You need good air circulation to fully benefit from your wood-burning stove. What’s better than a heat powered stove fan to accomplish this! They produce their own electricity and are therefore cost-effective and super easy to install. Check this review to find the best heat powered wood stove fan.
Table of Contents
How do heat powered fans work?
The heat powered stove fan uses a thermoelectric Peltier module to generate the electricity required to power the fan. In short, the Peltier is composed of a semi-conductor and when both sides are at a different temperature, it will produce electricity. In this case, one side of the Peltier is placed on the hot surface of the stove, whereas a heat sink is placed on the other side.
The heat powered fan will maintain good airflow to distribute the warmth evenly across the room. They are also eco-friendly because they will increase the efficiency of your wood-burning stove. In addition, heat powered stove fans can warm the room faster and reduce fuel consumption.
How to install a wood stove fan?
It is really easy to install a heat powered fan. In fact, all you have to do is place it on your wood-burning stove. Since they produce their own electricity, they don’t require wires or batteries. They only require a hot and flat surface where to put the fan. As a result, they are compatible with most wood-burning stoves. You don’t even have to manually turn them on or adjust the speed of the wood stove fan! These thermoelectric wood stove fans will start automatically when the temperature is high enough and their speed will increase as the temperature increases.
However, you should avoid placing them in front of the chimney, as these thermoelectric fans are more efficient when their heat sink is placed more than 4 inches away from the heat produced by the chimney or vents.
In addition, they would not work on a fireplace mantel since the surface needs to be hot. They are also not recommended for a gas fireplace because the temperature could be too high for the fan (generally above 600-650ºF or 350°C). For the same reason, it is also recommended to use your wood stove fan with a thermometer to make sure that you don’t exceed the fan’s optimal operating temperature.
Do wood stove fans really work?
Yes, wood stove fans really work! There is nothing magical about them, and they are quite efficient thanks to the science behind the Peltier effect and thermodynamic laws. The efficiency of the wood stove fan that is reviewed below varies between 150 and 320 CFM (cubic feet per minute). This value represents the volume of air displaced by the fan every minute. Typically, a value above 150 should be sufficient for a large room (more than 240 ft2). The following products are therefore suitable for most needs.
What is the best thermoelectric heat powered stove fan?
There are many types of fans available and it can be difficult to choose the right one. Here, I reviewed for you the most popular heat powered wood stove fan according to their quality/price ratio, size, efficiency, design, shipping, etc.
Voda 4-blade heat powered wood stove fan
The Voda 4-blade heat powered fan represents an amazing quality/price ratio. No wonder why it is Amazon’s choice with an average ranking of 4.4 out of 5 and over 9000 ratings!
Click here to see the VODA 4-Blade Heat Powered Stove Fan on Amazon
This heat powered fan is made in China but can be quickly shipped from a US location via Amazon. This item has free delivery and also free returns. The fan base and the blades are made of high-quality anodized aluminum, which prevents rust and corrosion.
The size of the Voda heat powered fan is 8.27 x 4.72 x 8.27 inches (LxWxH – 21cm x 12 cm x 21 cm). It can move a good volume of air with a 240 CFM capacity and is therefore perfect for a large room. This heat powered fan is silent and its operating temperature range from 185ºF to 660ºF (85°C – 350°C).
This heat powered stove fan is one of the best value in the $50 price range. If you are lucky, you might even be able to get it at a 30% discount price. Please check the following video if you want to see it in action:
4-blade heat powered wood stove fan from Aliexpress
This heat powered stove fan is very similar to the previous one, although it is a lot cheaper than its Amazon counterpart. This item is highly popular and has an average ranking of 4.8 out of 5 with over 85 reviews and more than 200 orders.
Check this wood stove fan on AliExpress
This fan is made in China from anodized aluminum. The size of this wood stove fan is 7.1 x 2.9 x 8.8 inches (LxWxH – 18 cm x 7.4 cm x 22.3 cm). The operating temperature of this heat powered fan ranges between 140 and 662°F (60 to 350°C).
The fan speed is 1100 RPM and it is very quiet with less than 25 dB. In conclusion, this heat powered stove fan is very efficient (180-210 CFM) and is definitely a good value item that you should consider.
