Does damp birch burn? Why is it bad to melt and heat the stove with sawdust? Preparatory work before lighting the stove

From time to time we are faced with a situation when we only have raw firewood at our disposal, but it is necessary to light a stove or light a fire. What should be done in such a situation, how to light raw wood in a stove, how to make a normal fire from such raw materials, let's figure it out together.

Real live fire in the oven

Step-by-step instruction

Sooner or later, each of us faces the problem of wet firewood, and the situations can be very different. For example, when you need to light a fire in nature to keep warm, cook fish soup, shish kebab, baked potatoes, or when you need to heat the house, prepare a bathhouse to steam and wash. It is much more difficult to light wet firewood, but with the right approach this task can be easily accomplished. Let's consider at the same time how to heat a stove with raw wood and how to light a fire with it in nature.

To implement a simple plan for lighting firewood, we will need:

good ax sharp knife;
wet firewood;
fine salt;
a stack of regular newspapers;
lighter or matches.

First of all, we need to chop some of the firewood into small pieces, chips. Small pieces of wood will quickly dry out and catch fire, while large logs, on the contrary, will negatively affect our fire. A good ax and a sharp knife will allow you to do the work quickly.

Winter version of a small fire

Note that the firewood inside may well be dry, so we make chips and splinters from the middle part of the logs. If we are dealing with, then we remove the birch bark from the blanks. On logs, birch bark will not immediately dry out and catch fire, but separately, on the contrary, it will easily ignite and give the necessary fire.

We assemble a small hut from the resulting wood chips, put small splinters in the base, and cover them with larger wood chips. It is important that there is room for air inside, as well as air masses circulated freely inside and outside our structure.

We build the hut on a pedestal of newspapers, additionally covering the chips on all sides with newspapers. When placing newspapers inside, you should crumple them and give them some volume. If there is birch bark, also lay it deep in the hut. Sprinkle fine salt on top of the structure. Being a good adsorbent, salt will draw out some of the moisture from the wood chips.

Carrying out preparatory activities before lighting the fire

Note that in a brick-lined stove it is very easy to assemble such a structure and light it. At least it’s more convenient and better to light such a stove than to work with a shapeless gray hole. For many stove owners, the memories of the difficulties they overcame during the construction stage, when they erected the stove, covered it with bricks, and lined it, are still fresh. All the efforts of that time were not in vain; now you can quickly and easily light a fire in the firebox, even from damp wood.

The preparatory measures have been completed, it’s time to set fire to our original design. At the same time, try to pay attention to whether the wet wood-burning hut made of wood chips will catch fire from the newspapers. If you fail to light the fire the first time, you should repeat the procedure. In this case, the dried wood chips will flare up better. If the fire catches on, it’s time to put in a couple of larger logs. This should be done so as not to block the access of air to the fire.

If we are dealing with a stove, then after receiving fire, we should open the hood and close the doors to the room itself. When lighting a fire in nature, you can blow it a little, using any suitable object as a fan. For the first half hour, you should maintain the fire using only thin chips and logs.

When the fire becomes more confident, you can add more wood. Try not to push too much, clutter the flame, or block the air (oxygen) access to the fire. Large logs can only be laid when you already have a sufficient amount of good coals. If you had to heat the stove with raw wood, then monitor the intensity of the fire, do not let it weaken too much, because if there is not enough heat for new raw logs, then everything may simply go out. Starting a fire requires patience, especially when you are dealing with raw fuel.

Decorative elements accompanying the stove

In order not to think about whether it is possible to heat the stove with raw wood, do the preparatory work, bring some firewood home and dry it near the stove for the future. Dry firewood stacked near the stove and ready for use will allow you not to think about such problems in the future. In addition, a stack of firewood can make a very original decorative item for home.

