Ecofan for Jotul wood stove

They are a cute device but do not expect it to move much air. Some use them though and think they are okay but we tried on (to satisfy the wife) and found it was totally useless.

If you want to move the air around, a much better and cheaper solution is to use a small table fan. Sit it in a hallway or doorway, run it on low speed, and blow the cool air into the stove room. This will work wonders for moving the warm air. Ten times better than trying to blow the warm air towards the cool rooms. You can also set your ceiling fan on low speed and blow the air up rather than down. I realize this sounds backwards, but it really works great.

If you want one of those little ecofans for a novelty, that is okay. Just do not buy it expecting to assist with moving air.

Hello!

A few months after our Jotul F3CB was installed this spring, I ordered an Ecofan from Amazon. I recommend the Econfan as a conversation piece ... sort of like a "science project". In fact, the Caframao Econfan web site has a link to a real "scientific" test of the effect of using an Ecofan. The University of Waterloo study reported a saving of 14% in fuel costs to maintain a comfortable temperature. (YMMV!).

Here's the link to that analysis: http://www.caframo.com/shared/news/ecofanstudyadsept2010.pdf

The fan is truly very quiet, and the speed the blades spin is determined by the stove top temperature. But then a stove top thermometer or looking at the fire are also pretty good indicators when it might be time to put in another log

It's true, the fan blows very gently and that was no surprise for me. I've attached a picture of our setup.

Hi Nikoni,

Since you asked ;-) , here are some more pictures of the installation, the old wood shed, the beginnings of a stacks of birch from around the cabin, Albert (the dog), and so forth. The stove is set on a steel topped stove board, with the required R-value. Maybe some day a more elegant hearth pad. Your slate sounds great ... there is some slate in the Ely Mn geology so it would be a positive addition!

http://picasaweb.google.com/pvoxland/NewWoodStove#

Phil

I bought one for my VC Aspen, but the stove did not put out enough heat to get it cranking. I checked Amazon every few days and the price fluctuated to the point where I picked up the three-blade fan for under well under $100.00. My brother ended up with it and it sits on his Jotul F100 and blows air to a corner by an old, drafty bay window. It is an air mover, the bulk of heat will rise up off the stove, but some gets diverted. If you can borrow one first try it. You can use an incense stick or candle to see how far the air pushes. They don't have the velocity of an electric fan, so they will not move a lot of air, but if you want to push air near where you are sitting, it will not be distracting. They are silent too, and don't require power. A neat conversation piece, and possibly effective if it fits your situation. They are neat gauges to determine the temp of your fire. The faster the fan goes the hotter the stove. When it slows down, time to reload.

The ecofan works well for me, but I have a freestanding stove set back in an existing fireplace. The ecofan was just the thing to get a little more airflow through the hearth and back out into the room. I also do the same as BG - using the fan as an indicator of stove temp.

I've read that dust and careless handling can lead to their failure. It is recommended that they are stored in the off-season and cleaned of dust occasionly. I believe they can be sent back for a rebuild if needed. There is really not much to them. Basically aluminum base and fins, fan blade, peltier exchanger and a low voltage motor. Youtube has homemade versions posted.

BrotherBart said:

Has anyone had one fail. I haven't tried them since I read a lot online about them not lasting very long. I know BeGreen has used his for years, but what about other folks?

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I replace mine after 5 years, never had one fail.

Backwoods Savage said:

... found it was totally useless.

If you want to move the air around, a much better and cheaper solution is to use a small table fan.

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x2

You are going to have natural convection currents around the stove that are stronger than the ecofan, The table fan, put on the floor and pointed towards the stove, works along with those currents to reinforce them. I can't see my ecofan doing much but getting in the way.

Burntside Guy said:

Hello!

I've attached a picture of our setup.

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Thanks. That's a lovely stove and setup,