Stove fans are a great way of getting the most out of a wood-burning stove. A stove fan helps to circulate air and keep rooms warm. As a result, people often wonder if a stove fan works on a radiator and what advantages, if any, can be gained by adding a stove fan to a radiator.
Adding a stove fan to a radiator will help to circulate heat around the room. However, the same amount of energy will be required to heat your home. As a result, you will not receive an improvement in your energy efficiency by installing a stove fan onto a radiator.
Keep reading to learn more in detail about the benefits and purposes of installing drive fans in your home. We will also explore how you can make your radiator more effective, which in turn will reduce your energy usage, and we’ll explore the various types of stove fans.
What Function Does a Stove Fan Serve?
Now that we’ve established that it’s likely a waste of time installing a stove fan onto a radiator, it’s time to explore what functions a stove fan serves and how you can avail of these advantages in your home. Reaping the benefits of a stove fan can be highly financially beneficial and can save you a fortune on your energy costs.
A stove fan prevents hot air from rising through the chimney and escaping outside. Instead, the drive fan circulates the hot air within the room that has the stove. This massively improves the efficacy and efficiency of a wood-burning stove and will save you a fortune on fuel in the long run.
Physics tells us that hot air rises upwards. Therefore a fire with a chimney on top pumps hot air directly upwards and out of the building. As a result, fires are an inefficient way of heating homes during colder months as much of the heat escapes.
To prevent this from happening, stove fans were invented. These fans come in a variety of shapes and sizes with different power inputs. Nevertheless, they all serve the same function, reducing the amount of energy escaping through the chimney, which in turn reduces fuel usage and makes the room warmer.
Do Stove Fans Improve Radiator Efficiency?
Since stove fans effectively reduce energy usage, many believe that drive fans can enhance radiators’ efficiency. Although, there is little evidence to support doing this. Nevertheless, let’s explore what adding a fan to a radiator can accomplish.
Adding a stove fan to a radiator will not improve your energy efficiency, at least not in a way that will save you money or energy. However, adding a fan to a radiator may make a room appear warmer as the heat will be circulated more, although this will make little difference to energy usage.
Therefore, you should avoid placing fans on the radiator as it makes very little difference except maybe spoil the aesthetic of your room as there’s a fan over your radiator that serves minimal functional benefits.
How To Improve Your Radiator’s Energy Efficiency?
Since a stove fan is not an option for improving the efficiency of your radiator, you may be searching for other ways you can achieve this. There are numerous ways to enhance your radiator’s energy efficiency, which will have you a fortune on your utility expenses.
Here are a few ways that you can improve your radiator efficiency:
- Close all windows and Doors.
- Regular cleaning and maintenance.
- Install reflective insulation.
Close All Windows and Doors
Closing all windows and doors will prevent warm air from escaping your home. This, in turn, will reduce the amount of energy required to keep your home warm. As a result, your radiators will use less energy so that you can save on your bills.
Regular Cleaning and Maintenance
Regular cleaning and maintenance of your radiators are essential in ensuring your heating system remains in proper working condition. Radiators that have been poorly maintained may leak or inefficient uses of energy. Regular cleaning and maintenance prevent this and ensure your system remains functional and efficient.
Install Reflective Insulation
If a radiator is placed below a window, roughly 50% of the heat energy will lass through the wall and outside. This is highly inefficient. To prevent this from happening, inspiration with a reflective surface is installed. This surface bounces the heat back inside your home, significantly improving energy efficiency.
If you would like to have a stove fan for your wood-burning stove at home, check out these options. These three products listed below range in efficacy, cost, and aesthetic finishes.
(links to Amazon)
- EJEAS Heat Powered Stove Fan. This stove fan operates without any power input required. It has five blades and is an affordable yet efficient way of saving fuel. For best use, place this above the stove and not in flames.
- Ecofan Airmax. It’s a high-end stove fan that you can buy. This fan has large blades that are very effective at circulating warm air above your stove. While this fan may be expensive, you can save in the long run on wood or fuel for your stove.
- COMBIUBIU Dual Head Stove Fan. This is a mid-range and affordable eight-blade fan that’s highly effective when it comes to keeping heat within your room. The two fans provide a lot of air circulation, which enhances your energy efficiency massively.
Final Thoughts
A drive fan often thought of as an excellent way of reducing your energy requirements to run your wood-burning stove. However, adding a drive fan to a radiator will supply you with little to no benefit in heat efficiency or saving money. All that you achieve by adding a fan to the radiator is a poor aesthetic.
If you want to improve the energy efficiency of your radiator, there are a few things that you can do. Firstly you should close all doors and windows and install insulation with a reflective surface that prevents heat from leaking out through your walls.
Recommended Reading:
- Recommended Energy Saving Products
- How To Seal Air Vents Correctly: 2 Steps To Energy Savings
- Is Phantom Energy Real? Here Are The Facts!
As a homeowner, I am constantly experimenting with making the structure of my house more energy-efficient, eliminating pests, and taking on DIY home improvement projects. Over the past two decades, my family has rehabbed houses and contracted new home builds and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I share my hard-learned lessons so that you can save time and money by not repeating my mistakes.