Frequently Asked Questions

You need to establish the temperature of your stove surface which can easily be done with a Warpfive Thermometer. If you don’t have an accurate thermometer, place a drop of water on the surface – if it bubbles away instantly, you’ll know your surface is above 100 C (212 F). The heat on your stove surface powers the engine which provides the energy to spin the fan blade.

The Warpfive Twinspeed Stove Fan is premium high performance engine with twin piston cylinders. This makes it exceptionally powerful and able to move large volumes of air (in excess of 440 CFM), the perfect choice for a large room.

Warpfive Stove Fans are miniature Stirling engines. They work by moving a sealed volume of air from the hot bottom plate to the cool top plate of the engine. As the air moves from the cool plate to the hot plate it is rapidly heated, it expands and pushes the piston up. As the air is moved from the hot plate to the cool plate it cools rapidly and contracts, this creates a vacuum which pulls the piston down. This same volume of air is rapidly heated and cooled many times per second. As the piston is connected to a crank shaft it causes the crank to rotate and this produces the mechanical power to rotate the fan blade.

Follow the guidelines in your user manual. Tighten the bolts on the top plate, clean and lubricate the displacer shaft. If you’re running hot fires you will need to lubricate the engine much more frequently.

The Sidewinder Fan is specifically designed to fit into most restricted spaces. Its overall height is 225 mm (including the fan blade).

It is important to use our supplied lubricant only because it is a synthetic, high temperature oil specially developed for use in extreme heat environments. Using other oils such as mineral oil or light machine oil, will result in a sticky residue which will damage your engine’s performance.

Stirling engines are incredibly reliable as they have no electrical components which can burn out. We have test engines that run consistently – see the Stirling engine design page for more information.

Yes you can. However in order to protect your Stirling engine your should reduce heat transfer. This is done by raising the unit slightly and inducing an air gap. For example you can use 3 washers under the base of the unit. Furthermore your Stirling engine will require lubrication much more frequently.

Yes you can so long as you spin the propeller as soon as it reaches operating temperature to keep the dust cover cool – and follow all other instructions. Refer to the dust cover page for more information.

No. Operation is quiet – typically 12dB. We use precision bearings and glass piston cylinders to ensure the engine will work quietly.

Like any engine a Stirling engine requires basic care once every season or after approximately 1000 hours of use. This entails wiping clean and lubricating the displacer shaft with the supplied lubricant. Please see user guidelines for more information. If your engine starts making a ticking noise – this is a sign that it needs to be cleaned and lubricated.

The higher the temperature of your stove surface, the faster your fan will spin. When the room temperature is the same temperature as the air being moved by the fan, it can be difficult to ascertain any movement. Wet the back of your hand with cold water and hold it in front of the engine – this will instantly give you some indication of air movement. Warpfive fan blades have been optimised to move maximum air at low RPM.

Every Stirling engine fan is unique. Many factors affect performance differences such as bearing friction, bearing tolerance, bush tolerance, shaft tolerance, alignment, piston tolerance, etc. It’s virtually impossible to have two engines performing exactly the same. Each unit is tested to ensure it meets the minimum start up temperature.

Please contact us for information and pricing regarding our professional servicing and maintenance packages.

Refer to the start up temperature in your user manual. Please note that Stirling engines do not self-start – you will need to flick the fan blade when it is up to temperature.