Fireplace Blower Question
 

Ok, so I'm wondering if any forum member has a fireplace with a blower. I'm wondering how effective these blowers are and whether they are worth adding to my Superior Direct Vent gas fireplace.

Everytime I shop for a blower kit whether locally or online, I baulk at the price ($250-$300). You could almost get a new fireplace for that. Then you wonder when you would ever get the return of your investment in heat recovery for the price you pay. Also, I'm wondering if they are noisy.

I've never had a blower put in a fireplace. But I'm really interested in doing it. Any input would be appreciated.

I added a blower to the "builder grade" gas fireplace that came with my home. The selling price of this cheapo looking little fan did seem excessive, but in my opinion it was well worth it. A lot more heat goes into the room now, and you hardly even hear the thing running. Install was very easy, as I found the unit made specifically for my make & model fireplace.

My in-laws have a blower but I'm not sure if it is what you are referring to.
Its 2 pieces- 1 is a small fan with a manifold that connects to part #2, which is a casting of 7 pipes, curved such that their open ends stick out the top and bottom of the fireplace..like this...

edit- sorry - cant get the image to work.


It is very quiet, throws out a lot of heat, and if the fire is struggling, you can just take the fan manifold part off and use it to "fan the flames" - sometimes helps get the fire started.

As an engineer, I always wondered if we could improve such a system, but really, for the price and work involved - its well worth it.

-John

I don't know much about direct vent gas fireplaces and how much heat escapes, but for a wood/pellet/coal/cob fireplace insert they're well worth it. I grew up in a house that used cord wood (read free, cut to length & split ourselves, we got off easy with a woodsplitter ;)) for 85% of the heat and the blower absolutely helped and with circulation, too.

I have a wood burning fireplace insert with a 2 speed blower. It makes a HUGE difference in how effectively it heats our home.

It has a thermostat that allows it to come on once the firebox reaches 150˚.

The only thing I'd like to see different would be to use a Stirling engine to power the blower instead of electric which requires a cord to run across a portion of the hearth. Since you need 150˚ air for the blower anyway, the Stirling engine would come on when you need it and shut off when it cooled down enough.

I have to look into upgrading my unit this way.:)

I have a gas fireplace insert with a fan. Huge difference with the fan. But of course being an insert you need the fan to get the heat out. I would not say it is quiet. I had a freestanding wood stove, again it had a fan and that made a big difference. Air movement makes a big difference for heat transfer. That is why they put fans in computers. You might try a local fireplace shop. Sometimes they will quote a reasonable price. Or maybe Ebay? I would think maybe 175.00 is a more reasonable price. I suppose it depends what all it consists of.

My new home has a wood burning fireplace with a heatilator installed. It's fantastic, would totally recommend it. I think my wife loves it more than she loves me. :P ;)

My last home had a wood burning fireplace but no blower/fan. It was pretty, but was a net heat loss.

New fireplace really cranks out the heat, especially once you have some coals going. Variable rate fan means you can set it to minimal flow (and almost no sound) to full speed with high flow rate and somewhat noisier. Not sure about how efficient it would be with gas, but check out this site for more info -

http://www.heatilator.com/index.asp