The AirMax 812AMKBX from EcoFan, the inventors of the original heat powered fan
The AirMax Ecofan is proudly designed and manufactured in Canada. Despite its higher price in the 100$ range, this heat powered fan is still highly appealing, and not only for its neat design. This item is rated 4.4/5 with more than 350 ratings on Amazon.
Check this Ecofan AirMax 812AMKBX heat powered wood stove fan on Amazon
The AirMax Ecofan has free shipping and returns. It can be domestically delivered from the US. As mentioned earlier, these fans are highly appealing with customizable blade colors (black, nickel, or gold). They are made from top-quality materials and come with 2 years limited warranty. Furthermore, if this heat powered fan ever breaks after the warranty expired, it is also convenient to find replacement parts to repair it.
The dimensions of the fan are 13.5 x 11.5 x 21.5 inches (LxWxH – 34.3 cm x 29.2 cm x 54.6 cm). The AirMax Ecofan has two 9 inches blades, which are the biggest of all the models here. These heat powered fans were tested in a controlled environment and were shown to warm the room up to 38% faster. In addition, these stove fans reduce fuel consumption by up to 18% due to increased hot air convection and more efficient heating.
Despite all of this, the AirMax Ecofan is only rated 175 CFM. Since this is the biggest unit, I believe that this fan would be slightly more powerful and that the specifications given for the other brands may lack proper testing and could therefore be overestimated. Nevertheless, these heat powered fans are sufficient for a large room (above 240 ft2).
For more information, you can have a look at this video or check the instruction manual for the AirMax 812AMKBX Ecofan.
Tomersun 3 blades heat powered thermoelectric stove fan
The Tomersun fan is similar to the Vida and the second one from Aliexpress, although it is slightly cheaper. This heat powered fan is quite popular and is Amazon’s choice for wood stove fans. It has an average score of 4.3/5 with more than 1000 ratings. In addition, the efficiency of this fan ranges between 150 and 170 CFM.
Check this Tomersun 3 blades heat powered stove fan on Amazon
Interestingly, the Tomersun heat powered fan also has built-in overheating protection. When the temperature rises above 570°F or 300°C, a bi-metallic strip located at the base of the fan will bend and tilt the fan. As a result, it will decrease the contact between the hot surface and the Peltier thermoelectric generator to prevent damage. This is a really nice feature that most other models don’t have, especially if you suspect that the temperature of your wood-burning stove is in the high range of the optimal operating temperature.
Galafire black 4-blades heat powered wood stove fan with thermometer
The Galafire thermoelectric fan is another highly popular model. This one is rated 4.4 out of 5 on Amazon with over 1600 ratings! Its manufacturer offers lifetime support and this thermoelectric fan is covered by a 2 years international warranty.
This 4-blades thermoelectric stove fan is made of high-quality anodized aluminum and measures 7.44 x 2.95 x 7.28 inches (LxWxH – 18,0 x 9.7 x 18,9 cm). Its relatively small size and compact design, therefore, make it ideal to fit narrow spaces.
Check the Galafire 4-blades heat powered wood stove fan with thermometer on Amazon
The operating temperature of the Galafire wood stove fan ranges between 122 and 682 °F (50-350°C). However, in order to function properly, it is recommended that the temperature of your stove is higher than 212 °F. It is worth noting that this thermoelectric fan comes with a thermometer, which makes it very convenient to monitor the temperature of your stove and find the perfect spot to install your fan.
The Galafire wood stove fan is also running smoothly and is very silent. With a running speed of more than 900 rpm, this thermoelectric fan is a great choice to improve heat distribution across a medium-sized room. It is slightly less efficient than other models, but it is still a very good choice and is very efficient for its small size with a maximal airflow of 126 CFM.
CWLAKON 4-blades heat powered wood stove fan with a thermometer (upgraded design)
This is another great compact wood stove fan available on Amazon. It is rated 4.3 out of 5 with over 1200 reviews. As for many other good-quality products listed here, this thermoelectric stove fan is made of aluminum, which prevents deformation and discoloration caused by heat.
