Than stove stoves are heated - what types of fuel are used and what cannot be used

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The stove was and remains the heart of the Russian bath. But the methods of heating the steam room have changed over time, which made it easier for novice bath attendants. At the same time, the traditional wood-burning stove has been preserved to this day. This method is not easy and requires knowledge and experience.

In this article we will tell you how to properly heat a Russian bath with wood.

Sauna stove device

Metal structures are very popular, because they are quite compact, they very quickly heat the air in the room and consume less fuel during operation.

The design itself includes three main components:

1. Compartment for the firebox. Here the combustion process takes place directly.
2. Stove - it is filled with cobblestones, which heat up from the metal walls. There is also a hole for water supply.
3. Liquid heating tank.

There are many different variations of stoves on the market, but most of them are arranged in a similar way. If you are just choosing the ideal option, pay attention to the products. We have prepared reliable, high quality products for you at an affordable price. We are also engaged in the implementation of various bath accessories.

Features of the firebox

During the heating, certain conditions must be observed:

• If you cannot light the wood, you can use a handful of salt that is thrown from above. Do not use flammable liquids.
• During work, hands must be protected with gloves.
• The combustion process is regulated by a blower. With good traction and high flame, there will be no heat. It will all go out through the chimney.
• Unburnt embers must be removed. They are a source of waste.

Knowing how to properly heat the bath, you need to stock up on the necessary fuel in advance. Some prefer metal stoves, others brick. Both those and others are in demand. It can be heated with wood fuel or coal. The main thing is to properly learn how to melt them and adhere to the temperature regime.

The better to heat the bath: types of fuel

The most suitable option is ordinary firewood. Here are some of their advantages:

• able to generate enough heat;
• allow you to achieve long-term and uniform combustion, which contributes to high-quality heating of the room to the required temperature;
• are not explosive;
• are quite cheap.

All kinds of wood processing products can also be used. As an example, pellets are pre-compressed granular sawdust.
It is impossible to use coal, everything is connected with the peculiarities of combustion of this type of fuel. It gives off all the heat quickly enough, after which it begins to smolder slowly. For an ordinary house, this option is ideal, but in the case of a steam room, it is not at all suitable.

It should be noted that it is wood that is ideal for the stove. Obviously, the question immediately arises here, and what kind of firewood for a bath is the best. Let's consider this nuance in more detail.

What types of wood are used most often

It should be understood that different types of wood material are characterized by their density and heat dissipation readings. These indicators directly affect how much fuel is needed in order to achieve the required temperature level. We will consider the trees that grow in Russia. The hornbeam generates the most heat, the poplar least of all. As a result, the first type will need very little, and the second an impressive amount.

Obviously, hornbeam does not grow everywhere, so sometimes you will have to replace it with what can be found in your area.In this case, one must take into account the fact that far from the first tree that comes across will do. Alder and birch are more common than others. They burn excellently, and what is important, they emit aromatic essential oils when heated. Pine trees are also ubiquitous, but the problem is that when they burn, tar is released, which will clog the chimney.

The choice of wood is important, but you still need to figure out how to properly heat the bath with firewood. We will also dwell on this topic in detail below.

Best viewed as fuel, the following options are:

1. Hornbeam is ideal. It burns for a very long time and produces very little smoke.
2. Acacia - characterized by the fact that it allows you to maintain a constant level of heat in the firebox.
3. Linden - it is not very dense in structure, therefore it burns quickly without leaving behind hot coals.
4. Oak is an excellent option, it fills the room with a pleasant aroma while burning, and gives off enough heat. The cost of such firewood is high, however, they can be stored for a very long time and do not change their qualities.
5. Birch - quickly and evenly flares up, releases substances into the air that allow you to clean the steam room from harmful microorganisms. It is better to use those logs that were harvested recently. Keep track of the amount of firewood thrown into the stove; with abundant smoke, tar begins to stand out, which clogs the chimney.
6. Pine or spruce. They should be used as a last resort, when there is no other material corny. The resin contaminates the walls of the flue pipe rather quickly. Understanding what kind of wood you cannot heat the bath with, this option is the first on the list.

After you have decided on a specific type of fuel, it remains only to learn how to properly harvest it. Of course, this option is more relevant for those who prefer not to buy ready-made logs.