Subtleties and nuances

The worst thing is if you have . This type of wood produces a small amount of heat, so aspen firewood will be very difficult to light. The logs will smolder slowly, producing very little heat.
A good option for quick kindling raw logs will become birch or spruce. Despite the fact that these tree species emit a lot of soot and soot when burned, they are optimal for quick kindling. The fire catches on the chips and birch bark in literally a matter of seconds.

Wet firewood prepared for splitting

An original way to quickly dry wood was invented by our ancestors. Salt should be poured in large quantities onto wet firewood. The salt will draw out some of the moisture, and the firewood will become usable.
If we light a fire in nature and we have flammable liquids in our arsenal, for example, diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, then it is quite possible to pour these compounds on the wood chips. If we want to use flammable liquids in the stove, we can moisten a rag with them and place it between the logs. The characteristic odor from such liquids will disappear fairly quickly after lighting a fire.
Some experts recommend putting an empty bottle of alcohol in the firebox. vegetable oil. With its help you can quickly get required amount fire.

Please note that firewood is always purchased raw. It is best to do this in winter, stocking up for the next season, when equipment easily enters the forest. In this case, the firewood will lie with you before use. whole year. They must be stored in a woodpile, protected from precipitation and blown by the wind.

As you can see, there are no particular difficulties with kindling raw firewood; the main thing is to approach this issue thoughtfully and carry out the preparatory work efficiently. With a little patience, you will have a nice, intense fire that provides warmth.

Most owners country houses give preference stove heating. This is not only the most reliable, but also the inexpensive type of space heating. And if the stove is decorated with tiles, it is also a stylish element of the interior. Each stove, regardless of design, is unique, since the soul of a master stove maker went into its creation. As a rule, in modern houses are building combined designs. They are intended not only for heating the house, but also for cooking. For this there is a special hob or cooking chamber. But it still needs to be heated correctly.

Preparatory work before lighting the stove

If the stove is new, the first test fire should be carried out only after the solution has completely dried. It is done to check the quality of the masonry and identify shortcomings. The first stage is an external inspection, while paying attention to:

seam thickness;
correct ligation of bricks;
verticality of corners;
precision fitting of tiles.

Unevenness of the masonry is allowed within 5 mm - for stoves without cladding, and no more than 2 mm - for tiled structures. Vertical deviation - no more than 2 mm per 1 m height.

After an external inspection, it is necessary to check the density of the masonry. This is best done using a material that emits a large amount of smoke when burned. Rags soaked in diesel fuel or waste will do. Burn them in the channel with the valve closed, making sure that no smoke escapes anywhere. If it does appear, then these places need to be sealed and rubbed.

The test fire should be carried out for 2–3 days in a row with a normal amount of fuel. The degree and uniformity of heating is determined by touching different places on the masonry surface. The oven should not only heat up equally everywhere, but also cool down. It is important to check the surface for cracks on the arch of the firebox, in the places where the doors are fastened, and eliminate them in a timely manner.

If it so happens that the stove has not been used for a long time, then before the first fire you should check the condition of the chimney and draft. To do this, light the paper or match and insert it into the oven through the viewer door. If there is draft, the flame will tend towards the chimney. If it is insufficient, the chimneys must be cleaned of soot. It is recommended to carry out this procedure 1-2 times a season. This will reduce fuel consumption and reduce combustion time.

Principles of firing a brick and iron stove

Many people think that heating a stove is not such a big deal. difficult task. Heaped up some wood, set it on fire and waited until the house became warm. In fact, in order to heat the stove correctly, you need to know some features. Otherwise, you can burn a lot of wood, and the house will be cold.

Before putting firewood into the firebox, it is necessary to clean the ash chamber and grate from the remnants of previously burnt fuel. This will ensure a direct flow of air through the blower to the flame. To light the stove, it is recommended to use only dry wood. Wet or damp logs cannot be used, as this will lead to smoke and large deposits of soot in the chimney.

Clean the stove better in summer. This will allow you to flood it quickly and without problems in winter, even in severe frost.

If you add coal, you need to select medium size. Small and too large fractions are not suitable for home ovens.

