Wood Stove Fan

[woodzman]

Any opinions on the fans that set on top of a wood stove and run off the heat generated by it? They sound good, but are they worth the money?

[MooseToo]

anything that relieves stratification, cold air layer at floor level, high heat at ceiling, is a positive thing -
i'd like to see someone come out with a timer you could install on a ceiling fan - something that would come on for maybe two minutes every quarter-hour -

[Mr.B]

Any websites out there with these fans? Ive seen them in the past but cant find them now!

-B

[MooseToo]

lehman's for sure -

[dorothyl]

we had one of the fans that sat on the top of fireplace & used the heat to turn the fan. we sent it back & got a refund. yes the heat turned the fan but there was no noticeable differencein the room as to when the fan was running or not.

[flatwater]

They don't push a lot of air and it does not have much force . Probably less then natural convection.
flatwater

[woodzman]

Thanks for all the info. They sound good in theory, but if they don't move much air I probably wouldn't be happy with it. Money saved. ;) Thanks again.

[tumbleing_dice]

i had good results from a box fan set at a 45 degree angle to the stove set on low it blew warm air down the hall and spread the heat.

[tufhelp]

RE: Your idea for a timer on a ceiling fan. That idea may be doable, but from a slightly different angle of attack. I was thinking that you could modify the circulating fan mechanism we have on a gas wall space heater in our family room. There is an add-on accessory fan on top of the space heater that is controlled by a pre-set thermostat. When the wall furnace reaches the pre-set temperature, the fan comes on and blows the heated air back down towards the floor. After the digital programmable thermostat turns off the heater, the fan continues to circulate the heated air until the furnace cools enough to shut off the pre-set fan thermostat. Works pretty well, and in concert with the programmable thermostat were saving a ton on our heating bills.


http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/willyallen/AHEATERFAN-1.jpg

The switch on the side turns the power to the fan/thermostate system on and off should you want/need to. The loaf pan on top is for filling with water to add a little moisture to the dry air our here in New Mexico. I'm sure there are thermostatically controlled switching mechanisms available that you could incorporate with a ceiling fan and enjoy the same "automatic" fan circulation that we are with this system. Ceiling fans are not typically high wattage devices, so I would think that it would be reasonably priced.

[MooseToo]

that looks doable - you really don't need something capable of full circulation - just something to mix up the thermal layers on occasion -

[johnjmw]

A few years ago I talked to an honest salesman. He said they (at that time) were still having a problem with the bearings seizing up. Because of that they were more of an expensive novelty than a useful fan.
My brother in law installed a temperature control switch on his ceiling fan. The hotter it got at the ceiling the faster the fan turned. Worked great summer or winter.
John

[Techstuf]

Proper convection often precludes the necessity for fans. *However, if your setup just doesn't support it, or you don't have a houseful of energetic kids to drag the air around...lol....you might also consider mounting a cheap thermostatically controlled fan near the top of a doorway leading to a colder room or hallway. That way, when the room gets too warm, it kicks in to share heat with other areas. Or, if you have central air, use the fan setting and adjust the thermostat to kick in at the temperature you prefer to spread heat to other rooms by controlling the vent and return air duct openings.

Blasting the hot air off the top of the stove is usually neither required, nor preferred. *Distributing the air more evenly throughtout the home will prove more efficient.

Also, remember that the volume of air coming out your chimney must be replaced from somewhere and is a good visual indicator that one's woodstove is, in effect, a voracious vacuum looking to suck any and all frigid air it can get from any crack or crevice in your home's exterior. *I know of more than a handful of families who become dismayed at the lower temperatures in several rooms in the home after installing a wood stove. *I have installed a direct draft tube to feed my stove fresh oxygen from outside the home, no more virtual vacuum cleaner sucking all the cold air it can get right on through the rooms that need heat the most! *Also, I have a wide slit nozzle at the end of the intake tube directly above my woodstove's door such that when I open it to put wood in, a "draft curtain" comes down preventing the smoke from coming into the room as it passes down and into the stove. *The smoke just comes to the door and then rolls down and back into the stove along with fresh air!

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/6595/woodstove2vh6.jpg

Works great.

Here's to a warm winter for you and yours!


TS

[woodzman]

Those are all good ideas. I'm just trying to get away from electricity as much as I can and I liked the idea of my stove doing double duty as a fan. Thanks again.

