As the nights start to draw in with the advent of autumn and winter, so too do the temperatures start to drop. While built-in fireplaces are more commonplace in older houses, many households nowadays rely on freestanding burners, both electric or log-burning, to transform living rooms into cosy corners to hide from the cold. However, burners by themselves are not always the most efficient things to get heat into every corner of the room, and you might find yourself huddled all-too close to the thing in search of warmth. So how can you remedy this?

A stove fan might be your answer. Usually place on top of the burner, they use the heat produced and blow it around the room, increasing the efficiency of your burner and giving you a much toastier room in the process. So, keep thinking warm thoughts while you take a look at our breakdown of the best stove fans available to buy right now. You might also  want to have a look at our selection of the top electric log burners, something stove fans go with ideally.

1. VonHaus 3-Blade Stove Fan

VonHaus’ triple-bladed stove fan works via a thermoelectric generator to economically and efficiently distribute heat from your freestanding burner. The module, connected to the fan, operates automatically and varies its speed dependent on the temperature in the room, so will never need batteries or a connection to the mains electricity.

It has a temperature range of 50-350°C and circulates air at between 140 and 170 CFM (cubic feet per minute), so will comfortably reach the nooks and crannies of most living spaces. It’s also a very compact unit, at 22.5cm high, 15cm wide and 9cm deep, and requires no serious installation – just unpack, pop it on top of your burner and leave it to do its silent thing.

2. 4 Your Home Compact Stove Fan

This slimline stove fan by 4 Your Home is ideally designed for either smaller burners, or burners with limited room around them. Using the manufacturer’s own ‘bi-plane’ shape, it takes up very little space at just roughly 12cm high, 21.5cm wide and 12cm deep and uses a 3-blade fan to distribute warmed air around the room. It does this very evenly and efficiently, cleverly distributing air around instead of creating an obvious air stream in front of the fan.

Owing to its size it will capably handle smaller rooms, and runs entirely from any heat produced by the burner it’s sitting on – no batteries or mains electricity supplies needed.  The operating temperature range is between 65 and 345°C

3. Voda Mini Stove Fan

At just 12.5cm high, Voda’s mini stove fan is truly mini. Don’t let the size or the name foo you though, because it packs in far more than you’d think for such a small unit. Made from a rust and corrosion-proof black anodised aluminium, the three-blade design distributes heat evenly and efficiently. The operating temperature range is between 85 and 350°C, and a neat design feature includes a small metallic strip l°Cated on the base which will raise the fan slightly as the maximum temperature is approached. This helps create a little airflow to ensure the unit stays below the maximum temperature, but also serves as a visual indicator.

An extendable carry handle on the back of the unit gives you the freedom to move it around even when in use (make sure to wear gloves), and it features a battery-free operation – it relies solely on the heat produced by the burner, doing so in near-silence.

4. Tomersun 3-Blade Stove Fan

This 3-blade stove fan by Tomersun has all the features you’d look for at a smart price. Coming in at approximately 22x17x10cm, the aluminium unit uses heat from the burner to power it, no batteries or mains electricity needed. Working on a low starting temperature of 55°C, which gets air moving more quickly, it has a maximum of around 300°C.

A useful built-in safety feature helps protect the device from temperatures exceeding this, with a small metallic safety strip l°Cated in the base of the unit. This acts to lift the unit in case of temperatures exceeding 300°C, protecting the motor and fan and giving you a visual indicator of when the temperature’s too high. It also counts on a near-silent operation, so the only indication you’ll have it’s there is nice, evenly distributed warmth from your burner.

5. Lumamu 4-Blade Stove Fan

This 4-blade stove fan from Lumamu puts out a significant amount of heat for a unit that’s not even the biggest out there. Coming in at 19x11x7.5cm it strikes a remarkably minimal pose, but nonetheless makes the most of all 4 blades to achieve an average CFM rate of 270, going all the way up to 360 to handle even the largest rooms. The working temperature range is also very efficient, starting from as low as 50°C and reaching a maximum of 340°C.

The built-in metallic safety strip, which raises the unit when it starts to detect higher temperatures, is operational from around 250°C and above. This keeps the unit out of reach of overheating, encouraging a cool air flow and automatically recovering as temperatures decrease. A ventilation plate on the rear of the unit also helps distribute heat outwards to protect the unit. The fan also ships with a magnetised stove thermometer, allowing you to keep better track of the overall temperature.

6. 4 Your Home Silent Stove Fan

This twin-bladed stove fan from 4 Your Home is a simple and efficient way to make the most of the heat from your burners. Powered by a thermostatic motor, it doesn’t need batteries or a mains connection, instead relying on the rising heat from your burner. As such, it speeds up and slows down depending on the heat produced and required. Working at between 65 and 345°C, the two blades push air evenly and efficiently around small to mid-sized rooms, allowing you to make the most of your burner.

With dimensions of 23.5×20.5x10cm it remains relatively unobtrusive, and the near silent operation means you’ll hardly notice it’s there. It is also supplied with a thermometer so that you can monitor the heat of your burner and the room in general and have greater control over the temperature.