Firewood harvesting rules

After choosing the optimal breed, you need to find the right time to collect it. As practice shows, it is preferable to do this in the period from February to March. The fact is that it is at this time of the year that the fibers are still frozen; accordingly, it will be quite easy to split the trunk. To determine the very moment, you can hit the wood with the back of the ax: when a ringing sound is heard, everything is perfect, but if a dull rumble responds, the material began to rot from the inside.

Another important point to pay attention to is the number of branches. The more of them, the more difficult it will be to dry the wood. Obviously, you will not find a tree without knots in the forest at all, but you need to try to find such options where there are the fewest of them.

If you have a good chainsaw in stock, it is easier to purchase whole logs and cut them yourself later. This approach will save money.

If you buy firewood, you need to pay attention to the following features:

1. The moisture content of the purchased material. It should be at a level not higher than 20%, then the wood will ignite quickly and flare up evenly.
2. Uniformity. Make sure that the supplied quantity contains only the breed of your choice without other impurities.

If the preparation of the material was carried out independently in the winter, it is better to dry it for about six months. After complete drying, it can be used in business. We will talk about how to light a bath correctly further.

Lining the stove in the bath with bricks

To increase the heat transfer time from a metal stove, you can brick such a stove. It is not necessary to completely brick up the metal stove, turning it into a kind of firebox. It will be enough to overlay it with bricks on two or three sides, leaving holes for free convection of air currents.

A softer and more stable heat comes from a brick oven in a bath.With the help of a brick shield and brick walls, it is possible to obtain heat comparable in quality from a steel stove.

If you add a concrete sole at least 15-20 centimeters thick to the base of the stove, then you will get an additional battery, which will first be saturated with heat from the steel stove, and then will give it to the space of the steam room.

For a full-fledged kindling, you need a "seed". The oven is melted with 4 narrow small logs, shavings / wood chips and paper (better than newspaper - it flares up better). Kindling algorithm:

• put a couple of logs on the grate parallel to each other; the distance between them is 10-15 cm;
• place crumpled paper between the woods and sprinkle it with shavings or chips;
• put two more logs diagonally on the lower logs;
• light the paper on one or more sides.

It is not always possible to light wood the first time. This requires a certain skill. Liquid fuels cannot be used as support. In extreme cases, the use of dry alcohol is allowed. But if the wood is dry, then the problems with kindling are minimal.

As soon as the flame flares up, you need to close the firebox door, and then partially cover the blower flap. After that, you can navigate by the sound - if there is a characteristic hum from the firebox, everything is done correctly. If the sound is weak or absent, you will have to melt again.

This is just the beginning - a wood-burning stove needs to be tossed in regularly. You also need to do this wisely.

How to store the kindling material

It is a bad idea to simply leave the wood on the grass in a heap, as it will become damp and moldy. It is quite convenient to stack the logs next to the wall of the house in such a way that the roof canopy protects them from any weather conditions. The problem is that not everyone wants to clutter up the facade, especially when there is a lot of material.

The easiest and most effective way is to build a small shed or a so-called firebox. As an example, it is created as follows. Bricks are selected and placed in two rows at a distance of 600 mm from each other, a boardwalk is laid above and below. Actually, such a stand is used for storage. Additionally, the structure can be reinforced with transverse wooden posts or made of a kind of walls. In order to ensure good ventilation, it is preferable to lay the floor not solid, but to leave small gaps between the boards.

Lords of stone and fire

Now it is worth considering the algorithm for the problem of how to properly heat the stove. In general, the whole process can be divided into several main stages, such as: preparation, combustion and completion of combustion. Previously, any housewife knew thoroughly how to heat a Russian stove and, most importantly, how to properly heat a Russian stove.

On your marks

At the preparatory stage it is necessary:

1. Carry out an external examination of the stove, ducts and chimneys for visible damage and malfunctions.
2. Check traction. To do this, it is enough to light a crumpled sheet of paper in the firebox and follow the behavior of the flame tongue. It should steadily deviate deep into the furnace, towards the smoke channel. It is also useful to cover the blower flap and control how the level of natural thrust decreases according to the behavior of the same flame.
3. Remove from the pre-furnace space all combustible objects that can serve as a source of ignition near the furnace, as a result of involuntary sparks.
4. Clean ash pan and grate from ash in order to ensure normal air circulation during combustion.
5. If there are water boilers and jackets in the furnace design, check for the presence of the required level in them in order to prevent them from burning out.
6. Open the chimney flaps and open the blower flap.
7. Checking the heater setting. As you know, for normal heat transfer, the ratio of the volume of working stones in the stove in relation to the volume of the steam room should be within 1:50.

