Do-it-yourself camping potbelly stove. The most efficient potbelly stove. Drawings and dimensions

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First launch of the potbelly stove

The slide valve allows you to control the draft in the potbelly stove, thereby affecting fuel consumption and temperature.

The installation is complete - you can perform the first launch. To do this, we put it inside a small amount of wood chips and paper, light a fire. Next, we stack a small amount of firewood and wait for the stove to warm up. The firewood must be dry (no more than 15-20% moisture), otherwise the soot from it will quickly pollute the entire stove and chimney. We make sure that the smoke goes into the chimney properly, add more firewood, close the firebox door and open the ash pan door (it works like an ash pan).

After 20-30 minutes the temperature will rise to a comfortable level. To save fuel, close the vent and the flame will go out. This achieves temperature regulation. You can also retrofit the chimney with a damper.

Assembling a stove-stove from a pipe

IN in this case You can’t do without a welding machine. The function of the basis of the structure will be performed by a section of an ordinary metal pipe. Even an old barrel will do. Assembly will be carried out according to the scheme already familiar to you. Make a grate from the rods and fasten it to the body. The connection is made by welding . This potbelly stove will have 2 dampers at once: a blower and a firebox. The model can be successfully used both for warming up various rooms and for preparing a variety of foods.

Assembling a stove-stove from a pipe

Potbelly stoves are valued precisely because they are able to warm up a room in the shortest possible time. But at the same time there arises the main disadvantage of such stoves is that after combustion stops they cool down as quickly as they heat up. Metal practically does not accumulate heat.

To eliminate the above drawback, it is enough to cover a homemade potbelly stove with refractory bricks

To eliminate the above drawback, it is enough to cover a homemade potbelly stove with refractory bricks. It accumulates heat well and continues to release it to the surrounding area for a long time after the stove has stopped operating. However, in order for the room to warm up, the stove will have to be heated longer than without such a brick fence. But this drawback can be easily eliminated. It is enough just to make a few in a brick screen ventilation holes. Such systems are quite often used in baths.

The brick screen is laid out at some distance from the walls of the unit. This is very important point. When choosing a suitable distance, you should focus on the area of ​​the heated room and the dimensions of the stove itself.

A potbelly stove, fenced with a brick screen, will use fuel as efficiently as possible and efficiently heat the room for a very long time.

Basic models of homemade potbelly stoves

According to its principles, a potbelly stove is practically no different from models of special solid fuel device. This is a certain type of very simple stove in the fireplace category. There are also special models that are equipped with hobs and special bath devices.

Material used to make the stove
Often a potbelly stove is made of high-quality steel, but in some cases cast iron can be used. For different types of metal, those made of natural stone elements. If cast iron is used, then you should count on low heat capacity parameters; it is very difficult to find and it is not easy to cook. Many people prefer steel for this very reason; it is much easier to work with. Moreover, the thicker the material, the longer it will last. If you plan to make a device for rare use, for example, for emergencies with a heating system, then make it from simple iron with a thickness of 1 mm.
In the process of making a stove, all factory fittings may well be used. This applies to elements such as grates, the necessary doors, burners and valves. Many craftsmen make them with their own hands using steel.

Shape and material for the case
If you want to make a potbelly stove using drawings or photos, you must use the method of cutting a metal sheet.

• In addition, the following elements are used:
• Molding profiles;
• Square shaped pipe;
• Special corners;
• Fittings;
• Rod.

All this is required to make the furnace body rectangular in shape. Due to the presence of special planes, the case will have ideal ergonomic properties. In other words, the potbelly stove will be as stable as possible, it will be easy to process and cover. The stove can be easily and simply docked with a wide variety of structures, objects and parts.

Various metal cabinets and boxes can be used as a base. Often these are cylindrical elements, for example, large-diameter pipes, cans, gas cylinders.

In the process of making a stove with your own hands, you will definitely need to use welding

If the metal is not very thick, the furnace can be made using bolts, screws and a drill. Regardless of the chosen model, it is important to use drawings as the basis for manufacturing, because Despite its relative simplicity, certain instructions for implementing the heating device must be followed.

DIY making

There are many different variations of garage stoves, which can be quite easily constructed on your own from available materials.

The most widespread and famous model A potbelly stove is a stove made from a metal barrel. This is an extremely simple design, consisting of a barrel on legs with a door. This oven is quite suitable for waste disposal. The main advantage of such a stove is its simple manufacture. But such a potbelly stove has several disadvantages.

The walls of the barrel are thin, and it is unlikely to last long, since the walls can quickly burn out. Another disadvantage is the bulkiness of such a design, which will take up a lot of space in the room.

You can make a stove from a metal can. There is even less work here, since the can already has a door that can be used without modification.

Another popular option for making a potbelly stove is a gas cylinder. Such cylinders have a fairly good level of heat capacity and thick walls, allowing the stove to last for a long time. It must be remembered that the gas cylinder must be prepared in accordance with the rules fire safety before you start making a potbelly stove

It is extremely important to remember that such a cylinder may contain residual explosive vapors.

In order to fire safety It is highly recommended that you fill this container with water and leave it overnight.

When making this stove with your own hands from a cylinder, you should weld a blowing system to it in the lower part, and drill several holes in the cylinder itself that are connected to this system.

Let's take a closer look at the stages of making a stove from a gas cylinder.

When using a potbelly stove in a garage, it is extremely important to follow fire safety regulations. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right location for installing the stove. To install a stove, a garage corner is very suitable, which is located near the walls opposite the door of the room.

• First stage. It is best to make a preliminary drawing and calculate the dimensions of the future product. But such a stove is quite simple to make; you can do without it. Next, you should make markings on the product. Using a felt-tip pen, the contours of the future doors, blower and combustion system are applied to the cylinder body. The compartment with the firebox will be located approximately in the center of the structure, and the blower will be placed below. The distance between them should not exceed 100 mm. Next, use a marker to draw a solid line in the center between the doors, and then cut the cylinder along the intended line using a grinder.

• Second phase. It is necessary to take iron rods with a diameter of approximately 14-16 mm. Then weld them into a lattice and weld the resulting structure to the bottom of the cylinder. And then the cylinder is welded back into one structure.
• Third stage. It is necessary to cut out the holes for the combustion chamber and the pressurization holes, and then hinge the doors on them.

• Fourth stage. At the final stage, it is worthwhile to work hard on installing the chimney, since this is a very important part of the stove design. For these purposes, using a grinder, you need to cut off the valve on the cylinder, welding in its place a long metal pipe with a diameter of 9-10 cm. The chimney itself should be taken out of the garage through a hole in the wall or onto the roof. You should not connect the chimney to the general exhaust of the room, because its draft may not be enough, the ventilation will not cope, and carbon monoxide will penetrate into the garage.

And that's all quite simple instructions on making a potbelly stove on your own from a regular gas cylinder.

Also, at the end of this work, you can apply an additional heat-resistant composition to the oven.

If a potbelly stove is used for heating or cooking, it is very important to follow the rules of its operation. Their implementation, in addition to fire safety, will help increase its service life

• Before the first kindling, the stove must be checked and made sure that all connections and components are tight, and any defects must be immediately corrected in order to avoid the penetration of combustion products and carbon monoxide into the garage.
• For certain reasons, the chimney must be vented outside. The part of it located inside the garage space must be sealed.
• The chimney is strictly prohibited from being routed into the ventilation system. Even if the stove is installed in the basement, it must have a separate chimney.
• The passages of the wall or ceiling of the smoke exhaust pipe must be insulated with fire-resistant, non-fire-hazardous materials.

• A box of sand and a fire extinguisher must be kept in the garage in accordance with fire safety regulations.
• A potbelly stove is also used as a stove and for boiling water. To do this, install on it hob with burners (usually made from cast iron stove) or a tank for heating water.
• The potbelly stove heats up quickly, but also cools down quickly. This disadvantage can be partially compensated for by a brick screen that accumulates heat and returns it to the room as it cools after the potbelly stove goes out.

Direct contact between the screen and the potbelly stove is prohibited. The gap between them is left at least 10 cm.

• Typically, a brick screen has a significant weight, so it will most likely require its own foundation. Let's consider the stages of its manufacture.
  1. Dig a hole about 50 cm deep.
  2. The bottom of the pit is covered with a layer of sand (average sand consumption is 3-4 buckets) and compacted.
  3. The next layer is 10-15 cm of crushed stone, which is also compacted.
  4. The laid layers are leveled, then filled with a layer of cement mortar.
  5. Wait for the cement layer to completely harden. The longer the hardening time, the better (usually the time period is more than a day or longer, this will give additional strength to the foundation).
  6. Then several layers of roofing material are laid.
  7. The screen itself is laid out in half a brick, the initial two rows are made with continuous masonry on roofing felt. In the 3-4th row it is necessary to make ventilation gaps, then again continue laying the brick in a continuous layer.

The correct methods for cleaning a potbelly stove mainly come down to removing contaminants inside the chimney, which is done relatively rarely. Mostly a brush is used. It is quite possible to make it yourself from a cylinder-shaped brush, tying it to a rope.

It is best to use brushes with plastic or iron wire bristles. The diameter of the brush is selected in such a way that there is no significant resistance when passing through the chimney.

Cleaning is used to increase the passage of smoke flow through the pipe and improve heat transfer. Sequence of the cleaning process:

• plug the combustion hole with a rag;
• make 2-3 careful movements with the brush so as not to break the seal of the chimney (stop if the brush moves freely);
• repeat step 2 as many times as necessary;
• remove coals, ash and soot from the ash pan.

To learn how to install a potbelly stove in a garage, watch the following video.

Making a rectangular stove

What are they not making potbelly stoves from? The imagination of folk craftsmen is not limited. But for those who have never taken on such a design, it is worth starting with a more simplified version - a rectangular potbelly stove. This is the most popular model, which, moreover, is quite easy to assemble.

In order to make a potbelly stove yourself, you will need to prepare the following material and tools:

• plan drawing - the dimensions of each element are noted in it;
• metal sheets - their number depends on the desired size of the stove, the main thing is that the material is no thinner than 4 mm;
• steel corners;
• metal pipe (30 mm);
• pipe (180 mm);
• welding machine.

