Description
Information About the Ventum II Fan, By Valiant
Valiant is a small company based in the UK, well known for their excellence in engineering and production of high quality, durable products. When the company first introduced its line of stove fans, they did so with the Valiant 2-blade model. Since that time, the design has been tweaked and improved, resulting in the Valiant Premium, a four blade model, which led to the development of the Ventum sub-line of stove fans, of which, the Ventum II is a part. Needless to say, this new fan on offer by Valiant has an excellent pedigree, and decades of high quality engineering expertise poured into it.
Like all of the fans in the Valiant lineup, this fan requires absolutely no external source of power to run it. It derives all the energy needed to move the blades and push the air from the heat of the stove you put it on, using a well-known scientific principle called the Peltier Effect. This is tested, tried-and-true technology you can count on, and not some glitch newfangled innovation that’s prone to breaking after the first few uses. Couple that with Valiant’s world-class customer service and outstanding, industry leading two-year guarantee on materials and workmanship, and you can buy this fan with total confidence that it will serve you well.
The Valiant Ventum 2 comes neatly and safely packaged in a sturdy box, so you can rest assured that it will be delivered to you in mint condition. However, it can be a little tricky to get the fan out without actually damaging the box. We have discovered that if you open the sides first by gently pushing the them out and remove the fan base first this keeps the box intact ready to use again should you need to return your fan whilst it is still in warranty.
As with the other Valiant fans the Ventum 2 comes with a built in bi-metal strip on the fan’s base, which protects it from overheating. How does this actually work? When the temperature of the stove top reaches 300 centigrade, the strip bends and gently tips the fan backwards. Not only does this protect the motor from overheating, but it also protects the TEG (Thermoelectric Generator) Module from overheating. The TEG module is particularly exposed to high temperature, but can get damaged easily. We recommend using a thermometer as well, especially if you expect your stove to heat in excess of 300 centigrade. If your stove does reach the upper limits of the temperature range we suggest you use the small handle on the top of the fan to remove it from the stove top.
The question that naturally arises then, is who should consider this fan? The general principle is that the bigger the space you’re trying to heat with your wood burning stove, the more blades you want your fan to have, because more blades translates into more air moving power, and the goal, of course, is to get all that warm air from the immediate vicinity of your stove, and into the rest of your room.
Given that the Ventum II only has two blades, that tells you right up front that you’re probably going to want a fan with more blades if you’re trying to circulate air through a very large room. Don’t let the Ventum II’s twin blades fool you though, it pushes more air than you might think for a fan with just two blades. An impressive 420 feet per minute! All that to say that while the Ventum II is ideally suited for people with smaller rooms, it can do surprisingly well even in medium sized spaces.
In terms of size, there’s a lot to like here. Often, when people think of fans, their mind immediately gravitates to big, clunky, boxy fans that make a terrible racket when run. The Ventum II’s small size will be surprising to some. It measures just 174mm high (including the height of the blades!), a scant 155mm wide, and has a total depth of just 110mm. It weighs just 475g, so this fan can be installed even in very tight, constricted quarters and work just fine.
The Peltier module is held in place between the upper and the bottom section by two easily accessible Allen screws. If you ever need to replace the Peltier, it should take you no more than 5 minutes to do so.
The Peltier module and the motor are connected by a tiny plastic plug, which can be used if you ever need to replace any of the two. Despite the fact that the plug and the wires are exposed, they are perfectly safe and protected, as long as they stay within the recommended temperature range.
The motor for the Ventum 2 is easy to get to, but it is highly unlikely that you would ever need to access it. A far more likely problem is bending the blades, should you drop the fan for example. If the blades become bent they can cause an irritating noise. Replacing the blades shouldn’t be a problem, as they are released by an Allen key.
The Ventum 2 is only 18cm high, which makes it one of the smallest Valiant models currently on the market. This means it fits perfectly in even the smallest of spaces above the stove top.
Perhaps the best part though, and another way that Valiant’s exquisite engineering prowess comes shining through is the fact that the fan has an extremely low start up temperature of just 45 degrees Celsius (113 Degrees Fahrenheit) so it will start running not long after you light the fire in your stove, and begin pushing warm air throughout your room. When the fire eventually dies out, the fan shuts off automatically, with no input from you, making it a truly “set and forget” solution for increasing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your wood burning stove.
The bottom line is that if you use a wood burning stove for home heating, you should seriously consider getting a stove fan to augment your system, and Valiant makes some of the best stove fans in the industry. If you are trying to heat a small to medium-sized room, then the Ventum II is an excellent choice. If you’re trying to heat a larger space, consider the Ventum III or the Valiant 4-blade (insert links as appropriate here).
