Stove Fan Recommendation

[Mike Lawson]

Good afternoon!

We lost power during the latest high wind next to no snow event because a tree got tired and decided to break our pole.

We we're very grateful for the wood stove. Cast iron pan and steel stoves do work, if anyone is wondering...

Any way. They came back to day and shut off the power to touch up the new pole and cut down the remaining old pole that had split cracks all throughout it and it made me think of what else we needed:

Well when the stove got the house to almost 80 degrees and the other rooms were in the 60s we remembered the stove fans.

Could anyone recommend a stove fan? It has to be passive. No batteries.
Specifically, the stove fans that sit on top of the stoves and use the heat to run them.

Thanks if you can help!

God Bless.

 

[Mike Lawson]

To add: I have read review after review and every High CFM fan (300+ CFM) has been reviewed as utterly useless.
Can anyone confirm that they actually do or don't work really well?

Thanks.

 

[sneefy]

I don't think any heat-powered stove fan moves enough air to equalize your home. They blow a little, but not like a box fan.
You said not batteries, but I got a Ryobi battery-powered fan and it will run more than all day on low with a 4Ah battery. Maybe a solar charger and a couple batteries to swap would work for you.

 

[Mike Lawson]

I was worried that was the case.
As far as the battery fan, I could always swap batteries out. I'll look into it, thanks!

 

[begreen]

A pair of Voda fans might work. I have a VonHaus 4" fan and it is surprisingly good. It moves much more air than the EcoFan it replaced and at a third of the cost. Unfortunately, The VonHaus brand appears to have stopped selling in the US in the past year. They still sell them in the UK on eBay. The Voda fan looks like a close match. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out of the same Chinese factory under a different brand name. When I first got it, it was blowing backward. The motor polarity was reversed. It corrected this and it's been fine since. A pair of these could move a fair amount of air.



Voda Fan
Amazon product ASIN B01CD2AIV8

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Check out the ones that are powered by tool batteries.

18V Cordless Jobsite Fan Kit with 4.0 Ah Battery and Charger

You can use the battery from your drill.

 

[sneefy]

Check out the ones that are powered by tool batteries.

18V Cordless Jobsite Fan Kit with 4.0 Ah Battery and Charger

You can use the battery from your drill.

Yeah, that's the type I was talking about. I got the middle size 18v Ryobi. I actually got it mainly for moving cold air down the hall towards the stove in lieu of a box fan. It works great. It uses the standard 18v batteries or an extension cord.

 

[colin.p]

They do "kinda" work but they sure look cool spinning away on a hot-hot-hot stove. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on one unless you can determine if they work for you. We bought ours from amazon for 30 or 40 bucks (CAD) last black Friday, which would probably be less than 10 US. If it ever calves, we might buy another one.

 

[Wildflush]

We have a 4 blade VODA fan and are very happy with it. Bought a 2nd one this week on Amazon for $38 since the price dropped. We wanted a back up. Our stove top is not huge so we have a single fan on one side and a porcelain coated humidifier on the other. You could easily run two if you need it.

 

[reaperman1]

I know you want to shy from a battery, but in desperate times the stoves blower fan could be powered by a car battery via 100 watt 12 volt power inverter. These inverters are inexpensive, around $20 on Amazon. Just cut off the cigarette plug and wire to the batteries terminals.

Amazon product ASIN B01H2XD2DY

 

[begreen]

A pair of decent thermal fans will move 240 to 300 cfm on a hot stove. That's a respectable amount of air and they do it quietly, generating their own power. I was pretty skeptical based on my several years with the original EcoFan. I think it was rated at 120 cfm, but it didn't seem to move that much air. The cheaper VonHaus I got last year moves much more air. It will blow out a candle at about 18" away. You can feel the airflow. Just be careful where it is placed. I have ours on the front of the stovetop with a thermometer right next to it to keep it from overheating.

 

[bigealta]

I just got this from Temu for $15. I guess it pushes some air but not a ton. What is cool is you can just barely hear it change speed and it tells you if the fire needs to be dialed back by revving itself up. Good for when you are wrapped up in an internet community wood burning site.

 

[bigealta]

Update on this fan. After stepping in front of it today while just out of the shower i could feel a nice warm breeze blowing from it. It definitely is pushing some air and helping the convection loop around the stove. STT was around 500F.

 

[Wildflush]

Update on this fan. After stepping in front of it today while just out of the shower i could feel a nice warm breeze blowing from it. It definitely is pushing some air and helping the convection loop around the stove. STT was around 500F.

Nice fan you have. I’m on my second season using the VODA and really like it. Quiet and starts working around 180 STT. Goes faster as the stove heats up.

 

[Newbie78]

We have the big ecofan. It moves air. On a hot stove it will blow out a match at 2 feet and a lighter at 1 1/2 feet. Easily. It's got about 14 months of 24/7 spinning on it at this point. And it's almost silent. We live in a very quiet area. The house is quiet most of the time. We can't stand the sound of the stove's blower fan for very long. It's like a relief when we turn it off. We haven't used our tv in many years. Certain radio we find enjoyable, but not all day every day, that's for sure.

The ecofan works beautifully for us.

 

[begreen]

Yes, this generation of fans is much better than our original Caframo in moving the air and at 1/3d the price. I just wish the brand stayed the same. Hopefully Voda will. They appear to be the relabel? of our VonHaus fan.

 

[Woznmar]

I have a question about stove fans. A friend of mine has one which is a cast alloy and the heat it absorbs is not very high compared to the cast iron it is sitting on therefore the heat the fan pushes out is minimal. I suggested that a cast iron one would be better but more expensive. I have searched high and low for info on this but to no avail. Am I right?

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

I have 2 Caframo Eco Fans, one I purchased about 20 or so years ago the other was given to me when a family member moved.
Yes they do move air, they create a slow convection air movement, you will only feel it within 15 feet or so from the stove, my upper floor actually gets 2°F - 3°F warmer when I use them. These are extremely quiet you do not hear anything, the 2 units I have ( 812 model ) move up to 175 CFM of air according to the manufacturer.
Here is an article that may help:

Pros and Cons Of Ecofans

The older Ecofan 800 and its successor Ecofan 810 Ultrair creating around 100 CFM of airflow are the smallest fans available and are most effective when used is smaller spaces.

stovefanreviews.com

 

[Beer Belly]

I'm surprised that in this thread, no mention of using a small fan on the floor of the cold area, blowing in the direction of the stove room to assist in movement of heat

 

[bigealta]

I'm surprised that in this thread, no mention of using a small fan on the floor of the cold area, blowing in the direction of the stove room to assist in movement of heat

That's because this is about "stove fans" meaning the ones that sit on top of the stove and use the stoves heat to power these fans. No electricity is used.

 

[Wildflush]

3rd season using the VODA. Love it and bought a backup one last year as insurance . $33 well spent.