Electricity-Free Wood Stove Fan: A Guide for Efficient Wood Stove Heating

Beat the cold spots with the best wood stove fan!

Isn’t it annoying to shift from that comfortable position because sitting next to the stove is too hot and you have to move back closer to the stove because sitting far is cold?

Well, after weeks of searching, you’ve bought what should be the best wood stove or pellet stove on the market, and you have paid good money for it. But, did you buy a wood stove fan alongside the stove?

If you don’t get the fan you will end up paying more for the wood fuel. As painful as it sounds, the stove leaves cold spots in the house because it will only heat up the surrounding air meaning you only feel the warmth sitting close to the stove and the furthest side of the room will feel colder than the rest of the room.

Best Electricity-Free Wood Stove Fan

What does a wood stove fan do?

As implied above, a stove fan which modulates hot air circulation in your living space, will increase the efficiency of the stove and heat up the whole house effortlessly.

There are different types of fans with, but they all result in warmer spaces. The best bit is that the right fan is easy to use, appealing, and easy to maintain.

But, warming your home is not all you can expect from the fan: a great fan enhances air circulation, its cost saving, and it boosts air flow, and enhances comfort.

How it works?

The fans are heat activated. What this means is that heat drives the fan. After you ignite the wood, the base of the fan must reach a specific temperature (varies with the kind of fan in use) for the conversion of thermal energy into electric energy using a thermoelectric motor that spins the blades.

The spinning of the blades results in the rotation of the fans which pull air in the process. As the blades spin, the heat radiates throughout the room, and it doesn’t just rise vertically or heat up the ceiling.

The best bit is that the fan will work automatically. Thanks to the fan, your stove’s output increases and you just might end up using less fuel because the whole room is warm enough.

Note that the temperature difference in a room easily forces more heat production and even with a thermostat, reaching the optimum temperature is harder when you have hotspots and cold spots.

No Electricity Needed – Yes, You Heard It Right

Wondering if the fans are as effective as we are made to believe? Yes, they are.  Despite the small size of the fan, it’s powerful enough to move a substantial amount of air (cubic feet per minute) in CFM. The best bit is that the fans do not require any power source – no cables and no batteries.

How then do they work without a power source? The fans are powered differently using either TEG (Thermoelectric Generator) where the fans rotate from the power of the TEG module temperature differential or Stirling engines, the external combustion engines which are fuel by the heat from the stove.

So, all you need is burning wood to balance the temperature difference between the hot spots and the cold spots.

Below is a demo video how the stove fan is activated with heat.

Efficient in Room Heating

The efficiency of the fan will depend on the space available above the stove and the size of the room you intend to heat up. For bigger rooms, you need a higher air-moving capacity.

To boost the efficiency of the stove and for safety reasons, we recommend getting a stove top thermometer for optimal function. Note that the stoves operate well at a range of 150 °F or 65 °C and 650 °F or 345 °C.

At low temperatures or when there is little wood burning, the fan will slow down and eventually stop spinning if you don’t add more wood.

Characteristics of the Fans for Wood Stoves

• CFM rate: This refers to the number of cubic feet of warm air circulated by the fan. If there is a big difference in the amount of air circulated by the fan, then the fan will warm a bigger part of the house.
• Start-up temperature: What is the minimum temperature needed for the fan blades to move on their own? Do you run your stove at a lower temperature? If you do, you might have to get a fan with a low starting temperature, and if that is not the case, you might have to start the fan manually by spinning the blades.
• Design: The design of the fan determines whether your stove looks great or terrible
• Sensitivity: The fans will only work on stoves that can reach a specific minimum temperature because the fan must reach a certain temperature before the differential temperature at the bottom of the stove and the top is high enough for the blades to rise. While some stoves require low-temperature fans, others require very high temperatures.
• Fanning ability: The fan only works best if there is enough space at the back because it will draw in cool air from behind for power. You need at least 15cm space behind the stove.
• Quietness: The fans are fairly quiet even for the inexpensive and low-end models.
• Automatic controls: The best fan for your stove comes with automatic controls, and you don’t have to manually switch it on and off when the desired temperature is reached. The controls also enhance energy efficiency.

Note that it doesn’t matter whether you are using a pellet or a wood burning stove, or if the stove is catalytic or non-catalytic.

