What's the opinion on the board on these? I love my stove but hate the loud blower. How do they work and are they worth the investment? Tia
Hey Rebel, I should probably have added that there have been numerous threads on this thing. As a novelty, they are okay. Will they move air? Yes. However, not enough that you will notice any difference in a house. In a small tent they would work just fine. All one has to do is to look at the size of the blades to determine how little air it could move. Compare it to a floor fan or even the fan you have on the stove. Now if you have the stove cooking at, say, 700 degrees the blades can move pretty good. The trouble is, a wood stove will not stay at those temperatures as the heat keeps decreasing as the wood burns up. Again, think how little air is being moved, even at high temperatures then consider that as the stove temperature drops, so does the fan speed. If I recall correctly, until the stove top reaches around 500 degrees there just is not much movement; certainly not enough to make a difference in the room. If you want a quick and easy fix, just use a desktop fan or a small floor fan. Set it in the doorway of the stove room or in a hallway; the area you want to heat. Run the fan at the lowest speed (so you won't get a drafty house). The low speed will do the job in this case. Blow the cool air toward the stove room. That cool air entering the stove room will force the warmer air out and bingo! The far room will heat up. I remember the first time we tried this and I was simply amazed at how quickly the far rooms warmed. We set the fan at the start of the hallway, not at the end. We used to have to warm our bathroom with an electric heater before we showered but once we learned this trick there was no longer a need for that electric heater. If I remember correctly it took less than a half hour to warm the entire rear of the house. Good luck. Save those confederate dollars!
Well, Dennis said it all (or most of it). I'll throw in my $.02. The blower on our stove got a bit loud at the end of last winter. It was full of dust and dog hair. After a good cleaning, it's back to being nice and quiet, and with the convection deck, it helps move the air into the house better. I also turn on the kitchen ceiling fan blowing up (on low), and am impressed how well it helps pull air into the far end of the house.
Novelty would seem to be a good description. Ecofan Original Black Wood Stove Fan | L & M Fleet Supply
I usually refer to mine as a 'gimmick' when asked. Its better at telling you that the stove is still making heat than it is at moving that heat any distance.
I've got one and love it. May not be as effective as an electric plug in but for me that goes against some of the would reasons I burn wood such as reducing my energy bills (gas and electric) and being more sustainable. We certainly noticed an improvement in heat distribution when we got ours so I would recommend one, just don't expect it to blow like a hair dryer though..
Mine just blows heat on to clothes airer now I don't use radiators any more . End result is light fire washing needs drying win win for me
I like mine. I think it is just a matter of what you expect it to do. Moving air to far rooms is better accomplished by electric fans exactly the way backwoods savage described. My living room is 30' x 15' with the wood stove closer to one end. The ecofan definitely helps move the air to the far end. I can see the fan from my bed. When I wake up in the night, I can gauge the temp of the stove from the speed of the fan. That may qualify as novelty, but it is something I value.
Plan on doing this this year, bought the rack. Now I'll likely just get something like a long coat hanger to hang stuff like my hoodies and put-overs when they come out of the wash just aside the stove. Be helluva lot better than running the dryer for 8 hours on a weekend on high when I can finish them with an air fluff.
I have one but only because a family member gave me one. I love it but only because it was free so for me it energy/money well spent. Truth be told I probably would have bought one because Im curious. If I was trying to move more than just a bit of air I would buy a $40 fan. If you like to put your money into something that isnt plugged into the wall that in the end helps you avoid paying the man then buy one and be a little closer to being off the grid.
I liked mine, but it quit working after 3 years (probably dropped it one too many times). It doesn't move a lot of heat (as others mentioned), but will move some air without the use of electricity and will do it quietly. I plan to buy another one. I know some people have multiple fans increasing the amount of heat circulated.
Funny this thread popped up. I have wanted one for a while but just for fun mainly so I watched fleabay and picked one up for $20. Around here the new ones like the three blade model I got go for around $150 !! No way was I spending that! Anyhow haven't run it on the wood stove yet since we have been in the 80's but I tried it in a cast iron skillet on the kitchen stove and boy Backwoods Savage is right about the novelty thing! Ive got an electric corner doorway fan that has about the same blade size and let me tell you that little fan would blow the eco fan right over. Still fun though for the right price!
Yeah dry stuff in fronta fire and it goes crispy , saying that fluffy probably means some thing else where you are from ?
