Wood Stove Add Ons

Wood stove add ons ENERGY Wood Burners (65) 9-1-11 "I've used my wood stove air assist fan for two years and find it to be one of the neatest and most efficient innovations in the farm home," says Eugene Bassler, Maquoketa, Iowa, who's come up with two wood stove add-ons that make wood-burning easier and more efficient. His air assist device attaches to the side of the stove and is hooked to controls that regulate the force of the blower and shut it off automatically. "In the morning I see how many embers remain in my stove, add a little dry wood, and then set my timer for anywhere from 2 to 15 min. Usually in 4 or 5 min. I have a roaring fire going. Building a hotter fire faster helps eliminate soot and creosote in chimneys and keeps ashes down to a minimum," says Bassler. The add-on device uses a 100 cfm squirrel cage fan fitted to a flange on the side of the stove. A 1 dia. directional pipe inside the stove helps direct the flow of air directly on the fire. A rheostat is used to control amount of air flow. "You have to be careful because a small spark can become a forge in 5 min.," notes Bassler. He also installed a gas igniter inside his wood stove using an old water heater burner. He uses the burner anytime he starts a fire. Because the burner is fitted with thermostatic controls, he also uses it to ignite wood on cold winter mornings when temperatures drop below a pre-set level. Once the fire gets going and temperatures rise, the burner shuts off. Bassler sells plans for the two add-on ideas for $3.00 for both ideas. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eugene Bassler, Rt. 2, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 (ph 319 686-4347).

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