Which stove do you think would give off the most heat for the longest amount of time when the power's out and the fan can't work ?
When the powers out and no fan.Which stove is best ?
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A good radiant catalytic stove with a big firebox will probably meet this criteria. By radiant I mean one that does not use convection fans to transfer the heat
My guess is a hybrid radiant stove ( one without electric fans or thermostats). Best in category, in my opinion, would be the progress hybrid, it does not need electricity to work, has the highest EPA efficiency, and is capable of high output (secondary burn mode) and reasonably long burn times (catalytic mode).It probably can do both at once ( high output and reasonably long burn time) if you fill its 3 ft^3 firebox with wood.
BTW, my design criteria was that the stove work when the electric goes down, which it does often enough in the dead of winter on my little island community, be able to heat the house fast (high output) after the house is shut down for a week, and burn overnight ( long burn time) so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night. Somebody was thinking of my needs when they designed the progress hybrid.
ironworker
Burning Hunk
My Pacific Energy Spectrum has performed flawlessly during the cricumstances you describe. It has provided quick and intense heat, overnight (7 pm to 7am) burns using a single load of hard maple and hickory, no-stove fan-needed circulation, a beautiful and relaxing woodburning experience.
I am unable to imagine any other stove providing a MORE satisfying experience for me in this 1700 sq ft. eight years old, well built single story ranch.
Just sayin'.
I am unable to imagine any other stove providing a MORE satisfying experience for me in this 1700 sq ft. eight years old, well built single story ranch.
Just sayin'.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
Our convective Alderlea has performed this task well for as long as 6 days. We only use the fan for a quick temp change or when it is very cold.
Usually a free standing stove will work the best. We run our stove all winter (our only heat) and never use a fan so if the power goes out, we still stay nice and warm. You just need to determine the proper size for your house and location.
My PE S 27 works better without the blower and would probably be a good contender for you. I get 7 hours of heat on a load of softwood and 8-12 on a load of hardwood. Temps peak at 700-750 and ride between 400-650 for 4-6 hours. I've learned that the only time to use the blower is when its warm outside 35-45F. Radiant heat is just to much in the stove room at those outside temps.
In my experience, a stove fan works against heating. This is readily apparent when I try to heat my house on a very cold day (below 0 F) with the fan. The fan simply cannot move enough air hot enough (as it cools the stove top down to 400F) into the rest of the house. Radiant heat, on the other hand, quickly warms up on those cool days and moves into the rest of the house within 30 minutes. Once the heat desired is achieved, I can easy maintain with a normal burn cycle-even on the coldest of days.
Hope this helps.
In my experience, a stove fan works against heating. This is readily apparent when I try to heat my house on a very cold day (below 0 F) with the fan. The fan simply cannot move enough air hot enough (as it cools the stove top down to 400F) into the rest of the house. Radiant heat, on the other hand, quickly warms up on those cool days and moves into the rest of the house within 30 minutes. Once the heat desired is achieved, I can easy maintain with a normal burn cycle-even on the coldest of days.
Hope this helps.
On day 4 so far with my T5 and unfortunately still counting.
Ray
Ray
fox9988
Minister of Fire
Wow!? Defies all laws of physics of heat exchange? At least as I know them. But it is your experience, and I respect that.
x2 on Ironworkers comment - the one with heat coming off 
BTW - I like your brook trout avitar - yours too madison - another developing obsession of mine is dry fly trout fishing!
BTW - I like your brook trout avitar - yours too madison - another developing obsession of mine is dry fly trout fishing!
lopiliberty
Minister of Fire
You already have it listed in your signature
I rarely use my fan on my liberty and it keeps downstairs 85 to 90 and upstairs 80. I'm not kidding, it actually creates it own breeze flowing through my house
You already have it listed in your signature
If my house were that warm, I'd be sleeping in the bomb shelter!pen
ok I'll try it,thanks.You already have it listed in your signature
lopiliberty
Minister of Fire
Yea, it's not an area heated by the wood stove but it does have my bar and booze. Won't do poo against a bomb other than prepare one to take the hit
pen
It took a power outage to prove my "It works better with a fan" theory wrong. I would have never believed it otherwise. The lack of a fan for a day made me experiment with it off. I haven't turned it on since. The results are undeniable in my house/setup. I don't mind saving money, even if it's pennies a day.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
I am going to try that tomorrow. No good tonight, it is supposed to be warm, so not a good test. I will let you know if this works with my insert.
We didn't have a fan on our (now discontinued) Quad 2100i insert.
We did on the old Quad 2700i insert as well as on the current insert.
My experience is that the fan really helps. I will qualify that because I'm afraid of cranking the insert without the fan on because of overheating fears. I might experiment again, but I do't know....
As far as the original poster's question, I would say freestanding.
We did on the old Quad 2700i insert as well as on the current insert.
My experience is that the fan really helps. I will qualify that because I'm afraid of cranking the insert without the fan on because of overheating fears. I might experiment again, but I do't know....
As far as the original poster's question, I would say freestanding.
I wish RichL all the luck in his search for heating. But, based on the posts, I really have to assume he is dealing with a huge amount of heat loss with his home.
For an insert, absolutely, the blower is a must in my mind.
For a freestander, doesn't hurt a bit to run w/out it, but some home will benefit from having the heat blown around a bit more.
pen
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