To create this option you will need to do the following:

1. Metal sheets must first be cleaned and degreased, otherwise the welding machine will not be able to connect them reliably. To do this, you can use an ordinary soap solution or special cleaning agents.
2. On the sheet of metal that will serve as the front part, it is necessary to cut two holes - one will serve to collect ash, and the other will serve as the firebox door. The door size should be 3-4 cm smaller than the width of the future potbelly stove. As for the height of the location, it is usually made 1/3 lower than the top edge. Don't forget that there will be another one below rectangular hole for the ash pit. It is advisable to separate them.
3. To make the door you will need metal slightly larger than the resulting window. To connect two elements, you can use steel hinges. The door must have a handle that will allow you to open and close the potbelly stove.
4. Now the metal sheets are welded together to form a rectangular box. You should start with the side walls, which are fixed to the bottom. To control the vertical and horizontal directions, it is worth using a building level during such work. Next, the back wall is welded. The internal space is divided into three parts - smoke circulation, firebox and ash pan. A grate is installed between the last two parts. 10-15 cm are measured on the side walls and corners are welded over the entire valley. Pre-prepared strips of the same sheet steel with a width of 2.5-3 cm are fixed to them. As for the length, then you need to focus on the existing dimensions of the potbelly stove. Distance – 5cm. all elements are welded to two rods. Here you need to do this work as efficiently as possible, since such strips additionally serve as stiffeners.

1. You should not weld the grate itself to the walls, because when you need to clean or replace any element in the potbelly stove, you will have to disassemble the entire structure. Otherwise, it’s enough to just pull out the grille.

Now you need to fix two metal rods in the upper part of the side walls. They will serve as a support for the reflector. It is positioned in such a way that there is a channel in front through which the smoke will leave the potbelly stove. The reflector will have to withstand the highest temperatures. Therefore, for its manufacture it is better to choose metal 1.5 cm thick.

2. Now you can start working on the top cover. Here it is better to make a hole in advance for the future chimney. Next, the jumper is cut out and welded. It will be necessary to make an even narrower one, which is placed at the level of the grate. It is this that will separate the door of the grate and the ash pan.
3. Now the door handles, latches and curtains are welded. As for the last elements, for reliability it is worth using a thick rod and a steel pipe.

1. Once the structure is ready, it is installed on legs. For such purposes, a metal pipe (diameter 8-10 cm) is perfect, which is cut into pieces of 2-4 cm. A nut with a screwed-in bolt is welded to each end. This will ensure reliable stability.
2. The last stage is the installation of the chimney. Here you need a pipe with a diameter of 15-18 cm. If we talk about the length, then it should be enough to bring the chimney out. Therefore, in order to avoid waste of material, it is worth thinking about the location of the potbelly stove. Since the chimney involves bends, each such angle should be equal to 45 degrees. A rotating damper is equipped at the lower end. The chimney itself is placed on a sleeve 15-20 cm high. For this purpose, a product with a diameter smaller than the main pipe is used. Cooking is used to combine.

Once the product is ready, it can be installed and used.

Principle of operation

Let's take a closer look at the operation diagram of a homemade potbelly stove:

• Combustion air is supplied through the ash pan to the furnace firebox;
• During the combustion process, heat is released, which heats the bricks and walls of the furnace;
• smoke, soot and combustion products are drawn out through the chimney;
• combustion regulation to obtain the necessary heat transfer is carried out by increasing/decreasing the open gap of the blower door;
• a potbelly stove is heated using different kinds both liquid and solid fuels (firewood, mining, diesel fuel, coal, peat).

Potbelly stove under development

A potbelly stove, the fuel for which is not wood, but waste oil, has its own characteristics. It can be either a small stove for a regular garage or a device designed for heating large areas. In any case, all models work on the same principle and have similar designs and operating principles.

• The potbelly stove has 2 parts. Used oil is poured into the lower part, where it is heated and brought to a boil.
• The vapors are drawn through a perforated pipe for oxygen access, where their initial afterburning occurs.
• The vapors are completely oxidized and burned in the upper part connected to the chimney.
• The temperature in the lower container is relatively low; the upper chamber heats up to the maximum, heating the room. Its walls can even glow from the heat. Accordingly, this affects the choice of material for making cameras.

Drawing diagram of a potbelly stove during testing with conventional dimensions and proportions.

Let's consider the advantages of potbelly stoves during testing.

• Unpretentiousness and “independence”. There is no need to constantly add firewood or perform any actions; the main requirement is the correct adjustment of the filler neck gap (10-15 mm).
• Efficient heat dissipation.
• There is no soot from the chimney, the stove does not smoke.
• Relative fire safety, since waste fuel is difficult to ignite, and only oil vapors burn.

Flaws:

• noisiness;
• a characteristic odor (sometimes it is eliminated by installing a water circuit or an air heat exchanger with a supercharged fan, which directs part of the air from the chimney to another room for heating);
• the combustion chamber (connecting pipe with perforation) and the chimney have to be cleaned quite often;
• the coked layer of burnt oil in the lower chamber is also quite problematic to remove.

When using a potbelly stove with waste fuel, you must adhere to the mandatory rules.

• It is not allowed to use waste oil with gasoline or other flammable impurities.
• Filtration of waste from solid particles is required.
• Water should not be allowed to enter the mining area.
• Strong drafts are not allowed.
• Compliance with all fire safety regulations when installing a stove indoors.
• Reliable ventilation is a must.

• It is strictly forbidden to leave the stove unattended or sleep while the stove is running.
• Do not use water for extinguishing!
• Horizontal sections of the chimney hood are prohibited. The permissible angle of inclination of the chimney is 45°.
• The chimney should have a length of 4 to 7 m.
• It is recommended to pour waste into the furnace to a height of less than? volume of the lower chamber.
• It is necessary to have a powder fire extinguisher and/or sand in the immediate vicinity of such a stove.

How to heat a potbelly stove

The bourgeoisie who invented the potbelly stove knew how to work not only with their heads, but also with their hands in the laboratory. Therefore, in order for their stove to show all its advantages, it is necessary to determine the minimum and maximum content of each type of fuel. The heat from an overfed/underfed potbelly stove will fly out into the chimney due to the fact that circulation will not form in the firebox. In the first case, the excess gases simply will not leave room for it, and in the second case there will not be enough gases themselves.

Fortunately, the potbelly stove is unpretentious here too: the range of fuel mass at which efficiency is maintained is very wide. You can immediately define it like this:

• We are preparing a bucket of fuel.
• We literally lay in a handful and light it up.
• Add a little at a time until the beginning of the hog turns cherry red.
• Let's look at how much is taken from the bucket; this is the minimum amount.
• Add more, in larger portions, until 1/5-1/6 of the far part of the hog remains dark.
• Let's see how many have been selected now, this is the maximum bookmark.

Note: It is necessary to determine on a cloudy winter day or in weak diffuse lighting of the same intensity.

Using high-quality fuel (anthracite, pellets), the hog can become heated with a ring that varies in width and “walks” along its length. In this case, to determine the volume/mass of the bookmarks, several fireboxes will be needed. As the fuel burns out, the ring will narrow and move towards the beginning of the hog. At the maximum setting, at the beginning of the firebox it will take up to a third of its length at the far end, and at the minimum, it will appear in the middle and will be 3-4 palms wide.

Video: potbelly stove in garage heating

Option from a wood-burning receiver tank

The receiver tank is perfect for making a stove. There is no need to make a door for loading firewood. The hatch cover opens from above, through which firewood will be loaded. It is equipped with a handle for ease of use. A hole is cut at the bottom to collect the ash. We advise you to study in more detail the diagram of a wood-burning stove and find answers to your questions.

This is what the water receiver tank looks like

This option is easy to make, but requires caution when using. The disadvantage of this model is the inconvenience of cleaning the ash pan.

But for use in the garage or at the dacha, this is an excellent option.

The tank sections are separated by a homemade grate, which can even be made from reinforcement

As an option, a small potbelly stove is made with your own hands from sheets of steel. Below is a drawing of a simple stove made from ready-made steel plates. The drawing contains all dimensions. Two partitions will allow you to remove maximum efficiency from fuel, because thanks to the labyrinth inside the chamber, combustion products slowly leave it. We also advise you to study brick in addition to this article.

Using sheet metal you can give the stove any shape and size

The thickness of metal sheets must be at least 4 mm. The grate can be a metal plate with drilled holes or even reinforcement.

The body can be encased in a 2 mm steel casing. This will avoid the following problems:

• the hot surface of the oven will not cause burns or accidental fire;
• the amount of infrared radiation will decrease several times;
• an air gap between the casing and the surface of the stove will allow it to heat evenly and better heat the room.

Potbelly stove in the garage: pros and cons

Car enthusiasts install a homemade potbelly stove in the garage for several reasons:

• the stove heats the room in winter;
• you can cook food or heat a kettle on a potbelly stove;
• With a design approach, a homemade heating device can become a decoration for the garage.

A potbelly stove has a number of advantages compared to other heating devices:

• For kindling, you can use a variety of fuels - firewood, coals, construction waste, petroleum products, waste oil, etc.
• The main advantage of a potbelly stove is the speed of heating the room. Thanks to its high efficiency and power, the stove will heat a garage of 50-60 square meters. m. in 15-20 minutes.
• The stove distributes heat evenly regardless of where it is located.
• A potbelly stove is an economical heating device. For example, heating a garage with a potbelly stove will cost several times less than with an electric heater.
• An additional advantage of a potbelly stove in the garage is the ability to cook or warm up food. When creating a stove yourself, it is enough to attach a metal cooking surface to its upper part.
• A homemade stove will cost the car owner almost free if there is an unnecessary barrel, sheet of metal and pipe lying around in the garage.

We previously wrote an article about installing a potbelly stove for heating and recommended adding it to your bookmarks.

The potbelly stove will fit harmoniously into the interior of any garage. In addition to the heating function, the heating device has a “cooking mode”. Install at the top of the stove hob, where you can heat the kettle or cook food.

The disadvantages of a potbelly stove in the garage are:

• the need to install a chimney in the garage;
• periodic cleaning of the chimney;
• the need for constant fuel supply;
• inability to accumulate heat.

Readers found these materials useful:

• Making a miracle stove for heating with your own hands: features of the stove from a cylinder

Potbelly stove using waste oil products

A waste oil furnace is a device consisting of two chambers. In the first, oil is burned, and in the second, the resulting gases are burned along with air.

Advice! Petroleum engine oil, diesel fuel, diesel fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, transformer or gear oils. Under no circumstances should you burn acetone or gasoline solvents.

What does such a potbelly stove look like using waste oil and its main components

To weld such a stove, a master will need no more than 2-3 hours. It is made from the following materials:

• chimney pipe;
• fuel tank/finished metal box;
• sheet metal.

Video: review of a potbelly stove for the garage

Tools you will need:

• welding machine;
• Bulgarian;
• chisel;
• sledgehammer;
• tape measure, marker/chalk;
• hammer;
• perforator;
• rivets.

Drawing of a potbelly stove “under development”. The figure shows two sections: in the first, oil is supplied and burned, in the second, gases are burned together with air.

