Stove Fans Silly or Indispensable ?

A Stove fan is a relatively simple device designed to enhance the circulation and distribution of heat from a wood burning or multi fuel stove. Some believe stove fans to be silly and ineffectual, whilst others swear by them.

Stove fans are typically freestanding and placed on top of the stove. The primary purpose of a log burner fan is to convert radiated heat from the stove into convection heat, leading to more consistent and evenly distributed warmth throughout the room.

The functioning of a log burner fan involves a process that facilitates the efficient movement of warm air away from the stove, preventing the heat from lingering around the immediate vicinity of the stove. Without a fan, the heat generated by a stove may be concentrated in the stove's proximity, potentially leading to uneven temperature distribution in the room.

By using a stove fan, this issue is addressed, as the fan pushes the heated air away from the stove, ensuring that warmth penetrates deeper into the living space. The result is a more effective and even distribution of heat, enhancing the overall efficiency of the wood-burning or multi-fuel stove.

Stove fans, operate based on a simple yet effective mechanism. When a stove is in operation, heat naturally rises from the top surface of the stove. The base of the log burner fan, which is in direct contact with the top surface of the stove, conducts this heat.

The conducted heat reaches the Peltier module component of the fan. The Peltier module is a device that generates thermoelectric energy by maintaining one side hot and the other side cool, creating a thermal difference. The temperature difference across the Peltier module results in a 'potential difference' or voltage. The generated voltage is utilized to drive the stove fan motor, which, in turn, rotates the fan blades.

As the fan blades rotate, they circulate the heated air horizontally around the room, promoting more efficient heat distribution. Log burner fans help distribute heat more evenly, allowing for quicker and more consistent room heating. By circulating heat horizontally, log burner fans enhance heat projection and airflow, ensuring better dispersion throughout the room. High quality stove fans tend to last longer and operate almost silently. Poor quality cheaper stove fans tend to wear out quickly and become noisy.

Believers in the stove fans claim they improve the overall performance and efficiency of a stove, reducing fuel consumption and contributing to cost effective heating.

Whilst our non-believers in stove fans claim there are an unnecessary expense, which fails to improve the performance or efficiency of a stove.

Unfortunately, both of these viewpoints are technically correct as the effectiveness of the stove fan will depend on the type of stove, stove placement, chimney & fireplace construction, room layout, room ventilation, the type of stove fan used and a myriad of other factors.

If you are interested in stove fans but still sceptical, perhaps a solution could be to try out a cheaper fan and if you like the results invest in a more substantial product at a later date.