Questions folks ask

One real person: Miguel Nunes da Costa, a sole trader in Portugal. Our postal address is at the bottom of every page, and you can write to help@firstfrosthome.com.

Heat-Powered Wood Stove Fan + Stove Thermometer, $49.99, with U.S. shipping included. In the box:

• 1 heat-powered stove fan. Black metal, 5 blades. No cord, no batteries.
• 1 magnetic stove thermometer. It sits on the stove top and shows how hot the stove is running.

By email, right after you order, you also get our printable big-print Woodpile card (PDF) and the 46-page Winter-Ready House guide (PDF).

It's made for free-standing wood stoves with a flat top that gets hot. It usually won't do much on pellet stoves, propane heaters (like a Buddy heater), most fireplace inserts or a low fire, because their tops don't get hot enough. It's not for gas or electric heaters or open fireplaces. Not sure about yours? Write to help@firstfrosthome.com, tell us what stove you have (a photo helps), and we'll give you a straight answer before you buy.

We don't recommend it. Their tops usually don't get hot enough to turn the fan well. It's made for free-standing wood stoves with a flat top that gets hot.

Set it on the flat top of your wood stove. A small module in its base turns some of the stove's heat into a little electricity, just enough to spin the blades. There's nothing to plug in and no battery to change.

On a cold stove it stays still. Once the stove top is hot, it starts turning on its own, and it slows down and stops as the stove cools. It moves the warm air from the top of the stove out into the room.

That usually means the stove top isn't hot enough yet. Give the fire a few more minutes and look at the thermometer. The hotter the stove top, the faster the fan turns. If it still won't turn on a hot stove, write to help@firstfrosthome.com and we'll make it right.

No. Your stove does the heating. The fan moves the warm air from the top of the stove out into the room. Think of it as a gentle breeze, not a box fan: you'll feel it best in the same room as the stove.

Yes, three things. The blades and the base get very hot: keep children and pets away from it, and let it cool, or use a glove, before you move it.

A stove top that runs too hot can damage the fan, so keep an eye on the thermometer. The highest temperature for the fan is printed in the instructions in the box. The thermometer is a rough guide, not an exact reading.

And follow the instructions in the box for where to set it on your stove.

Made in China, and shipped to you from overseas. We say it plainly because you should know before you buy.

The Winter-Ready House guide is a 46-page PDF in big print. It has six chapters, in the order you'd do the jobs: walking your walls for small gaps, drafts at the windows and doors, firewood and the stove, pipes and outside faucets, the fall walk-around, and what to do when the power goes out. In the back are 6 pages to cut out and tape up, like a card for inside the sink cabinet.

It's not a paper book, and nothing about it comes in the mail. Every page is standard letter size (8.5 by 11 inches), so you can print it at home or at any print shop. It comes with the stove fan by email, or it's $9 on its own.

No. The stove fan comes with the guide by email, so you don't need to buy both.

Right after you pay, a download link shows on your order page, and a copy comes to your email. It opens on a phone, tablet or computer. Can't find it? Search your email for "First Frost Home," and look in the Spam or Promotions folder. Still nothing? Write to us and we'll send it again.

You can. Ours comes as a set with a magnetic stove thermometer, our printable big-print Woodpile card and the 46-page Winter-Ready House guide, plus a real person on email and a 30-day refund you don't have to mail back. Would you rather just have the guide? It's $9 on its own.

Lower 48 states only for now, plus Washington, D.C. We can't ship to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories or APO/FPO addresses yet.

Not yet. For now, our shop only ships to addresses in the lower 48 states and Washington, D.C.

U.S. shipping is included in the price of the stove fan. The guide is a download, so there's nothing to ship.

The stove fan ships from overseas. Most orders arrive in 7–15 business days. When your order ships, we email you the tracking number, and you can also check it on our Track your order page. Can't find that email? Write to help@firstfrosthome.com with your order number, and we'll look it up for you.

If we can't ship your order in time for it to arrive within those days, we'll email you before that time runs out, with a new date and the choice to cancel for a full refund.

The guide doesn't ship. It opens right after you pay.

Write to help@firstfrosthome.com as soon as you can, with your order number. If your order hasn't shipped yet, we'll do our best to change the address or cancel it for a full refund. Orders are often packed within a few hours, so we can't always catch them in time. If it's too late, our 30-day money-back promise still covers you.

We're sorry. Email us within 30 days with your order number and a photo, for example of a bent blade or a cracked part. We'll send you a new one (as soon as it's back in stock) or refund you within 7 business days, whichever you prefer. You don't need to send it back.

You have 30 days. For the stove fan, that's 30 days from the day it arrives. For the guide, it's 30 days from the day you buy it. Write to help@firstfrosthome.com and we'll refund what you paid, within 7 business days.

For the stove fan, you don't need to send anything back. Keep it, or give it to a neighbor. For the guide, you keep the files.

Orders placed from November 1 to December 24 can be refunded until January 31, or within 30 days of delivery if that's later. So a gift opened on Christmas morning is still covered. For the stove fan, nobody has to send anything back. Just write to us with the order number.

We send your refund within 7 business days of hearing from you. It goes back to the card or account you paid with. Your bank may take a few more days to show it.

Your statement will show FIRSTFROSTHOME. We charge in U.S. dollars. Because our business is in Portugal, some banks add a small foreign transaction fee; many cards don't. Your bank can tell you.

We're a new shop. We'll only show reviews from real buyers, once there are some. We'll never make them up.

Email help@firstfrosthome.com. We reply within 6 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 am–5 pm Eastern. Please include your order number if you have one. We don't have a phone line yet, so email is the quickest way. You can also use our contact form.