Knowledge Builders

how does a fireplace fan work

by Arnulfo O'Keefe Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Unlike a space heater, fireplace fans work on cycling the entire rooms air and increasing the ambient temperature by cycling the air around the hot firebox

Firebox

In a steam engine, the firebox is the area where the fuel is burned, producing heat to boil the water in the boiler. Most are somewhat box-shaped, hence the name. The hot gases generated in the firebox are pulled through a rack of tubes running through the boiler.

. The fan draws cool air in from the bottom vents and heats it up inside before being forced out into the room at the top. Source: www.fireplacemall.com

How Does a Fireplace Blower Work? A fireplace blower pulls air in from the room and forces it through a channel on the fireplace's exterior. As the air travels around the hot fireplace, it heats up, and by the time it is released into the room, the air is much warmer than the rest of the room.Oct 27, 2020

Full Answer

Do fireplace blowers really work?

Well, let us reassure you that fireplace blowers do actually work, and they make a great contribution to any living space. They function by drawing in your home's air, then heating it in a specially-designed tube that is installed near your fireplace.

Does the fan need to be on for the fireplace?

Yes, you can use a gas fireplace without a blower. Gas fireplaces are usually installed with a blower so that the heat from the fireplace isn't concentrated in one part of the room alone. Without the blower, the gas fireplace will still work fine for hours as long as the fireplace is vented.

How does a wood burning stove fan work?

A wood stove fan works by using a Peltier device to generate electricity that powers the motor to drive the fan blades. The heat from a wood stove is conducted through the bottom half of a wood stove fan and the temperature difference compared to the top half creates an electrical current.

Do you need to run the fan on a gas fireplace?

Your fireplace or stove, whether it's wood or gas, can be operated with or without an electric fan. Without a fan, you will get direct radiant heat from the glass and the cast iron or steel front of your fireplace.

How do I get the most heat out of my fireplace?

Turn Up the Heat: Tips to FollowInstall a Fireplace Insert. ... Use Glass Doors. ... Use a Chimney Damper. ... Get Chimney Fans. ... Only Burn Dried Firewood. ... Use Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors. ... Keep Combustible Materials Away from the Fireplace. ... Clean Your Fireplace Regularly.More items...

Can I turn off the fan on my fireplace?

You can control fireplace blowers turning on and off, but it takes about 10-20 minutes for the process to complete itself. You can automatically control a fireplace blower's power setting through a thermostat or a wall switch.

Can you leave a wood burning stove on overnight?

In an extended fire, you load large pieces of wood into your wood burning stove, tightly packed, so the fire slowly spreads from log to log, extending your burn for 6 to 8 hours or more. You won't need to reload any time soon. This sort of burn maintains a low, steady heat that can stay burning all night.

How do I circulate the heat from my wood stove?

0:415:24Tips On Moving Heat From The Wood Stove To The Hard To Reach PlacesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBy your that cold room blow that cold air towards the wood stove. It's more of a dense air it'llMoreBy your that cold room blow that cold air towards the wood stove. It's more of a dense air it'll push that heat out and push it back towards that cooler.

Can you leave door open on wood burning stove?

Wood burning stoves are not designed to be used with the door open. You can use a wood burning stove with the door open but doing so will lose the control of the air flow into the stove, making it operate less efficiently and sending more heat up the chimney rather than out into the room.

Is it OK to leave a gas fireplace on overnight?

An overall rule for safe gas fireplace usage is to not let your fireplace—no matter which style—operate throughout the night. Unmonitored gas fireplaces can lead to dangerous, often fatal, outcomes. The two most concerning outcomes of leaving a gas fireplace on for too long are a house fire or a gas leak.

Why is my fireplace fan so loud?

But if the fan gets loaded with dust or the motor bearings wear, the blower will make a rumbling noise at all speeds. Sometimes it's possible to remove the blower and clean the fan blades to quiet it. But if the blower still makes noise, it's time to replace it.

Will a gas fireplace work during a power outage?

