Using a room thermostat to switch a fan

[fuzzytrifle]

I've got a log burner that will be fitted in a room with an elevated ceiling, and as most of the heat produced will be wasted just sitting in the roof space I've decided to duct the warm air back in to the next room/main living area.

Is there an existing product that I can buy to switch a standard inline fan? Is it possible to use a central heating room thermostat? Although I know they are not capable of switching the fan directly, is there something that I can just connect it to?

 

[footprints]

If you ar ducting air out of a room containing an open flued heater into another space there is a chance it could affect the flue operation even reversing it in some conditions.

Regards,
footprints

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You MUST NOT have an extractor fan in that room - you can still get the death penalty for that.

 

[bernardgreen]

Check with the Solid Fuel Advisory Service http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/frame/main.html

 

[viewer]

As said, pulling the air out of the room is a no-no, however there are other ways to get a similar result. A roofspace fan (e.g. Drymaster) can push external/loft air into the high ceiling area so mixing the air and pushing it into the adjoining rooms. I have one of these and it works well being cheap to buy, low consumption, virtually silent and easy to control.
Another way would be heat recovery where external air is heated, but this would be more complicated and they take up an enormous amount of room.
I have fitted a fan facing the stove pipe on a Rayburn controlled by a flue thermostat. Whilst not the answer to your question, this does move the air in the room and reclaims a bit of the heat which would be lost up the chimney. It is, however, noisy in operation.
A simple ceiling fan will mix the air in the room, but again won't take the heat to adjoining rooms.

 

[fuzzytrifle]

Thanks for the replies, never even occurred to me that it could reverse the flue - makes sense though.