Fan Safety

The fan has an inbuilt safety system which protects the motor from damage. When the surface temperature is above 250 degrees Celsius, the safety strip located at the base of the fan will slowly lift the fan away from the heat source. The strip also prevents overheating.  Once the maximum temperature of the fan is reached, the safety strip will lower the fan back down and closer to the heat source.

Safety Precautions Around the Fan

• If you have young kids, keep them away from the fan because of the open blades and watch them closely especially when the fan is running.
• Use a high-quality stove thermometer for your safety
• Don’t touch the fan while it’s on use
• Don’t set the fan on an unprotected surface when it is not and if you have to carry it, use its extendable handle wearing gloves.

Best Wood Stove Fans for the Money

ECOFAN 812AMXBX AirMax – Editor’s Choice

If you are looking for a large, heat-powered wood stove fan, then you should try this fan. It works fast, warming up your room 38 percent faster than expected. You can use the fan for different room sizes, and the best bit is that it will improve your fuel’s efficiency by up to 18 percent.

Being heat-powered, you don’t need electricity for it to run – the heat from the burning wood is enough. The fan is self-heating and as the stove fires up, the blades spin faster circulating more warm air into the room.

And, as your stove cools down, the fan will spin slowly until it shuts off. The slowing down or shutting off of the fan tells you when you need to load more wood into the burner. You will like that the fan is whisper-quiet.

Specifications

Pros

• Whisper-quiet technology ensures that you can have conversations without having to shout.
• It works with stove inserts if there is space behind the location of the cooling fins
• Automatic start-up and shut down protects the fan’s motor and preserve fuel.
• It’s efficient and saves energy

Cons

• It is not efficient for bigger rooms
• Expensive

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VODA Stove Fan – Editor’s Choice

Another non-electric fan that uses thermoelectric energy rather than batteries is this Voda stove fan. It runs silently and effectively circulates warm air throughout the space. The fan’s blades force warm air to move horizontally and not vertically getting rid of cold spots and warming up the whole house in the process.

This fan will spin as soon as the temperatures at its base reach 185 °F with the spinning speed rising as the burning temperature of the wood increases. At the optimum temperature, the fan slows down then cools. It works well at a temperature range of 185 °F – 660 °F.

Unlike other fans, this fan comes with an inbuilt protective system which protects the fan from overheating. It also features a durable design thanks to the blade and fan construction that makes use of anodized aluminum which is corrosion-resistant.

Specifications

Pros

• It doesn’t use electricity
• It is efficient as it uses little energy
• It has a durable design
• Runs almost quietly without causing any disturbance
• Affordable
• Eco-friendly

Cons

• The fan should be removed below the advertised max temperature to prevent motor damage
• At 240 CFM, you still need to wait for the heat to flow on large rooms

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Tomersun Stove Fan

If you are looking for a fan to use with your wood or log burner or even a fireplace, you might want to try out this powerful 3-blade fan which will not break the bank. This fan runs using thermoelectric energy rather than electricity or batteries.

As long as the base temperature of the fan is high enough, the blades will start to spin warming the air in the room in the process. The fan will automatically adjust its spinning speeds in relation to the base temperatures.

This fan is durable, and you don’t have to worry about it malfunctioning because of overheating thanks to the bi-metallic safety device placed at the base of the fan. As long as the temperatures rise above 300 °C, the device will gently elevate the front section of the fan protecting the motor and the TEG.

While doing all that, the fan won’t deter you from having a conversation with your loved ones because it features a whisper-quiet operation. The blade assembly is the only moving part.

It’s efficient and lowers energy consumption.

Specifications

Pros

• Affordable
• Works well, slowing down when the wood burns out
• Durable and lasts long
• Powerful, driving warm air throughout the house in minutes
• Suitable for small houses
• Reduces fuel consumption because of the automatic shutfdown and the fact that it does not use electricity

Cons

• Unsuitable for pellet stoves

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Home-Complete Wood Stove Heat Powered Fan

Don’t you want to save money on electricity? How about a 4-blade fan that will equalize the temperature difference between the hot and the cold spots in the house, in minutes?

With a high CFM ranging from 170 to 190, blades spinning at 900RPM, and a maximum temperature of 340 degrees Celsius/ 640 degrees Fahrenheit, this fan promises the highest possible level of energy efficiency.

The blades are the only moving parts meaning that the fan will not be as loud as the electric fans that await in summer. The fan is easy to use, and it has low maintenance – cleaning involves effortless and occasional dusting.

