Here is all about installing blower fans on wood and gas fireplaces.
The different components of a fireplace all work seamlessly towards the smooth functioning of the system. One of those includes fireplace blowers.
These blowers are either installed inside the unit (but outside of the firebox) or on the fireplace exterior. This vital component helps with even heat distribution.
Fan System For Wood- Burning and Gas Fireplaces
Whether you’re operating a wood or gas fireplace, the blower increases the heat distribution capacity of the heating device. A lot of people erroneously think fireplace blowers increase the BTU of a fireplace.
The truth is that they don’t. Blowers only improve heat circulation or distribution.
Here, we’re taking a look at wood and gas fireplaces with blowers. What are the differences between the two?
It’s already clear that their functions are similar, so we’ll be providing background information that covers as much about wood and gas fireplace blowers as possible.
Fireplace Blowers Don’t Necessarily Come Preinstalled
While prefabricated heating appliances often come preinstalled with basic components like the fireplace blower, not all do. Some homeowners have to install the fireplace blower separately.
This vital component increases the distribution of radiant heat further out, thus enhancing your unit’s efficiency.
Parasitic heat loss is one condition where fireplace heat is lost through venting among other ways. All of that can be taken care of with the simple installation of a fireplace blower.
What’s Your Fireplace Type?
From the start of this article, we’ve mentioned both wood and gas fireplaces as the two fireplace types we’ll be focusing on. Getting blowers for these systems requires identifying one that works best with your type of fireplace.
For example, wood-burning fireplaces include wood inserts, masonry fireplaces, wood fireplaces, and wood stoves. You’ll need to get a blower kit that fits perfectly with the type of wood-burning fireplace you have.
In the case of gas fireplaces, getting the right blower kit requires knowing the particular type you have. There are direct vent, vent-free, B-vent (also called natural vent), as well as power vent gas fireplace systems.
Your specific type of fireplace will determine the blower kit type you install.
Figuring these out can be a bit challenging for most people. This is why it’s vital to discuss with a qualified fireplace technician to guide you through your options.
Fireplace Blower Benefits
Whether you operate a wood or gas fireplace, the addition of a blower gives you several advantages.
Such advantages include increasing the efficiency of your fireplace, quiet operation, more efficient heating of larger spaces or rooms, and also quick installation and easy operation.
Additional advantages of the fireplace blower include the reduction of costly energy bills, affordability, inexpensive to operate, and a long useful lifespan.
You get all of these and even more when you get the right product.
What Do Wood and Gas Fireplace Blowers Come With?
When it comes to fireplace blower installation, there are lots of options to consider in terms of design and accessories.
A blower kit will come with everything (in the form of accessories) that’s needed for installation. Such accessories include the blower itself, and mounting hardware.
Others are the remote controls, thermostats, rheostats, and wiring harnesses among others. Each of these accessories is vital to the smooth functioning of the fireplace blower.
As such, you’ll want to go for products that are tested and reliable.
Best Wood and Gas Fireplace Blowers
If you’re wondering what type of fireplace blower to buy, that will be determined by your needs and the type of fireplace design you have. A professional fireplace technician should be of great help in guiding you through.
However, there are top-quality fireplace blowers you can get in the market.
These are from reputable brands that have been in the business of providing home heating solutions over the years.
Some of these quality fireplace blower products include VICOOL GFK-160A Replacement Stove Fireplace Blower Fan Kit and AIRBLAZE T12 Universal Fireplace Blower Fan Kit.
Other types include Tjernlund Quiet Fireplace Blower Fan Gas Insert, GFK-160A-GFK-160 Fireplace Blower Kit, and Mr. KAN GFK-160 Fireplace Blower Fan Kit.
There are also others like Hongso GFK-160, AC Infinity Airblaze, and BBQ-Element Fireplace Blower Fan.
We won’t be going into details about each of these blower types. You can search for more of these products to find every detail you need about how they work.
Choosing the Right Wood and Gas Fireplace Blowers
Getting the right type of blower for your fireplace depends on knowing or identifying your needs.
Things to look out for in a blower include the power structure, size & type of fan, the cubic feet per meter, as well as the number of blades.
Let’s have a look at each of these;
-
Power Structure
When it comes to the power structure aspect, you’re interested in knowing what will power such fans.
Irrespective of whether you’re using them with wood or gas fireplaces, it’s important to consider whether such fans are battery-powered or use electricity.
For battery-powered fans, knowing the battery capacity will be very important.
-
Size & Type of Fan
What blower fan size do you need? This is mostly determined by the air conditioning systems in a home. The size of the room also plays a role in determining fan size.
Larger rooms will require larger blower fans to be installed.
Having an experienced fireplace technician help out enables you to figure out just what you need.
-
Cubic Feet Per Meter
The extent of air displacement and circulation is measured by the cubic feet per meter (CFM). Standard fans have about 240 CFM ratings.
While this is true, this could either increase or decrease depending on the size of your room.
You’ll need to know what will work best for your situation.
-
Number of Blades
More blades translate to more heat circulation.
Some fireplace blowers come with 2 to 4 winged blades. As always, discussing with a pro does a whole lot of good in giving you an idea of what you need.
Wood and gas fireplace blowers significantly improve heating efficiencies due to enhanced circulation. The discussion above touches on different aspects of the system.
You’ll need professional guidance on the most ideal fireplace blowers to buy.
