Wood Stove Fan

SteveA · 12-22-2008, 08:04 PM

Has anyone had any expierence with the Ecofan? They call it a "Sterling" Engine.

http://www.green-logic.net/ecainowostfa.html

video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0atjr...eature=related

We love our woodstove, but would like to move the heat around the room better than just plain radiant heat.

Comments welcome. I see the 3 blade model on Amazon for about $120.

Sunrise Point · 12-22-2008, 08:49 PM

I am not familiar with the Ecofan but would encourage you to consider a ceiling fan if at all possible. If you have a reversible fan, you can direct the air flow upwards to force warm air downwards without feeling a draft. During the summer, you can reverse the flow for a direct cooling breeze.

We heat our camp exclusively with wood and the ceiling fan has made a tremendous difference in heat distribution and comfort.

Best wishes.

Merrymeeting · 12-22-2008, 09:39 PM

I will second the recommendation for ceiling fan(s). We have a family room with a cathedral ceiling and a wood stove. During the recent, extended power outage, everyone in the family noticed that the upstairs was noticably warmer than the room below. When I say noticably, I mean double-digit differences!

When the power is on and the fans are running, this heat stays downstairs. How much difference it makes if you have a one-story ceiling I can't say

upthesaukee · 12-22-2008, 10:35 PM

I have a ceiling fan, and have a ceiling that is about 9 feet high. Our woodstove (a hearthstone type) sits in the corner of our living room, the outside walls of which are all glass sliding windows. Due to the construction of our house (not just the windows), it is very drafty, and while the ceiling fan has helped (both summer and winter), I keep thinking that one of those stove fans would be nice to put the heat out into the middle of the room as well, or at least blow towards Mrs. UTS.

SteveA, let us know how it is, so I can decide if I want to spend the money or not!!!!!!

newbie · 12-23-2008, 11:20 AM

I have a sterling engine fan and I think that they work really well. I had the eco fan and "upgraded" to this fan

http://www.thermalengines.com/

Once you get the fan moving, if moves the air in the room. I would also agree with the members who suggested a ceiling fan.

good luck

Newbie

SteveA · 12-23-2008, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newbie

I have a sterling engine fan and I think that they work really well. I had the eco fan and "upgraded" to this fan

http://www.thermalengines.com/

Once you get the fan moving, if moves the air in the room. I would also agree with the members who suggested a ceiling fan.

good luck

Newbie

I did see the Heat Wave while looking around the internet, but it was more expensive. And I'm cheap.

Thanks for all of the advice! I ordered the Ecofan today after talking to a fellow worker. He loves his and claims it has really helped spread the heat.

I don't really have "head room" for a fan.

UTS... I found it on Amazon for $119.99 with free 2 day shipping. That was for the three bladed model.

upthesaukee · 12-23-2008, 10:55 PM

and so I am not sure that the Ecofan will work well with that surface. I may have to go with the sterling fan. right now I have some other issues around the house that need attention...unless I can get Mrs UTS to want a little more heat from the stove

.

ACutAbove · 12-24-2008, 08:36 AM

I have onee of these and it works great!!!!
http://www.northlineexpress.com/item...sp?ic=5VZ-HR-6

Not this exact model but the same idea. It takes the heat that goes up the pipe and blows through the vent pipe and doesnt waste it just going up and out the pipe.

ApS · 12-24-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACutAbove

I have one of these and it works great!!!!
http://www.northlineexpress.com/item...sp?ic=5VZ-HR-6

Also pictured at the above site is one of these:

I own one of above—bought 2nd-hand—and never installed it.

Instead, I installed a 10" steel stovepipe around a new stainless steel 6" pipe—encasing the 6" pipe—then added a 10-inch "T" turned 90° at the ceiling.

Any fan can be used to blow warm air into the "T" from the ceiling downwards, collecting heat from the 6" pipe. (But also can be aligned to draw the heated air from the 10" pipe at the "T" and direct the warm air downwards, utilizing the natural inclination of heat to rise).

Since the 10" pipe doesn't have to withstand high temperatures, it can be spray-painted any color wanted prior to installation.

(Deposits inside the 6" new pipe since has reduced its effectiveness over these five years, but deposits will affect the other designs from the above site as well).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

I will second the recommendation for ceiling fan(s)...When the power is on and the fans are running, this heat stays downstairs. How much difference it makes if you have a one-story ceiling I can't say.

