Eco-Fan, doe's it work?

[captain rosie]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

[djangobole]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

I had one and it worked well until it packed up i then bought a small desk fan for £5 and it works just as well, a lot cheaper to buy but uses electricity although a very small amount.

[Derek Porteous]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

 

 

Well, I think they do. It seems to distribute the heat more evenly, especially when the stove is at the extreme front of the boat. Having had one for four years, only problem I have had is it being knocked off the stove going through a lock and the blades having to be "re-aligned" by hand to repair it.

 

Wouldn't be without one now.

Edited December 17, 2008 by Derek Porteous

[NB Willawaw]

Eco-fans use the heat from a stove to drive the fan blades around.

Its just a circulatory thing.

 

They do work but only by spreading heat and reducing hot spots.

[Tim Lewis]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

 

Bought one for the (now) ex girfriends boat and it made a world of difference in that it pushed heat up to the front of the boat, the stove being at the back, and it meant no more frozen feet!

 

Tim

[chris w]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

I have one and it does make a difference. Try to get the 3-bladed version rather than the 2-bladed version as it pushes a lot more air. The 3-bladed is around £95 (try Ebay)

 

Chris

[Odana]

As my stove's in the middle of the boat, and I want its heat to go round a wall, through the bathroom and into the bedroom rather than just pooling by my desk and maming me doze over my study, I figured an ecofan wouldn't work for me. The other day a friend suggested a small 12V fan as sold for cars, positioned somewhere it'll be able to blow air in the right direction. Excellent idea - will be looking for one and i suspect it'll be cheaper(if not as aesthetically pleasing) as an ecofan. I have a 240V desk fan I use already when plugged into mains, but this should be more convenient and use less power - I hope. Worth looking at, anyway

[NB Willawaw]

PC fans might be quieter and will last longer ! Try Maplins

 

 

As my stove's in the middle of the boat, and I want its heat to go round a wall, through the bathroom and into the bedroom rather than just pooling by my desk and maming me doze over my study, I figured an ecofan wouldn't work for me. The other day a friend suggested a small 12V fan as sold for cars, positioned somewhere it'll be able to blow air in the right direction. Excellent idea - will be looking for one and i suspect it'll be cheaper(if not as aesthetically pleasing) as an ecofan. I have a 240V desk fan I use already when plugged into mains, but this should be more convenient and use less power - I hope. Worth looking at, anyway

Edited December 18, 2008 by NB Willawaw

[sociable_hermit]

It's all spin, I tell you

 

Eco-fans are good at blowing hot air around, but that's all they do. If you have a bulkhead in the way, an Eco-fan can't blow hot air through it. Don't expect miracles.

 

They're great for distributing heat over a small-ish area. For a bigger area, you're better off with a back boiler and a gravity / convection-fed radiator.

 

Oh, and be careful with your eco-fan. A friend of mine has one which has been dropped, and it ticks. Chinese water torture has nothing on this.

 

 

Edited four speeling

Edited December 18, 2008 by sociable_hermit

[saltysplash]

It's all spin, I tell you

 

Eco-fans are good at blowing hot air around, but that's all they do. If you have a bulkhead in the way, and Eco-fan can't blow hot air through it. Don't expect miracles.

 

They're great for distributing heat over a small-ish area. For a bigger area, you're better off with a back boiler and a gravity / convection-fed radiator.

 

Oh, and be careful with your eco-fan. A friend of mine has one which has been dropped, and it ticks. Chinese water torture has nothing on this.

 

 

Cant really say that we noticed any considerable difference either.

 

We have a 3 blade fan and its main use is an indicator as how hot the stove is running

[dor]

I'm not entirely convinced they are as good as some people claim. I've had one for about 7 years now and originally I was a great believer in them. But then, psychologically, if you spend a lot of money on something you want it to work. I suspect that walking up and down your boat a couple of times makes more difference to the air temperature at the back of the boat than the fan achieves. However I am fairly convinced it does make a difference to the vertical heat distribution. Normally with a stove running, floor level is cold, not too bad in the middle and there is a tropical heatwave in the top foot or so. the fan does seem to reduce this differential, but then swinging a small towel around for 30 secs also does it.

 

As Salty says, they are very good at telling you how hot your stove is though.

[Marc Harris]

Totally agreed with dor, the vertical difference is excellent. I used to sit at the breakfast bar, on a high stool sweating, while the other half was laid on the low settee watching tv under a blanket! She also used to keep a bottle of water on the floor to keep it cool. Now with the eco-fan, the temperature is pretty much the same from floor to ceiling, the floor is warm, and she can't leave her water out now as it's horribly warm to drink.

