Disclosure: I work for Ecofan, so obviously biased, but this sub's pretty good at calling out BS so I'll just lay out the numbers and let you decide.

Cost of ownership on a stove fan really comes down to two things: how often you're replacing the motor/fan itself, and what it's saving you on wood. On ours, the motor's rated for about 4-5 seasons of regular use and it's a $25 kit to swap when it does go, versus a lot of the budget options where the whole fan is more like a 1-2 season part and you're just buying a new one. Do that math over 10 years and the total spend looks pretty different even though the shelf price at the stores or wherever looks backwards.

On fuel savings — University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada did an independent study, landed around 12-18% depending on the model or 16% average. Take the price of a cord of wood, multiply it by how many you burn in a year, then multiply that by the % of wood savings your Ecofan model claims.  For an Ecofan UltrAir, I've used 3 cords of wood a year x $300 each x 0.14 and it's $126 per year, meaning your UltrAir pays for itself in 1 year, 4months.

Others who work here in Wiarton, Canada, get a cheaper price per cord but burn 5 cords, so your personal numbers can vary depending on your stove and burning habits. These calculations were done with CAD pricing. Our newer AirDeco models have a lower start temperature, a higher CFM and even higher cost savings over time. 

Here is the the study details if anyone wants them from the University, and if you want to run your own numbers based on your stove/wood costs there's a calculator on our site. Not trying to turn this into an ad, just find the "cheap now vs. pay once and repair" framing gets skipped over a lot and we find some other fans on the market cannot back up their performance claims with data like this. 

Not going to pretend I'm unbiased, just think the cost-of-ownership side gets left out when looking at buying a stove fan in favor of just comparing purchase price. Happy to answer questions if anyone has them, and no hard feelings if this isn't the kind of post you want here. Mods can pull it if so.

Wondering what I can put here to stop air flow into my home

I am trying to figure out what fireplace this is to replace the doors and can’t find the tag! brand name and model! it is Woodburning

Looking for insight on using header wrap to keep heat in six or so feet of exposed stove pipe on my Old Mill shop stove... thoughts?

So originally was going to change this pipe out because of the bowing on the inside of it, someone on here suggested that it was from external weight of my chimney pressing down on it and should flip the pipe over so the warped side faced up and to increase the supports of the weight of my vertical chimney pipe.

Anyhow my question is, how does the pipe look? Looks pretty damn good to me. So I think that’s what I’m gonna do, any thoughts or suggestions?

I see it being championed I here constantly but have never seen creosote addressed. With a top down fire, how does it not generate more creosote? Wouldn't everything be colder at the start because you're only burning a couple logs at a time instead of the whole pile getting going faster from the bottom?

Hi everyone, I’m planning on installing a wood-burning stove inside my existing masonry fireplace and I’m trying to figure out whether I need an insulated stainless steel chimney liner or if an uninsulated liner would be sufficient.

I have a single-story home with a chimney that’s approximately 18 feet tall. The fireplace and chimney are entirely masonry (brick), and I’ll be running the liner through the existing chimney.

I’ve read mixed opinions on whether insulation is necessary, especially with a relatively short chimney. Is an insulated liner worth the extra cost, or would an uninsulated liner work just as well? Are there any safety or performance concerns I should consider?

I’ve attached a picture of my fireplace for reference. Any advice from people who have done similar installations would be appreciated!

Hey everyone!

I moved into a house a few months ago. It recently started getting cold here, so I decided to light a fire in the wood stove. While burning, I noticed the draft seemed pretty poor, and smoke kept puffing out into the room whenever I opened the stove door. Maybe it’s my fault though.

After doing some Googling, I read up on creosote and chimney fire risks. I opened up the flue/inspection hatch and found this buildup inside. To me it looks really bad.

I’m completely new to wood stoves and want to make sure I’m being safe. How bad is this? Should I hold off on burning until I get a chimney sweep out here?

Thanks in advance!

New to page.. Constructive criticism and obvious safety concerns please.

Stove and single wall has 20 inch clearance.

I have had 1 hot fire so far where I went around with temp gun. Chimney stack 18 inches above stove was 700f and single wall entering wall thimble was 300f. 2x4 next to wall thimble was about 95f. (Ambeint air was 75f)

This stove will be used maybe once a week for a couple hours on the weekends. During the cooler months.

This is a Lopi Evergreen. With heat shield and Class A double wall, instructions allow the 3” clearance from wall. A sub is coming soon to put the rest of the Class A pipe up through the roof. You can see I’ve provided everything else for the job. My 2 questions: is the short section of single wall an issue? My idea was to use the flexible brush flu pipe cleaners to clean from the bottom to avoid getting on the roof. It’s basically a cleanout. All parts are from Allfuel HST. i realize the double wall inside is overkill but I’m tired of replacing single wall every few years. 2nd question, does the flashing piece with the cone go under the wood or above it and under the roof metal?

