Would a ceiling fan be worth the investment?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Here's a nice illustration showing the difference between up and down.
ttp://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/ceiling-fans_h-jpg.81051/
Of course, it's going to be a matter of what works best for you . Fortunately, it's easy to experiment with...
The diagram does show when the fan is blowing down,the air is directed outward from the stove,which is necessary to push air from the stove room into adjacent rooms. Blowing up would have a minimal effect on adjacent rooms as the air goes down the walls and back toward the stove.
 
The diagram does show when the fan is blowing down,the air is directed outward from the stove,which is necessary to push air from the stove room into adjacent rooms. Blowing up would have a minimal effect on adjacent rooms as the air goes down the walls and back toward the stove.
Yeah, from previous threads and this one, I get the idea that what works for one house may not work for another. Some folks may prefer no fan at all and let the warmer air pool up there and maybe even feel some radiance from it. I think it's worth trying everything to see what works best. Blowing down may do the trick sometimes. I've tried it that way but don't like the drafty feeling. Frankly, I like my fan best in the summer anyway, blowing down directly on me:)
 
The idea with the ceiling fan is to heat or cool the air. If you blow the air down the greatest surface area is the floor which is the coolest surface therefore cooling the air. If you blow the air up the largest surface of contact is the warmer ceiling therefore heating the air. Don't think about moving the air that's what box fans do. Ceiling fans circulate the air against the surface to either heat or cool the air as well as getting the air out of the stagnant corners of the room.

If your having trouble getting heat to the other end of the house try cracking open a window at that end of the house. Warm air takes up more room then cold air dose. So if your house isn't to drafty the warm air will push the cold air out the window and draw the warm air though the house.
 
Sometimes you stove room is too hot. So you may want to blow the hot air down from the ceiling and warm the floor.
 
We happen to have a major cold air return in the stove room. I've found it works very well to turn the furnace fan on and use the ducting system to move the heat around and circulate the cooler air around the stove, as well.
 
We happen to have a major cold air return in the stove room. I've found it works very well to turn the furnace fan on and use the ducting system to move the heat around and circulate the cooler air around the stove, as well.
I once tried letting the furnace fan run with the furnace off. It really did even out the temperatures in the room, but it also burned out a costly fan. I use ceiling fans and a floor fan. the floor fan is a little one, and the ceiling fans are on the slowest speed. Does the job.
 
With my stove down stairs, on the main living area floor, I have a ceiling fan above the stairs blowing the colder air from upstairs down towards the stove. I also have a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Usually have this blowing down as I sleep.
It all seems to work nicely for me.
As noted above, it is well worth it, and, will take some time to find what works for you.
 
Sounds like I really need to install a fan in the stove room. It's on an outside wall in our 'big room', which is ~650ish ft^2. The rest of the house (2kft^2 total, one story) sits through two doorways in the opposite wall.

I'll already have two small fans blowing cold air back, but it sure sounds like adding a fan would really help?
 
Sounds like I really need to install a fan in the stove room. It's on an outside wall in our 'big room', which is ~650ish ft^2. The rest of the house (2kft^2 total, one story) sits through two doorways in the opposite wall.

I'll already have two small fans blowing cold air back, but it sure sounds like adding a fan would really help?

I can let the ceiling fan run, and not worry about a bo fan until it's 10F or less.

Your mileage may vary ;)
 
We have a ceiling fan in the stove room. We used to run it pulling the air up on low 24/7 while burning. I stopped running it to see what happens, and I like it better without the fan. Sometimes I'll run it if the room is getting too hot. But we like having the stove room (living room) warmer than the rest of the house. I've found if the heart of the house is really warm the rest of the house feels warmer. Our living room is centrally located with three doorways leading to other areas of the house.

My dining room has 11" vaulted ceiling. I run that fan 24/7 in the winter.

I hope that is helpful. It was certainly longer than I had intended.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.