[Techstuf]

Oh, then here's a thought.....how about a sealed thin shaft going through the ceiling/roof to a vertical wind turbine, connected to a fan mounted to the ceiling above the woodstove with a high gear ratio?

Hey, stranger things have happened!


TS

[MooseToo]

Oh, then here's a thought.....how about a sealed thin shaft going through the ceiling/roof to a vertical wind turbine, connected to a fan mounted to the ceiling above the woodstove with a high gear ratio?

Hey, stranger things have happened!


TS

what's the life expectancy on your barrels ? do you line either one of them ?

i like your idea about the combustion air duct - AND the teed curtain adapter -

can't fight common sense -

[Techstuf]

Hey Moose,


These barrels will last for 5 to 10 years depending on various factors. *The bottom barrel is lined with firebrick, full bottom, partial sides and partial back. *The top barrel needs no lining as it is used as a secondary radiative surface. *Barrels are checked regularly for metal fatigue by spring punch. *Mine are uncoated and as such are resurfaced every other season or as needed, with an orbital sander using a fine grit pad. *This setup easily heats a 3flr home, approx. 2900sq. ft. to 80deg having established a robust convection loop.


Here's to a warm winter for you and yours,


Regards,


TS


P.S. My 'curtain adapter' is rather wide gapped. Depending on a particular stove's draft requirements, perhaps a narrower slit will provide a stronger curtain with which to prevent smoke escape.

I like your terminology better - "Combustion Air Duct/Curtain adapter.

What do you say we team up and market the CAD CA system. *lol

[MooseToo]

i really like the practical aspects of barrel stoves - a neighbor has one that he wire brushes every spring and then applies a coat of that black stove paint -it always looks good - he's considering modifying the upper barrel by replacing it with a drum with a removable lid - then welding a smaller steel drum to the inside of that lid - then installing an identical door as used in the lower barrel on the outside of the removable lid on the upper barrel - he thinks he'll end up with a very usable oven and when not using it as an oven he'll leave the upper door open so that the radiant surface area of the upper barrel will be greatly increased -
if he carries through with the idea, and if it works, i'll post the results here -

[Techstuf]

Hey....he should sell those....I'd buy an upper barrel setup like that! About painting. I've been unable to get stove paint to hold on mine. It seems to flake off within a month or two in most spots. How many coats does he use?! Maybe it's the brand?


TS

[MooseToo]

never watched him paint it but i know he buys it over the counter at our local old-timey hardware store -

[fnfredux]

we always just stuck a box fan behind the stove (we always left PLENTY of clearance to the wall so there was room).
Worked just fine for us, and we could aim the warmed air wherever we wanted it. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.

[Techstuf]

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.

I hear that! Although, the easiest solutions are coming at too high a cost nowadays for many.

In the days ahead, who knows how many will involuntarily experience the "off grid" lifestyle....

A solar powered fan is always an option as well.


TS

[fnfredux]

I hear that! *

A solar powered fan is always an option as well.


TS


the Amish have them, check at that Loemans(sp?) .

[walls0stone]

Those little heat convection fans are avalible at Cabela's.

I don't think rural folks will need worry about electric going out...not that prep is bad. But I'm not spending money out of fear. That is what some want me to do, spend money.

But if you are in a more rural area, were the preasure on your grid is less, your ok...if your in the Baltamore, DC, Ric' area.. well sorry for you. I know what you have for a grid and that is not to much.

[cubcadet]

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp2/cubcadet1/000_0639.jpg

Stove is a Timberline converted fireplace insert. It has an air jacket, which allowed me to rig an air system that is ducted into the existing forced air plenum in the house. Sheetmetal directly above the exhaust and foil- faced tape on wall is plenty of sheilding against heat. Being that the air jacket greatly reduces the heat that is radiated into the basement, it is quite comfortable sitting around down there without opening the door for fresh air. As seen in photo, I`m installing new smokepipe. In fact, I start my seedlings on shelves placed just to the right of stove, under grow lights. I harvest leaf lettuce twice a week. This system`s more than enough to heat my 1400 sq. ft. saltbox. A separate thermometer operates the furnace fan without the propane coming on, doing a great job of circulating heat thru the house.

Joe