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A Wood Stove Fan is a great way to push heat and warm air into other rooms of your house and get the most bang for your buck in the colder months.
Keep reading for my review of the Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax and find out why a wood stove fan is such a solid investment!
Why Use a Wood Burning Stove Fan?
We heat almost totally with wood here – although we have electric back up, we don’t turn on any electric heat unless winter temperatures go down to -20 Celsius. We use our wood stove a lot – but we still needed a little something to push that wood stove heat into our living room, no power cord needed!
And that’s why I bought a wood stove fan. It’s a premium Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax and I LOVE it so much I want to write about it to let you know.
Our wood stove is in the very middle of the house – in our dining room. However, we have an open floor plan on the main floor. The living room on one side, dining room in the middle and kitchen on the other side. So, looking into a wood stove blower fan made sense to us.
Any house that heats primarily on wood stoves should take a look at this product for more efficient heat distribution with no batteries, no electricity, no cords, and great fuel efficiency. It’s all heat energy!
Wood Stove Fan – Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax Product Review
Almost every one of our neighbours here heat their homes with a wood stove. Several of our friends have this type of fan – an Ecofan wood stove fan made from aluminum – I was always curious but never went ahead and bought one.
Everyone swore they worked great but I always had my doubts. How could something as small as this little fan for a wood stove help so much? I did some reading about different fans for wood stoves and how to find a good one, using CFM’s as guidelines. CFM stands for “cubic feet per minute.” The more CFM’s the fan pushes, the better the heat gets moved around.
Last winter, I finally bit the bullet and bought one. I know homesteaders can be pretty frugal – usually, we are looking for ways to reduce and reuse. Though I’m very frugal, some call me cheap (behind my back, mostly). I can usually try to turn a nickle into a dime and I know for a fact that our thrifty lifestyle has saved us thousands of dollars.
But, I also know a good investment when I see one. (Look for my upcoming Hearth & Home gift guide for my top homesteaders gift ideas) Friends kept telling me how great this woodstove fan was. To me, it just seemed so “small” to do such a big job.
I was wrong…again. This fan is fantastic!
What I Learned about Using a Wood Stove Fan
I ordered it from Amazon and did some research into our options. I wanted the biggest and most efficient wood stove fan I could get and learned that the 812cfm was the one to get. This fan heats a room up to 38% faster and that’s what I wanted. Even with its small size, it pushes the heat out farther for maximum comfort. We needed to get that heat into our living room.
It also actually SAVES on fuel consumption because you just don’t need as much to supply the heat you need. This fan can save us up to 18% on the fuel needed to heat the house! You’ll love the longevity of this product and not having to use your own electricity to heat your home. This means it’s great to keep your house warm even through power outages when you can’t get as much heat from other sources.
And you don’t even have to do anything to setup this wood stove fan! You literally take it out of the box and set it on top of the stove’s surface. No assembly required. Just walk it over to your wood stove and place it on your stovetop. In the rear of the stove or in some sort of alcove is usually the best position. And that’s it!
How Heat-Powered Stove Fans Work
Light your stove and as the wood stove heats up, you will see the fan blade start to slowly turn. As the stove gets hotter, the blade turns faster. As the stove gets cooler, the blade slows down and finally stops when there is no heat at all coming from the stove. Best of all: silent operation. It hardly makes a whisper.
This works because of the Seebeck Effect, which creates thermoelectric power (or TEG) when the hot air travels through the cooler fan.
Side note: This actually enables me to know WHEN it’s time to add more wood to the stove. If I’m working outside and come in for a moment, I can take a look and see how fast the blade is turning. I don’t even have to go to the stove and open it to see how much wood is left inside. I can rely on the air movement from the fan to let me know.
And it’s quiet! This Ecofan wood stove fan makes no noise at all, unlike fans that need electricity to turn the blades. The speed of the fan adjusts automatically according to the surface temperature of the stove, so high temperatures will mean faster rotation and lower temperatures will mean slower.
Here’s my favourite winter reading spot – a little nook under the stairs. The wood stove is going and the fan is humming right along on the front of the stove, and the noise level is hardly noticeable!
