Overnight fan speed

[ledwards]

What I know: Stoves burn hotter on low fan speed (compared to high) - so the air is warmer. The high fan setting blows more air, but is not quite as warm.

I have a fairly open floor plan with 2 ceiling fans.

What I don't know: Is it better to leave the fan on low or high overnight?

 

[firefighterjake]

Well I don't know which is better . . . but I always have my fan on low all the time.

1) It's quieter.
2) You don't need much speed or power to get the air current moving.
3) The heat moves throughout the house fine with the fan set on low.

And 4) If I felt the fan blew more heated air around the house when set at high I still would put the fan down to low at night since I tend to like it a bit cooler in the bedroom (located further away from the stove) . . . the heated air will still move into the bedroom and will be plenty warm enough . . . and besides . . . I have plenty of blankets, a quilt, etc. to pile on if I get cold.

 

[lukem]

For me, it depends a lot on how cold it is going to get at night. If it's going to be really frigid I'll put it on high...not so frigid it goes on low. Your definition of frigid may vary...check local listings.

Since temps have moderated a little I'm mostly running on low...but it saw it's fair share of high this winter. According to the local weather guy this was the 3rd coldest winter in the last 30 years. I picked a good year to install a stove.

My stove is in the basement so noise isn't a big issue. I like some white noise when I'm sleeping anyway.

I have noticed a big difference in how much wood I burn based on the fan setting.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I keep it on high all the time. Slower/warmer vs. faster/cooler...

I may be wrong, but I believe the stove runs a little cooler because you're more efficiently getting the heat out of it into the room at high speed.

 

[wood spliter]

I'm high all the time. I figure it gives a hard blow through the house. I turn it off if coals are at a minimal during morning stat up.

 

[btuser]

I turn the fan off at night and shut the stove down. I don't need the heat at night, and without pulling the heat off the firebox I get a nice hot burn that can last 10 hours. In the morning I have some decent coals for a quick start-up, and I put the fan on to boost the family room before everyone gets up, then down real low or turn off.

My attitude towards the fan has changed because my wood is much dryer now. I don't need the extra air to get a good burn, so I don't need to push the fan so hard to capture the heat I was losing up the chimney, which would overheat my room, which would cause me to to use all manner of fan to push the heat.

 

[cmonSTART]

I keep my fan on low overnight. Actually I wish it would turn on and off automatically - like what's being delivered today. :bug:

 

[SolarAndWood]

I set up a burn then set the fan to how much heat I want in the space over the burn cycle. When its cold or blowing, I use denser wood, higher burn rate and higher fan speed. Last night, no fan and random odd ball shaped wood.

 

[azsteven]

I've generally put the fan up high (and loaded more often as a result) when it's really cold. But I don't have an open floor plan, and I find that after the fire's been going all evening, the hearth room is about 75-80 degrees, and the rest of the house is about 68-70. I also don't have a ceiling fan in the hearth room. I've tried a little doorway fan, but it makes a lot of noise and not sure it's done much for heat distribution. Any other suggestions to move the air around better?

 

[LLigetfa]

I have a 650 CFM blower so even on low it moves enough air. The problem is that it hums more on low than on high and the hum resonates through to the bedroom so I run it on high.

 

[azsteven]

I have a 650 CFM blower so even on low it moves enough air. The problem is that it hums more on low than on high and the hum resonates through to the bedroom so I run it on high.

The fan on my Vermont Castings Montpelier is very loud, and the hum was really annoying. I jammed some fireproof insulation under the fan's housing, and that cut the noise substantially.