Gas & wood fireplaces will continue to work safely during a power outage. These fireplaces do not require electricity for venting and can be used safely during a power outage.

How do I make my gas fireplace heat up?

1:543:313 Tips for Improving the Fireplace Efficiency in your Home - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThere are a variety of different fireplace heaters even those that you can use with gas logs. YouMoreThere are a variety of different fireplace heaters even those that you can use with gas logs. You could also add a blower to your fireplace as they increase the fireplaces heat output significantly.

How do you heat a whole house with a fireplace?

0:005:23Heating Your House Efficiently with a Wood Burning Fireplace or StoveYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd if the air to your fire can come directly from outside into the firebox. Then it will save youMoreAnd if the air to your fire can come directly from outside into the firebox. Then it will save you from the heated air of your living space going up the chimney.

Can You Put a Fan on a Fireplace Insert?

Yes, it’s possible to add a fan to certain wood or gas insert models. A fireplace insert is a stove that we “inserted” into the fireplace and utilizes the chimney passageway as its means of exhaust. If the wood or gas fireplace fan insert is modern, chances are a blower can be added to get the warmth moving faster than normal. Many inserts are made for the addition of a blower or have one already installed when new.

How Do Fans on a Fireplace Work?

That means heat reaches the objects within the line of sight, warms those objects, and warms the room’s air. However, if forced air moves past the firebox with the use of a fan, then the air receives the heat and travels deeper into the area , sooner than relying on heat from radiation alone.

Can a fan be used to reclaim heat from your wood stove?

However, the products that promise to “reclaim heat” that would otherwise go out your chimney’s flue are another matter altogether.

What is a fireplace blower kit?

This air movement occurs naturally from a process called: convection. There is a delay in the fireplace getting hot enough to move heated air through your room during this process.

How to prevent creosote build up on wood stove?

A wood stove with cooler smoke encourages creosote build-up. Which is the byproduct of wood combustion in airtight wood stoves, and it can be minimized if two conditions are met: 1 The stove is operated properly, burning good wood, and kept at an operating temperature range, so most creosote is burned while inside the stove. 2 The connector and chimney flue is kept warm, as this prevents excessive creosote build-up from sticking to the system’s walls on its way to the chimney cap.

Why does a fireplace make a cold draft?

While having a fire in the home should make things warmer, the opposite is often true—understanding how a fireplace and your home function together explains why cold drafts can happen. Fireplaces need airflow in the home to keep the large quantity of smoke being produced flowing up the chimney.

Why do you need a fireplace fan?

If you want to harness more heat from your fire, then you need a Fireplace Blower Fan to assist with circulating extra heat into your room.

How Does A Fireplace Blower Work

The working principle of the fireplace blower or fan is the same among the different blower types.

Can I Add A Blower To An Existing Gas Fireplace?

YES. It does not have to be a gas fireplace only, other types of fireplaces can also use a fan or blower. It is common that sometimes you can find a house with an existing fireplace but no fan available. So, here you can always add the blow to improve the efficiency of the gas fireplace.

How Can I Increase The Efficiency Of My Fireplace?

Other than using the fireplace blower or fan, a person might ask, how can I make my fireplace more energy efficient? Well, I look at a few tips for you to consider.

Conclusion: What Does A Fireplace Fan Do

A fireplace fan or blower is necessary to circulate the hot air in the room. It will be vital for ensuring each part of the room is warm just as you like it. Different fans can be needed depending on the type of fireplace. This also applies to how you mount the fans. Ensure that you always use the right setup where necessary.

Difference Between Gravity Venting and Mechanical Venting

Open-fired hearing appliances like fireplaces can be vented by gravity venting or mechanical venting.

How Chimney Fans Work

A chimney fan is installed on the top of the chimney, over the flue. It is wired to the home’s 110 volt electrical system and managed by use of a variable speed control that is like a dimmer switch. The switch is normally installed close to the fireplace so its operator and see the results of the adjustments he or she makes.

