Our wood stove insert includes a blower with a dial that goes from OFF then HIGH then LOW speed. With firebrick and leaving the blower on LOW speed, the next morning it would be blowing cold air. If the blower is OFF overnight, the room is colder in the morning. Here's 2 improvements:
Replace firebrick with soapstone. This has higher heat capacity. With blower on LOW overnight, it's blowing warm air the next morning. Only the side bricks were replaced. The
Heat Storage would be better if the floor bricks were also done but that's up to your budget. Now, just remember to turn off blower.
2nd improvement is to add a "thermal switch" to the blower circuit (aka "thermal clicker"). They're easy to find online but search for 'wood stove thermal switch', Amazon $9. Next, high temperature wire with silicone insulation & fiberglass wrapping (aka "appliance wire") Amazon $7 for 3 meters. The wire could be removed from kitchen appliances, like a toaster, if there's enough length. Find a hot spot on your stove & test the switch is open when cold, closed when warm/hot. Hopefully you ordered the right style, they sent the right style & it's not broken. Remove blower assembly (2 screws on mine) and find a location downwind of the blower where the magnetic switch could be. This would be a good time to clean & check blower bearings are still good. Measure how much wire you need and add extra so the blower assembly can be detached and the switch placed in the space where the air goes. At this point you can have someone do the wiring or you can. You can take the blower assembly, thermal wire & switch to someone handy or make connections yourself. I chose to soldier & use heat shrink tubing. Just be sure to use high temperature parts. Place magnetic thermal switch where you can & reinstall blower. On your 1st fire, set blower to LOW and it will not start until air is warm/hot. Blower will stop automatically when air is cool. After a few fires, inspect wires for heat tolerance (no brown spots, not brittle). Choose another location for magnet if needed.
This was done on a Dutchwest 2502.
