Vulcan Ultra Stove Fan

How do stove top fans improve heat circulation in a room?

Stoves get very hot and the heat they produce is by convection and radiant. Radiant heat is the infra-red heat (invisible light) that comes off from the stove. Radiant heat rapidly drops as the distance increases. If you double the distance, the heat flux decreases to a quarter of its original value. This is why stoves feel hot close up but at a distance the heat is less noticeable. The stove is hot and air heated up close to it, surfaces then rises. This is convection. The air rises to the top of the room slowly and cold air from the floor of the room gets drawn to the stoves. Over time this does increase the temperature of the room. A stove fan sits on top of a stove and is heated. It has a mechanism that when it heats up it turns the fan blades. The fan blows air away from the stove. This improves the convection in the room and heats up the air in the room faster. However, importantly, it also means you can direct the air flow. Having a gentle breeze of warm air makes you feel warmer.

Are stove fans noisy?

They are actually very quiet and usually can’t be heard over the noise from the stove itself. We have been producing stove fans since 2009 and in that time we have refined the design substantially. They have never been noisy, but they have got quieter, and some of the early models could wear after many years of use, this could make them nosier.

Can a stove fan circulate heat into more than one room?

It depends. Houses are built very differently. Some modern houses are well insulated, with no drafts. Other homes are less well insulated with some rooms suffering from more heat loss. The height of the ceilings, amount of windows and shape of the rooms are all factors. In fact there are too many factors to mention! However, the nearly 2 decades of feedback from customers suggests that yes, in many cases they can help circulate heat into other rooms. Pointing at doorways can assist getting warm air into other rooms, but after that, it is really down to your house layout. Feedback is generally positive, with some claiming that they get air movement going upstairs.

Are there scenarios where it simply won’t work?

Yes. Extremely tall ceilings such as barn conversations with one floor, or open plan double height ceilings. In these cases the fans don’t work well. Heat rises and although they get heat away from the stove faster, the air still rises. In these scenarios you are less likely to feel a difference.

How do stove fans improve heating efficiency?

Stoves burn fuel and the heat produced goes into the room and also up the chimney. Modern stoves have attempted to improve efficiency and reduce pollution by controlling the flow of air within the stove. However, ultimately a lot of heat is wasted by going up the flue. Anyway to extract the heat from the stove and circulate around the room will improve the efficiency. Another factor is that fans can blow heat towards you making you feel warmer. This is likely to lead to running the stove so hard and hence burning less.

What are the benefits of using a heat-powered fan on a wood stove?

It can make you feel warmer as it blows warm air towards you. It can also heat up the room quicker and there is a good chance that it makes the stove more efficient.

Is the Vulcan Ultra really made in the UK?

Yes. It was designed in the UK, almost all of the parts were made in our workshop in Maidenhead and it was assembled in the same workshop.

Can the Vulcan Ultra stove fan run on all types of stoves?

As far as we are aware, it will run on any stove. It was designed to run on as many stoves as possible. It has the widest operating range of a stove fan. It will even run on stoves with a back boiler or soapstone top stoves (both of these stoves are notorious for the stove tops to have low temperatures).

Where do you place the stove fans?

You can place them anywhere on the stove top. As a general rule they will be more effective at the back corners, blowing air forwards over the stove top. However, close to the flue at the front also works well. You can run them right at the front on the edge, this maybe slightly less effective but it will still work. I suggest trying out a few different positions.

Can you put a stove fan at the front of a stove?

Yes you can. There won’t be any issue with it running at the front of the stove.

Is it ok to leave the stove fan on?

Short answer is yes. Long answer is it is probably not great to have it left on the stove NOT running. It probably won’t harm it a few times but we advise against this. If you don’t intend to run it then remove it from the stove. It can be left on the stove as the stove cools down. It will come to a stop naturally by itself.

Where can I buy a stove fan?

We make the Vulcan ultra in our factory in Maidenhead, England. We currently don’t have any resellers. So you will need to purchase from us online.

Are stove fans worth the investment for a log burner?

This is very good question and a little subjective. You could argue that you could buy warmer clothing rather than running a wood stove so often. But, if we take the starting point that you have a log burner and do use it, you either use it for comfort or for the atmosphere, or a mixture of the two. Regardless you are using it to provide heat and stove fans will blow warm air and heat up the room quicker. You are going to feel cozier. If you feel cozier sooner you are likely to burn less wood so there is likely to be some financial reasoning too. There have been university studies that showed that stove fans reduce fuel consumption by 14%. Of course it will vary down to your actually circumstances.

Are there any other advantages to a stove fan?

Yes. The Vulcan stove fans are a marvel of mechanical engineering and science and visitors may say “what is that?”, “how does it work?” and “I didn’t know that was possible”. You can really strike up a conversation about it. Don’t forget to tell them that Stirling engine technology is over 200 years old and the Vulcan is made in Britain!

Are there any tricks you can do with a Vulcan Ultra?

Yes. Make a freshly made cup of tea or coffee, or even just boiled water. Fill the cup close to top, place the Vulcan ultra fan on it, wait a few minutes and then give it a flick to start.