Place logs in the firebox. This can be done in two ways:

hut (under a cone) if the firebox is large;
parallel (with gaps of 8–10 cm).

Firewood should make up approximately two-thirds of the volume of the combustion chamber. There should be a free space of 15–20 cm to the top. It is better to place firewood directly in the center of the firebox or closer to the stove door, but not closer to the back wall.

Move the view to the required level. Open the ash door slightly. Using matches or thin wood chips, we set fire to a piece of birch bark or paper placed in front of the firewood.

Used oil can also be used for ignition.

As soon as the flame begins to engulf the wood, close the doors of both the firebox and the vent. When they begin to burn evenly, lightly cover the view.

We control the fire using a view and a blower, which provide air access to the fire. Keep the combustion chamber door closed. We open it only if we need to stir the coals with a poker or add firewood.

If the stove is constantly fired with coal, when setting it up, you first need to burn a small portion of firewood and after that add a 5-6 cm layer of coal. After it flares up, add fuel up to 15 cm, then the stove will burn well and warm up evenly.

How to determine if wood is burning correctly:

If the flame is white and noise is heard in the exhaust channels, it is necessary to close the ash door. This is an indicator of strong traction.
If the flame has acquired a red tint and black smoke is coming out of the chimney, the draft is too low. We open the vent.
Flame yellow color means optimal combustion.

For greater efficiency, do not stir the wood until it is half burned. Only after this can they be moved with a poker. Collect burnt coals in the center of the firebox, surrounding them with burning wood and coals. In this case, it is best to close the blower door or view.

Each time you add firewood to the firebox, you can add a handful of regular kitchen salt. It is believed that during combustion, salt prevents the formation of soot. This is best done if the chimney has been recently cleaned.

If the flame in the firebox goes out, this means that carbon monoxide has formed inside. Most likely, the firewood was wet or damp during storage. Of course, it's best not to use them. But if there are no other options, then close the firebox door and completely open the view and valve. Light the fire again and wait 10-15 minutes. During this time, carbon monoxide will disappear. Now open the door and dampers a little, and you can continue heating.

It will take 1.5–2 hours to heat the stove well. In this case, the surface heats up to 70–80°C, less often - up to 90°C. With more high temperature dust burns on the stove and appears bad smell. Due to overheating, cracks may form in the masonry and the device will quickly fail.

After the firewood and coal have completely burned out, the view is closed. This is necessary to maintain heat in the house until the next fire.

The process must be completed by following certain rules:

When the wood burns out, gradually close the vent and the valve.
After only coals remain in the firebox, you need to collect them in a heap on the grate and cover the ash pan with the view about 2/3 or 3/4.
Only after the blue lights have completely disappeared (the process of carbon monoxide combustion), the coals can be scattered throughout the firebox and the view and door can be tightly closed.
If for some reason it is necessary to stop the combustion process of the stove if there are unburned firebrands, you need to remove them and extinguish them yourself. It makes no sense to fill them with water. This can lead to smoke and unnecessary dampness in the combustion chamber.

In summer, the stove is heated mainly to get rid of moisture. It is enough to heat it 1-2 times a week. In damp and rainy weather you can do this more often.

In winter, it is better to heat the stove twice a day. Then the house will not cool down. The exception is the Russian stove. It can be heated only once a day, since heat transfer occurs much later.

Video: how to properly light a bell-type stove in winter (detailed instructions)

What fuel is suitable for a home stove?

In order to heat the stove, you can use firewood, coal, and peat. Modern manufacturers They also offer new types of fuel - Eurowood, Various types pressed briquettes.

