Having grown up in Northern New York, I remember keeping my butt within six feet of the wood stove pretty much all winter. Wood stoves heat up a house well, if unevenly. To better distribute the heat, Caframo makes the Eco-Fan Airplus Heat-Powered Fan for Wood Stoves (Model# 802CA-KBX). It’s a small (10.5″ x 5.2″ x 12.5″) and lightweight fan that sits on top of the stove and starts moving automatically when the surface temperature reaches 150 degrees F. As the temperature rises, the fan speeds up, and vise versa. Online retailer specs say the fan withstands up to 650 degrees F.
Besides being electricity-free and quiet, one bonus with the Eco-Fan is that when the blades slow down, it’s an indicator to put more logs on the fire. Other folks use these for gas and other stoves as well — as long as it evens out the heat, right? However, online reviews are split. Some of the reviews say it’s great, while others say it doesn’t work at all. Have any Toolmongers tried these stovetop fans? What are your thoughts on their effectiveness?
Pricing starts at around $129, or $79 for the original version of the fan, which is about half the size. You can also find various sized versions with either nickel or aluminum blades.
Ecofan Airplus Heat-Powered Fan for Wood Stoves, Model# 802CA-KBX [Northern Tool]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Ecofan Airplus Heat-Powered Fan Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Caframo Eco-Fan Original, Black Via Amazon [What’s This?]