In a one-story home, the first effect is immediate, but over a short time the "wind-chill" factor reduces its effectiveness. It's not used when there's people "about" for that reason.

One good old trick is to add a cast-iron pot of water on top of the wood stove to add water vapor into the air.

That "feel" of warm, humid air can make you peel off the sweaters!

SteveA · 12-27-2008, 06:00 AM

My Ecofan arrived and we put it to work yesterday. I must say it is encouraging to buy a product that does exactly what it claims to do.
It really works well and spreads the heat around the room. It also serves as a good indicator of the stove temp.. When it starts to slow down, it's time to get my lazy butt out of the Lazy Boy and add more wood.

I swear, you could post a request for "do it yourself brain surgery" out here and get good advice. THANKS

(Well FLL would send me off to Walmart for a discounted home surgery kit, but that's another thread

)

upthesaukee · 12-30-2010, 11:13 PM

I got the Ecofan off Amazon (2 blade) for $79 and free shipping. Got it today, set it on the Hearthstone stove on the back left corner, angled it toward Mrs. UTS. It does move the air towards her little corner of the world.

It is amazing to watch, as Steve A says earlier, it is nice to see something work as advertised.

And an apology to our webmaster. I was following a series of Google links, ended up on Amazon and ordered the fan. As I hit the last enter button, I realized I could have accessed Amazon from this website and helped Don out. Sorry Don...(insert picture of Upthesaukee with his head hung down)

Oh, and the Heat Fans are no longer being manufactured as of Jan 2009.

RLW · 01-01-2011, 05:44 PM

My wife and I purchased one at the end of last season and the comment the wife made about it, was it does circulate the air, but also circulates the dust around and making heavier on the picture frames and even at the ceiling and walls. Other than that they are good and like said do as advertised. This is for Dave from the webmaster through a member of scare tactics group.

NoBozo · 01-01-2011, 07:53 PM

$150...? Let's try this. A simple table fan..($15.) aimed AT the stove..from whatever angle..Off to the side..or behind the stove...blowing the Hot Air coming OFF the stove... OFF to somewhere else. Just wondering...

Simple is as Simple does.......

NB

SteveA · 01-01-2011, 10:22 PM

Your $15 dollar fan if used 24 hours a day, (like my Ecofan is used) will use about $23.00 per month of electricity. That number is from these PSNH charts. Don't be fooled by the 50 hours they show for "average monthly use" we have our stove burning 24-7, 720 hours per month, from mid October to mid march. ( 5 Months )

https://www.psnh.com/energycalculato...anceusage.aspx

The 3 blade model is $127 with free shipping on Amazon.

So the math (for us, your results may vary

) After a $15 dollar fan, and $23 a month electricity, the Ecofan was a "push" in about 5 months and all "profit" for the life of the Ecofan. (We've had ours for 3 full heating seasons going on 4)

Plus fans are noisy, even the best ones, and the Ecofan is completely silent.

So we're several hundred dollars to the good vs. a fan.

upthesaukee · 01-01-2011, 10:24 PM

I am not sure that I would want to have an electrical fan that close to my wood stove. Our living room is about 16 x 20, with large glass windows on 3 sides. The hearth is in the left rear corner of the room from where the wife and I sit, with the stove sitting across the angle of the corner. The hearth area definitely gets very warm.

We did try a fan a few years ago blowing from the left edge of the hearth area across the stove, with little effect. We also tried it going the other way. Wife could feel a little effect, not much, but what was a pain to listen to the noise of the fan. The TV sits to our right of the stove and the noise was a noticible distraction.

Fast forward to our Ecofan, and it sits on the left rear of the stove, drawing in relatively cooler air from the rear of the stove and pushing the warmer air over the stove out the front area of the stove. It doesn't push as much air as the electrical fan, but there is no fear of melting or damage to the fan by heat, and best of all, there is no noise...I mean none...zero noise.

It will be interesting to see the effect it has as the temps drop this week.

All in all, I am happy with the fan so far and it costs nothing to run 24/7.

And Steve A: as you doing the math, and I was wondering about it as I type the above, we obviously had the same thoughts. Had to edit my post to catch up to you. Have a happy and warm new year!!!

SteveA · 01-02-2011, 08:13 AM

Thank UTS,

I love the change of seasons here in the LR. The change I like most is from "wood stove" to "golf clubs".

I'll take "Fore" over "Freezing" anytime.