Firewood

Birch has always been considered the best in this regard. Such logs do not shoot, do not spark, burn completely, and have high heat transfer. But if you overdo it and build too much fire, a fire may occur.
For home oven birch firewood the best
Oak wood burns for a long time and produces a lot of heat. Heat transfer is higher than that of birch trees by about 20%. But they are very expensive. With constant use, the brick quickly burns out and the walls become thinner.
Pine and spruce firewood are inferior in heat transfer to birch and oak. Due to the presence of resin, they crack and shoot a lot. Not only sparks, but also hot coals can fly onto the floor. Therefore, the wooden floor must be covered with a sheet of metal, floor tiles or other non-combustible materials. Pine and spruce firewood produces a lot of ash and burns out for a long time. If you close the chimney opening before all the coals go out, you may get burned.
Aspen firewood burns slowly. Heat transfer is 50% lower than that of birch. But aspen helps clean the chimney from soot and soot, so it is recommended to place them in a hot stove at the end of the firebox at small quantity.
Aspen firewood is often used not for the purpose of generating heat, but as a means to clean soot from the chimney
Alder firewood flares up quickly, produces virtually no smoke, like aspen, and cleans the chimney of soot. It has long been considered “royal” firewood.

Pine, birch and spruce, although they have good heat transfer, but when burned they form a lot of soot. This means that the chimney will have to be cleaned more often.

Table: required amount of fuel depending on the type of firewood

Video: how to properly lay firewood and quickly light the stove in a bathhouse or at the dacha

New type of fuel - Eurowood

Euro firewood is made from sawdust and wood dust, compressing them in special presses under high pressure and at high temperature. The density of fuel briquettes is 3 times greater than that of firewood, which means the heat transfer is higher. They burn with a high, even flame, with virtually no smoke. They burn completely and leave very little ash. The thermal conductivity of Euro-firewood is approximately the same as that of coal, but their cost is much higher.

Video: features of peat combustion in a metal furnace

How to make a briquette from sawdust with your own hands

As an alternative to expensive European firewood - briquettes made by hand. If you have the opportunity to purchase sawdust, then if you have free time and desire, you can make them yourself. Seed husks, finely torn paper, dry leaves, straw, and cardboard will be used. For the binder, you can take clay or any wallpaper glue. The manufacturing process consists of several stages.

In Rus', people heated their houses with a stove. Over many generations, the technology was perfected. Even in modern world Residents of private houses and summer cottages do not refuse to heat their premises with firewood. Often people use a stove the old fashioned way to heat a sauna. Regardless of the purpose, it is necessary to carry out ignition taking into account all the features. To do this, let’s look at the main nuances that will help you light a potbelly stove with wood.

Regular wood stove maintenance

It is important to monitor the condition of the stove, this directly affects the heat losses of the firebox. A common reason is that sometimes a small gap forms between the combustion chamber flap and the brick arch of the wall, in which case the efficiency is reduced by 12%.
In such situations, the stove draws in a slight flow of cold air, which contributes to the evaporation of thermal energy through the chimney. If the combustion chamber is not equipped with a door, the efficiency of the fired stove drops by 40-45%. As a result, it increases consumables, namely firewood. So that the coefficient of performance (efficiency) brick oven remained maximum, annual maintenance is required.
Inspect the heating device. If you find obvious cracks and gaps, fix them as efficiently as possible. The destruction of stone materials occurs due to differences in air humidity and temperature changes. Try to pay attention to the technical part in warm weather.
It is worth remembering that you need to clean the chimney 2-3 times a year. The main cause of pollution chimney The soot released from burnt wood is used. The substance settles in a dense layer on the walls of the device. The result is the same - the oven does not work properly. The chamber shrinks due to carbon deposits, and heat transfer efficiency drops by 25%. Before each heating of the oven, do not forget to thoroughly clean the grate and chamber from ash and carbon deposits.
If cleaning is not carried out, the required amount of air will not enter the firebox. As a result, the wood will not burn properly. If you don't care about the fate of your stove, you don't have to worry about maintaining it. The firebox will work in any case, but the efficiency will drop significantly. You will spend more time lighting firewood.

What kind of firewood is best to use?

