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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1667077
Interesting discussion the other day about these wood stove ventilators.

On the web not really been able to find much, other than ads for them, to find out if they are any good.

Anyone use them and wishing to comment or a paper on their usefulness?

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... mrc&uact=8
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By rikur_
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1667083
Not got one.
Views from people I trust seem to be very polarised - either fantastic or useless.
So I suspect the real question is, what makes them fantastic? I suspect it might be related to how hot you get your woodburner.
#1667094
I built a four engined one with a huge amount of power compared to the normal air stirrer but I wasn't impressed. Then again, my walls are three feet thick and the room is around 150 cubic metres so it takes a fair bit of warming. In a smaller room, though the stove should be doing the work quite quickly anyway. Spend the money on coal if you want to be warm. Stick a handful in overnight and cover with ash. Not only will the stove stay in but the amount of wood you use next morning goes down so it saves money.
#1667095
I'm watching that very model merrily spin away to itself as I type.

Personally I find it difficult to determine if there is much difference, there's certainly no major air flow can be detected by hand. I bought it (£40+?) so may as well leave it there, although to be honest when the stove is hot the noise can be a little irritating. I have tried it in varying positions on top of the stove and find little difference.

I guess I'm rather underwhelmed.

I do occasionally find myself wonder if a better quality model would be more effective?

In fact here you go. :lol:
Image
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By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1667101
Well it isn't going to make the burner produce any additional heat, so I struggle to see how it can improve "efficiency" unless you have your burner running hotter than its maximum efficiency level (so its putting excess heat up the chimney). If you do, then increasing air flow around the outside of the burner would allow more heat to convect into the room than up the chimney.
So does it increase that airflow more than convection is going anyway? Is it blowing any real amount of air sideways into the room compared to it being convected towards the ceiling?

Academic discussion for me, as ours is inset into the original fire place so not enough space above it for one of these. Our stove (however) has a built in heat exchanger which captures heat before it exits towards the chimney so I doubt we'd get much benefit anyway.
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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1667175
You should worry. Mrs Johnm made me take out the wood burner and replace it with an iron basket in which she burns logs.

This is an example of her mantra "What do you mean it doesn't work, it looks lovely "

:roll: :roll: