We like well engineered stuff....

The Morso Squirrel

Morso are a Danish cast iron stove manufacturer dating back to 1853. Whilst there are endless solutions in terms of wood stoves and alternatives I recommend these time tested stoves as I have relied on a woodburner a large amount of my life and have had 3 of these.   Some of their modern stoves look a little whack in my eyes, but this classic little number kicks out 4.6 kW and can house a back boiler for radiator/ storage tank connection.  They are just a simple & well built piece of engineering.  Whilst super- efficient alternatives to wood fuel exist, eg, rocket stove mass heaters, in some scenarios efficient stoves are more reliable/ practical/ meet local legislation.

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8,000 BTU Back Boiler option

The capacity to precisely control airflow is vital for effective combustion.  This stove allows simple and total control, and I used to burn oak logs through the night and with a quick riddle, handful of twigs and new logs and off it goes in the morning.  I also found after years of working with this stove the ideal amount of ash to leave in the ash pan to further maximize the air flow control.  Managing a wood stove effectively involves understanding air volumes (room ventilation) the stove needs for optimum combustion, understanding of the stove's dynamics and properly DRIED wood.  A chimney thermometer is a great little visual aide to monitor optimum combustion.  (Inappropriate low temperature combustion leads to tar & chimney fires!)

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Eco- fans optimize heat distribution

These fans generate their own electricity using the heat from a stove. The fan acts like a large heat sink, drawing heat from the stove up through the aluminium base. Half way up the base is a peltier cooler. The temperature difference between the bottom and top of the base causes the peltier cooler to produce low voltage electricity. This powers the electric fan which blows warm air around the room.

Stoves are good a radiating the heat, but can sometimes leave parts of the room cold while, closer to the stove is lovely and warm.   I have lived on several Narrowboats, essentially like living in a long corridor, and after many cold winters on the cut I highly recommend them.  Some people see them as expensive, but I think they are a highly 

Note: The fan will run slowly on a hot radiator or on top of a hot cup of tea/coffee, which makes it ideal for class room demonstrations. 

The Peltier-Seebeck effect
The peltier cooler in this fan uses the Peltier-Seebeck effect. In 1821, Thomas Johann Seebeck discovered that a solid metal bar that had a large temperature difference between the two ends produced an electric current. In 1834 Jean Peltier took this discovery further by observing that two different metals or semiconductors that are connected in a particular way (Peltier junctions) could act as a heat pump if electricity was passed cross them. In other words heat would be pumped from one side to the other, creating one cool side and one hot side. Peltier coolers are often called thermo-electric coolers (TEC). 

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