Wood stove fans

[Jacob]

Mine arrived. Vonhaus. £20
It seems to work, much the same as HC's above. Much stronger when the stove is hottest, and can feel the draught.

It's packed up. 3 months of use. Got instant refund no quibbles - I guess they are used to it.
Pity really because it did seem to work well and make quite a strong draught. Might try another brand.
Just noticed @johnyb 's post #41 about a tile to buffer the heat. Perhaps a good idea, too late now!
No connection but Hetas man coming on Friday to check the installation - checking the registered installer that is, to make sure he's followed the rules.

 

[Spectric]

about a tile to buffer the heat.

They use the heat to function, I believe it is a device working on the Peltier effect so no heat and no electricity. A Peltier works much like a thermocouple in that it requires a temperature difference to create a voltage so one hot side and a colder side to work.

 

[Lorenzl]

I can't use a fan as my stove has a "cool top". It is also round so using a fan that clamps to the side won't work. It has twin walled flue which probably won't get hot enough.

I did start making a fan at work as an experiment but I stopped when I retired and I have misplaced it in a move. When I get somewhere to work ( currently renovating the house ) I will get it out and finish it. I had a wax thermostat similar to a car radiator cap I was going to use if the base got to hot. Using multiple peltier's may work.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I noticed two fairly large stove top fans running nicely on the stove at my local. Out of curiosity I put my hand out to feel how much air was actually moving - a foot or so away I could feel nothing.

 

[Agent_zed]

They use the heat to function, I believe it is a device working on the Peltier effect so no heat and no electricity. A Peltier works much like a thermocouple in that it requires a temperature difference to create a voltage so one hot side and a colder side to work.

All true, but they can overheat and destroy the module. Mine, like a lot of them, has a bimetallic strip that should lift it off the surface if it is too hot, but I guess even that has limits if you have a really hot fire going.

As for Von-haus, my one has been going strong for a fair few years now, having fires most evening in the winter. I guess it's the luck of the draw.

 

[Spectric]

has a bimetallic strip that should lift it off the surface if it is too hot, but I guess even that has limits if you have a really hot fire going.

Modern stoves are the problem in that they run much lower external surface temperatures due to the linings used inside which to me defeats the object of the device. I would have thought having hot external surfaces would allow more heat to enter the room but apparently they want them to run hotter inside to reduce pollutants and the other aspect is they can be used in modern dwellings with less work to meet the HETAS requirements for safe distances to combustables.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Dowlings have no linings.

 

[JAW911]

We have two woodburners, one at each end of the house. We have had Ecofans for 15 years and they provide warmth throughout the house. One packed in about 5 years ago so bought a new motor kit through Mr Besos. Whilst it was down we noticed the difference.

 

[Jacob]

I can't use a fan as my stove has a "cool top". It is also round so using a fan that clamps to the side won't work. It has twin walled flue which probably won't get hot enough.

Hmm some mistake? Surely one wants the outside of the stove and the flu (within the room) to emit as much heat as possible? Can fry breakfast on the top of mine, if I had to.

 

[Lorenzl]

Hmm some mistake? Surely one wants the outside of the stove and the flu (within the room) to emit as much heat as possible? Can fry breakfast on the top of mine, if I had to.

You would have thought so; it pains me to think how much heat is lost up the flue. The top of my stove has a small gap and another steel plate suspended above it. From memory when I tested it the top only got to about 60C and the flue was about the same.

 

[Spectric]

Dowlings have no linings.

https://dowlingstoves.com/onewebmedia/Considerations on choosing and fitting a stove.pdf

where they state

Although our stoves are not emissions tested for use in Smoke Control Areas, they will quite
happily burn DEFRA approved fuels such as anthracite, ovals or suitable briquettes ...

This is something I came across when looking for a stove, I could not use a nice big old simple stove as the local BC would not approve.