The other nifty feature of this fan is the built-in fire-stoking indicator that will automatically tell you when to add fuel by stoking the fire as the fan slows down.

For your safety, we recommend putting the fan at the back of the stove and 6 inches away from the stove’s pipe.

Specifications

Pros

• Powerful, driving warm air throughout the room effortlessly
• Energy-efficient with high energy savings
• Easy to use and install
• Quiet operation and it will not cause any disturbance

Cons

• Not as durable as other metallic fans

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Sonyabecca Heat Powered Stove Fan – Best Fan for Large Rooms

The upgrades to this heater make it one of the best additions for any home. The fan is, and it boasts a magnetic thermometer. The 4-blade system makes it one of the most powerful fans on the market.

It is eco-friendly, and the use of aluminum makes it one of the most durable fans in the market. It works best for the wood log burners and fireplaces.

You don’t need batteries or electricity to use the fan because it will use the heat from the fireplace or the burner to drive the motor and to generate electricity which turns into kinetic energy necessary for powering the motor and for the blades to spin.

The 4 upgraded blades increase the air volume pushed by the fans increasing the energy efficiency of the burner. It has a high-temperature range of 50°C-340°C or 122°F-644°F.

It’s made of anodized aluminum which is rust and corrosion free. The blades spin quietly.

Specifications

Pros

• Easy to use and also safe thanks to the magnetic stove thermometer
• Powerful and great for large spaces with the blades spinning at high speeds of up to 1350RPM
• Durable thanks to the construction using strong, corrosion resistant and rust-free anodized aluminum
• Works well as long as you place it 4 inches away from the stove pipe

Cons

• The 360CFM does not perform as expected
  

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Galafire Stove Fan

Wood or pellet stoves are energy saving, but if you want to increase those energy savings by as much as 17 percent, you might want to try this heat powered stove fan that is eco-friendly, versatile, and made of durable aluminum.

It has a compact design, and it fits small spaces easily. Its inbuilt protection system prevents overheating. For your safety, you might want to put it away from the chimney – place it on the side or the back part of the stove top. It works well under temperatures ranging from 80°C-250°C/ 176°F-482°F

Specifications

Pros

• It comes with a magnetic stove thermometer
• Versatile because you can use it with different sources of heat including gas and coal.
• Works well in small and medium-sized spaces
• Runs quietly and you can enjoy quiet evenings
• Easy to use
• Durable thanks to the use of anodized aluminum as the main construction material.
• Lowers energy bills

Cons

• Less effective in larger rooms because the blades don’t spin as fast and so, warm air won’t be pushed too far.

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VODA Twin Motor Stove Fan – Best Fan for Small Spaces

With an air flow rate of 210CFM and a compact design, this fan is suitable for use in small spaces. The use of the updated TEG module and motor make this fan energy efficient.

Like other Voda fans, it features a bi-metallic safety device placed at the base of the fan, and if the air temperature (in the room) rises above 350 degrees Celsius, the safety device will elevate the front of the fan gently, protecting the motor and the TEG.

It doesn’t require any electricity or batteries, and it runs quietly.

Specifications:

Pros

• High energy savings and it doesn’t use electricity
• Inbuilt safety device which protects the motors from overheating or permanent damage.
• Ideal for small spaces
• Comes with a magnetic stove thermometer

Cons

• It gets noisy at certain high temperatures

What to look for in a wood stove fan?

• Size of the room – Do you need a fan to warm the air in a small or a large room? Do you have an open-plan room that requires even warming? Smaller fans are preferable for smaller spaces, and larger fans with bigger motors work well in bigger rooms.
• Size of the stove – You need to consider the size of the stove if there are height restrictions set by the manufacturer.
• Ideal placement –  Where will you place the fan to protect it from overheating? You have to keep a 100-150mm gap between the fan and the flue.
• Temperature sensitivity – How high should the temperature be for the blades to spin?
• CFM – As mentioned above, you need to check the volume of the air that the fan can drive in a minute. The higher the value, the higher the effectiveness of the fan.
• Noise level – Is the fan as loud as an electric fan? It shouldn’t be.
• Automatic controls – Will the fan’s blade spin automatically when a certain temperature is reached?

Summary

We hope that this guide gives you all the information you need about the best wood stove fans. Your best fan meets your warmth requirements, lowers energy bills, and it will not break the bank.