 

A 12v pc fan would achieve exactly the same effect, and cost a lot less, but the eco-fan is more aesthetically pleasing and uses no power.

[stickleback]

I think they're great. I've got a solid fuel heater at the front of the boat and a thermostat for the diesel central heating at the back. Without the ecofan, the stove makes the front of the boat really hot, while the radiators are on at the back as it is otherwise chilly there. When I put the eco fan on the stove, it takes about 20 minutes for the thermostat to trip off and the rads are off as long as the fan is in place. Which is one of the reasons I'm not too keen on using the stove for slow cooking casseroles etc - though it does look very comforting to see a casserole on there!

The only place it doesn't get to is the loo! (The air from the ecofan, not the casserole....)

 

Stickleback

[AlanH]

hi all, my mate has "lent" me her eco-fan, it cost her £75. I can't seem to tell if it makes my boat any hotter? I think it's warmth is purely phsyco-sematic (spelling?) It spins so i feel warmer! I've used a thermometer (because i'm a bit geeky like that) but the readings are very similar. Whats the science behind it? Before i buy it from her i want to make sure it's a sound investment? Any thoughts? Are Eco-Fans any good?

An executive toy. I've got one and it makes no difference at all. If you think about it you can stop the thing safely with your finger so how on earth does it have enough power to circulate air throughout a boat? Try holding a joss stick up in front of one and you'll see hardly any deflection of the smoke. If it goes wrong you can't buy spares but you have to send it back to Canada for repair.

As Salty Splash says, its only practical use is as a temperature indicator.

Looks good though.

[parasal]

I got a fan from maplins but it just seems to blow a draft around and make it feel colder..??? Am I doing something wrong??

[bottle]

I got a fan from maplins but it just seems to blow a draft around and make it feel colder..??? Am I doing something wrong??

 

Fan speed is too fast.

[Boatgypsy]

I'm not impressed with them.

 

The one I had did work for a while, although I'm not convinced that the small difference it made was worth the money. The big problem was with the damn thing falling off the fire - even a small amount of engine vibration seemed to make it "dance" slowly towards the edge of the fire. After falling off a couple of times the blades were bent, it made a horrible grunching noise and after the third time it stopped working all together.

 

As others have said, the money it cost would have bought a small computer fan and paid for the power to run it for many years.

[parasal]

It did slow down briefly when I got my finger in the way! Ouch!!

I guess thats getting into fitting resisitors and other such complicated stuff....or get another fan!!

[alan_fincher]

I agree with the more moderate comment here, such as from Sociable Hermit.

 

They do help spread heat, but don't expect miracles.

 

They are good in an open space, but once bulkheads start cutting in for bathroom areas, etc., don't expect much help through narrow corridors.

 

They are supposed to be positioned on your stove such that the chimney is not behind them. That's fine with a big stove, but if you have a smaller topped stove like Puffin/Heron/Torgem, that put's them perilously close to the edge, possibly even overhanging slightly. Ours has had a few falls, and I think it maybe doesn't spin quite so well as a result. We try to remember to remove it from the stove if doing lots of locks.

 

If you don't mind the power consumption a 12 volt fan is undoubtedly as effective, (and certainly a hell of a lot cheaper). But it will not alert you to when the stove is going out.

[Bones]

My eco fan makes a difference, not only does it keep the temperature constant (rather than pockets of warmth), it pushing the heat down to the back of the boat where my bedroom is. I have my boat at a constant 10-15 degrees now which is delicious.

 

I lent my fan to Maffi on Milly M, and he doesn't have a single bulkhead in the same place on his boat, and it made a huge difference to him. In winter the bathroom and study are rather nippy, but with the eco fan it made them more tolerable.

[captain rosie]

Hmmm, mixed opinions then, I have to say, I'm not really that convinced it makes much difference . It just seems like such a lot of money to part with! I think if she offers it to me cheap then I'll buy it. £75 to £85 is just silly money for something that isn't great!!

[Chris Pink]

So any theories about why it is sooooooo expensive?

[freedom]

Oh, and be careful with your eco-fan. A friend of mine has one which has been dropped, and it ticks. Chinese water torture has nothing on this.

 

Oi! it doesn't make too much noise! you get used to it, but it does seem to circulate the air and get some heat to the back end of the boat, the stove being at the front. I deffinatly know its not on the stove when its fallen off!

[AlanH]

So any theories about why it is sooooooo expensive?

They probably don't sell that many. The dies for the chassis extrusions must have cost a fortune. The motor is cheap enough but I don't know about the bit that generates the current.

[Bones]

if you drop 'em straighten up the blades - that should stop the ticking!

 

If you have tried it, and you don't think much of it, then don't buy it!