To make such a stove with your own hands, you should proceed in stages:

• First, they make a drawing of a potbelly stove for the garage. In the figure, all parts and workpieces with dimensions are schematically marked.
• A ready-made tank or a metal box with a cut hole for fuel supply is used as a fuel compartment. The legs are attached to the tank using a welding machine.
• The upper section is made in the shape of an elongated cylinder. It is connected to the lower chamber using a pipe. To do this, cut a small round opening in the box. All joints are checked for leaks. Holes (10 mm in diameter) are made in the pipe to allow secondary air to enter the channel.
• The chimney is made in the upper part of the structure at an angle at a height of several meters.
• The upper surface of the potbelly stove can be used as a " kitchen stove" This is the hottest place in the oven.
• To light the stove, several liters of waste are poured into the chamber, a little heating oil is added, paper is placed and it is set on fire. If necessary, add oil in small portions.

Read the article about building a mini-stove and find answers to your questions.

Advice! To make the stove last several years longer, a three-millimeter steel sheet is attached to the upper platform.

A potbelly stove using waste oil is made from a metal box or tank. The upper chamber must be cylindrical.

This material will be perfectly complemented by the following publications:

• Review of Thermofor heating stoves for home and bathhouses - the best from Siberia

Calculation of basic parameters with drawings and dimensions

High efficiency of a potbelly stove can only be achieved if all the main design parameters are correctly calculated.

Pipe

In this case, the diameter of this element is very important. The throughput of the chimney should be less than the productivity of the furnace firebox, which is the main distinguishing feature of a potbelly stove. This will allow warm air not to immediately leave the stove, but to linger in it and heat the surrounding air.

It is very important to make an accurate calculation for it. The diameter should be 2.7 times the volume of the firebox

In this case, the diameter is determined in millimeters, and the volume of the firebox in liters. For example, the volume of the combustion chamber is 40 liters, which means that the chimney diameter should be about 106 mm.

If the potbelly stove provides for the installation of grates, then the height of the firebox is calculated without taking into account the volume of this part, that is, from the top of the grate.

Screen

It is very important to force the hot gases not to cool, but to burn out completely. In addition, the fuel must burn through partial pyrolysis, which requires extremely high temperatures. A metal screen located on three sides of the stove will help to achieve a similar effect. It should be placed at a distance of 50–70 mm from the stove walls, due to which most of the heat will return to the stove. This air movement will give the necessary high temperature and protect against fire.

The screen of a potbelly stove made of red brick is capable of accumulating heat

Litter

It definitely has to be there. There are two reasons for this:

• some of the heat is radiated downwards;
• the floor on which the stove stands gets hot, which means there is a risk of fire.

The litter solves these two problems at once. It can be used as a metal sheet with a projection of 350 mm (ideally 600 mm) beyond the contour of the furnace itself. There are more modern materials that do an excellent job of this task, for example, a sheet of asbestos or kaolin cardboard with a thickness of at least 6 mm.

You can use an asbestos sheet for bedding under a potbelly stove.

Chimney

Despite all the calculations, gases sometimes escape into the chimney not completely burned out. Therefore, it must be done in a special way. The chimney consists of:

• the vertical part (1–1.2 m), which is recommended to be wrapped in thermal insulation material;
• hog (slightly inclined part or completely horizontal), 2.5–4.5 m long, which should be 1.2 m from the ceiling, which is not protected with heat-resistant materials (1.5 m from the wooden surface), from the floor - by 2.2 m.

The chimney must be vented to the street

Photo gallery: diagrams of a potbelly stove for a garage

The diagram must indicate all the exact measurements. The chimney must be directed to the street The potbelly stove can be round or square The volume of the firebox depends on the presence of grates The design of the potbelly stove depends on the material used

Assembling a potbelly stove

Installation of a potbelly stove begins with its purchase or self-assembly

When choosing a purchase option, pay attention to the Soviet-style cast iron model.

They began to be produced in 1955 and are still stored in army warehouses. We won’t go into where they came from for sale. But let's say that these are excellent stoves. Judge for yourself:

The cast iron potbelly stove has a very impressive appearance and due to its thickness it can last for decades.

• Thermal power is about 4-5 kW, which is enough to heat a garage of up to 40 square meters. m;
• Reliable cast iron - its thickness is 10 mm;
• Soviet assembly - no comments here, back then they knew how to make quality things;
• Omnivorous - works on coal, wood, sawdust;
• Suitable for installing a cauldron instead of a top lid.

The cost of the unit is between 4-5 thousand rubles. The thing is really cool, but it’s hellishly heavy, its weight is about 60 kg.

You can also assemble a potbelly stove for your garage yourself. For example, according to this scheme:

The assembly diagram of one of the simplest and yet quite effective and reliable potbelly stoves.

It is assembled from sheet steel. The recommended thickness is 4-5 mm. This is enough to prevent the steel from burning out in the next few years. The statement is most relevant when using coal, which burns at a higher temperature. For assembly, you need to cut the metal on a machine or using a powerful grinder. Legs may or may not be made - in this case, the potbelly stove is installed on a stone base.

To assemble the stove, you will need additional materials - a metal pipe, doors and fittings for assembling the grate. The pipe is necessary to create a chimney pipe - the chimney is connected to it. You need two doors - one large, the other small. The large one is welded opposite the combustion chamber (furnace), the small one is welded between the bottom and the grate. If you are making legs for floor installation, take durable ones. metal corners or reinforcement with a thickness of at least 15 mm.

The diameter of the chimney according to this scheme is 100 mm - this is quite enough (for this drawing). The potbelly stove is assembled using a welding machine. Special attention is paid to the welds so that they can withstand heat and do not allow smoke into the garage itself. When assembling the housing, do not forget to install the grate and smoke circuits.

Smoke circulations improve heat transfer and are the basis for pyrolysis combustion - in this case, a tube for supplying secondary air is welded into the rear wall above the level of the first revolution.

Potbelly stove from a barrel

This option is suitable for those who are not particularly concerned about aesthetics, but only require warmth. This option Suitable not only for barrels, but also for very large diameter pipes.

In order to make such a stove, you need to perform the following steps:

• With outside cut out two rectangular holes - the entrance to the combustion chamber and the ash pan;
• “extra” pieces of the barrel are framed with metal strips and equipped with a handle with a latch - in the future these will be doors;

• 10 cm down from the combustion hole, corner brackets are welded on the inside of the barrel, on top of which a grate is laid (purchased separately or made independently);
• legs are welded to the bottom from the outside - for this you can use pipes or metal corners;
• then hinges are attached near the holes and on the doors and the elements are connected;
• It is recommended to clean all the seams at the end so that the stove looks neater and less dangerous;
• as soon as everything is ready, the device can be connected to the chimney, which is previously taken out into the street.

This method of making a potbelly stove is also excellent for pipes. Only after the grate is installed should you remember to weld the bottom of the pipe and the top part. And it’s nothing complicated!

In fact, there are many options on how to make a potbelly stove with your own hands. Sometimes craftsmen come up with such masterpieces that store-bought designer devices simply cannot even stand close. But you need to chase not beauty and originality, but safety. After all, during operation of the potbelly stove, carbon monoxide will be released, which can even poison a person. Therefore, when working in a room heated by such a device, every 30-40 minutes you need to go out into the fresh air and ventilate the space.

Types of cast iron potbelly stoves

A cast iron potbelly stove for a country house is the simplest option for heating a country house. But when you start choosing a stove, your eyes start to widen. There are dozens and hundreds of types of cast iron stoves on sale. Therefore, now we will try to understand all this diversity.

Differences in shape and design

Cast iron stoves for country houses are made in a variety of form factors. For example, they can be rectangular or barrel-shaped. Some units have casings that are elongated horizontally, while others are elongated vertically. Choice suitable option carried out depending on the operating conditions - if there is free space, you can get by with the horizontal option. If there is little space in the dacha, it is better to take a closer look at a vertical unit.

There are also design differences. We have already said that cast iron stoves-potbelly stoves are extremely simple. But many people don’t like this simplicity. Designer stoves with beautiful bodies with monograms and drawings were created especially for such people. They look really impressive, so they will become worthy decoration your interior.

Loading door

People often go to their dachas to relax - they want to take a break from the bustle of the city and be in silence

Therefore, they pay special attention to the arrangement of their country houses. In order to do country house interior more interesting and cozy, you can decorate it with a cast iron stove with a fireplace door

In most cases, the doors are made blind - they serve exclusively for loading fuel. IN selected models they play not only the main, but also a decorative role.

When choosing a cast iron stove with a fireplace door, make sure that it is equipped with a “clean glass” system. Otherwise, you will have to constantly clean the glass in your furnace from soot.

Hob

When setting up their dacha, people often build one-room houses, doing without kitchen premises. Cooking food in such conditions is difficult. But if you buy a cast iron stove with a hob, the problem will be solved - at least during the heating season, when it is cold outside. You can put a kettle or a pot of soup here, you can even cook something in a frying pan.

A hob is an excellent addition to cast iron stoves. But you need to be careful. The thing is that if you accidentally spill cold water on cast iron, the stove may burst. When heated, cast iron becomes more brittle, so strong impacts and sudden temperature changes lead to its destruction.

Pyrolysis ovens

A cast iron stove for a summer residence can operate using pyrolysis technology. This scheme allows you to slightly increase heat transfer and efficiency. Firewood here burns in an oxygen-poor atmosphere, releasing pyrolysis products, which are burned in the afterburner. The design of such cast iron potbelly stoves is more complex, but it allows increasing efficiency by about 5-10%. An additional advantage is the increase in the burning time of a cast iron stove.

Long-term combustion in cast-iron stoves such as potbelly stoves is also achieved in another way - using large combustion chambers. The larger the chamber, the more firewood it can hold. And 10-12 kg of firewood will obviously burn longer than the unfortunate 1.5-2 kg. Thanks to this, the operation of the stoves is greatly facilitated - this is most important at night, when you want to sleep, and not have to deal with adding firewood.

Safe Operation

Homemade products are always dangerous because during their construction, a person may lose sight of any details that seem insignificant to him. But in fact, it is they who will be responsible for the risk of injury to the final product. The same applies to DIY potbelly stoves.

To home stove brought only heat, you should pay attention to the following points:

• the stove must stand on a fire-resistant surface - tiles, brickwork, metal sheet of good thickness, etc.;

• if the stove is located near the walls, then it is also recommended to protect them - for such purposes you can use the same tiles, fire-resistant drywall or any other material that is not afraid of contact with high temperatures;
• There should not be any flammable materials or substances near the device - as much as possible. permissible distance no closer than 1.5 meters (firefighters generally recommend not keeping such items indoors);
• Since the potbelly stove was assembled independently, it is not safe from the production of harmful substances, so the room should be good ventilation(both artificial and natural);
• When making a product, it is better to choose only high-quality material - at a minimum, such a product will last longer, and at maximum, it will not cause any harm to its owner.

The service life and quality of heat directly depends on how a person approaches this issue. Therefore, it is better to spend a little money, especially since a couple of sheets of metal will definitely be cheaper than a full-fledged heater. But the room will be warm and cozy.

Making a potbelly stove is half the battle. You still have to enjoy using it. It would seem that there is nothing complicated here - throw in some firewood and warm yourself up. But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance.

Why are ready-made devices more expensive? Because the assembly engineers provided all the amenities. To make a homemade stove also bring pleasure, you should think about the following points:

• protection - when adding fuel, old coals can fall out, which is quite dangerous, so you need to build a small mesh in front of the combustion chamber;
• since the stove is heating up, it is worth insulating it a little on the outside, or at least insulating the surrounding surfaces - this will reduce the risk of fire;

• It is advisable to cover the potbelly stove with heat-resistant paint or an anti-corrosion coating - this way the product will last much longer;
• It is worth attaching handles to the body, since during fuel combustion, the walls of the device will become very hot;
• A traction regulator through the wheels is definitely needed - this makes the operation of the potbelly stove more comfortable;
• if a potbelly stove is made from an old gas cylinder, then it is important to make sure that there is no dangerous substance left inside the container - otherwise there is a high risk of explosion.

Pros and cons of potbelly stoves

Heating garages using potbelly stoves is quite justified. Electric heating leads to high energy costs, given the large amount of heat losses. The same applies to heating with diesel fuel and liquefied gas. All that remains is to heat the garage space using a potbelly stove. This stove, simple in design, can operate on wood, coal, fuel briquettes and other types of fuel. . It is omnivorous and does not require permission for installation and operation.

Let's consider the positive qualities of potbelly stoves:

A potbelly stove has a very reasonable efficiency indicator - it varies between 70-80%, which depends on its design and the type of fuel used.

• Suitable for heating garages and any other technical premises;
• They produce a large amount of heat, which depends on the type of fuel used - using firewood with a high calorific value, you will achieve good heat;
• Quick warming up - we remove the remaining ash from the previous kindling, load fresh firewood, wait 15-20 minutes. After this time, the garage will become noticeably warmer. In 30-40 minutes the temperature will reach a comfortable limit (do not raise it above +23-24 degrees);
• Simple installation - you need to mount it on a non-combustible base and connect the chimney;
• Possibility of modernization - the potbelly stove can be easily converted to use liquid and gas burners. There are also certain methods for increasing efficiency - we will touch on these points in the review.

Flaws:

• Not the most presentable appearance, but in a garage or other technical room this does not matter in the slightest;
• An incorrectly assembled potbelly stove may turn out to be too voracious and ineffective - 40-50% of the heat will fly out;
• You need to install a high chimney - proper draft is ensured by installing a chimney up to 4-5 meters in height.

In addition, potbelly stoves require regular cleaning. It’s one thing to remove accumulated coals and ash, and another thing to remove resin from a pipe. The problem with resins is solved by installing a chimney from a pipe with a diameter of at least 100 mm (and preferably 120 mm).

Modernization of a potbelly stove

Installing a potbelly stove in a garage will provide warmth and comfort. But the efficiency of this furnace can be increased by 10-15%. Here is a list of technical solutions:

• Installing a brick jacket on the back and sides - we have already talked about this. The thickness is half a brick;
• Installing a chimney with a long horizontal section - it will retain some of the heat escaping into the chimney. We put the stove in one corner, extend the chimney to the other, and then take it upstairs;
• We cover the walls with steel sheets - they will reflect infrared radiation back into the room;
• Installing a steel jacket around the stove - we surround the potbelly stove with steel sheets located at a distance of 40-50 mm from its walls. This solution forms a convector that forces air to circulate throughout the garage.

Making a potbelly stove.

I bought 12 meters of profile pipe to fit into the car and asked to be cut into 6 pieces of 2 meters each.

I immediately bought cast iron grates 270 x 270 mm.

I cut the pipes into pieces 50 cm long and began to weld the side walls.

Rear wall decided to bend it.

Here are the approximate dimensions of the firebox:

• height 50 cm,
• length 55-60 cm,
• width 40 cm.

I set the side walls parallel, measured the diagonals, sawed 4 identical rods and welded them. They will hold horizontal partitions

Then I cut out the lower partition from 4 mm sheet steel. It is moved forward, behind the stove there is a gas passage of 33 x 12 cm.

The upper second partition has the same size for the passage of gases, but it is already shifted back. There is a small gap at the rear to reduce aerodynamic drag.

These partitions are removable and will be slightly reinforced with a corner. They can be easily removed through the firebox.

The next stage is making the top cover. I made the shape in such a way as to increase the passage of gases and reduce aerodynamic drag at the entrance to the pipe.
In the chamber above the firebox there will be a tube with holes through which warm secondary air will be supplied for afterburning.

I found a piece of square profile pipe 100 x 100 mm in the garage; the gas duct at the outlet of the furnace will initially be square.
This makes it even easier to make a damper. We will need an axle (I used a long bolt), a spring to secure the damper, the damper itself and a handle with a counterweight.

The flap is 4 mm thick.

Then I welded the pipe to the top of the stove and made a smooth transition for the gases.

I made a tube for secondary air.
The essence is that hot air is supplied to the area behind the firebox, and afterburning occurs flue gases. Theoretically, this gives an increase in temperature in the second chamber.
To prevent the tube from burning out, protect it with a corner. The nozzle itself was flattened and welded for greater strength.

Well, I welded the pipe.

I also sawed the reinforcement and made an insert from thick wall pipe. I welded the pipe on one side, the other end is free. This is done for thermal expansion of the reinforcement.

I made a tight hatch to remove ash, and reinforced the walls of the ash pan with a corner. The lid is inserted very easily, the gap was set using thick paper.

I made 4 holes in the hatch and secured the lower part of the carburetor with flaps. I will use them to very accurately regulate the flow of air.

I made the front wall, cut out a window for the firebox door and reinforced it with a frame.

Next, I made a door from a cut piece of the front wall, corners and a sheet of metal. There are holes on the outside in the lower part, and on the inside too, but at the top. This keeps the door cool! Of course, the design is not very successful; the inner sheet needs to be secured with studs, and not scalded around the perimeter. It heats up more, expands and bends the door outward. I'll fix it!

I made 4 legs. 3 of them are height adjustable.

I welded the legs into place and made a door locking mechanism. A piece of power steering plate, fittings, ball.
I also made stops for the door, it is on a hinge.

I'm making an air circuit to make forced airflow. I bought a 0.5 mm sheet of tin and fastened it with screws and rivets.

The fence will be from below, and will be fed along the corrugation along the garage.

I had some cans of thermal paint lying around in the garage and decided to use them.

I lit the stove. I’ll say right away that I got carried away with the paint, the can says 400 degrees, but it’s Fahrenheit. The paint was fading and it stank.

Homemade potbelly stove from an old can

The work of making a potbelly stove yourself begins with choosing the type of design. The stove can have a round or rectangular cross-section. Even an old can for water, milk and other liquids is suitable for assembling such a unit.

Homemade potbelly stove from an old can

No expensive materials or hard-to-find tools are required. Everything you need can be found in the shed or purchased at a hardware store.

Finishing homemade stove potbelly stoves

Tools and materials for assembling a potbelly stove

1. Can.
2. Metal rod with a diameter of 0.6 mm.
3. Hammer.
4. Chisel.
5. Smoke exhaust pipe.
6. File.

To assemble some models of potbelly stove, you will need a welding machine, but if you really want, everything can be done without welding. The advantage of using a welding machine is that it can provide higher reliability and rigidity of the structure. Recommendations for any specific sizes are not given, because... in the case of homemade potbelly stoves, everything is selected individually. When choosing the sizes of additional units, be guided by the dimensions of the main container.

Potbelly stove from a can

First of all, you need to prepare the blower. Take your can and make a hole in it. It should be arranged just below the level of the neck. The cut hole should be shaped into a regular rectangle. To do this, take a file and carefully sand the edges of the resulting connector.

The next hole must be prepared in the bottom of the can. It must be of such a diameter that in the future the pipe for removing combustion products enters it with sufficiently great effort. Determining the appropriate size is extremely simple. Prepare markings in the area where the chimney is installed. Mark a hole approximately 15-20 mm smaller than the diameter of the chimney pipe. Next, you will need to arm yourself with a chisel and an ordinary hammer. With these simple tools you can knock out the hole you need. In the end, all that remains is to level it with a file.

Take the chimney pipe and try to fit it into the prepared connector. If the chimney does not go through, you will have to work with the file for some time. However, there is no need to be too zealous either. The chimney, as already noted, must fit into the connector with sufficiently great effort.

Take a metal rod with a diameter of 0.6 mm and try to bend it like a snake. In the future you will use this snake as a grate. The prepared lattice must be bent so that it can be positioned normally in the neck. At the end, all that remains is to align the grate in the container, and the homemade stove will be ready.

Experts recommend installing such stoves on special stands. This is more reliable and safe. Additionally, the design of a homemade potbelly stove can be improved by installing a damper on the ash pan. It will allow you to regulate the intensity of traction, fuel consumption and heating level.

Thus, a basic potbelly stove can be assembled even from an old can. No expensive ones special devices not required for this type of work. Finally, all that remains is to place the oven in suitable place and connect the chimney pipe. Homemade stove will provide high-quality heating of the room until you decide to install a more functional and productive system.

A homemade stove will provide high-quality room heating until you decide to install a more functional and productive system

Development and improvements

The “bourgeois” potbelly stove was designed most of all for dry firewood or peat: it was born when white hare Soviet Russia from all sides. All coal-mining areas and forest areas suitable for development were in the hands of the enemy. Only later, when Soviet Union Already back on his feet, the potbelly stove was adapted for other types of solid fuel.

To achieve this, we had to do very little: add a grate to the firebox and horizontal partitions that form smoke channels. At the front bend of the channel, the pressure in the presence of draft will always be below atmospheric pressure, which was not provided by the original potbelly stove. Therefore, it became possible to equip the stove with a burner, turning it into a heating and cooking unit. If the pipe is placed at least 1.5 m above the ridge of the roof and equipped with an aerodynamic mushroom-umbrella, then, without fear of fumes, such a potbelly stove can be made with two burners. A drawing of an improved potbelly stove is shown on the left, pos. rice.

Improved potbelly stoves

With the development of heating technology, slow-burning stoves, which are very economical and easy to use, became more and more common. The potbelly stove turned out to be suitable for this combustion mode: it was enough to remove the grate, returning to the blind hearth, and equip the ash pan with an air throttle that regulates the combustion mode and thermal power. On the right pos. rice. a potbelly stove with a convenient and technologically advanced air regulator by V. Loginov is shown.

About grates and blower

To turn a potbelly stove from a regular stove into a slow stove, the grate must be removed. Slow combustion is ensured by supplying air to the fuel from above, so that the smoldering mass itself sucks in as much as it needs. When supplying air from below through grates or upper layer the fuel will decay, but the bottom will remain untouched, or, if the fuel is breathable and dry, the combustion will turn into a fiery one. Remember the troubles with barbecue on the grill: you have to blow on the coals, then extinguish the flared ones.

Therefore, the grate in a multi-mode potbelly stove should not be made of a single piece of steel sheet, since it cannot be pulled out through the firebox door, but made up of separate cast-iron grates. They can be supported by steel corners welded from the inside to the walls of the firebox or (better) pieces of reinforcing bars 10-15 mm in diameter.

But in any case, the blower should be made round, like in the Loginov stove, and equipped with an M60x1 pipe installed on screws or rivets. Welding will completely destroy the thread, but as you know, large threads cannot be passed with taps, only on a machine.

A potbelly stove with a round threaded blower becomes truly universal:

• The blower is completely open - potbelly stove, coal, peat briquettes, pellets.
• A Loginov choke is screwed onto the ash pan, the grate is removed - a slow burning potbelly stove using sawdust, wood chips, waste paper/cardboard and other waste fuel.
• The grate is installed, the gasifier outlet pipe is inserted into the ashpit (see below) - a potbelly stove using exhaust, dark heating oil.

Water

The rooms in bourgeois apartments (those who scuttled lived in mansions) were, according to modern ideas, very large. Therefore, in a stationary combustion mode, IR from the screen played a significant role in their heating. In current housing, convection heating is sufficient, thermal radiation will only overheat the walls, increasing heat loss to the outside.

It is best to use excess IR rays by surrounding the potbelly stove instead of a screen with a U-shaped hot water boiler. It will not disrupt the combustion mode in the stove, because... IR is reflected by the inner surface layer of the metal of the screen, and its reflectivity is almost independent of surface temperature.

The share of IR from the screen to the outside is 1/5-1/7 of its thermal power for a potbelly stove, so a water potbelly stove will only provide DHW with storage tank. But for a dacha or a rural house this is already a godsend.

How to install

Experienced experts recommend placing the potbelly stove approximately in the corners of the room, and leading the chimney pipe to the other side. Using this arrangement, you can achieve maximum heat transfer from the furnace. To prevent the heat from leaving along with the smoke, the pipe should be pulled at an angle of 30 degrees. You should also try to avoid straight sections of pipe located horizontally.

To place a potbelly stove in a garage, you need a supply ventilation system and good exhaust.

You should never place the stove close to the car. The potbelly stove should be at a distance of 1.5, or even 2 meters from it. Also, any flammable items and compositions must be moved from the potbelly stove to an approximately similar distance.

Brick walls should be installed on the sides and in front of the stove. This not only provides protection from accidental contact with a hot structure, but also ensures the accumulation of heat generated by the stove, which can significantly increase the efficiency level of the potbelly stove.

If the walls of the garage are made of wood, then there should be about 100 cm of free space between them and the stove itself. Sami wooden walls it is necessary to cover them with asbestos sheets, line them with bricks, or provide their protection with some other fire-resistant means.

It is extremely important to place a sheet of iron up to two cm thick at the base of the potbelly stove or pour a concrete screed, which will help prevent the spread of fire in the event that sparks, coals, and so on fall out of the stove. .

The potbelly stove should be used exclusively in rooms where there is good forced ventilation. The main factor in fire is oxygen. Therefore, fresh air must enter the garage in good volumes, otherwise the fire simply will not ignite, and there will be a minimum of heat from such a stove. Sometimes it is enough for this purpose to leave a not very wide gap between the garage door and the ground. If there is no such gap, then you need to either make it yourself or make a supply ventilation system.

Under no circumstances should you leave flammable materials near the stove.

If there is wood, containers with gasoline and oils near the burning stove, their fire can lead to extremely negative consequences.

Selecting the stove design

Since there are enough drawings of ordinary potbelly stoves on the Internet, we will offer a choice of 4 original designs, one of which will certainly suit your conditions:

1. Two-pass wood and coal stove, welded from sheet metal.
2. Vertical heater from a gas cylinder with an air or water circuit.
3. Pyrolysis oven long burning from a cylinder or pipe installed horizontally.
4. Dropper for processing automobile and other oils.

Unit with two smoke circuits

Note. A heating stove can also be built from ceramic bricks, which is clearly described in this topic. Such a heat source will fit well into the interior of a dacha, but is inconvenient for a garage due to the size of the brick structure, long warm-up time and lack of mobility.

Wood heater with air chamber at the top

1. If you spend little time in the garage (1-3 hours a day), then you will need quick heating of the room, and this will be provided by a vertical wood stove with an air heat exchanger (option No. 2), shown in the photo. Thanks to the fan driving air through the upper chamber, it acts like a heat gun.
2. The same second option will work for boxes large sizes(standard garage dimensions are 6 x 3 m). Then the air chamber turns into a water circuit connected to the heating registers.
3. For constant heating of a standard garage, option No. 1 is suitable - an efficient two-pass wood-burning stove, or No. 3 - a long-burning unit. The choice depends on the material you have: the first is made from a propane cylinder, the second from sheet iron 4 mm thick.
4. For those who plan to burn waste oils for heating, it is recommended to weld a drip-type stove from a round pipe (option No. 4). If desired and skillful, you can modernize it - convert it into a boiler by making a water jacket.

Two-chamber pyrolysis oven

Reference. Of the popular garage homemade products, two more designs are worth mentioning: the famous stove - the Bubafonya top-burning potbelly stove and a small heater made from wheel rims. The production of the first is described in detail, the second is shown in the video:

Which stove is better, cast iron or metal?

A cast iron stove has many advantages over an iron one. Thin-walled steel heats up quickly and easily transfers internal heat to the outside. As soon as the fuel burns, it cools down very quickly.

A potbelly stove made of cast iron is durable

Unlike steel, thick cast iron has a fairly high heat capacity, but lower thermal conductivity. In other words, it slowly heats up, accumulates heat in itself and, due to its heat capacity, gives off heat for some time after the combustion of all the fuel.

In addition, the cast iron walls reflect part of the heat back into the combustion chamber. This creates ideal conditions for long-term combustion and complete combustion of any type of fuel.

In a steel stove, to obtain the same conditions, it is necessary to install additional heat-reflecting screens. But cast iron does not need screens by definition.

Most of us have probably heard about such a stove as a potbelly stove. In terms of its design, it is a metal structure equipped with a chimney. Such stoves were very popular in the first half of the 20th century. But after some time, when gas stoves began to be installed in houses and central system heating, they began to be forgotten.

Subsequently, they were remembered during the Second World War: during these years, when there was no central heating in apartments and institutions, potbelly stoves helped maintain heat in the premises. These homemade stoves are often used to heat dugouts, dugouts and heated carriages. In the 50s of the 20th century, the owners remembered these stoves summer cottages who installed them in their garden houses. Nowadays, they are still popular primarily as a means of heating utility rooms of 10-15 square meters. m. They do an excellent job when used in garages, small country houses, greenhouses, etc.

High popularity of potbelly stoves ensured their dignity, of which they have sufficient quantities:

However, potbelly stoves cannot be considered an ideal heating device. Therefore, while getting acquainted with their advantages, it is also necessary to pay attention to the disadvantages. Although heating such a furnace takes a minimum of time, the achieved They don't hold temperature for long. For this reason, you have to regularly add fuel to them. In this regard, they are noticeably inferior to long-burning stoves, which do not need to be given attention throughout the day. The amount of thermal energy generated by a potbelly stove is not enough to provide a comfortable temperature in a large room. It has a rather low efficiency of 5-10%. According to this indicator, it is inferior to most modern heating installations.

How to increase furnace efficiency?

This problem is relevant for many masters industrial production and ordinary craftsmen. To get an idea about this process, you should first find out how the potbelly stove works and become familiar with some important points.

Chimney diameter

When using potbelly stoves, the main thing is to ensure that a smaller amount of flue gas comes out through this chimney compared to the volume produced by the firebox. If this problem is successfully solved, the gases will remain in the pipe and move around the furnace space a certain number of times. This will lead to air circulation, which is a prerequisite for fuel combustion. As a result, when leaving through the chimney pipe, these gases will already have a lower temperature.

This problem can be solved by determining the optimal chimney diameter. This can be considered a size that three times the volume of the firebox ovens in cubic meters. However, if gas circulates in a metal box, it will quickly lose its temperature.

To avoid rapid cooling of gases and to ensure their complete combustion, it is necessary to change the fuel combustion process so that it takes place in the pyrolysis mode. It can be created using high temperature. Moreover, even if you try to use dry furniture as fuel, you will not be able to achieve the desired effect.

You can try to regularly add coal, but with the help of such raw materials it is impossible to create optimal conditions for the pyrolysis process. This is only possible if the oven operates in smoldering mode and naturally switch from one operating mode to another. Now we come to the next important point.

Steel three-sided protective screen

It should be placed in such a place that it is removed from the body of the stove at a distance of 50-60 mm. Thanks to it, more than half of the infrared radiation will be reflected towards the furnace, which will ensure the temperature that the firebox needs. It is very important to choose the correct distance between the furnace and the shielding element, since this can significantly affect the economic component of the design. The use of wood and coal at the very beginning of the combustion process ensures thermal energy production a lot.

Bearing in mind that the supply of firewood and coal is constantly in short supply, it is important to ensure that the very first portions of heat end up in the room and do not go down the chimney.

Among the currently known methods of heat transfer, convection has no equal in terms of efficiency. In practice, it is implemented by heating the air near the stove so that it spreads throughout the entire room. This problem can be solved using the screen.

Although the heating temperature of the lower layer of the potbelly stove is not so high, heat still radiates downwards from it. This creates a risk of fire in the room. For this reason, as a base on which the potbelly stove will be placed, it is necessary to use a metal sheet that provides removal 30-40 cm from the stove. Moreover, under it it is necessary to place an additional sheet, which can be made of asbestos or basalt.

It is worth noting that a potbelly stove is not able to 100% maintain the pyrolysis mode. This is due to the fact that after entering the chimney pipe, the gases leave it without having time to give up their heat. This can be achieved if you correctly approach the installation of the chimney pipe, choosing the most optimal design for it.

This problem is solved as follows: the chimney design must have a vertical part reaching a height of at least 1 meter. It should also provide a layer of thermal insulation, which can be used as basalt wool.

A pipe should go from it, located at a slight angle and having a similar diameter. She has special name - hog. With its help, conditions will be created under which it is possible to ensure the combustion of gases, as a result of which the heat supplied to the room due to them will increase by 30%. The length of such bars can reach 2.5-4.5 meters. It should be placed no closer than 1 meter from the walls and ceiling. There should be a space of 2 meters wide between the bottom of the stove and the hog. It would be useful to provide protection for it based on a metal mesh.

