Difference between "Radiant" and "Convection" stoves

[morgantruce]

I believe you should be able to increase the heat from any stove by adding a fan.

Yes... and you will also be increasing the "heat" generated at the power plant which serves you and along the wires that carry that electricity to your house... not to mention your slightly elevated body temperature when paying your electric bill.

Alternatively, you can use a "passive" technology--by building an enclosure around the stove and, by leaving inlets and outlets at the bottom and top of that enclosure, use the "free" force of rising heat to circulate that heat around the house. When stove makers build such a stove, they market it as a "convection heater."

If you take a long, serious look at a steam radiator, you will note many elements of a convection device. Early 20th century heating engineers were not dumb.

Most of us are aware of the fact that when we add a fan--especially a large fan--to a stove, we risk upsetting such things as firebox temperatures, stovepipe and chimney temperatures--opening up all sorts of problems we never had before.

Not to sound like a Luddite, but... why throw electricity at a problem which can easily be solved by passive means?

 

[jharkin]

Yes... and you will also be increasing the "heat" generated at the power plant which serves you and along the wires that carry that electricity to your house... not to mention your slightly elevated body temperature when paying your electric bill.


Not to sound like a Luddite, but... why throw electricity at a problem which can easily be solved by passive means?

Your not being a luddite, I would agree that adding electrical gizmos to a heating device we chose to get us away from the grid is odd. I wasn't implying that anyone in particular *should* add a fan to get more heat out of their stoves. Just pointing out that (disregarding potential issues) the fan in all likelihood will extract more heat from the stove.

And if the extra $3 a month to power the fan is going to break the bank than said person has bigger problems I think?

If you take a long, serious look at a steam radiator, you will note many elements of a convection device. Early 20th century heating engineers were not dumb.

Exactly my point in the previous paragraph, that most of a radiators heat output is actually convective.

 

[Martin Strand III]

I’ve read through these posts and seen a lot of gum flapping, opinions, generalizations and few posts based on basic physics explaining the difference between radiation and the other two ways heat reaches equilibrium.


That’s the story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Aye,
Marty
Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing happens, until something moves.”

Sorry, but I missed the "So, as a result of understanding this, I can conclude ........"

Great physics lesson but you didn't make a point directly about the 2 types of wood stoves.


pen

The real point lies between the lines...

Aye,
Marty

 

[morgantruce]

As a group of people gathered here to glorify the burning of zillions of trees in various ferrous boxes --mainly for the pleasure of the resulting comfort-- it seems just a tad absurd that we should debate the various pros and cons of radiation and convection. There is a sizable body of scientific opinion which has concluded that our quest for warmth and comfort is making the planet far less habitable than it was before we came along with our axes, hydraulic splitters, and rare-earth combustors. When, and if, a day of reckoning ever comes, are any of us in a position to claim, "We didn't add to the problem?"

I'm just stirring around in the coals a bit with my trusty poker. Maybe it's all this snow and gray skies...

 

[pen]

I’ve read through these posts and seen a lot of gum flapping, opinions, generalizations and few posts based on basic physics explaining the difference between radiation and the other two ways heat reaches equilibrium.


That’s the story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Aye,
Marty
Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing happens, until something moves.”

Sorry, but I missed the "So, as a result of understanding this, I can conclude ........"

Great physics lesson but you didn't make a point directly about the 2 types of wood stoves.


pen

The real point lies between the lines...

Aye,
Marty

Which means to me you are happy to share how well you understand a text book, but not willing to share how you personally would apply that knowledge.

pen

 

[VCBurner]

"Hey Cycloxer I live in Paxton, MA! Is it just me or have our temperatures benn lower than New Hapshire, RI, Vermont and even Maine in certain cases. Do I live in the center of an ice box?"

Maybe, lol. Well last week was pretty cold. I am up in Harvard. In general, Worcester County gets its fair share of snow and cold. I can tell you that my brother was up in mid-VT this weekend and it was bitter cold - single digits with the wind blowing sideways. I was in S. NH up near Jaffrey and it was about 5 degrees colder than at my house. We are almost always colder than Boston metro and inner suburbia. So...it is all relative.

I haven't yet had a day where I couldn't keep the inside at 70 with the Castine. The blower helps tremendously even though it is technically a radiant stove. I've found if you blow more air over the hot surfaces you can transfer more heat to the room.

" It seems that every time I watch channel 5 news the Worcester temp is the coldest one around. But I've got to tip my hat off to the people in Vt, NH and Maine. They really put up with some cool temps!! I guess that's why a lot of good stoves got their birth in those states. Necessity's the mother of invention. About the stoves, your Jotul is a lot better than my inneficient stoves but it was 69 in the morning, 74 right now, with a high of 75 earlier. We haven't turned on the furnace at all this year. I love this wood burning thing it makes you feel self sufficient and independent."

 

[iceman]

right now i am running my insert as "convection" the air is moving well and my stove top temps are much higher without the fan..... However i do have a fan at the end of the room blowing towards the stove to help get heat upstairs... i guess i am saving the electricity from running the stove fan but most inserts use radiant and convection, but my downstairs is 73 right the room the stove is in is 74 so i guess the convection does allow for more even heating.. in my case