Here we are, one year later – and I am STILL loving this fan. Take a look at all the great reviews for this model – Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax – as I write this there are almost 700 positive reviews for these wood burner fans! That says this is a great product.
Now we have a lot more heat when we sit in the living room using our wood stove with the fan. I’m more comfortable working at my desk in the depths of winter. It’s saving us time and money in gathering and burning wood.
It’s been a great investment and I totally recommend the Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax for an eco-friendly fan that’s great for fuel efficiency.
FAQs
Do wood stove fans work?
I can safely say from experience: yes, they work! This wood stove fan is heat powered and does an incredible job of distributing natural heat from our stove around our home. The reason they work so well is through simple circulation.
Whereas most of the heat would otherwise stay in the stove area, rise to the ceiling above the stove, or escape through the chimney, now this fan blows it outward into the rest of the home.
How do wood stove fans work?
To understand a heat powered wood stove fan, all you have to do is understand the way heat distribution works. Because heat naturally rises, in many cases much of the heat provided by your stove is wasted. But fans for wood burning stoves can redirect that rising heat. Instead of rising to the ceiling, this kind of fan will send it in a horizontal direction instead.
No external power or electric current required; the rising heat is what causes the fan blades to turn in the first place! This kind of device is entirely self-sufficient and heat-powered. It then takes that same heat and spreads it through any space with higher efficiency than just a wood stove would do on its own.
Are two stove fans better than one?
Depending on the size of your room, this answer can change. If you have a larger stove or need to heat a bigger space, two fans can be worth the investment. Otherwise, try to start with one and see if it gets the job done on its own.
Where should a fan be placed on a wood stove?
For best air circulation results, I recommend finding a place on the stove that’s level and flat. Any smooth surface will do! Toward the back of the stove is optimal, as this will force more heat forward and into the room. For stoves that have a flue that sticks out the top, place the fan on the side of the stovepipe as far back as it can fit.
Be sure there’s enough space between the fan and the walls and ceiling so that the blades can spin freely.
What are the best wood stove fans?
In my personal experience, the Ecofan 812AMXBX AirMax is a worthwhile investment for any wood stove owner. It works exactly as it’s advertised, functions by quiet operation, and has our home nice and toasty. This fan also comes with a 2 year limited warranty.
For other options, check out products like the CRSURE 8 Blade Heat Fan or VODA 4 Blade Heat Powered Fan. There’s also another cheap option called My 5 Blade Wood Stove Fan. The model you choose depends on the size of your stove, the temperature range of the stove, and your living space. Be sure to do some research to determine what will work best for you.
There are other kinds of fans as well, and some operate differently. For example, some fans have a module that translates heat via conduction into voltage or electrical energy that can be used by the fan motor. There are also options that have an electric motor and can be manually turned on and off.
What you choose ultimately comes down to preference. Some fans are meant to last a lifetime, but may come at a higher price point. You can also choose the number of blades and other facets of the fan based on your preference.
Can an Ecofan be used with a fireplace?
In some cases, yes. The placement may be even more important here. The fan does need to have a small amount of space behind it to draw cool air to help push the hot air outward. It also shouldn’t be placed on a surface that will exceed 345 degrees C. As long as these requirements are met, you can use it with a fireplace insert.
When should I run my fan on my wood stove?
Truthfully, I think you can run it whenever you’re burning logs in the stove. Because this kind of fan only uses the heat that’s already being generated, there’s no threat of energy waste. Unless your space gets too hot when you use your wood stove, I recommend keep the fan on top at all times.
More Wood Stove Posts You’ll Enjoy
- Cooking on a Wood Stove – Check out this guide on the best ways to cook using your wood stove!
- Cleaning out your Wood Stove – Is your stove due for a cleaning? Unsure when or why your stove needs to be cleaned out? Read this post and learn everything you need to know about keeping a wood stove clean.
- What Is the Best Wood to Burn? – This handy article from The Stove Yard explores the pros and cons of burning a wide variety of wood types. If you’re unsure what kinds of wood will be best for burning, this guide has all the info you need to get started.
- Wood Burning Stove Tips – For more general tips and tricks, read this article. It will teach you all the basics of using a wood stove.
Originally published 2017; latest update July 2024.