NoBozo · 01-02-2011, 03:38 PM

I'm just curious where the $23./month operating cost figure to run a table fan came from. My electric bill during the winter is only about $80./month for Everything in the house, including an oil furnace/hot water, etc. (1400 square feet)

I checked the literature that came with one of my Cheap table fans and there is NO Technical Specs listing Current draw OR Wattage drawn by the fan.

YES: I saw the chart. The fans listed are NOT table fans. They are 200-500 Watts. NB

SteveA · 01-02-2011, 10:51 PM

Here's the formula to figure the cost of running any electrical device:

wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity

For example, let's say you leave a 100-watt bulb running continuously (730 hours a month), and you're paying 17.64¢/kWh. (current PSNH rate is 17.64¢)

Your cost to run that bulb all month is 100 x 730hrs ÷ 1000 x 17.64¢ = $12.88

The watts listed on an appliance is the number of watts used per hour.

If your fan doesn't list wattage, but it does list amps, then just multiply the amps times the voltage to get the watts. For example:

2.5 amps x 120 volts = 300 watts

You're correct, I did base my number on 200 watts from the chart. I should have added " Your Mileage may vary!"

Happy New Year NB!

NoBozo · 01-03-2011, 10:04 AM

YUP: The first thing to consider when doing calculations like this is the validity of the basic numbers. I noticed in the chart compiled by the NH Utility, the First Item at the top of the chart was a One Horsepower compressor @1000 Watts.

The problem is with the assumption that one horespower equals 1000 Watts. It does NOT. One horsepower equalls 745.7 Watts. This minor "Error" throws suspicion on the valiidity of the entire rest of the chart, no matter how usefull the chart would seem.

I suspect the chart was an attempt by the NH Utility to cause the uninformed reader to say to himself..OMG, "Danger Danger Will Robinson", MUST save energy, I'm wasting energy and ruining the planet...MUST cut back. .......

NB

Natt · 01-04-2011, 02:55 PM

We have one and it worked well for about four? years. we were happy with it, really soundless, and moved the air. Now it won't work and we don't know why. Haven't actually tried to find out why it doesn't work, but it does not. You have to keep it on the back edge of the stove to work correctly.

12-22-2008, 08:04 PM	#1
SteveA Deceased Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 2,311 Thanks: 1,070 Thanked 2,054 Times in 497 Posts	Wood Stove Fan Has anyone had any expierence with the Ecofan? They call it a "Sterling" Engine. http://www.green-logic.net/ecainowostfa.html video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0atjr...eature=related We love our woodstove, but would like to move the heat around the room better than just plain radiant heat. Comments welcome. I see the 3 blade model on Amazon for about $120. __________________ "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry he'll be a mile away and barefoot!" unknown

12-22-2008, 10:35 PM	#4
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,452 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	Both can be a plus I have a ceiling fan, and have a ceiling that is about 9 feet high. Our woodstove (a hearthstone type) sits in the corner of our living room, the outside walls of which are all glass sliding windows. Due to the construction of our house (not just the windows), it is very drafty, and while the ceiling fan has helped (both summer and winter), I keep thinking that one of those stove fans would be nice to put the heat out into the middle of the room as well, or at least blow towards Mrs. UTS. SteveA, let us know how it is, so I can decide if I want to spend the money or not!!!!!! __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

12-23-2008, 11:20 AM	#5
newbie Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Just North of Boston Posts: 105 Thanks: 60 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	I have one I have a sterling engine fan and I think that they work really well. I had the eco fan and "upgraded" to this fan http://www.thermalengines.com/ Once you get the fan moving, if moves the air in the room. I would also agree with the members who suggested a ceiling fan. good luck Newbie

12-23-2008, 10:55 PM	#7
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,452 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	Hearthstone stove and so I am not sure that the Ecofan will work well with that surface. I may have to go with the sterling fan. right now I have some other issues around the house that need attention...unless I can get Mrs UTS to want a little more heat from the stove. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

12-27-2008, 06:00 AM	#10
SteveA Deceased Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 2,311 Thanks: 1,070 Thanked 2,054 Times in 497 Posts	Ecofan My Ecofan arrived and we put it to work yesterday. I must say it is encouraging to buy a product that does exactly what it claims to do. It really works well and spreads the heat around the room. It also serves as a good indicator of the stove temp.. When it starts to slow down, it's time to get my lazy butt out of the Lazy Boy and add more wood. I swear, you could post a request for "do it yourself brain surgery" out here and get good advice. THANKS (Well FLL would send me off to Walmart for a discounted home surgery kit, but that's another thread ) __________________ "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry he'll be a mile away and barefoot!" unknown

