# fanned duct system and wood stoves



## Wintergrower_OH (Sep 21, 2010)

I thinking of using a ceiling fan to move the heat from wood stove to the rest of the house . I saw an article saying that a fanned duct system (using the force air pipes) would help to move the heat through out the house. Trying to cut the electric bill during the winter months . I would think the fanned duct system would use too much electricity ?


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## Mossyoak (Feb 11, 2012)

It would probably only pull a few amps if that. It would slowly push air throughout the house and possibly make the air more comfortable if that make sense. Your blower motor in a furnace or air handler would usually pull a max of 4 amps.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

You would be using a fan designed for the job it is doing. Using a ceiling fan would probably cost just as much and wouldn't do near as efficient job. Many forced air systems have it set up so you can run the fan without the rest of the system running so if you have forced air it may just be a matter of turning the fan on. Another advantage is that you could adjust the zones to avoid the whole too hot/too cold thing.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

My main woodburner is basically a 24 dia steel pipe 3 ft long encased in a metal box with a door on the end and a stove pipe out the top. with blower attached that blows into the duct system.


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## artificer (Feb 26, 2007)

If you really want cheap air movement, google thermoelectric generators. Use the heat from the stove to power 12v fans in the duct.

I've been thinking of designing a self powered pellet stove that uses this idea to charge a battery.

You can see some of the self powered stove top fans at stores that sell stoves/wood furnaces. One type is a Stirling engine, but the other is just a simple thermoelectric generator.

Even with a 120v blower... you don't need to have a large blower to get good results. The smaller the blower, the less power it will take. You could size the blower to use the same amount of electricity as the ceiling fan. Since its ducted, you can move the air longer distances, as well as direct the warm air to the coldest/furthest areas.

Michael


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## AgrarianDr (Mar 25, 2011)

The ceiling fan is certainly not the answer - it doesn't really move air sideways, which is what you apparently need - although the right answer depends on how much of the home you are trying to heat (sq feet vs size of wood stove) and what the layout is like.

Despite the fact that a wood stove can run you out of the room where it sits, you might be disappointed - again, depending on size of home etc. - when trying to disperse all of that apparent heat, and end up not really having any of the rooms being "cozy" (have seen this first hand).

My point is to start off slow to see how much area can be "heated", and make the transfer of the heat itself s-l-o-w. The faster you blow it, the cooler it will get before it reaches the room(s) you are trying to heat 

One last thought - if this might apply to you. 2 years ago I helped a friend put a solar air collector on his shop... OMG! What a difference - and CHEAP! I think we spent something like $80 total. To be fair he did use some scrap wood etc, so saved a few bucks there. But still, if you have a south facing wall, and you are even a little "handy"... absolutely worth looking into. Your best bet for this is to go to BuildItSolar.com - they don't sell anything, but do offer a ton of good info and detailed plans


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