The Glasshoper by Warpvife – The Stirling Engine Stove Fan

Presenting the Warpfive Stirling Engine Glasshopper Stove Top Fan

If you already have a wood burning, or multi-fuel burning stove you know that keeping your room at an even temperature throughout is a constant battle which usually means you need to use lots of fuel to keep your fire burning hot, especially if you have a fair few square footage! Some stoves just aren’t designed for high temperatures such as a soapstone, or a gas-fuelled burner. You may simply not want to use so much fuel. Improving the heat distribution within your room is easily achieved with a Stirling stove fan, and the talented engineers at Warpfive have seen that some stoves simply don’t heat as high as the more traditional stoves available.

The idea behind all fans is to push the hot air from the stove up and around your room dispersing all the cold pockets, not only making your room warm away from the immediate area of the stove, but our customers have found that on average they burn less fuel. This is a great way to optimise the efficiency of your stove and keep you house cosy and inviting.

Very simply the Stirling Engine in the Warpfive fans are a closed air system which uses the heat exchange from hot air to cool air to power a piston this drives the Stirling engine fan. Both the Seebeck effect and the Stirling engine harness the heat from the stove to power the fans. Genius! This means you don’t need to have a constant supply of batteries or have a handy power outlet nearby. Warpfive – and Vulcan – are behind some of the best stove fans on the market and the Glasshopper is no exception.
 

Where does the Glasshopper come from?

A British based company Warpfive have a collection of the finest stove fans available. Being 100% mechanical there are no electrical parts to break down through overheating, so they will keep going long after their 3 year manufacturer’s warranty.

Why the Glasshopper?

It is most definitely a striking fan. Whilst other manufacturers have chosen to make their fan as small and unobtrusive as they can, Warpfive have used the mechanics behind the Stirling engine stove fan as a design feature. The results are both unique and eye-catching. It also harnesses the heat from the stove to power the small Stirling engine in each fan. Making the body of the fan a clear Borosilicate glass cylinder, you can watch the rhythmic functionality of the internal workings of the Stirling engine fan; it has been said to be quite mesmerizing and therapeutic, either way it will certainly be a statement piece in your room.

Engineered to start at a lower temperature it is the perfect choice for the stove that just doesn’t get as hot as other stoves, such as the aforementioned soapstone or gas fuelled stove. It starts up at an amazingly cool 158 Fahrenheit and has a top temperature of 572 Fahrenheit. Compare that to the MK6 – also in the Warpfive range, its temperature range is a staggering 230 Fahrenheit start up temperature and tops out at 842 Fahrenheit. With its four blade fan the Glasshopper manages to push an amazing 260 cubic feet of air per minute. This is a substantial amount of hot air circulation and it will make your room feel an even temperature throughout, so on the coldest and darkest of nights you won’t feel tied to the stove front to get some warmth and everyone in the room, and further into your house will feel the benefit of the heat from your stove.

It must be hefty, right?

We have told you how this cleverly engineered quality piece of workmanship has the capacity to move amazing amounts of air around your room per minute. It would be easy to assume that this marvel of modern machinery is both large and heavy. Prepare to be amazed further, The Glasshopper is just 4 inches wide, by 12.8 inches (just over a foot), and weighs 2lb 2oz.

Is there a catch?

As you would expect such first class engineering and design comes at a price. Each Stirling engine is hand crafted in England and are made from robust, but stylish, stainless steel, aluminum and brass. At the time of this review the Warpfive Glasshopper can be found online for $357, including taxes. It certainly isn’t a budget option, and can put a lot of people off the initial outlay of such a large sum, it won’t be an impulse purchase for most people’s budgets. The premium price that you pay guarantees both quality workmanship and durability, assuming an unfortunate accident doesn’t befall your merchandise.

In our opinion…

We think this Stirling engine stove fan is a triumph of engineering. The low start up temperatures and capacity for moving hot air around quite large rooms brings a saving to fuel costs. Yes, this fan is quite expensive, but you pay for quality in both materials and engineering. The benefits to your pocket book will be felt in the long run when your fuel bills are slashed.