7. Valiant Premium IV Stove Fan

The Premium IV stove fan by Valiant is a surprisingly compact yet powerful unit. Managing to fit a 4-blade fan into a unit that’s only 19.9cm high, 18cm wide and 11cm deep, it benefits from an efficiently low starting temperature of 45-50°C. The 4 blades also give the fan a huge range, with it able to distribute warm air at a rate of 420 CFM, among the highest out there.

It also operates up to a maximum temperature of 340°C and is therefore capable of distributing air around even the largest rooms. Relying on a tough black anodised aluminium construction, it operates efficiently to prolong its lifespan and comes with a 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

8. VonHaus 4-Blade Stove Fan

This 4-blade stove fan by VonHaus is a pretty decent powerhouse. Running battery/mains electricity-free thanks to a thermoelectric motor, it relies only on the heat produced by your burner. Operating automatically between the temperatures of 50 and 350°C it has an excellent heat range, regulating the fan speed depending on how much heat the burner is producing. A supplied thermometer will help you to keep on top of that.

Thanks to a CFM range of 150-190 it would be suitable for most medium-sized rooms, and it runs in almost complete silence. VonHaus also offer a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty on this fan, for added peace of mind.

Which Stove Fan to Go for?

Best quality & features – The VonHaus 3-Blade Stove Fan is far and away the best all-round combination of quality, features and price. It has among the widest operating temperature ranges of any comparable fans, between 50 and 350°C, and for a 3-blade unit still manages to push air around a more-than-respectable 140-170CFM. To top it off, it relies on a great build quality that VonHaus is building a reputation on, and the included warranty is a little extra safety net to boot.

On a budget – The Tomersun 3-Blade Stove Fan is an excellent choice for people who want to keep their living rooms cosy, but don’t want or need to splash out on a significantly more expensive option. Having 3 blades means that it’s capable of circulating air around up to medium sized rooms, while a solid aluminium build with a built-in safety strip means it has a good lifespan, allowing you to get the most out of your money.

The best for compact spaces – Thanks to its low profile, 4 Your Home’s Compact Stove Fan is an ideal choice for smaller spaces. The neat bi-plane shaped design, at a mere 12-odd centimetres high, will comfortably slot into even the tightest of nooks, whilst still packing in a 3-blade fan. This means that it’s sure to keep distributing heat evenly around small to medium sized rooms.

The best for big living rooms – The Valiant Premium IV stands out as the best choice for those of you with large living areas. A 4-blade stove fan is an obvious choice for larger rooms, as 3- or 2-blade models don’t always have the same reach, and the Premium IV’s reach is unmatched at around 420CFM. If you’re looking for something that will evenly spread heat around the largest rooms, look no further than here.

Stove Fan Buying Guide

A stove fan might just be the perfect companion to your new freestanding fireplace. We have a rundown of the best electric log burners on the market right now, and a stove fan would maximise the effectiveness of these. By helping radiate the heat they produce out, you can increase the efficiency of your burner by making sure that no heat is wasted so that the people sitting the other end of the room get just as much of the benefit as those sitting close by.

Knowing the difference between the different types of stove fan can be a little puzzling, which is why we’ve collated a quick buying guide to help you make sense of everything. Then, armed with this knowledge, you can shop in confidence!

Size of your room

Bear in mind the room you have before you buy a stove fan. An open plan room will handle the heat differently than a smaller, closed-off living room, for instance. Fundamentally, the bigger/more open plan your room, the larger the fan you’re going to need, as a small fan won’t be able to pump all the warm air you need around larger spaces. But if you have a smaller room then you needn’t worry about massive fans as a smaller unit ought to do the job more than capably. Either way, this is where CFM, or cubic feet per minute, figures are relevant. This is what you can use to objectively measure your living room area against the reach of your fan so that you know you’ve picked the right one.

Space around the burner

When considering which stove fan to buy, you naturally need to keep in mind how much space you’ve got to work with. If your burner is tucked away in an alcove, for instance, then you’ll benefit much more from a slimline model that will actually fit. You also need to consider the free surface are on top of the burner and whether your fan will fit on top – also be aware that not all burners are 100% level on top, which is something else to bear in mind when buying a stove fan.

Heat sensitivity

This refers to the minimum and maximum temperatures that a stove fan will work effectively at. The best fans will have a lower starting temperature, so as to get warm air moving around the room as soon as possible. But stove fans do have a maximum temperature limit, so make sure that the highest temperatures of your fan and burner line up. To keep on top of this, a stovetop thermometer is always a good purchase, and some stove fans do come with thermometers supplied.

There’s not much that beats sitting down in a toasty living room after a cold day, and with winter drawing in, a stove fan and burner combo might just be the ticket. Besides, with this winter of 2019-2020 predicted to be one of the coldest in some 30 years (in the UK, anyway!) the time is now to get ahead and get prepared. So, don’t delay before the frostbite kicks in!