Using a Wood Stove Insert without the convection fan

[Amin1992]

Hey guys. Discussed this before in some comments on other threads but wanted to post it upright and see what everyone's opinion is.

I'd like to use the wood stove insert in a simple way: just start fires and let them roll. Rather not deal with a convection fan kicking on and off, and having to plug it in (outlet is 3 feet away).

I'm curious, can a Wood Stove Insert heat a room without the convection fan?

I know it has less surface area than a free-standing stove since it's in the fireplace covered up. However, mine sticks out about 5" from the fireplace opening, so I do get some surface area to radiate.

Also, the room it is located in is only 225 sq ft, and the couch and loveseat by the wood stove arent farther than 6 or 7 feet away.

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In another sense, what makes a wood stove insert w/out fan any different than the hot water baseboard heat I have now? That simply radiates, and I doubt that my room has much more baseboard surface area than the insert does and it currently heats fine.

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Final thought: worst case, does a wood stove insert without fan still heat better than a traditional fireplace? About the same? Or is it worst?

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and experience!

 

[begreen]

Wasn't this asked and answered previously in the initial posting?

 

[Amin1992]

Wasn't this asked and answered previously in the initial posting?

It was discussed briefly but I was curious if anyone had experience in comparison to a hot water baseboard, or a traditional fireplace. The only answers I seemed to get in the other unrelated thread were yes and nos, not really whys or hows. Sorry if this repetitive I meant it to be a unique discussion

 

[begreen]

Seems like most of these questions were asked and answered by several people previously in the initial thread.

Yes, the stove without the blower will still heat better than an open fireplace, especially if the insert is not flush, but projects out on the hearth a bit.

 

[Amin1992]

Seems like most of these questions were asked and answered by several people previously in the initial thread.

Yes, the stove without the blower will still heat better than an open fireplace, especially if the insert is not flush, but projects out on the hearth a bit.

Thank you for answering this, and sorry if I was adding to clutter. Just really excited for my first wood stove and wondering what to expect. Thanks again

 

[begreen]

I expect you will have many more questions once the stove is properly connected, up and running. The main thing starting off is to be sure you have dry wood. That makes a huge difference.

 

[Amin1992]

I expect you will have many more questions once the stove is properly connected, up and running. The main thing starting off is to be sure you have dry wood. That makes a huge difference.

Understood. I have a lot of firewood on my property cut by the previous owner that was neglected. I have it all properly stored, in a stand and covered on top by tarp, so hopefully by next fall they are properly seasoned. Likewise any new firewood ill be sure to season properly. Thanks again!

 

[spudman99]

You of course could run an insert without the fan but don't expect it to offer great heat. I have no statistics to cite, but would guess a 30% improvement over an open/traditional fireplace. Even though your unit sticks out 5", the firebox itself is probably even with the front of the fireplace and thus there is really not that much surface area exposed to the room to radiate heat.

One concern I would have is that the insert was designed with the fan in place to meet EPA standards and also achieve efficiency. I would want to monitor flue temperatures if the fan were not running to ensure that not too much heat is heading up the chimney and that I was not exceeding safe operating limits of the liner and the firebox itself. Sustained high temperature burning can break down metals.

 

[Amin1992]

You of course could run an insert without the fan but don't expect it to offer great heat. I have no statistics to cite, but would guess a 30% improvement over an open/traditional fireplace. Even though your unit sticks out 5", the firebox itself is probably even with the front of the fireplace and thus there is really not that much surface area exposed to the room to radiate heat.

One concern I would have is that the insert was designed with the fan in place to meet EPA standards and also achieve efficiency. I would want to monitor flue temperatures if the fan were not running to ensure that not too much heat is heading up the chimney and that I was not exceeding safe operating limits of the liner and the firebox itself. Sustained high temperature burning can break down metals.

Thanks for your feedback. I do know this model has a free standing version that does not come with a fan unless it's purchased as an accessory, so I would think it is safe st least

 

[bholler]

You of course could run an insert without the fan but don't expect it to offer great heat. I have no statistics to cite, but would guess a 30% improvement over an open/traditional fireplace. Even though your unit sticks out 5", the firebox itself is probably even with the front of the fireplace and thus there is really not that much surface area exposed to the room to radiate heat.

One concern I would have is that the insert was designed with the fan in place to meet EPA standards and also achieve efficiency. I would want to monitor flue temperatures if the fan were not running to ensure that not too much heat is heading up the chimney and that I was not exceeding safe operating limits of the liner and the firebox itself. Sustained high temperature burning can break down metals.

You will not exceed the operating range of the liner. The stove is possible but that would also be possible with the blower on as well

 

[maddog1016]

What makes the fan such an inconvenience? Mine is plugged in 2'-3' away on an adjacent wall, and has never caused a hassle. Plug it in and forget it's even there. Once the insert is up to temp the fan kicks on and doesn't turn off until the coals are almost entirely burned out (on low-medium speed). The fan is automatic so I don't see how that is a hassle either? No having to manually flip the fan on or off. Even on a low setting it's too quiet to be a bother, and it's still pushing at least SOME hot air outward.