Ever since its appearance and popularization, the potbelly stove changes were made to their design. As a result, today they are long-burning stoves that are easy to operate and have a high level of efficiency. The modern version of these furnaces no longer includes grates; however, an air throttle has appeared at the blower, the main purpose of which is to regulate the thermal power and combustion mode. To ensure long combustion, air enters the fuel from above.

Among the various options for potbelly stoves, cast iron stoves demonstrate the highest energy intensity. Such devices could even work without a screen. It was this feature that was taken into account when it was decided to use them for heating army barracks. In our country, they have been manufacturing army potbelly stoves for a long time, and there are no complaints about the quality of their work. These installations differ in many respects, including dimensions.

Assembling a potbelly stove with your own hands

In terms of design, such a stove includes a firebox with a grate, a blower ash collector and a chimney. Any building is suitable as a place to install a potbelly stove. The main thing is that there is a possibility for the chimney to be brought outside. If you have an empty gas cylinder lying around, you shouldn’t get rid of it. You can find a use for it if you make a potbelly stove body out of it.

Materials for assembling the stove

To make a potbelly stove with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

• steel grate;
• steel corners;
• chimney pipe;
• steel sheet;
• door.

Necessary take a gas cylinder and mark the place at the top where the iron rim with the tap is located. It needs to be removed, for which you can use a hammer.

Then you need to cut a hole for the door, calculating its dimensions in advance.

The corners will be used for a frame for the door, for the manufacture of which you will need welding.

After the frame is welded to the cylinder, you need to install the door on the bolts, for which you will first have to make the necessary holes for them.

In a place corresponding to the bottom of the oven, you should cut holes for the grille, after which it must be welded. On the other three sides it is necessary to install steel sheets using welding. They will serve as walls for the future furnace. The result should be a box with a door that does not have a top. The box must be welded to the bottom, and this must be done so that the open side is adjacent to the door. Next, you need to install a damper, with which you can change the mode of air supply to the furnace firebox.

To make the stove-stove stable, it is necessary to weld the legs to the gas cylinder. A hole is made on the back side through which gas will escape from the chimney. After this, they begin to assemble the chimney, providing it with a turn that will allow the heat to leave the room with a slight delay.

The above diagram is applicable for making a potbelly stove with your own hands based on a 40 liter milk can.

How to make a potbelly stove from steel sheets with your own hands

The design of the firebox of such a stove should include partitions that will save you from the need to spend a large amount of fuel to maintain the operation of the stove.

Materials for assembling the furnace

To make a similar version of a potbelly stove, you The following materials will be required:

The first thing you need to do to build a potbelly stove with your own hands is a drawing that will simplify the task of making it for you. Next, you need to take the sheets and cut out elements for the stove body and two partitions from them. The latter must be installed in the upper part of the furnace; in the future, they will provide a complex, winding path for flue gases, which will ensure higher efficiency in the production of thermal energy by the furnace.

At the top you need to do chimney hole with diameter 110 mm. You also need to place a hole for the hob, the diameter of which should be 150 mm.

Next, we take the sidewalls and attach them by welding to the bottom of the body. It is necessary to weld steel strips 30 mm thick to the walls. They will serve as the basis for the lattice. It can also be created from a steel sheet, in which you first need to make a hole with a diameter of 20 mm. To create a grate, you can use reinforcing bars or purchase ready-made products in the store.

Conclusion

Although the potbelly stove seems to be a rather outdated version of the heating device, it is still remains in demand. In stores you can find many options for modern stoves, but it will be better if you make a drawing for it yourself. This will allow you to create with your own hands a stove that will completely suit you in all respects. In addition, there will be no problems with this, given that such a stove has a simple design, and its manufacture requires affordable materials that can be found in almost every household.

Heating technical premises often becomes a real problem. Electricity is expensive, resulting in high heating costs. The best way out is to use alternative sources energy. This can be firewood, coal, anthracite and much more.

Furnaces of various formats are used to burn solid fuels. One of them is a potbelly stove, characterized by extreme simplicity and low cost.

In this review we will talk:

• About the features of potbelly stoves;
• About the materials needed for their assembly;
• ABOUT step by step assembly potbelly stoves.

Upgrading the potbelly stove will also be considered, which will help increase its efficiency. The article will be interesting - read and get acquainted.

What is a potbelly stove?

Potbelly stoves have been known among our compatriots for a very long time. They gained their popularity due to their extreme simplicity. A simple metal box with a door and a blower - and the simplest version of the stove is already ready. Considering the ingenuity of our people, this world has seen many different bourgeois women, delighting their owners with the coveted warmth. Let's see what you can assemble such a stove from:

You can make a potbelly stove not only from a used safe or a well-worn gas cylinder, but also by simply welding several sheets of durable metal together.

• From an old gas cylinder is an excellent option, all that remains is to find the cylinder itself (you will get a horizontal or vertical stove). Plump modifications are suitable here, since thin and tall oxygen cylinders are too narrow;
• From an old flask - someone probably has such a thing lying around in their garage or barn. There is already a door here, all that remains is to attach the chimney;
• From old barrel– they are often used to make homemade long-burning potbelly stoves, since the capacity of the barrels allows you to organize a large combustion chamber;
• There is no point in throwing away the old safe, it will still serve.

Homemade potbelly stoves can also be made from sheet metal - for this you need to arm yourself with suitable tools.

The construction of a potbelly stove is extremely simple. Its basis is a certain capacious container, which plays the role of a combustion chamber. A pipe emerges from its upper or rear part, to which the chimney is attached. In the front part there are two doors (less often one) - fuel is loaded through the large one, and ash is removed through the small one. The internal space is divided by a metal grate through which air is supplied - through which the ash formed during the combustion of wood is removed.

The lower door simultaneously acts as a blower - by adjusting the degree of its opening, you regulate the intensity of the flame and the temperature in the room.

The dimensions of the potbelly stove can be very different, for example, 250x450x450 mm (WxDxH). A gas cylinder will make a larger and more efficient stove. The largest size will be a barrel stove - after all, the internal volume of 150-200 liters can accommodate a huge amount of firewood. You can make a unit of almost any size - you don’t even have to worry too much about strictly observing the dimensions indicated in the drawings.

Scope of application for potbelly stoves

These simple stoves are in great demand. For their work, they use firewood, coal, coke, wood waste and many other types of fuel, pleasing with their unpretentiousness and stable operation. Such a stove can be placed in the garage - it will take up minimal space, but will provide the room with pleasant warmth. If you have a large supply of firewood or access to a cheap source of solid fuel, feel free to build a long-burning potbelly stove.

Wood is the simplest, cheapest and most widely available type of fuel for stoves. However, its consumption leaves much to be desired.

A mini potbelly stove can be used to heat a barn or home utility room that does not have heating. Agree, doing something here in winter is not so comfortable - your teeth chatter and your muscles cramp. And with the stove, things immediately go smoothly - just have time to add firewood so as not to freeze.

Long-burning potbelly stoves are useful not only for the garage, but also for any other premises, including residential ones - these can be temporary buildings, cottages, poultry houses, premises for keeping livestock and much more. In general, the scope of their application is huge. They are most in demand in towns and villages where there is no gas, but residential and non-residential buildings need to be heated somehow.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's see what's good about homemade potbelly stoves made by folk craftsmen:

• Cheap - most materials can be found for free or you can pay mere pennies for them;
• Omnivorous - in fact, any solid fuel can burn in a potbelly stove;
• Simple design - if we look at the drawings, we will not find anything complicated in them;
• Possibility of cooking - for this purpose, potbelly stoves are equipped with cooking holes with lids;
• Easy to use - subject to availability good chimney, the potbelly stove will work properly and will not cause smoke in the entire room.

Unfortunately, heating with a potbelly stove also has its disadvantages:

• Low efficiency of the stove - without proper modernization, most of the heat will fly into the chimney;
• Not the most respectable appearance - although some craftsmen make real works of art out of potbelly stoves;
• High body temperature can cause burns;
• High fuel consumption - in order for the stove to retain heat for a long time, without requiring the burning of tons of wood, you will have to resort to tricks.

Despite some disadvantages, simple wood-burning stoves are still in demand among those who need heat in the absence of a gas main.

How to make a potbelly stove with your own hands

You can make a potbelly stove with your own hands surprisingly quickly. First you need to decide what material it will be made of. Prepare the following tools:

A home-made potbelly stove can have the most intricate and elaborate appearance. Show your imagination and you can get a unique thing, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

• Grinder (angle grinder);
• Welding machine;
• Sandpaper and file for processing metal edges;
• Tape measure for measuring sizes;
• A powerful drill and suitable drill bits.

Let's see how to cook a potbelly stove with good heat transfer for a summer house or garage from an iron barrel.

Do-it-yourself potbelly stove from a barrel

The simplest option is a potbelly stove made from a large-volume barrel (150-200 liters). It needs to be supplemented with grates, doors and a chimney. We begin the manufacture of the stove by constructing a reliable non-combustible base. The best option– lay out a small brickwork on which the barrel itself will stand. It will take several days to make it. After this, we proceed to further work.

In the front wall of our potbelly stove, you should cut a rectangular hole for the loading door - use a metal jigsaw for this. The resulting piece of metal will act as our door - we attach a rotating lock, handle and hinges to it. After this, we weld the second part of the loops to the barrel. On the opposite side we weld a metal loop into which the constipation will fit.

At the bottom you need to make an ash pan with another door. We allocate 10-15% of the total volume for it. We make the door using the method described above, but it should be narrower - the ash is raked out through it, and it also serves as an ash pit. Optimal height– 40-50 mm. Next, we proceed to the manufacture of grates:

• Cut off the top lid of the barrel;
• We make a grate from segments metal pipes(you should get a circle with long slits);
• We weld the grate on the inside of the barrel, between the loading door and the ash pan door.

An old can or flask is also a great option. Using it, you free yourself from the need to weld the loading door.

We make a hole in the lid with a diameter of 100 mm, weld a small piece of pipe of the same diameter here - this will be the chimney hole. Next, weld the lid in place. Our potbelly stove is ready, all that remains is to attach a chimney to it and we can start testing - load the wood and try to light the flame.

We have made a long-burning potbelly stove with our own hands - it is extremely different big camera combustion. Please note that you can make a cooking hole in the top lid - its diameter is 100-150 mm. Instead of a barrel, you can easily use a gas cylinder or a piece of pipe of a suitable diameter. Remember that a potbelly stove made from a pipe and a cylinder must have a sufficiently large diameter (at least 350-400 mm).

If necessary, you can make a similar potbelly stove in a horizontal design - you just need to slightly change its design. Otherwise, the assembly principle does not change.

The most efficient stove is a pyrolysis stove, which burns the remaining flammable gases and releases a large amount of heat compared to other stoves. There is no need to think that this will be a complex unit. Making a potbelly stove of this type will take you about 20 minutes longer than a conventional unit without pyrolysis. Let's see how it is produced.