Obviously, the main condition is the dryness of the logs. The best factor for quality raw materials is their premature procurement. Firewood used for combustion is split in advance before the process itself (from 1 year or more).
The main condition for storing finished raw materials is an equipped dry place. The premises must be protected from weather conditions. The ideal size of firewood is considered to be logs split into four equal parts.
Each specimen is approximately 11 cm in diameter and 40 cm long. You can also rely on personal preference. Don't forget about humidity, this indicator is important. Your health directly depends on unseasoned firewood.
Condensation begins to release from the wood, which contaminates all the component stoves. Heat transfer deteriorates due to the formation of moisture on the walls of the device. It is also worth considering that raw firewood contains an enzyme that, when evaporated, is converted into acid. She begins to corrode everything.
It is best to use firewood with a higher density per 1 m³. The combustion duration of the raw material and its heat transfer directly depend on these indicators. For example, birch has a density index (1.0), and oak (0.75). Consequently, less of the latter type of wood will be needed to fire the stove.

Test firing of the stove after construction

To check the quality of a newly built stove, a test ignition should be carried out in the presence of a specialist. Thus, after the first warm-up of the device, it will be able to identify obvious shortcomings. The procedure must be carried out after the masonry has completely dried. Next, the furnace is fired for 3-4 days with a normal amount of firewood.
If the stove is built in good faith, you will not see smoke in the room. After warming up, inspect and feel the entire accessible surface. A good stove gives off heat evenly; there should not be too hot places or, conversely, too cool. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that new building cools down slowly. It should not quickly waste the acquired heat.
The stove maker, in turn, must carefully inspect appearance the buildings. Assess the quality of the brick binding, the thickness of the seams and the evenness of the walls. The deviation of the vertical masonry should not exceed 2 mm. at 1 m height. The specialist must also inspect the quality of the internal dressing, the strength of the shutters and the correct construction of the firebox arch.
After the furnace has completely warmed up and cooled down inside the firebox, the size and nature of the cracks are assessed. An external examination may not reveal this. To test the density of masonry and valves to the fullest, you need to burn any dense material soaked in diesel fuel.
This move will contribute to the release of a large amount of thick black smoke, which will be used to test the stove. At the same time, there should be no hint of smell in the room, especially kumar. If problems are identified, seal all cracks as effectively as possible, and then rub them. If you look after your stove properly and carry out annual maintenance, it will last for decades.

Before starting heating, clean the ash compartment and the grate from any burning residue. This move will allow air to circulate better, as a result of which the wood will burn much better. It is important that oxygen enters the combustion chamber evenly.
After preparation, you can begin laying firewood; the procedure is carried out in compliance with certain features. The main difficulty is correct location logs After ignition, all firewood should burn out completely so that you do not overpay for fuel.
At correct installation the logs will burn well, providing the necessary release of thermal energy. This feature, in turn, will allow you to heat the entire room in 1-2 hours. There are several methods of laying - cellular and row.
To maintain the combustion process between logs, it is necessary to maintain an interval of about 1 cm. in a simple way you'll allow air to circulate around the wood so it burns evenly. Pay attention to the height of the formed stack of logs. It is necessary to maintain a distance of about 20 cm from the ceiling of the chamber.
By following this recommendation, you will ensure good combustion and the flame will not move into the chimney. When lighting a stove, the main thing is to ensure the smoldering of the logs in the firebox. From this compartment thermal energy will be distributed throughout the structure, providing the desired result.
After placing the firewood in a cage or nearby, pay attention to the bottom of the stack. Place dry wood chips or old newspaper on the floor between the logs, placing the raw materials strictly in the center under the stack. Later you will light the wood using auxiliary elements.
Never use flammable materials such as diesel fuel, gasoline or kerosene. A properly lit stove spreads flames in the firebox, which spread evenly from all sides of the fire. Make the stack in such a way that the firewood is located in the center or closer to the door. There is no need to send logs to the far wall.

