How Do Stove Fans Actually Work?

Whether you have just installed your stove or have had one for years, you might have heard a thing or two about stove fans.

They claim to be able to boost the amount of heat in your room, making the most of the fuel you use for an improved level of efficiency.

But, you are probably wondering, do stove fans actually work or are they a waste of money? Are they worth it?

Well, we say yes, they certainly are worth it! To find out why, read our guide below...

What are stove fans for?

The purpose of a stove fan is to help the warm air created by your stove circulate around your room better.

While your stove might feel nice and cosy when you are sitting next to it, you still aren’t actually getting the full benefit. Why? Well, most of the heat being generated is actually rising upwards above your head.

This equates to lost heat, which would be put to far better use if it was projected forward into your room, rather than warming up your ceiling!

Not only does this make you feel more snug in your armchair, but a stove fan can also improve the efficiency of your wood burner by up to 33%! So, you will also find yourself using less fuel, which all adds up to more money in your pocket in the long term.

How do heat powered stove fans work?

Now onto exactly how stove fans work.

You don’t need an electric power supply or battery for one. Rather, they seemingly by magic turn the heat from your stove into kinetic energy.

What is actually happening though, is that the peltier device is generating power for a little motor.

To create the required voltage, the peltier device needs to transfer heat between two different types of material. Your stove fan uses the heat from the stove and the cooler surrounding air to do this.

Remember that despite their name, a stove fan doesn’t create the same gust of air you expect from a regular fan. Rather, it creates a flow of warm air, which leads to a more even and comfortable room temperature.

Where do you place a stove fan?

Where you place your stove fan is vital in getting them to do their job.

As we already mentioned, your stove fan needs to find a difference in temperature to generate voltage.

So, you need to put your fan directly on top of your stove to capture the heat. As a general rule, you will need to place it as far away from the stove pipe as possible. This allows the cool air to continue to flow over the fins. Most people find that one of the front corners of the stove works best.

You might also have seen some stove fans that attach to the stove pipe itself. These can be a little trickier to position. The hottest part of the stove pipe is the base, where it enters the stove. Keep your fan away from this area. You might need a little trial and error to find a point that’s not too hot or too cool - around 20cm from the base should do the trick.

Do I need a stove fan?

Now we’ve had a bit of a science lesson around what stove fans are and how they work, there is a more important question to answer. Do you need one? Are stove fans actually worth it?

Anyone with a stove can benefit from a stove fan. In fact, almost everyone who uses one is impressed by the difference they make to the comfort of their room - and would sorely miss theirs if it disappeared!

You will, however, find one particularly useful if you already feel cold spots when using your stove.

Here at Trade Price Flues, we have stove fans available at prices as low as £34.59, making them easily worth the investment. They cost nothing to run, are 100% eco-friendly and can even help you reduce the amount of fuel your stove needs - what’s not to love?

Nevertheless, some people worry that stove fans will be noisy or will spoil the appearance of their stove. However, this isn’t the case. Stove fans are surprisingly quiet at around 40dB. This is the same level of noise you would find in a library!

Stove fans are usually matte black in colour too, so they blend in seamlessly with your stove. As they aren’t a permanent fixture, you can simply put it away when it’s not in use, too, if you wish.

What’s the best stove fan to buy?

You may by now have decided that you want to make your house warmer and cosier with the help of a stove fan - great decision!

Now, though, you’ll need to find out which stove fan is best to buy.

It’s important to know that different stove fans have different optimum heat ranges - meaning they work better at certain temperatures.

Some stove fans have a lower minimum temperature, which is better as you don’t have to wait as long for them to get working. A good stove fan will start working from around 50 degrees celsius.

They also have a maximum heat that they can work up to. If you already have a stove thermometer (which is another wise decision!) you should be able to see how hot your stove is burning.

All of our stove fans at Trade Price Flues automatically change speed as the temperature varies, so they always work at the optimum level.

Another difference between stove fans is the number of blades they have. As you would expect, fans with more or larger blades can distribute heat further than smaller alternatives. However, you will need to check that it will fit nicely onto the top of your stove.