor and 2nd floor. Foundation sills are caulked and insulated. Foundation is not.
The heat rotation is created by keeping the cellar door open. There is a laundry chute from the second floor whose lid needs to be kept open or I get about half the heat so apparently, that is part of the rotation- convection path.
House is sufficiently heated until we get several days of 25* weather. At that point, oil burner is kicked on to aid with hydronic system heating house sufficiently.
Now I can make all kinds of projections based on theory. One of which that is woorisome to me is : with an o.a.k. will I screw up the natural heat rotation that is happening now? I can feel the rush of cool air coming down to the stove via the stairs at my feet and also notice the rush of warm air at head level on these same stairs. Don't know if the mere heat is doing this or if the stove is creating enough combustion need to aid with this draw?
There are no registers in the house with the exception of one directly above the stove. I am thinking of getting a powered register for this area to see if it will pull more heat from the cellar.
Further reading the article that atsah provided, it states that there is little combustion draw that the stove is creating. What Ido not know and what the article does not state is what a cumulative effect might have in the overall heat retention if the stove does not need "room air" for combustion.
Its all touchy-feely at this point.
My question was put forth in hopes of someone having the same situation and what, if anything, an outside air kit provided.