Difference between "Radiant" and "Convection" stoves

Yes... and you will also be increasing the "heat" generated at the power plant which serves you and along the wires that carry that electricity to your house... not to mention your slightly elevated body temperature when paying your electric bill.

Alternatively, you can use a "passive" technology--by building an enclosure around the stove and, by leaving inlets and outlets at the bottom and top of that enclosure, use the "free" force of rising heat to circulate that heat around the house. When stove makers build such a stove, they market it as a "convection heater."

If you take a long, serious look at a steam radiator, you will note many elements of a convection device. Early 20th century heating engineers were not dumb.

Most of us are aware of the fact that when we add a fan--especially a large fan--to a stove, we risk upsetting such things as firebox temperatures, stovepipe and chimney temperatures--opening up all sorts of problems we never had before.

Not to sound like a Luddite, but... why throw electricity at a problem which can easily be solved by passive means?

Your not being a luddite, I would agree that adding electrical gizmos to a heating device we chose to get us away from the grid is odd. I wasn't implying that anyone in particular *should* add a fan to get more heat out of their stoves. Just pointing out that (disregarding potential issues) the fan in all likelihood will extract more heat from the stove.

And if the extra $3 a month to power the fan is going to break the bank than said person has bigger problems I think?

Exactly my point in the previous paragraph, that most of a radiators heat output is actually convective.

The real point lies between the lines...

Aye,
Marty

As a group of people gathered here to glorify the burning of zillions of trees in various ferrous boxes --mainly for the pleasure of the resulting comfort-- it seems just a tad absurd that we should debate the various pros and cons of radiation and convection. There is a sizable body of scientific opinion which has concluded that our quest for warmth and comfort is making the planet far less habitable than it was before we came along with our axes, hydraulic splitters, and rare-earth combustors. When, and if, a day of reckoning ever comes, are any of us in a position to claim, "We didn't add to the problem?"

I'm just stirring around in the coals a bit with my trusty poker. Maybe it's all this snow and gray skies...

" It seems that every time I watch channel 5 news the Worcester temp is the coldest one around. But I've got to tip my hat off to the people in Vt, NH and Maine. They really put up with some cool temps!! I guess that's why a lot of good stoves got their birth in those states. Necessity's the mother of invention. About the stoves, your Jotul is a lot better than my inneficient stoves but it was 69 in the morning, 74 right now, with a high of 75 earlier. We haven't turned on the furnace at all this year. I love this wood burning thing it makes you feel self sufficient and independent."

right now i am running my insert as "convection" the air is moving well and my stove top temps are much higher without the fan..... However i do have a fan at the end of the room blowing towards the stove to help get heat upstairs... i guess i am saving the electricity from running the stove fan but most inserts use radiant and convection, but my downstairs is 73 right the room the stove is in is 74 so i guess the convection does allow for more even heating.. in my case