Heat Activated Fan for Insert?

[Woodse]

Have a Pacific Energy Summit insert with blower. There is a 5" or better ledge on top that extends from the front of the fireplace brick in to the room. I would like to have a heat activated fan to use when the power goes out for short periods of time. Had about a 5 hour period last week with no electric and all I really wanted was a little heat, didn't need lights or to cook. Have a gas generator for longer periods. Will one of those fans work sitting on that ledge? Thanks for any advice.

 

[rwhite]

I've never owned one but the comments I see are all over the board. Some people love them and others felt they wasted their money. A back up alternative is a deep cycle battery and a small inverter. Should easily run a fan for 4-5 hours.

 

[bholler]

You can also run it without a fan just fine

 

[Woodse]

I've never owned one but the comments I see are all over the board. Some people love them and others felt they wasted their money. A back up alternative is a deep cycle battery and a small inverter. Should easily run a fan for 4-5 hours.

That's a good idea. Hadn't thought of that.

 

[Woodse]

You can also run it without a fan just fine

I've done that before. Although I worried about it getting too hot. It won't? Just thinking of a way to move a little more heat through the downstairs.

 

[bholler]

I've done that before. Although I worried about it getting too hot. It won't? Just thinking of a way to move a little more heat through the downstairs.

No it won't but you certainly wouldn't get as much heat from it without the fan

 

[jetsam]

I have one of those that I got for $30 a few years ago. I've more or less quit using the fans on my insert since then. (I still run them a few times a year on the coldest days.)

It's not a replacement for a blower, but like having a (silent) blower setting between off and low.

Even if the fan died, the frame that supports it is a big steel heat sink with tons of surface area, probably exceeding the exposed surface area of the stove once you add up all the little grooves on the thing, so that has significant value all by itself.

You do need a few inches of flat stovetop to put one on, and not all inserts provide that.

 

[shortys7777]

I got a ryobi fan. Uses the same battery as the rest of my tools. I bet it would help a bit if I were to lose power.

 

[electrathon]

I have one of the heat activated fans. It is fun to watch, makes a good thermostat to tell how hot the stove top is. As far as moving air, virtually none. I doubt it would blow out a match 6" away. Probably not at 2" either. I have a real fan sitting on the floor near the stove, puts out hundreds of times more air flow. Again though, it is fun to watch. It makes me smile sometimes.

 

[Dataman]

I had one on my BK King. Fun to watch and see how hot the stove is. For blowing air? It's equal to small mouse fart. I switched to Harmon XXV and have AIMS 1250 Inverter/Charger with two 100ah Batteries for 12 hours of run time. I will switch the batteries to lithium in the future. I gave the fan away. It was worthless for it's intended purpose. (broken link removed)

 

[marty319]

I have one of the heat activated fans. It is fun to watch, makes a good thermostat to tell how hot the stove top is. As far as moving air, virtually none. I doubt it would blow out a match 6" away. Probably not at 2" either. I have a real fan sitting on the floor near the stove, puts out hundreds of times more air flow. Again though, it is fun to watch. It makes me smile sometimes.

Yup the one I have barely moved a kleenex