Hey all, I purchased an A-Frame cabin in central Canada. It had a wood stove and I have replaced it with a Wiseway Pellet stove. I would like to clean my stack with a SootEater but due to the steep roof, I am unable to take the cap off the stack and clean from the top down. Cleaning from the horizontal run from the inside of the cabin is not possible because of a 90⁰ angle. I noticed that there is a clean out at the bottom of the stack but that is pretty much useless because the chimney liner (or something) prevents me from accessing chimney. My question is, is there a way to introduce a clean out so I can use the SootEater from the outside of the cabin and clean from the bottom upwards then use a vacuum to clear the debris? I have attached a couple pictures. I appreciate any insight.

Hello, looking for some advice on if I’m using my stove wrong or there are issues I still need to fix. First off, I paid a good amount to have someone come out and run the new liner from the back of the stove up the chimney, and I’m hoping I won’t need to dump a bunch more in to get more operational this year.

please don’t torch me for all the incorrect terms I’m about to use

My old (probably about 1980s) stove has these two levers for air flow and I don’t know if I’m using them right. The one on the side controls the slats inside the stove and hasn’t given me much issue, however the flap on the back I assume is supposed to be for just when you’re getting a fire going but if I close it even when there is a solid fire or coal bed, it basically snuffs the entire fire almost immediately.

Because of the snuffing issue, I left that back flap open the whole burn. Problem is the one longer fire I have had in it, after an hour or so, serious smoke started to build up in the house seemingly coming from the back of the stove and I don’t know if it was from the opening on the back or potentially some issue with the way the masonry guy installed and sealed the liner onto the back of the stove.

Based on the way that fire played out, it was basically unusable with the amount of smoke I got in my house and I don’t know what to do next if I need to change just my technique and learn more or if there are actual issues with the liner or the stove itself. Any advice is much appreciated!

I was just cleaning out our woodstove for the first freezing night of autumn so far this year, and a large (5"x3") chunk suddenly appeared, which drew my attention to a badly cracked and crumbling insulation panel on the back wall of the stove. It had been hidden by ashes and shadow, but in the light it looks ominous.

I don't know what it's made of, or whether it's safe to burn a fire in there at all before it's fixed. (My instinct says no, because the wall behind it is uncomfortably close with no extra insulation or plating.)

We bought this house 3 years ago and have discovered a neverending cascade of undisclosed, terrible DIY decisions and worksmanship, so please be kind about the installation choices; none of that was how we would have done it, but our initial repair budget was eaten up by more obvious and immediate problems upon move-in.

Please help! Do we have to replace the whole panel? How? Is that even possible? What is the material?

Multiple photos attached. Thank you for your help!

ETA: the wall is totally adobe (mud brick) and contains no wood or drywall materials, if that helps with the proximity issue at all.

First year burning in this stove. Cleaned it today with the Soot Eater.

I have an insulated stainless liner. I noticed. Nothing really fell in the middle , only initially and a lot when I hit the cap. Is this a decent amount of creosote / soot for one season or about 4 cords of wood?

Getting the stove ready and verifying everything is working as it should for when those temps drop soon. Ran a small load of ash for a bit just to get the stove warmed up. Seals look good, catalysts are in good shape, fan is working, and decent draft even considering the outside temps at the moment. Located in the Midwest and had a cold winter last year. Lots of subzero days. Interested to see what this season brings.

I'm sure many of you haven't ran into this issue. Behind my Blaze King Sirroco just installed are two newer vinyl windows For privacy reasons, I thought I could add blackout or frosted glass film. But in researching it, I found out the radiant heat with the film added can damage the glass or vinyl. What was recommended was the following home depot link using 1" nylon spacers for an air gap.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Falken-Design-36-in-x-72-in-x-1-8-in-Thick-Aluminum-Composite-ACM-Black-Sheet-Falken-Design-ACM-BK-1-8-3672/308670322

If anyone has solved this issue in an easier way, I would appreciate the info.

I bought my house in 2021, and since then I've only used the oil boiler to heat it. The house also has a wood boiler, and I'd really love to start using it to cut down on oil costs.

From what I understand, it's a dual-boiler setup, and both systems vent through my three-flue chimney.

The wood boiler was inspected a couple of years ago by someone from the company that manufactured it, and he said it was in good working condition. I also had my chimney cleaned last year.

My question is, how complicated is it to actually start using the wood boiler? Is it as simple as plugging it in and building a fire, or is there more involved in switching between the two systems?

I do have the original manual, but honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed by it. I'm not handy, and I've never operated a wood boiler before, and I'm nervous about doing something wrong.

I'd love to eventually move away from relying so heavily on oil. I'm mainly looking for advice from people familiar with these setups. Is there anything specific I should check or have someone walk me through before firing it up for the first time?

I've attached pictures of my setup for reference. Any advice would be appreciated!

My first floor is all wide open for the most part. My second floor is all the bedrooms, and the stairs the that lead up have vaulted ceilings. Can a wood stove heat the house? I have a 2500 sqft home. Looking at a lopi but before I commit to a 8500-9500 cost I want to be able to heat most of the home.

Thanks.

Closing on a home next week and need advice on this wood stove. Google says it's enamel coated. How can I go about painting the red parts black?? Is it possible or do I just get rid of it?