12-22-2008, 08:49 PM	#2
Sunrise Point Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Meredith Center / Winnisquam Posts: 250 Thanks: 87 Thanked 34 Times in 21 Posts	I am not familiar with the Ecofan but would encourage you to consider a ceiling fan if at all possible. If you have a reversible fan, you can direct the air flow upwards to force warm air downwards without feeling a draft. During the summer, you can reverse the flow for a direct cooling breeze. We heat our camp exclusively with wood and the ceiling fan has made a tremendous difference in heat distribution and comfort. Best wishes.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Sunrise Point For This Useful Post:
Grady223 (01-03-2011), SteveA (12-23-2008)

12-22-2008, 09:39 PM	#3
Merrymeeting Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham Posts: 2,226 Thanks: 302 Thanked 800 Times in 368 Posts	I will second the recommendation for ceiling fan(s). We have a family room with a cathedral ceiling and a wood stove. During the recent, extended power outage, everyone in the family noticed that the upstairs was noticably warmer than the room below. When I say noticably, I mean double-digit differences! When the power is on and the fans are running, this heat stays downstairs. How much difference it makes if you have a one-story ceiling I can't say

The Following User Says Thank You to Merrymeeting For This Useful Post:
SteveA (12-23-2008)

The Following User Says Thank You to newbie For This Useful Post:
SteveA (12-23-2008)

12-24-2008, 08:36 AM	#8
ACutAbove Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Holderness Posts: 219 Thanks: 7 Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts	I have onee of these and it works great!!!! http://www.northlineexpress.com/item...sp?ic=5VZ-HR-6 Not this exact model but the same idea. It takes the heat that goes up the pipe and blows through the vent pipe and doesnt waste it just going up and out the pipe.

12-30-2010, 11:13 PM	#11
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,452 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	finally got one... I got the Ecofan off Amazon (2 blade) for $79 and free shipping. Got it today, set it on the Hearthstone stove on the back left corner, angled it toward Mrs. UTS. It does move the air towards her little corner of the world. It is amazing to watch, as Steve A says earlier, it is nice to see something work as advertised. And an apology to our webmaster. I was following a series of Google links, ended up on Amazon and ordered the fan. As I hit the last enter button, I realized I could have accessed Amazon from this website and helped Don out. Sorry Don...(insert picture of Upthesaukee with his head hung down) Oh, and the Heat Fans are no longer being manufactured as of Jan 2009. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

01-01-2011, 05:44 PM	#12
RLW Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Alton Bay on the mountain by a lake Posts: 2,023 Thanks: 563 Thanked 444 Times in 311 Posts	Eco fan My wife and I purchased one at the end of last season and the comment the wife made about it, was it does circulate the air, but also circulates the dust around and making heavier on the picture frames and even at the ceiling and walls. Other than that they are good and like said do as advertised. This is for Dave from the webmaster through a member of scare tactics group. __________________ There is nothing better than living on Alton Mountain & our grand kids visits.

The Following User Says Thank You to RLW For This Useful Post:
upthesaukee (01-01-2011)

01-01-2011, 07:53 PM	#13
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	I'm Skeptical $150...? Let's try this. A simple table fan..($15.) aimed AT the stove..from whatever angle..Off to the side..or behind the stove...blowing the Hot Air coming OFF the stove... OFF to somewhere else. Just wondering... Simple is as Simple does....... NB

01-01-2011, 10:22 PM	#14
SteveA Deceased Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 2,311 Thanks: 1,070 Thanked 2,054 Times in 497 Posts	A little fun with math... Your $15 dollar fan if used 24 hours a day, (like my Ecofan is used) will use about $23.00 per month of electricity. That number is from these PSNH charts. Don't be fooled by the 50 hours they show for "average monthly use" we have our stove burning 24-7, 720 hours per month, from mid October to mid march. ( 5 Months ) https://www.psnh.com/energycalculato...anceusage.aspx The 3 blade model is $127 with free shipping on Amazon. So the math (for us, your results may vary ) After a $15 dollar fan, and $23 a month electricity, the Ecofan was a "push" in about 5 months and all "profit" for the life of the Ecofan. (We've had ours for 3 full heating seasons going on 4) Plus fans are noisy, even the best ones, and the Ecofan is completely silent. So we're several hundred dollars to the good vs. a fan. __________________ "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry he'll be a mile away and barefoot!" unknown