Adjusting the operation of the stove after ignition

Like any other design, wood stove has a “control panel”. Control levers help control operation heating system, and also ensure uniform heating and maintenance of ignition.
The design includes the door of the combustion chamber and the blower (2 doors in total), a chimney valve, a firebox and chimney view (single design).
The ash flaps and chambers are designed to regulate the supply of oxygen and its circulation inside the firebox. You can control the draft with a view and a latch.
To properly ignite the stove, open the combustion chamber door, view and valve. But close the ash door. When the logs are hot and begin to burn fully, close the firebox door and open the ash chamber.
If you control the draft, the wood will start to burn correctly. In the end, you won't waste your time and money in vain. To determine whether fuel is burning properly, it is important to consider flame characteristics.
The white color and the presence of unpleasant noise in the exhaust structure indicate a strong draft of the furnace. It needs to be adjusted by slightly closing the blower flap.
A red tint indicates intense combustion. You may go outside and find a plume of dark smoke pouring from your chimney. This outcome indicates that the traction is insufficient. Open the ashpit slightly.
You can assume that the stove is lit correctly if you see a yellow-orange flame. In this case, there is no need to close or open anything; heat the room to the required temperature.
Many people are faced with the problem that the flame has no color at all because it has gone out. This feature indicates a large accumulation of carbon monoxide in the firebox. It appears due to the use of unseasoned firewood.
You cannot heat a potbelly stove with damp logs. However, if this has already happened, open the valve and view, but completely clog the firebox flap. Wait a quarter of an hour for the carbon monoxide to dissipate. Slightly open the dampers and combustion chamber door.

Monitor the condition of the logs. If you notice burnt embers, scoop them up with a poker and move them to the center of the pile. Place still burning firewood around, close the ashpit or valve a little.
Light the stove only during daylight hours. Never heat a potbelly stove at night. Large amount of excreted carbon dioxide often leads to disastrous consequences.
It is necessary to constantly monitor the heating device. There is no need to move the firewood until it has melted at least 50%.

If you have not used the stove for a long time, it will begin to smoke heavily during the ignition process. To eliminate this unpleasant feature, first light a small portion of dry wood chips, paper or knots in the firebox. In this simple way you will warm up the chimney. Next, gradually add firewood with a diameter of about 12 cm to the existing fire.

Video: how to properly light a stove

None of us is able to predict changes in the weather or our own carelessness. Therefore, questions about how to light wet wood in a stove, or making a fire in the forest after rain arise quite often. What can be done in such a situation? Let's figure it out. Of course light wet wood much more difficult than dry ones, but “difficult” does not mean “impossible”. The first step is chopping the wood into smaller pieces. Small pieces of wood will dry out and burn faster, which cannot be said about large logs. And quickly and effortlessly chop wet wood A tool designed specifically for chopping – “kolundrov” – will help. The wood splitter is a convenient and functional tool for spectacular splitting of firewood, splinters or wood chips, which will attract the interest of guests. The tool is easy to use and completely safe - even girls and elderly people will not have difficulty handling it.

How to light a fire with wet wood

Because inner part the log remains drier than the outer one; very small chips need to be made from it. When working with birch firewood, you must first remove the birch bark from it. Left on the workpiece, it will not dry out and will not flare up under the influence of fire, but when separated, on the contrary, it will light up much faster.

We make a small pedestal from newspapers and put wood chips on it in a hut.
If there is birch bark, we put it inside the hut along with newspapers.
Sprinkle the finished structure a little with fine salt - this wonderful adsorbent will collect some of the moisture and dry the chips faster.
After all these procedures have been completed, the structure can be set on fire.
If the wet wood chips do not catch fire from the newspapers the first time, we simply repeat the entire algorithm.
The wood chips will dry out and, under the influence of the heat, will begin to flare up better.
When the fire starts, add larger wood. It is important not to block the supply of oxygen to the fire.
When the flame becomes smoother and more confident, you can add more firewood. The main thing is not to overdo it - you don’t need to lay too many logs at once and block access to air.
The largest pieces should be placed only when a lot of good coals have already accumulated.