With that said, I believe you will definitely still feel some good heat in that small of a space from the insert while on your sofa without the fan running. Just don't expect it to perform as a primary heat source; think of it as more of a suppliment.

 

[blacktail]

Lots of people use inserts without a blower to heat their homes. If the fireplace they're in is fully inside the house they work really well. But if you have a blower, there's not much reason to not use it. The outlet for mine is 3-4 feet away. The only time I unplug it is the couple times a year I take the blower outside and clean it with compressed air.

 

[OregonMike]

My Revere, which sits out on the hearth quite aways heats the room pretty well when the fans off but, its heats the whole 1300 sq ft house with the blower.

 

[Amin1992]

Thank you all so much for the help and advice!

Unfortunately my flue isn't being installed til August so I have a lot of waiting to do... But cannot wait and really appreciate all your help

 

[DuaeGuttae]

My Revere, which sits out on the hearth quite aways heats the room pretty well when the fans off but, its heats the whole 1300 sq ft house with the blower.

I think this may get to the heart of the issue. A non-flush Insert can radiate heat into the room, and if that’s all that’s desired, great. The blower is wonderful for extracting more heat and distributing it to a far larger area.

In our former home we installed a Lopi Revere to solve the problem of a cold finished basement. It solved the problem no problem, even without the blower. We discovered that with the blower we could heat a surprising amount of the house, and we became over time 24/7 burners providing the majority of the heat with the insert.

It sounds like the OP needs to keep the insert in order to avoid dealing with an open fireplace but doesn’t desire to be a full-time whole-house heater. Running the insert without the blower should be just fine for those purposes. Just be warned, the wonderful heat and time spent on this forum might start to tempt you to start trying to use that insert just a bit more than you intend right now. It’s kind of addictive.

 

[Amin1992]

I think this may get to the heart of the issue. A non-flush Insert can radiate heat into the room, and if that’s all that’s desired, great. The blower is wonderful for extracting more heat and distributing it to a far larger area.

In our former home we installed a Lopi Revere to solve the problem of a cold finished basement. It solved the problem no problem, even without the blower. We discovered that with the blower we could heat a surprising amount of the house, and we became over time 24/7 burners providing the majority of the heat with the insert.

It sounds like the OP needs to keep the insert in order to avoid dealing with an open fireplace but doesn’t desire to be a full-time whole-house heater. Running the insert without the blower should be just fine for those purposes. Just be warned, the wonderful heat and time spent on this forum might start to tempt you to start trying to use that insert just a bit more than you intend right now. It’s kind of addictive.

Thanks for a well written response. Believe me I very well may eventually try pushing that heat more and more!

Luckily I have a pellet stove as well so I have lots of heating toys to play with for a while.

Thanks again

 

[lml999]

I mostly run my Kodiak 1200 insert with the blower off. I don't find that the small amount of incremental heat movement is worth the noise.

When you get your insert installed, be sure to have a block-off plate installed. That will help keep the heat in the room.

 

[Amin1992]

Thanks! I'm not sure if that was included in my quote so I'll find out

 

[Amin1992]

I did some rough calculations and just wanted to share.

Based on rough dimensions of my insert, I decided to compare surface area as if it was fully exposed like a free standing stove, compared to the surface of the 6" extended onto my hearth. Converted to square feet.

Free-standing stove equivalent would be ~18.2 sq ft. In comparison, the exposed area of my stove that can radiate into the room is ~6.0 sq ft. So in essence, without a blower fan, I am getting about a third of the radiant heat of a traditional free standing stove. I don't think that is all that bad at all.

Many people heat their entire homes with a free standing stove. Say the home is 1500 sq ft. If I have a third of the surface area, then in theory I can heat a third of the square footage, which means I should be able to heat ~500 sq ft without a blower, which is around the square footage of my first floor. Second floor is heated by pellet stove, so I think this will work out fine for my purposes.

 

[Mech e]

As I posted in your other thread, you will consume more wood. That is throwing money out the flue so to speak.

 

[Amin1992]

I mostly run my Kodiak 1200 insert with the blower off. I don't find that the small amount of incremental heat movement is worth the noise.

When you get your insert installed, be sure to have a block-off plate installed. That will help keep the heat in the room.

Just got a hold of the company putting my flue in. They said the block off plate will also be installed and is included. Phew! Thanks for the tip

 

[bholler]

Just got a hold of the company putting my flue in. They said the block off plate will also be installed and is included. Phew! Thanks for the tip

Insulated liner as well?

 

[Amin1992]

Yessir. Insulated 6" stainless steel liner. Also the block off plate and cage at top

 

[blacktail]

Free-standing stove equivalent would be ~18.2 sq ft. In comparison, the exposed area of my stove that can radiate into the room is ~6.0 sq ft. So in essence, without a blower fan, I am getting about a third of the radiant heat of a traditional free standing stove. I don't think that is all that bad at all.

You'll still get nearly all of the convective heat.

 

[Mech e]

You'll still get nearly all of the convective heat.

Without a blower, not true.