What Fireplaces Are Compatible with Chimney Fans

Now that you know how chimney fans work, is your particular fireplace and chimney compatible with the use of a chimney fan?

Enervex Chimney Fans are Guaranteed to Work!

Enervex Chimney Fans come with a six-month money-back guarantee. If one does not solve your chimney draft problem, you can return it within six months and receive a complete refund. In addition, the Enervex Chimney Fans have a ten-year warranty against corrosion and a two-year warranty against defects in workmanship and materials.

What is a stove fan?

Stove fans are a fantastic innovation that really do dramatically improve the warmth given out from your stove. We have seen a massive interest in this product in the past year, as wood burners become the ‘in’ product for the home. And why not? They are aesthetically pleasing, easy to operate, low effort to maintain and inexpensive to run too.

Why do we use magnets on stove fans?

We use magnets to secure the base of the fan to the stove as the angle is quite acute. . It works perfectly.

Does it work on all stoves?

The stove fan will only work on stoves that achieve a certain minimum temperature. This is because the base of the unit needs to get up to temperature before the temperature differential between the top of the device and the bottom is high enough to make the blades turn. Some stoves will require special ‘low temperature’ fans, which are specifically designed to run on stoves that don’t get up to very high temperatures. Generally speaking though, most stoves can benefit from a fan.

What is the best position for the fan?

The key thing to note when placing your fan is that it needs space behind it. This is because the fan draws cooler air from behind the fan to help power it. If you block the rear of the fan, by setting it up against the wall or the flue, you are going to get an inefficient system. Also try and put it towards the rear of the stove (allowing about 15cm of space behind the fan), so that the fan pushes the warm air out into the room.

What is the motor in a wood burning stove?

Wood burning stoves have become trendy. The little motor in the fan is a thermoelectric motor – a really simple device whereby two semi-conductors at different temperatures can create a voltage between them. This electricity isn’t huge, but it is just enough to drive the blades of the fan around.

How many volts does a thermoelectric plate produce?

The thermoelectric plate (not thermoelectric motor as stated above) produces about 3 volts although different models vary slightly.

Which side of the flue should the fan be?

The fan should be to one side, not in front of the flue pipe!

What is a stove fan?

A stove fan is basically a motor engine that uses the heat of the stove to run itself. The heat difference between the facet of the stove and the top of the fan powers the engine, which starts the fan around, the cooling fans at the backside helps to keep the temperature of the fan much lower.

Why do stove fans work?

Because the fan generates electricity from the heat of the stove. Generally, a stove fan is positioned over the surface of a stove and it consumes the power that the stove produces when the surface of the stove gets warmer the turbines start to run. Heat mounts up from the pedestal of the fan to heat a motor installed under the fan blade.

Why is my heat powered fan dead?

Make sure you check the maximum temperature before you buy one. Otherwise, your fan can be dead because of overheating. So, be careful of the temperature of your heat powered fan while you use it. Stove fans are cheap, much cost-effective.

Why do you need a stove fan?

Stove fans also reduce the usage of firewoods. You will need very little firewood because of the airflow into the fireplace. This means you are burning the same amount of firewood to generate heat and to run the fan. A stove fan can furnish that air supply for a long time.

What happens if a fan gets overheated?

If the fan gets overheated the motor can be damaged. To avoid that problem a user should always place the fan properly. There are stove thermometers available to check the temperature of the fan. That is the easiest way to know for you when the fan is getting overheated.

Why is it important to place a fan on a stove?

It is essential to place the fan properly so that it can get some cool air from the back. It helps the fan to work in a proper manner. If the fan is positioned too far, it might not be able to run. But, there should be some precautions while using a stove fan.

Do stove fans need electricity?

Stove fans are cheap, much cost-effective. They don’t need any electricity or any sort of power source rather than the heat of the stove. It works automatically when its base gets heated up. The upper side of the fan stays cold, while the pedestal heats up and keeps its motor running.

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