Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Use Ceiling Fans With A Wood Stove







Redirect fan rotation to distribute wood stove heat in the home.


Heating your home with a wood stove is one way to save on gas and electrical heating costs. Although many wood stoves have built-in fans to help circulate the heat, often it is not enough to heat other areas of your home. It is possible to use ceiling fans with a wood stove to distribute the heat more evenly. Using ceiling fans depends upon where the wood stove is in your home in relation to the ceiling fans.


Instructions


1. Go to the ceiling fans on a level above the wood stove, if you live in a multi-level home. Turn on the ceiling fan and determine which direction the blades move. For upper levels, you want to push the air down so that the heated air does not go into the attic. Blades should move in a counterclockwise direction.


2. Turn off the ceiling fan and wait for the blades to stop turning, if the blades currently move clockwise. Locate the reverse switch on the side of the motor housing. The reverse switch is a simple toggle switch. Move the switch to the opposite position with your finger to reverse the blade direction.


3. Look at the direction of the ceiling fan in the same room as the wood stove. Blades should rotate counterclockwise and push the air down just as the ceiling fans in upper floors do. Reverse the blade direction as necessary.


4. Go to the other ceiling fans in adjacent rooms on the same floor as the wood stove. These fans should draw in the heated air. The blade rotation should be clockwise. Turn off the fans and reverse the rotation direction if necessary.

Tags: ceiling fans, wood stove, your home, blade direction, Blades should, direction necessary, push down