Ignition

Now, a few words about the quality of firewood, or rather, about their moisture content. Firewood, like gunpowder, must always be kept dry. For this, even in the simplest design of the bath, without a dressing room, a shed was provided above the entrance for storing clothes and firewood. It is better not to know how to heat the stove with raw wood, since raw wood fires, smokes and does not burn, more precisely, it burns, but badly.

1. We fill the firebox with a seed, that is, small firewood, birch bark, wood chips, paper, which ensures reliable ignition.
2. As the seed grasps by the flame and the beginning of confident combustion, add small logs "at a run," that is, leaving free space between them for air circulation. We make sure not to "lock" the flame in the firebox with excessive amount or size of wood. At the same time, it is very important not to view the flame, to prevent the seed from completely burning out.
3. At this time, the door of the firebox can be kept ajar for a better supply of oxygen from the air to the combustion site.

As the seed burns out and the first bookmark of firewood begins to burn confidently, you can do the following:

1. We lay firewood of a standard size for the entire volume of the firebox, but leaving a gap of 200-250 mm to the upper roof of the combustion compartment. Modern science has not yet figured out how to heat a stove with a firebox clogged with wood under the very arch. This rule must be observed throughout the entire heating process of the bath.
2. Open the blower flap. The firebox door must be tightly closed.
3. We monitor the temperature of the air in the steam room, water in the boiler, if the stove is equipped with one. Visually monitors the temperature and condition of the stone backfill by its appearance.

Depending on the quality of the stove, the thermal insulation properties of the structure of the bath and other individual conditions, the time to reach the operating air temperature of 60 degrees Celsius can take about 2-5 hours. Roughly the same algorithm of actions applies to the question of how to properly heat a bath with an iron stove.

Finish heating the furnace

As soon as the air temperature in the steam room reaches the operating parameters, the stove can be extinguished. But, as in the question of how to light the stove, there is also a certain algorithm of actions and its own nuances:

• If you are sure that further burning of the stove is impractical, then the throwing of firewood stops;
• The furnace blower is closed, and the chimney damper is closed;
• At this time, under conditions of insufficient oxygen supply to the furnace, the formation of a very dangerous carbon monoxide - carbon monoxide, is possible, the deceit of which lies in its lack of color and smell.

• The color of the stone filling in the stove is visually examined again;
• The bath room is thoroughly ventilated and steamed with the first steam.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the insulation of the walls of the bath from the inside and outside

Name of wood	Specific heat of combustion, kWh / kg	Heat of combustion nominal for dry wood at 18% humidity, kWh / m3.	Heat of combustion nominal for freshly cut firewood at 55% humidity, kWh / m3
Beech	4,2	2200	1900
Oak	4,2	2100	1850
Ash	4,2	2100	1850
Birch	4,3	1900	1670
Elm	4,1	1900	1670
Maple	4,1	1900	1670
Alder	4,1	1500	1300
Poplar	4,1	1400	1230
Pine	4,4	1500	1300

How to properly heat a sauna with a metal stove with wood

A little practice is enough to master the art of professionally lighting a steam room stove. All that is required of you is to strictly follow the instructions provided.

The process begins with preparation. It is necessary to put things in order, remove any items that will not be involved in the process of receiving procedures. Next comes the stage called fire. Each stove has its own characteristics, therefore, the principle of the approach will differ.

If you violate the rules of kindling, quite serious consequences can arise: from the formation of too heavy steam and ending with heatstroke or, even worse, fire.

Checking and preparing the main elements

First of all, we pay attention to the stones.They should be rinsed to remove soot. Then we turn to the boiler for water. If you have it, then it should never be empty. Even in those cases when at the time of being in the steam room it will not be used by anyone. An empty boiler may not withstand high heat and burst. Questions about whether it is possible to heat a bath without water after this information should not arise.

In the process of taking procedures, regularly check the fluid level, if it becomes critically low, raise it. This will not only take care of the safety of the entire structure, but also ensure your safety while you are inside the steam room.