A unit welded from sheet metal with a thickness of 3 to 5 mm. Using thin iron does not make much sense - the stove will be too thin, the heat will bend it, and in the end it will be destroyed by corrosion. So find steel thick enough so that you don't have to make a new furnace every heating season.

We need to cut out seven pieces of metal (our iron thickness is 3 mm):

The main advantage of using sheet metal is that you can make a potbelly stove of any size and volume.

• Two pieces measuring 450x450 mm are the side walls;
• Four pieces measuring 450x250 mm are the front, rear, top and bottom walls;
• One piece measuring 440x240 mm will be the grate;
• Two pieces measuring 244x350 mm will be the internal partitions.

Thus, we will get a Loginov stove, which has two internal partitions to increase efficiency. These same partitions will be responsible for pyrolysis.

We make two doors in the front wall - in accordance with the instructions described above. Next, we weld all the pieces into a metal box without a top lid. The next stage is making the grate. To do this, we take a metal sheet and make many holes in it with a diameter of 10-15 mm. We fix the grate at a height of 80 mm from the bottom of the stove. Next, we weld the partitions, placing them at a height of 60 and 120 mm from the top cover.

We make a couple of small holes on the back surface and weld thin metal tubes (10-15 mm in diameter) into them. They should be located above the lower partition, extending to the front wall. Their length is about 150 mm - secondary air will be sucked through them. The tubes are welded before securing the second partition.

We prepare the top cover - we cut a hole in it with a diameter of 100 mm for the chimney. If necessary, we supplement the wood-burning stove with a cooking hole. We weld the lid to our stove - everything is ready! Now we install the stove in its regular place and begin testing. And yes, don’t forget to attach legs to it or install it on a non-combustible base (for example, made of brick).

The height of the chimney for potbelly stoves is at least one meter. The optimal indicator is 1.5-2 meters from the horizontal outlet or top cover.

Modernization of potbelly stoves

Now you know how to properly make a potbelly stove so that it can be used to heat a country house, garage or utility room. But we need the furnace to be efficient - to provide maximum energy while burning a minimum of fuel. You will be surprised, but one possible variant We have already considered modernization - the pyrolysis unit presented above is an improved version. Take out the partitions from there, and you will get the most banal stove-stove.

The choice of chimney pipes should be approached with special attention - pipes that are too thin or poorly welded will quickly burn out, which will lead to smoke in the room.

Not only pyrolysis will help increase the efficiency of the stove. If you look at the drawing of the potbelly stove given above (made of sheet metal), you will notice that the unit is covered on three sides with metal sheets. They are spaced 50 mm from the body and play a protective role. But that’s not all - a draft is formed in the internal space, a convection process occurs. Thanks to this, the efficiency of the potbelly stove increases.

The next stage of modernization is the creation of a chimney bend. The thing is that a gigantic amount of heat escapes through it into the atmosphere. By increasing the length of the chimney using a horizontal section, we can use it to heat the room. The disadvantage of this approach is the deposition of soot on a horizontal area.

Often homeowners prefer to assemble simple and useful homemade products from scrap and unnecessary materials, instead of buying ready-made ones. And a potbelly stove is one of these useful devices.

The main feature of a potbelly stove is that it heats up as quickly as it cools down. Therefore, the scope of its use is narrowed mainly to those rooms where it is necessary to provide rapid heating, while the appearance of the device is often completely unimportant for the user.

You can make a potbelly stove with your own hands, and, if desired, modernize it to achieve more efficient heat transfer.

Are you also thinking about assembling such a homemade product and don’t know where to start? We will help you in implementing the task - the article discusses the procedure for assembling various versions of a homemade stove, drawings and diagrams are provided.

Also discussed in detail are ways to improve a homemade potbelly stove, as a result of which the efficiency of the stove will become noticeably higher.

The choice of furnace design depends on what material is used as fuel. Each user himself determines the degree of its availability and economic feasibility.

It is the combustible material, which has different temperatures and combustion patterns, that dictates the principles for creating different modifications of the device.

The shape of the potbelly stove can be different, often it depends on the availability suitable material. This could be an old can, a gas cylinder, a metal container - whatever is at hand. The main thing when choosing it is the thickness of the metal and the shape, which requires a minimum of alterations.

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A grate made of grate (it can be welded from reinforcement) is placed at the bottom of the chamber, under which ash will accumulate. You can also organize a hob. It is easier to do this on a horizontally located cylinder by welding corners on it on both sides.

It’s good if the barrel initially has legs. If not, you need to weld them or install the stove on bricks.

A potbelly stove made from a gas cylinder can also be used as a basis for the further construction of a hot water column, as it is also called “Titan”. To do this, install on top of the stove stainless steel container, through which the chimney pipe passes.

The water in a wood boiler heats up quickly, and little firewood is used - in summer time One bookmark in a small firebox is enough.

A metal container with walls at least 3 mm thick is also suitable for a potbelly stove. The open top of the container is closed with a circle of metal sheet and brewed.

A hole is cut out in the lid or wall for the chimney. Its diameter should be at least 100-150 mm. The top of such a potbelly stove will heat up so much that you can cook food and heat water on it.

We also have more detailed instructions on our website with diagrams and drawings for manufacturing.

Features of a sawdust stove

If there is no shortage of sawdust on the farm, then this type of fuel will fully justify its use. Such a potbelly stove does not require frequent loading - the compacted sawdust inside does not burn, it smolders slowly, releasing thermal energy gradually and providing heat for a long time.

A self-made sawdust stove operates on the principle of long-term combustion. The slow combustion process saves resources - heat does not immediately fly out into the chimney, heating the atmosphere

The basis of the furnace can be a metal barrel with an open top (if the container is sealed, the top is cut off) or a pipe with a diameter of 300 to 600 mm.

Then a metal circle is cut out of a sheet three or more millimeters thick, which should be smaller than the inner diameter of the barrel. In its middle, a hole with a diameter of 100 mm is cut under a cone for compacting sawdust.

The workpiece is welded to the walls of the barrel. Using this circle, the ash pit is fenced off - in it, with the help of shavings or wood chips, ignition will be carried out. The height of the ash pan should be 100-200 mm.

Below the welded circle, a window is cut out, which will serve as a blower. Curtains are welded to the cut piece of metal, making a door for the same hole.

An exit to the chimney is made in the lid of the container. The lid must fit tightly onto the potbelly stove and be made of a fairly thick sheet, otherwise it will quickly burn out.

In order for sawdust to burn gradually, it is necessary to ensure a limited supply of oxygen to the fuel compartment. To do this, a cone-shaped core is inserted inside the firebox, sawdust is poured around it and compacted. The cone is carefully removed, turning, and the lid is put on the barrel.

The same model can be improved by adding an additional cylinder. In this option, the sawdust will be in the inner chamber, and the space between the two compartments will serve to burn gases and increase the heating area. In this option, the outlet of smoky gases is arranged in the lower part of the stove.

How can you improve your potbelly stove?

An ordinary potbelly stove has a lot of positive qualities, but also has many significant disadvantages. It is unable to accumulate heat and heats the room while the fire is burning. Requires continuous fuel supply, on average every 30-40 minutes.

In addition, a large amount of heat escapes through the chimney into the atmosphere, bringing no benefit. That is why work on improving the potbelly stove is ongoing.

The standard design of a potbelly stove has many modernized designs that allow:

• save fuel;
• increase the efficiency of the stove;
• increase heat capacity;
• reduce the frequency of fuel filling.

The most common methods for increasing the efficiency of a potbelly stove are creating a slow burning mode, a gas afterburning system, and installing heat-resistant lining of the internal walls.

You can also improve the quality performance of the stove by increasing the heat transfer area using welded pipes and an installed fan that will drive air flows through them.

The industrial model of such a potbelly stove is called “Buleryan”, but besides it, there are many different designs made by handicraft. We recommend watching detailed master class for homemade production.

You can increase the heat transfer time if you line the stove with brickwork. Such a potbelly stove will heat up more slowly, but will also give off heat longer, maintaining the temperature in the room for some time after the fire has died down.

Are you interested in brickwork? On our website we have a detailed DIY guide with diagrams and drawings.

Option #1 – stove with increased fuel load

This model is designed to increase efficiency and continuous burning time. The basis is taken as a horizontal rectangular potbelly stove on massive, stable legs and complemented with a cassette made of a blind sealed cylinder. Such design additions significantly increase its efficiency.

A flange is welded to a cassette cylinder about 400 mm high. After installing the cylinder into the burner hole, its edge should fall 5-10 mm below the stove plate. To make it easy to install and remove the cylinder, handles are welded to its body.

The cylinder is filled with firewood in such a way that there is some space between them and when installing it on the stove, they can immediately fall onto the burning coals

How does a potbelly stove work:

1. The lower part of the firewood, falling on the coals of the preparatory ignition, flares up. In this case, the upper part, located in the cassette, will not burn due to lack of oxygen, but will dry under the influence of hot smoke.
2. Under the weight of its own mass and as it burns, the firewood gradually falls into the firebox.
3. The hot gas, which is in the cylinder for some time, gives off heat to it, thereby increasing the heat transfer area in the room. In this case, the cylinder cover can serve as a cooking surface.
4. At the same time, the temperature of the exhaust smoke decreases, which means the heat capacity and efficiency of the potbelly stove increases.

As a result of this modernization, the time interval between laying firewood increases and the efficiency of using the stove increases.

Option #2 – long-burning potbelly stove “Bubafonya”

The low efficiency of a conventional potbelly stove is a fact that has long been known and verified by many users.

One of the methods to increase it is to slow down the combustion process by limiting the flow of air into the combustion chamber. This improvement can be found in such stoves as “Bubafonya” and “Filipina”.

This stove model is used in non-residential premises- workshops, greenhouses, and other outbuildings. To work for 9-12 hours, one stack of small firewood, chips, and sawdust is enough. Coarsely chopped and damp firewood cannot be used in this heating device model.

A potbelly stove can be created from any metal tank. Most often they use a barrel of fuel and lubricants or an old cylinder.

Manufacturing is carried out in the following sequence:

• A combustion chamber is prepared from an accessible cylindrical container, in the upper part of which a hole is cut for the chimney.
• A circle is cut out of metal (at least 10 mm thick), slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the barrel.
• A hole with a diameter of 100-150 mm is made in the center of the circle (the exact size depends on the diameter of the rod pipe used).
• Ribs up to 50 mm high are welded onto one of the planes of the circle.
• A pipe is welded to the center of the circle. Its length is calculated so that the piston, when lowered, rises above the reservoir lid by approximately 100 mm. If you leave the pipe longer than necessary, draft will arise in it and it will begin to smoke.
• Next, they build a lid that will fit tightly on the barrel and cut a hole in it that fits the piston pipe

You can further increase the efficiency of this model by organizing the supply of air from the street into the firebox. Thus, heated air from the room will not fly out into the chimney.