The overall dimensions of this wood stove fan is 4.33 x 2.99 x 7.08 inches (LxWxH – 11,0 x 7.6 x 18,0 cm). Don’t get fooled by its relatively small size, as this thermoelectric fan has an airflow of 130 CFM. Furthermore, it operates quietly and produces less than 25 dB at full speed.
Check this CWLAKON 4-blades heat powered wood stove fan on Amazon
In addition, this wood stove fan comes fully equipped and includes a thermometer to make sure that the temperature of your stove matches the optimal operating temperature of this thermoelectric fan. In any case, the fan also has overheating protection. It is equipped with a small metal band that will slightly tilt the fan if your stove reaches temperatures that are too high. This is a neat feature that will extend the lifetime of your wood stove fan by preventing the motor and Peltier module to overheat.
Von Haus twin motor double 3-blades heat powered fan
Depending on your intended usage, you may require slightly higher air circulation. The Von Haus heat powered double fan is great with its high CFM ranging from 250 up to 320! This is quite impressive considering that this wood stove fan is only in the 50$ price range. Even though it has two fans, this unit is still very quiet. Finally, this heat powered fan comes with a magnetic temperature gauge as a bonus.
Is this type of fan with two motors really the best solution? I will let you be the judge, but one thing comes to my mind. What if you were to buy two cheaper models instead? The main advantage of this is that you could orient both fans in different directions to increase air circulation even more.
How to make a thermoelectric fan DIY?
Thermoelectric fans are pretty simple electronic devices. In fact, they are only composed of 2 main parts: an electric motor and a thermoelectric Peltier device to generate electricity. It is therefore very easy to make your own thermoelectric wood stove fan DIY.
First, you will need a low voltage DC motor. Make sure to choose one with low voltage and amperage like the one shown below. This type of DC motor would be perfect to make a DIY thermoelectric fan. It requires less than 100 mA and can accommodate voltages ranging from 3V to 12V. This is perfect since the output voltage from the thermoelectric Peltier generator will vary depending on the temperature of your stove.
Check this wood stove fan blade replacement on Amazon
Next, you will need small fan blades. You could use replacement parts from big manufacturers such as the one in the Amazon ad shown above. Basically, any type of blade could do the job and you can simply choose the design you prefer.
Despite how fancy it sounds, a thermoelectric Peltier generator is pretty cheap and simple. The best part is that you can easily find one on Amazon for about $10. These thermoelectric generators convert heat into electricity and this is why wood stove fans are heat powered.
Check this Peltier Thermoelectric Generator SP1848 on Amazon
All you need to do is fix the thermoelectric Peltier generator to a heat conductive surface like a metal plate. This will be the base of your DIY thermoelectric fan. It is highly recommended to use the thermal paste to make sure that the thermal conductivity is optimal between the surface exposed to the stove and the surface fixed on the Peltier generator.
You should next apply thermal paste on the other side of the thermoelectric generator and fix a heat sink to it. Indeed, thermoelectric Peltier generators require a differential temperature on both sides to efficiently produce electricity. The heat sink will ensure that the heat from the wood stove is being dissipated, thereby cooling the thermoelectric generator and increasing its production of electricity.
I would suggest using a CPU heat sink for this purpose, as they are cheap and easy to find. Furthermore, they often have the exact same size as the thermoelectric generator and they have a great thermal conductivity. To get a better idea of how to assemble the thermoelectric generator with the heat sink, please check my previous post in which I used a Peltier module to make a thermoelectric cooler DIY.
Finally, you could have a look at the following Youtube video to see how other people built their own DIY thermoelectric wood stove fan.
Conclusion
In summary, heat powered wood stove fans are really convenient to use, easy to install and Eco-friendly devices that will heat your home more efficiently and at a lower cost. There are many types of heat powered thermoelectric fans out there and I hope that this review has helped you to discover their main features and to demystify them a bit. Feel free to ask a question or share your experience with us in the comment section down below.
You may also be interested to know that the Peltier effect does not only produce electricity but also has other great technological applications. In fact, a thermoelectric Peltier module is also found in small refrigerators. I also experimented with these modules in a previous post in which I made a thermoelectric mini-fridge DIY.
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