Wood stove fan on wallas

A

Aiviq

New member
I had a Wallas stove installed on Aiviq this summer. So far I've used it mostly for cooking, but a little bit for heating. I had three concerns about it from a heating standpoint. First, the fan was noisier than I expected when the lid was down. Second, I was a bit concerned about increasing the battery drain with the blower running. Third, the blower directs the heat to the dinette, but it doesn't get circulated forward very well. My experince was that the dinette berth got to warm, while the v-berth didn't warm up much at all.

I saw a fan at a woodstove shop in Nanaimo, and thought I'd give it a try.

You just set it on top of the burner plate, and the heat of the burner sets up some kind of induction current inside causing it to spin - it doesn't draw any external current at all or need a battery. It does a good job of circulating air over the empty burner, is totally silent, and can be aimed wherever you want it. A couple photos are in my album on page 2 of the inside passage subfolder (page 3 of the Aiviq album).

Jim
 
that looks like a helluva find, quiet, doesn't draw from the battery, what more could a person want? If I could just get M to up my allowance I'd be having me one. I see they offer a three bladed model, do you think it would be worth the extra money or does the two blade unit suffice?

what pitch are you running on that blade? :)
 
Yes, it's an Ecofan. I looked at the three bladed ecofan plus model, but ended up buying the two bladed one because it's smaller and less bulky. The three bladed fan should really move some air up into the v-berth though, if storage isn't an issue on your boat (as if!). They are available from lots of places online, but if you want to buy one locally, look at a store that sells wood stoves.

Jim
 
Question on safety, is it o.k. to leave the lid up on the wallas for extended periods of time (over night) - I also hate the noise the fan makes - just curios if there is a danger of overheating the stove.

If it is safet to leave the lid up than the fan in this thread sure seems like a great way to go.

Joe - Sundog Crew
 
B~C":v3tzkaae said:
what pitch are you running on that blade? :)
Click to expand...

I wonder if you would gain or lose speed with a different pitch? And what about fuel economy? What would be better, dual fans or one big fan with a smaller "kicker" fan?


Oh, wait... What was this thread about again? :?:
 
AK Angler":1tscon80 said:
What would be better, dual fans or one big fan with a smaller "kicker" fan?
Oh, wait... What was this thread about again? :?:
Click to expand...

Since I've got twin engines, I figure I'd go with the "dual fans".....that way I could reverse one and forward the other then I'd get hot air flow in all directions. Additionally, if one of 'em quit on me, I'd have a good sized fan to keep me warm on the way home...... :lol:

(Bring it on all you guys with the big single engine and itty bitty kicker... :crook )
 
Rene and I have been using a D battery operated fan from West Marine positioned on the bulkhead window and blowing at an angle across both burners ( across open stove surface). The fan is rigged so it can't accidently fall onto the stove. Like Sundog wondered, we don't know if cooling is adequate with our system either? We're guessing, if the porcelain burner area ( specifically the hot one) is not red then it's ok? Never have left it on at night, being a D battery fan. It sure is nice and quiet, and moves air well within the cabin space. The eco-fan looks inviting not needing batteries, and being safe on a hot surface.
Tom
 
Question on safety, is it o.k. to leave the lid up on the wallas for extended periods of time (over night) - I also hate the noise the fan makes - just curios if there is a danger of overheating the stove.
Click to expand...

I wondered about that, too. I turn the stove down to medium, but to tell the truth, I've never had it on overnight (mostly because of freakishly good weather on my inside passage trip). I don't know if it could overheat and damage the stove, but I have worried about leaving an open burner unattended. If something fell on it, it could possibly cause a fire. I try to be real careful that there isn't any opportunity for something to come in contact with the burner. I have let it run several hours at a time, and I certainly haven't seen any evidence of damage to the stove.

Jim
 
As my father used to admonish me, when in doubt, read the instructions. A quick check of the Wallas manual, such as it is, confirmed the existence of and "overheating cut-out". Therefore, I think the worst that can happen (famous last words....) is it will shut off.

I think this is a heck of a good idea and I'm calling Cabelas today to order me one of those fans.
Al
 
We just got back from a couple of days on the lake and we got to try out our new Ecofan. We left the Wallas on low all night with the Ecofan blowing across the cooktop from right to left. It worked like a charm, was completely quiet, and quite miserly on fuel. And we didn't melt anything down either.

Thanks Aiviq for a heck of a good idea.

Al
 
MOOSE":1fdv67ww said:
We just got back from a couple of days on the lake and we got to try out our new Ecofan. We left the Wallas on low all night with the Ecofan blowing across the cooktop from right to left. It worked like a charm, was completely quiet, and quite miserly on fuel. And we didn't melt anything down either.
Al
Click to expand...

Al,
Which fan do you have ...... the two bladed or three bladed?
 
Is the wallas supposed to be totaly quite while cooking? Mine has never been. I thought the fan was supposed to run all the time. If it is supposed to stop when you lift the lid can someone tell me where to check to find the problem?

Thanks,
Steve
 
The built-in fan should turn off when you lift the lid. There is a switch that is triggered at the rear of the lid. Can't remember exactly where it is, but I do remember tweaking the little tab that presses on the switch a little once as I had the same problem intermittantly.
 
We have the two-blade model. At first you'll swear it isn't moving any air at all, but when you put your face near it you can feel the breeze. We left the solar vent fan on all night too and with the combination of heat and ventilation the cabin was nice and dry in the morning. Having said all of this, the overnight low was only 52F. It'll be interesting to see what happens as temperatures approach freezing later in the month. But I'm sold on the Ecofan - warmth with silence while you sleep!
Al
 
Al- (Moose)

How's that hinged fan you mounted in the companionway to the v-berth working out? It's the easiest way to push air into the v-berth that I know of. Is the volume of air too much, too little, or about right? Did you try to add a two speed or infinitely variable switch? Just curious! Joe.[/list]
 
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