Option #3 – furnace with secondary combustion “Filipina”

The furnace uses two methods to increase its efficiency, based on the principles of long-term combustion and pyrolysis. To make it, you will need two gas cylinders, which will serve as chambers for primary and secondary combustion.

The sequence of actions for making a potbelly stove is as follows:

1. The cylinders are prepared for use by releasing the remaining gas from them and filling them with water. Without this procedure, it is absolutely impossible to cut them, otherwise the sparks that are formed during the operation of the angle grinder can provoke a gas explosion, a certain amount of which always remains in the cylinder.
2. In the first cylinder, which will serve as a chamber for the firebox and ash pan, remove the tap and cut off the top (it is used to make the door), and cut out a hole for installing a chimney.
3. Opposite the hole for the chimney, a pipe is welded, the other end of which should not rest against the lid of the second chamber, leaving free space for smoke to escape.
4. At the outlet of the pipe from the first cylinder, a metal ring is welded; it will serve as a support for installing the upper cylinder. Holes are drilled in it.
5. A metal ring is also welded to the second cylinder where the top is cut, in which the locations for the holes are marked, focusing on the holes already made in the first ring.
6. Before finally installing the second cylinder, an air supply pipe is inserted into it.
7. Place the upper chamber on the pipe, aligning the holes, wind a heat-resistant rope between the rings, and secure the connection with screws.
8. The chimney exit is made from the bottom of the secondary combustion chamber.

To obtain a stable structure, reliable legs are welded to the lower chamber. Install the door on the awnings. It can be further improved by adding the ability to regulate the air entering the firebox.

Small country house, a garage or workshop can be heated using a small compact metal furnace, called a potbelly stove. It can be made either from an old steel pipe, a gas cylinder, a barrel, or even an old flask, or welded from sheets of metal. The most important thing is that the metal used to make such a furnace is not too thin.

Potbelly stove made from a gas cylinder, an old flask, a barrel and a stove running on waste fuel

Materials and tools

To create a potbelly stove you will need:
metal with a thickness of 3±0.5 mm: thinner sheets will quickly burn out, in addition, under the influence of high temperature they can warp and the oven will become shapeless; thick-walled metal will take a very long time to warm up;
chimney pipe;
rods 16 mm;
a sheet of metal with a thickness of 0.3 mm for constructing a box for collecting ash;
tape measure, ruler, chalk;
welding machine 140-200A;
grinder for cutting metal; to make round holes it is more convenient to use a gas cutter;
metal brush for cleaning welding areas;
emery wheel for adjusting doors;
drill and drill bits.

Schemes of potbelly stoves

The main advantage of a rectangular stove, in contrast to oval products made from pipes or gas cylinders, consists in a larger area of ​​the heated surface, so its efficiency will be much greater. The optimal size for a potbelly stove is 800x450x450 mm. A stove of this size will not take up much space and will easily fit even in a small room.

The simplest design is the “Gnome” stove, which consists of a box with a pipe welded to it

An important difference Loginov ovens is the presence of two plates ( reflectors) in the upper part of the combustion chamber. Because gas path at the same time, the heat transfer of such a potbelly stove increases significantly higher than that of a conventional metal stove.

Advice. If you need to reduce the size of the Loginov oven, then it is advisable to change only its width. If the length and height of the structure changes, its efficiency may decrease significantly.

Detailed diagram of Loginov's potbelly stove

The main stages of making a potbelly stove

1. All the details are marked on a sheet of metal: 6 steel rectangles for the walls of the oven, 1 rectangle for creating a smoke reflector, plates for the grate and latch for the door.
2. Cut out sheet metal can be found at any metal depot. The guillotine, unlike the grinder, allows you to cut (chop) it more accurately. In this case, there will be no need to straighten the sheets.
3. The furnace body is made in the form of a rectangle. Their sides are joined together at an angle of 90° and welded together.

Welding the box

4. To avoid mistakes, the furnace box is first only tacked by welding in several places, and only then, after checking its horizontal and vertical positions, its seams are welded.

Important! All connections in the body are thoroughly welded; for checking seams To ensure tightness, you can coat the joints with chalk or kerosene.

5. Welding seams are cleaned with a wire brush.
6. The internal space of the potbelly stove is divided into three parts: the firebox, the smoke circulation chamber and the ash pan. To separate the firebox from the ash pan, a grate is laid between them, on which the fuel will be placed. To do this, at a height of 10-15 cm from the bottom of the stove, welded on the sides and on the back of the box corners 5x5 cm, on which the grille will be located.

Advice. It is better to make the grate from 2-3 detachable parts. Otherwise, when replacing a burnt grate, it will be difficult to remove it from the firebox.

7. The grating is welded from thick steel rods or strips 30 mm wide. They are attached to 2 stiffeners - rods with a diameter of 20 mm. Since the grates burn out over time, it is better to make such a grate removable.

Manufacturing of grate

8. At a distance of 15 cm from the top of the box, two strong rods are welded on which the one or two removable reflectors– thick-walled sheets of metal that will delay the flow of hot gases and send them for afterburning. However, they should not completely block the oven. To allow hot smoke to enter the chimney, an indent of about 8 cm is made from the front (for the first sheet) and back of the stove.

Diagram of the passage of gases in a simple potbelly stove and stove with an installed reflector

Pipe hole

10. The front part of the stove with holes cut in it for the firebox doors and ash pan is welded last.
11. The size of the firebox door must be sufficient to allow fuel to be added and grates to be changed without effort. The hole for the ash pan is made a little smaller.
12. The hinges are welded first to the door, and then to the body of the potbelly stove. They can be bought ready-made or welded from two tubes of different diameters. Door handles can be made from a strip of metal or rod.

Welding the door

Important! When attaching the doors, you should fit them to the body as tight as possible; To do this, they are straightened (leveled) and cleaned with an emery wheel. The wedge latches that close the doors are fitted to the body as tightly as possible.

13. You can cook food or heat water on such a stove. To do this, a hole of the required diameter is cut in the upper part of the box. Stove burner, which will be inserted into this hole, can be purchased at any hardware store.
14. Design for ease of use installed on legs or a welded pipe stand.
15. The chimney pipe is connected to the stove using a sleeve.
16. For inserting a gate valve To regulate the smoke output, two holes are drilled in the pipe. A metal rod is inserted into the holes and bent at 90°. A metal “penny” is attached to it in the center of the pipe - a gate, the diameter of which should be slightly less than the diameter of the pipe itself by 3-4 mm.

Gate valve for adjusting smoke output

Chimney device

To prevent precious heat from escaping through the pipe too quickly, it must have a special design. Such a device has two main parts: vertical height from 1.2 m, installed at an angle of 90° above the stove and an inclined part called hog, 2.5-4.5 m or more long, in which the smoke burns out. It is the hog that provides up to 1/4 of the heat of the entire oven.

Chimney Hogs

A tall person can touch a heated pipe, so the hog must have protective cover in the form of a grid. To avoid burns, the distance from the floor to this pipe should be 2.2 m. The vertical part of the pipe coming from the stove is additionally wrapped with thermal insulation.

Important! The pipe should be located away from plastered walls at a distance of 1.2 m. The distance from wooden structures is 1.5 m.

Advice. Laying pipes through a wooden ceiling and roof is a rather labor-intensive process. It is much easier to bring it out through a hole in the wall or window.

Exhausting smoke through the window

Rules for safe installation of a metal stove

A potbelly stove heats up much hotter than a brick stove, so all flammable objects should be kept at a sufficient distance from the stove. If the floor in the room is wooden, it is installed only on bricks or metal sheets. The metal, in turn, is laid on an asbestos sheet with its removal 35 cm or more from the edges of the stove. In the front part in front of the firebox it should protrude 5.5 cm. Asbestos can be replaced with felt impregnated with clay. You can also install such a screen to reflect heat on concrete.

Important! A working oven requires supervision. You should not leave the room where the potbelly stove is heated for a long time.

Installing a potbelly stove on a brick base

We increase the efficiency of the furnace

A potbelly stove can heat a room in literally a matter of minutes. Moreover, you can throw whatever comes to hand into the firebox: since it does not have an extensive network of chimneys, and the smoke in it comes out “directly,” you don’t have to worry about them getting clogged.

But if a conventional heating stove installed in premises for permanent residence has an extensive network of chimneys that retain heat, in a potbelly stove it goes directly into the pipe, so its efficiency is not very high. That is why it is too “gluttonous” and requires a lot of fuel.

To reduce fuel consumption, you can use the following tips from experienced stove makers:
door to the firebox and vent in such an oven should be as airtight as possible; otherwise, the air supply to the potbelly stove will increase, and the fuel will burn out too quickly;
to regulate the output of warm smoke in the chimney It is advisable to provide a damper;
next to the stove it is possible to provide side metal screens at a distance of 5-6 cm from the stove, in which case it will heat the room not only through heat radiation, but also through convection (circulation warm air);
a potbelly stove, “clad” in a metal casing, will help retain heat much longer;

Potbelly stove in casing

Round furnace with afterburner and casing with heat gun

To retain heat in the room, bends should be built up in the pipe; however, soot will be retained in them, so it is advisable to create a collapsible structure;
the pipe can also be given a stepped shape: arrange the elbows in stages, making a 30° turn with each step; in this case, each of the elbows must be securely attached to the wall with rods;

Stove with chimney elbows

chimney capacity should be less than the productivity of the furnace itself, in which case hot gases will not go into the pipe immediately; its diameter should be only 2.7 times larger than the volume of the firebox, for example, with a firebox volume of 40 l, the diameter should be 110 mm;
you can increase the efficiency of the furnace using blowing the chimney with a fan– this will turn the stove into a kind of smoke cannon;
to reduce air circulation firewood in the stove should fit as tightly as possible; if it is heated with coal, the resulting ash should be stirred up as little as possible;
To regulate the air flow, the door to the ash pit can be made adjustable by equipping it with vertically located slots and valve, which will cover these gaps;
to increase the heating area, it can be finned, that is, welded to its body perpendicular to the stove metal strips;
if you put steam on the stove buckets or metal box with sand, then they will accumulate heat and store it even after the stove goes out; sand backfill or heat accumulator made of stones can also be sewn inside the metal body of the stove;

Scheme of a potbelly stove with sand backfill, the stove is made of a pipe with a diameter of 500 mm, its length is 650 mm

Bake, lined with 1-2 layers of brick, will retain heat much longer;

Brick screen

The volume of the oven also matters: the larger area of ​​its walls, the more heat they will release into the room;
bricks or metal sheet, on which the stove is installed, will help not only protect the room from fire, but also retain heat.