Stove Top Fans

[Adam_P]

Anyone ever have one of these?



I read reviews everywhere and they seem to overwhelmingly positive, but I don't know anyone who's actually used one. I'm wasting some heat for sure having a woodstove half inside my fireplace. It's a Jotul 3 catalytic I brought back to life after rotting outside some old dudes garage for 5 or 6 years with the top off.



The pic is kinda deceiving. The stove is half in half out. I ordered one of those fans that says it does 175cfm @ 650 deg. My stove top is usually in the 400-450 range so I'm hoping for maybe 100-120cfm, which is double that little electric fan you see on the right.

Any feedback on the fans or suggestions on how to get some more heat out of that thing? This is my first year with my own stove. I grew up with wood but our stove was in the open growing up and my only real responsibility was to keep feeding it.

 

[flushcut]

I had one that I used with my propane heater. They work but don't expect that they will move a ton of air just a gentile breez. The nice thing is that they don't need power to work.

 

[No_Bivy]

I got one for Christmas......it does not move much air. But it's a good conversation starter, and I got it from my mother in law so I better use it.......doh!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Yep, interesting, but next to nothing of a breeze.

 

[rskybiz]

Had one in my Vermont home worked Awsome.

 

[Cobleskill]

If you have an ash door that goes to a basement you could do something with a blower down there. Even have a cold air return.

 

[Adam_P]

I got one for Christmas......it does not move much air. But it's a good conversation starter, and I got it from my mother in law so I better use it.......doh!

I have one coming as a late xmas gift too. I guess we'll see how it goes!

I do have an ash door and that's actually an awesome idea... I could put a cold air return from the kitchen with a 300cfm booster in it... just gotta figure out how to duct it up there without doing major demo.

 

[brendonv]

I always wanted one for the cool factor, though not practical.


We use ceiling fans in other rooms, seems to pull the air around nicely. Probably a 7 degree difference on two sides of the house. Nothing up stairs but it seems to creep up the staircase to make it comfortable up there, probably 62-65. Downstairs is usually 70+

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Are they a stirling engine?

 

[sotc]

I liked mine but an electric fan on the floor blowing behind the stove will move more air. I got a new stove this year and there's no room for the stove top fan now

 

[MasterBlaster]

IIRC, those things were made to move the air around in an oven.

 

[Adam_P]

Nope it's a Peltier. I'd guess a stirling would be a better choice for a stove top long term.

These ones look pretty cool. Looks like mostly easily sourced computer parts. I'm not sure how well the electric fans would hold up to high temps over time.

 

[sotc]

As long as they are blowing they are fine. If you turn them off, they melt....

 

[squisher]

I have an electric fan that is part of my wood stove that looks original at gotta be atleast 30 years old. Like anything though. I doubt you could buy a stove nowadays that would last 30 years let alone a fan. I'd try an electric fan in behind if it'll fit.

 

[sotc]

Mine was in front on one side pointing back in behind the stove, blew all the air out from behind the stove. Just looked a little tacky

 

[cory]

Adam, I have the same exact stove/fireplace set up as you do, and that same heat fan is blowing as I write this. I would say that it is better than nothing but it is not majorly effective, even when it is spinning fast from the heat of a hot fire. One drawback is that the instructions tell you to orient the fan so it sucks cooler air over itself instead of hot air or it will overheat and stop working till it cools down. So in your case, though you would prefer to place it on the top/rear/center of the stove so that it would pull out a lot of that hot air that is sitting back in the fireplace around the stove pipe, you instead have to place it on the top/ side of the stove so it is pulling cooler air through itself. This position does allow it to push some hot air off of the top of stove and into the room but all that hot air pooled around the stovepipe in the back of the fireplace still is not being utilized.

I think the most effective would be a strategically placed electric fan.

Sotc, I'm going to try the positioning you mentioned, blowing back in behind the stove.

 

[Husabud]

Adam, did you choke off your existing clay flue with insulation? It makes a huge difference, especially if you have a pipe running up the entire chimney.

 

[Al Smith]

That Lopi glass front I have was made in 1982 .That was about the heighth of the last go round for the then mania of wood burning resurgence .Plate steel with 5/16"sides and a 3/8" plate steel top .Brick lined with a variable speed double fan. I might light it next week as we are expecting a cold front coming through .

 

[Adam_P]

Willie, that's exactly how I usually have that little fan in the pic. I feel the same about how it looks but it does seem to work. Before I fire it up again in the morning I'll try it all the way in the back maybe oscillating and see how it goes.

Cory thanks for the feedback. I guess I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it but I'm still intrigued by the whole thing. I found some DIY ones on youtube that use tall computer heat sinks to cool things enough that the fan motor can the heat.

Bud, I didn't insulate it. It's 18'x6" stainless flex liner through an 8"x12" terra cotta lined masonry chimney. The inside measurements of the flue were 6.5" x 10 3/8". Installing the liner was a total pain in the ass. The clearances were so tight because of the squished in mortar joints that I had to weld some flat bar onto the end of a 4' pipe and made extensions to chip it out over the entire length. I couldn't fit a hair in there in some spots if I tried. My blockoff plate is is insluated though.

 

[Al Smith]

Whom ever built the chimeny was a lousey mason then to leave slopped up morter joints .Last fall I slipped a 7 inch ridged stainless steel liner though a 9" inch clay liner and had no problems .

 

[Husabud]

Cool, the less heat up the chimney the better. Have you got a damper in that pipe?

 

[Adam_P]

Al, it was bad. I had to take a a lot of mortar out inside the fireplace and redo it nice and flat so I could get my blockoff plate flush. Most of the masonry here leaves something to be desired.

Bud, I don't have a damper in the liner. Honestly I'm a bit green on all this. Should I have one?

 

[Husabud]

I have had several stoves throughout time and in my opinion, Yes. A damper will slow a burn, keep more heat from escaping, and help stop a chimney fire. Mind you that if you are burning unseasoned wood, a slow burn will create creosote. My vote is yes for a damper.EZ Peasy and more heat.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I have always had a damper as well and use it all the time. I hardly see them about on newer designed stoves these days, it was explained that the stoves have the ability to do what a damper does in the controls that come on them. True or not, it seems to me to be an added safety factor along with the air intake, having a damper to close down the pipe and reduce the heat when leaving your residence, or in my case, my shop, when there is still fire in the stove.

 

[Adam_P]

Yea my stove has a damper on the front. You guys are using flue dampers in addition to that? I do think I have a flue damper that came in the pile of parts when I got this thing.

All my wood is seasoned hardwoods. Mostly oak and maple. Any pine or other soft stuff is on separate pallets for the pit outside.