Next, we check the traction. We close the doors that go into the room and release the firebox, blower and smoke exhaust valves. To understand if oxygen is going to the furnace, you just need to light a match and bring it closer to the channel of the structure for ignition. Just watch the flame move, it will react instantly when there is normal thrust.

How to heat a wood-fired sauna

Prepare small chips, which can be obtained by splitting non-thin small pieces of one log. Place them in the firebox on pre-lined newsprint or small wood chips to be set on fire. Then we close the door and wait a few minutes. Remember not to use any flammable liquids. Already after a short period of time, you will hear the characteristic sound of a flame.

Loading firewood

After the fire has appeared, you need to open the firebox and lay it down with wood. It is important not to do this too tightly. Carefully, leaving small gaps, lay out the logs at a short distance from the door.

It usually takes about 3 hours to light up a bathhouse - in warm weather and about 6 hours with the beginning of the first cold snaps. It should be understood that these indicators are changeable, it all depends on the volume of the water tank, the number of stones, what kind of stove you are using. Warming is one of the main factors in the preparation of a steam room! Employee at VÖHRINGER

It is worth discarding any alternative fuels, garbage or other waste. Most of them release hazardous substances at the moment of ignition. Accordingly, no one wants to breathe this.

Bringing the steam room to the required temperature - continue firing

To properly melt the bath, you need to periodically "feed" the firebox with wood. The first make-up is about 15 minutes after priming. Open the oven door and smooth out the remaining solid fuel with a poker. After that, evenly place a portion of the firewood - leave about a third of the firebox free.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with How to install an interior door box with your own hands: 125 photos of assembling and installing a box for a door

It is advisable to place firewood closer to the damper, but not close to it. The minimum distance increases heat transfer and reduces the time for full heating of the steam room. However, fuel contact with the door can lead to unpleasant consequences.

The next tossing of logs is in an hour and a half. The frequency depends on the type of wood and your skill. Ideally, the intervals should be as large as possible, but without loss in heat transfer. The room warms up in a few hours. After that, the chimney valve can be slightly closed - this will give a small saving in firewood.

In summer, kindling a sauna takes 3-4 hours. In winter, the process takes up to 5-6 hours. When the heating procedure is over, it is necessary to open the firebox flap and check the latter for the presence of carbon monoxide; if blue tongues of fire are dancing over the coals, there are problems - it means that after the bath procedures it will be necessary to clean the chimney; if everything is in order, then you need to close the blower, firebox and chimney.

The kindling is over, but it's not the end yet. After warming up, the room must be ventilated again. Open the window and doors for 10-15 minutes. After saturating the room with fresh air, close the doors, but do not touch the window.Let the bath brew - a couple of hours will be enough for this.

During this time, the room will not have time to cool down, but the heat will become uniform and soft, and the steam will become light. It remains to close the window and proceed to the most pleasant thing - bath procedures.

To speed up the process, do not water the stones. This will lead to the formation of steam, but will not give the desired effect. The stones are sprayed already in the process of sauna relaxation.

Summing up

Within the framework of this article, we talked in detail about how to light a bathhouse and what kind of firewood is better to heat it, considered all the features of this process. Now you just have to prepare a sufficient amount of material and properly prepare the heating device for operation. If you have any additional questions, you can always ask the specialists at the time of purchasing the oven. You will be explained in detail about all the intricacies of the device of a particular model and will show you how to make the product last as long as possible. Modern metal structures are made with high quality, it is enough only to comply with basic rules such as timely cleaning of the furnace from ash, regular inspection of the chimney and adherence to operating techniques.

Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and under no circumstances is a public offer determined by the provisions of Article 437 (2) of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

"The end is a crown to the work"

To wash in the bath, to be reborn

The end of the heating chamber can be considered a combination of such factors: the temperature in the steam room has reached the required limit, but not less than 60C⁰, the water in the boiler is boiling, the next portion of logs burned out until red coals were formed, and the stones in the stove were well heated.

The heating of the sauna stops immediately before the start of the treatment.

Close the firebox and ashbox door completely and open the latch to the limit.

Then open all the windows, vents, doors to the bathhouse and rinse the walls, shelves and benches with boiling water from the soot formed on them.

Do not forget to pour boiling water over the stones. Everything needs to be done quickly, although a normal bath will not have time to cool down from such procedures.

Tags: bath, stove, right, melt

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