Wood-burning stoves have been used for centuries and they are still very popular today. Some people use them as their main source of heating (and potentially for cooking too) and many people keep them as back-ups, in case they have issues with their central heating (especially these days when electric heating is becoming more common).
Anyone who’s ever dealt with a traditional coal fire will know, wood-burning stoves are massively easier to clean and manage. They do, however, suffer from one of the same problems as coal fires, which is, left to their own devices, wood-burning stoves will send most of their heat upwards rather than outwards.
This is basic physics. Wood-burning stoves heat the air, hot air rises and then sinks again as it cools. Basically, by the time it reaches the bits of the room that matter, i.e. the bits at standing and seated height, it will have lost most of its heat. What’s more, the heat from the wood-burning stove will be concentrated around the stove. It won’t go far into the room - at least not without help. That’s where stove fans come in.
Stove fans work by converting the heat from the stove into electricity to power a fan. These days most stove fans use a peltier device which means that there needs to be a hot side and a cool side to create the necessary voltage. This means that they need to be placed to the side of the flu pipe and as near the back as possible so they can draw in the cool air from the back of the stove as well as the warm air from the front.
There are now a handful of stove fans which can be attached to the flu pipe itself, but these are a very niche market and we don’t cover them here.
Stove fans will have a range of operating temperatures and going above the maximum temperature can actually damage them. Because of this, it’s useful to keep a thermometer near your stove fan, so you can take action if the temperature gets too high (although you will probably notice it anyway, even without a thermometer as you will be way too hot).
Safety note
Never, ever use a regular fan on top of your stove, not even a battery-operated one. It is unsafe to expose batteries or electrical wiring to the sort of heat a wood-burning stove can generate. Proper stove fans do not need an electrical power supply of any sort. That is why they are safe to use on wood-burning stoves and even then you need to watch the temperature. If you forget, however, the worst that will happen is that your stove fan will be damaged, not that it will explode and potentially cause someone a serious injury and/or start a fire!
Choosing the Best Wood-Burning Stove Fan
There are six main considerations to choosing the best stove fan, these are: size, durability and build quality, heat-sensitivity, suitability for your stove, warranty and noise. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Size
All other things being equal, the best stove for you is the biggest stove fan which will fit comfortably on your stove. Bigger stove fans have bigger fan blades and bigger fan blades move more air and hence heat more space.
Durability and build quality
If you’re going to be relying on a stove fan, it’s usually worth paying a bit extra for one with decent build quality. It may cost more up front but it will generally be more reliable than a cheaper alternative, plus you can expect it to last longer.
Heat sensitivity
Basically you want a stove fan which will operate within a decent range of temperatures. This means you won’t have to wait for hours for it to warm up or be constantly on the watch in case it overheats.
Suitability for your stove type
For the most part, your stove needs to have a level top, which conducts heat and which has enough space to place the stove fan so that it is clear of the flu pipe. If you cannot meet these conditions, for example, you have a “cool-touch” stove-top, then you will not be able to use a standard stove fan and will need to look for a niche product. These are not covered here.
Warranty
Ideally, you want a stove fan from a brand which is known for backing its warranties. This generally means that you will be able to get spare parts for your stove fan after the warranty period expires. Motors don’t last forever but if you get a good stove fan, you will just be able to change out the motor and keep going.
Noise
Very few stove fans are genuinely silent, but the best stove fans are reasonably quiet and again bigger stove fans tend to be better here as the blades move more slowly. For the sake of completeness, if your stove fan is noisier than you expected, there’s a good chance that something is causing it to vibrate and if you sort this it will quieten down. If that doesn’t work, it may be you have a defective stove fan but this is very rare (if you’ve bought a decent brand).
Stove Fan Review
This stove fan review contains our five top picks based on overall value, so basically performance as compared to price. They are all of a decent build quality, although some are better than others here, specifically the Caframo and Valiant are both of premium quality while the Lumamu and the Voda are both solid rather than brilliant.
Caframo Ecofan 810 UltrAir Stove Fan - Black Blade
The Ecofan 810 is one of the most compact stove fans around. It comes in at just 222mmX141mmX93mm. In spite of its dinky size, it moves an impressive 3.5 cubic metres of air per minute and can reduce fuel consumption by up to 14%. It’s also practically silent in operation. The Ecofan is intended for operating temperatures from 65°C to 345°C.
Caframo is a Canadian brand which has been around for years, which means you can rely on the warranty support and since their products are intended to last long past the warranty period, it’s easy to get spare parts for them.
Caframo Ecofan 812 Airmax Stove Fan
This is basically the bigger version of the previous model. It’s 248mm high and moves about 5 cubic metres of air per minute and can reduce fuel consumption by up to 18%. As this model is slightly bigger, it takes a bit more heat to move the blades and so it operates at temperatures between 85°C and 345°C.
LUMAMU Silent Operation 4-Blade Heat Powered Stove Fan for Wood/Log Burner/Fireplace
The Lumamu comes in at 187mm*180mm*93mm and can move between about 7.5 cubic metres of air to about 10 cubic metres of air per minute, depending on the heat of the stove. It works at temperatures of between 50°C and 340°C and can reduce fuel consumption by up to 28%. We’d say “silent operation” was a bit of an overstatement, but we’re happy to go with “very quiet”. For example, we’d say you could watch TV at a normal volume without being disturbed by it.
Valiant (FIR361) Premium IV 4-Blade Heat Powered Log Burner & Stove Fan, Black
The Valiant is another compact option, coming in at just 199mm high. In spite of this, it can move up to about 12 cubic metres of air per minute. This stove fan operates at temperatures from 50°C to 340°C and lower fuel consumption by up to 14%. Again, it’s not silent but it is quiet enough to be ignored. Valiant is a UK brand, which is known for its premium-quality manufacturing and customer service, so, again, you can depend on the warranty and expect to be able to get spare parts after the warranty has expired.
VODA 4-Blade Heat Powered Stove Fan for Wood / Log Burner/Fireplace
We have to say that, in our opinion, this option from Voda doesn’t look as nice as the others, but it’s the performance that counts and it gets the job done. It’s 22cm high, including the handle and can shift up to 6.5 cubic metres of air, with an operating temperature of 85°C to 350°C. We haven’t seen any statistics on potential fuel saving, but it definitely does a good job of distributing the heat around the room. Again, it’s quiet rather than silent, but the noise is well within tolerable levels.
Best Wood Stove Fan Overall
The best stove fan overall is probably the Valiant since it is the most powerful and still comes in at a reasonable price. The two Caframo models, however, are probably the most visually appealing and still put in a very impressive performance for their size. The Lumamu and the Voda don’t offer the same level of performance, but they are both more affordable and hence either of them could be the best stove fan for people who have smaller spaces to heat.
Kevin is a fitness fanatic and award-winning product reviewer. With over 20 years of experience, Kelvin’s freelance offerings have been featured all across the web on such outlets as NY Times, Forbes Magazine and more and is a great asset to the team. Kelvin loves his job and passing on his knowledge. Appeared on TV numerous times. Always smiling and raising money for charity in between servicing the demand for his talents
