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Escape 1400 Insert Installation and Operation Manual
9
2.2 Zone Heating and How to Make it Work for You
Your new Escape 1400 wood insert is a space heater, which means it is intended to heat
the area it is installed in, as well as spaces that connect to that area, although to a lower
temperature. This is called zone heating and it is an increasingly popular way to heat
homes or spaces within homes.
Zone heating can be used to supplement another heating system by heating a particular
space within a home, such as a basement family room or an addition that lacks another
heat source.
Houses of moderate size and relatively new construction can be heated with a properly
sized and located wood insert. Whole house zone heating works best when the insert is
located in the part of the house where the family spends most of its time. This is normally
the main living area where the kitchen, dining and living rooms are located. By locating the
insert in this area, you will get the maximum benefit of the heat it produces and will achieve
the highest possible heating efficiency and comfort. The space where you spend most of
your time will be warmest, while bedrooms and basement (if there is one) will stay cooler.
In this way, you will burn less wood than with other forms of heating.
Although the insert may be able to heat the main living areas of your house to an adequate
temperature, we strongly recommend that you also have a conventional oil, gas or electric
heating system to provide backup heating.
Your success with zone heating will depend on several factors, including the correct sizing
and location of the insert, the size, layout and age of your home and your climate zone.
Three-season vacation homes can usually be heated with smaller inserts than houses that
are heated all winter.