Dealing with raw firewood, it is important to monitor the intensity of the flame. If it weakens too much and there is not enough heat for the next batch of logs, the fire will simply go out. Now that it's clear how to light a fire with wet wood, this situation must be avoided in the future.

Important little things

In order not to resort to such “tricks”, it is best, of course, to prepare firewood in advance. Bring some of the logs into the house and dry them by the stove. Salt will also help here. Finished firewood, sprinkled with salt, will dry and become suitable for use much faster than if it dried naturally. To light a fire in nature, you can also use auxiliary combustible materials. Firewood, both dry and wet, is doused with diesel fuel, kerosene or gasoline, and then set on fire. Alternatively, you can soak a rag in flammable liquid and place it between the logs.

A good stove that works properly is an interesting attribute of a modern country house. Creates comfort and coziness, warmth, steam, hot water, if it does not smoke, does not smoke and does not overheat (or cools down in a matter of hours). Otherwise, the problem lies not in the design, but in improper use. We'll tell you how to properly light a stove.

We start not with the process of laying firewood or filling coal, but with the rules of use, which are forgotten and lost by many. We remember how to turn on and operate a microwave oven, gas stove and a boiler, but we are completely incorrectly using the ancient invention of mankind. So, how to heat a Russian stove?

In order for the efficiency of a stove installed in a bathhouse or in a house to be maximum, and for heating equipment to operate efficiently and without failures, it is necessary to maintain it in good condition, use high-quality and dry fuel, install it correctly, and prevent condensation from forming. And, of course, monitor the serviceability of the structure itself.

Even through a two-millimeter crack in the valve frame, about 15 cubic meters of air per hour will penetrate inside, which when the oven heats up to 100 degrees, it will “eat up” about 10 percent of the total heat.

When burning in a firebox with the door open, heat loss will be 40 percent. If the vent is open, the stove will lose more 15 to 20 percent heat.

Before lighting the stove, you need to clean it of combustion products. That is, remove ash and soot from the ash pan. Every year, a stove installed in a house or in a bathhouse must undergo complete cleaning and preventative repairs. Also for the entire year, more precisely for heating season, experts recommend cleaning the chimney two or three times.

The heating of your stove also directly depends on the condition of the walls from the inside. With the slightest layer of soot, the stove will warm up longer, weaker and burn more fuel.

Also monitor the condition of the grate when adding fuel. It doesn’t matter what you heat the stove with, wood or coal, if the grate is clogged, intense combustion will not be supported by the inflow fresh air from the ash pit.

There is also a technology for heating a stove with raw wood, but it is only for extreme cases. When burning wood that has not dried out, a lot of soot is formed on the walls and in the chimney; the stove will need to be cleaned very often.

Also, when burning raw wood, it will actively evaporate, which will lead to condensation falling along the walls. Before you light the stove with raw wood, understand that the mixture of water and soot is a very active mixture that will lead to the destruction of the walls of the structure in a matter of months.

A little about firewood

Types of fuel differ in the amount of heat they release when burned. At the same absolute humidity different breeds Woods have different thermal capacities. What kind of wood is best to heat the stove? For example, if for high-quality heating small oven required 0.75 cubic meters of oak firewood, for the same oven Birch trees will need 1 cubic meter, alder and pine - 1.2 cubic meters. m,spruce – 1.3 cubic meters. m, A aspen -1.5 cubic meters.

For high-quality and uniform burning of firewood in the firebox, wooden logs must be chopped equally, have a thickness of approximately 8-10 centimeters. Then heating will be carried out as efficiently as possible.

If there is a lack of firewood, you can replace it with peat, which burns well in any stove, but still, in order to optimally obtain heat from peat, the firebox must have a certain design. In addition, you should know that when burning peat in a stove, it is necessary to increase the draft. It's like burning a stove with coal. It is not advisable to heat the stove in a bathhouse with coal and peat.