01-01-2011, 10:24 PM	#15
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,452 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	My thoughts I am not sure that I would want to have an electrical fan that close to my wood stove. Our living room is about 16 x 20, with large glass windows on 3 sides. The hearth is in the left rear corner of the room from where the wife and I sit, with the stove sitting across the angle of the corner. The hearth area definitely gets very warm. We did try a fan a few years ago blowing from the left edge of the hearth area across the stove, with little effect. We also tried it going the other way. Wife could feel a little effect, not much, but what was a pain to listen to the noise of the fan. The TV sits to our right of the stove and the noise was a noticible distraction. Fast forward to our Ecofan, and it sits on the left rear of the stove, drawing in relatively cooler air from the rear of the stove and pushing the warmer air over the stove out the front area of the stove. It doesn't push as much air as the electrical fan, but there is no fear of melting or damage to the fan by heat, and best of all, there is no noise...I mean none...zero noise. It will be interesting to see the effect it has as the temps drop this week. All in all, I am happy with the fan so far and it costs nothing to run 24/7. And Steve A: as you doing the math, and I was wondering about it as I type the above, we obviously had the same thoughts. Had to edit my post to catch up to you. Have a happy and warm new year!!! __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

The Following User Says Thank You to upthesaukee For This Useful Post:
SteveA (01-02-2011)

01-02-2011, 08:13 AM	#16
SteveA Deceased Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 2,311 Thanks: 1,070 Thanked 2,054 Times in 497 Posts	Thank UTS, I love the change of seasons here in the LR. The change I like most is from "wood stove" to "golf clubs". I'll take "Fore" over "Freezing" anytime. __________________ "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry he'll be a mile away and barefoot!" unknown

The Following User Says Thank You to SteveA For This Useful Post:
upthesaukee (01-02-2011)

01-02-2011, 03:38 PM	#17
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	Just Curious I'm just curious where the $23./month operating cost figure to run a table fan came from. My electric bill during the winter is only about $80./month for Everything in the house, including an oil furnace/hot water, etc. (1400 square feet) I checked the literature that came with one of my Cheap table fans and there is NO Technical Specs listing Current draw OR Wattage drawn by the fan. YES: I saw the chart. The fans listed are NOT table fans. They are 200-500 Watts. NB

01-02-2011, 10:51 PM	#18
SteveA Deceased Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 2,311 Thanks: 1,070 Thanked 2,054 Times in 497 Posts	More Math... Here's the formula to figure the cost of running any electrical device: wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity For example, let's say you leave a 100-watt bulb running continuously (730 hours a month), and you're paying 17.64¢/kWh. (current PSNH rate is 17.64¢) Your cost to run that bulb all month is 100 x 730hrs ÷ 1000 x 17.64¢ = $12.88 The watts listed on an appliance is the number of watts used per hour. If your fan doesn't list wattage, but it does list amps, then just multiply the amps times the voltage to get the watts. For example: 2.5 amps x 120 volts = 300 watts You're correct, I did base my number on 200 watts from the chart. I should have added " Your Mileage may vary!" Happy New Year NB! __________________ "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry he'll be a mile away and barefoot!" unknown

01-03-2011, 10:04 AM	#19
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	YUP: The first thing to consider when doing calculations like this is the validity of the basic numbers. I noticed in the chart compiled by the NH Utility, the First Item at the top of the chart was a One Horsepower compressor @1000 Watts. The problem is with the assumption that one horespower equals 1000 Watts. It does NOT. One horsepower equalls 745.7 Watts. This minor "Error" throws suspicion on the valiidity of the entire rest of the chart, no matter how usefull the chart would seem. I suspect the chart was an attempt by the NH Utility to cause the uninformed reader to say to himself..OMG, "Danger Danger Will Robinson", MUST save energy, I'm wasting energy and ruining the planet...MUST cut back. ....... NB

01-04-2011, 02:55 PM	#20
Natt Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 120 Thanks: 125 Thanked 30 Times in 23 Posts	Ecofan We have one and it worked well for about four? years. we were happy with it, really soundless, and moved the air. Now it won't work and we don't know why. Haven't actually tried to find out why it doesn't work, but it does not. You have to keep it on the back edge of the stove to work correctly.