Firebox sequence

Few people know how to light a stove correctly, even in the most basic understanding. They throw wood “into the mouth” and light a fire in the firebox - that’s the whole process. There are no firebox rules, which, however, very much exist.

The first firewood that goes into the firebox is a small amount, a little thinner than usual. This is a portion of fuel for heating the stove. How to properly burn a wood stove? The logs need to be stacked in rows, or they can be lined with a cage to ensure they burn evenly on all sides.

There must be a distance between individual poles up to 10 cm, At the same time, the laying out of firewood should not reach the top level of the firebox centimeters by 20 so that all particles have time to burn before they are pulled into the chimney.

To light a firewood stack, before putting the logs in, spread out pieces of paper, lay down splinters and small wood chips, which must be dry. Under no circumstances should you use mixtures and means for making a fire, as well as kerosene, diesel fuel, acetone and, especially, gasoline!

If the stove immediately starts smoking, this means that there is cold air in the chimney. Then you first need to burn several splinters and wood chips in the firebox to fill the space with warmth. And only after that add a portion of firewood for heating. By the way, before heating the stove with coal, you also need to warm up the chimney.

Approximate diagram of the thickness of various types of fuel (by layers)

Firewood with an absolute humidity of 25% - from 25 to 30 cm.
Peat in pieces, with an absolute humidity of 30% - from 20 to 30 cm.
Hard coal – from 10 to 18 cm.
Anthracite - from 15 to 25 cm.

Bookmark

The volume of firewood placed in the firebox depends entirely on design features stove and the type of hearth. For all heating stoves and heating and cooking stoves that are used in winter period, the recommended filling rate is the entire calculated volume of fuel at once or at least ¾ of it. Watch the distance to the top cover of the firebox!

In stoves installed in a bathhouse, or in heating and cooking stoves operating in the summer for heating hob And oven, first lay the material for kindling and heating - wood chips, splinters and other small shavings. Before lighting the stove with coal, you can pour a little coal dust into the firebox. It is necessary to allow the initial filling to burn well and the walls to warm up a little, and only after that can the main portion of fuel be added.

Checking traction

Usually the thrust is heating stoves determined by the color of the flame during fuel combustion. If you hear a characteristic hum in the smoke channel and the flame is bright White color, which means the thrust is too high, it needs to be reduced. If the air supply and draft are normal, you will see a golden yellow flame.

Attention! When black smoke comes out of the chimney in clouds, the shade of the flame when burning wood or coal is red, the draft is low, you need to increase the air supply.

Combustion process

While firewood or coal is burning in the firebox, in order to ensure their uniform combustion, you need not only to stir the load in time (2-3 stirrings are needed), but also to close the ash door in a timely manner and chimney. If you don’t know exactly how to properly heat a brick oven, aim for 1.5-2.5 hours (depending on the size of the oven itself and the room, as well as the ambient temperature).

Unburnt brands and unburned coals are collected during the combustion process on the center of the grate. But large pieces of coal or large unburned logs will burn out for a very long time and stupidly, since the cold air from the ash will carry more than 60% of the heat into the chimney. It will be easier to remove them from the firebox and leave them for later storage.

The chimney valve closes only after the blue lights above the coals disappear and a white ash coating appears on top of the burnt-out filling.

Rules for remembering

To ensure that your furnace operates correctly, with high efficiency, and efficiently, listen to the following recommendations from experts:

During the combustion of wood, coal, peat and any type of fuel, you need to close both the firebox door and the valve (view), although partially.
Only after half of the deposited coal has burned out can you stir and mix it - this is one of the basic rules on how to properly heat a stove with coal.
After the main volume of the bookmark has burned out, the remaining brands must be placed in the center of the firebox, and then covered with burning logs or pieces of coal. In this case, you need to reduce traction.

You can only heat the stove too much in a bathhouse; you should not do this in the house, as it will not prolong the heating of the room for several days. At first you will be hot, after which you open the window for ventilation, and then, when the heat goes away, it will be cold. At the same time, excessive fuel consumption will be simply enormous.