Brick hearth in wooden country house- not only a source of heat that warms you during the cold season, but also a symbol of comfort, an interior item. And in order for the device to be as comfortable as possible and bring only positive emotions, you need to understand how to properly light a stove.
Create a cozy atmosphere in your home
Loading and lighting the stove correctly is not just a sign of the homeowner's skill with the fireplace. In case of efficient kindling, the efficiency of the stove will be maximum.
Before lighting wood or charcoal, factors to consider include:
- furnace structure;
- its location;
- what and how much fuel is used for kindling;
- experience in handling the firebox.
How to light a stove with wood:
The first thing you need to do is clean cast iron grate(grid) designed for free access of air under the fuel, and also to remove all ash from the ash pan. This is required to ensure that air flows equally evenly to all fuel. If you plan to heat the stove with wood, then it must be dry, same size, 8−10 cm in diameter.
The best firewood is birch and oak. With their help you can quickly heat a room. It is necessary to fill the internal cavity of the stove with firewood, taking into account that there should be a distance of at least 20 cm between the top of the firewood and the ceiling of the firebox. It is necessary to lay all the firewood at one time, so as not to constantly open the firebox, adding fuel and thereby cooling the fireplace.
In order for the firewood to ignite, you need to set fire to a splinter, paper or birch bark, placing it all under the fuel. The use of gasoline or similar flammable substances is strictly prohibited, so as not to deform the firebox.
Fuel types
For kindling, the type of fuel for which the stove is intended is recommended. When choosing or self-construction focus, this factor must be taken into account. It is better to make a device that can be melted in different ways.
The most high-calorie type of fuel is anthracite coal. When it burns, 7200 Kcal is released. For comparison, hard coal - up to 7000, brown coal - 4000−4500. Firewood produces the smallest amount of heat, only 3000 Kcal/kg. But they are absolutely environmentally friendly. It is worth considering that well-dried firewood emit more heat- up to 4500 Kcal/kg, raw - half as much.
How to light the stove:
When lighting with coal, you need to take into account that coal powder burns just as long as large pieces of coal. Therefore, you need to add it gradually, 1-2 packets at a time.
As already noted, firewood remains the most environmentally friendly fuel, despite the development modern technologies production of fuel for furnaces. The demand for wood-burning hearths continues to this day. Therefore, information about how to properly heat a stove with wood is still relevant.
Lighting up the stove
For combustion to occur, oxygen must be provided to the firebox. Its regulation is ensured through the blower and the view, which must be open at the beginning of the kindling. When the wood is hot enough, the ash pit is left ajar. The view is completely closed when the blue flame disappears: this indicates that there is no carbon monoxide hazardous to health.
In classic stoves, three components of ignition are important: the space of the firebox itself, the ash pan and the chimney. It is necessary to clean the ash pan and the firebox so that nothing interferes with the free access of air to the fuel.
Before lighting the stove, the firewood must be prepared in advance, calculating the volume needed for the entire burning period. The most important thing is the quality of the firewood. The primary load should be 3⁄4 of the possible load weight. The further combustion process depends on how correctly the first load is calculated.
You will also need flammable materials: birch bark, splinters, paper. To prevent the combustion process from being interrupted, you should put logs along with thin splinters during the first kindling.
The operation of the chimney and blower is invisible. However, these devices should not be ignored, as they contribute to the final efficiency of the entire system. Must go into the oven required amount air. A complete output is also required flue gases, including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
You can determine how efficiently the system works by the brightness of the flame. If it is white, the channel is open too wide, and in this case the valve must be closed. A bright yellow flame indicates that everything is normal, access to a sufficient amount of oxygen is ensured.
Combustion process
The first ignition took place. Now you need to start the second batch of already prepared firewood. When the hearth is heated, you can burn with whole logs. However, there is no need to lay too large logs, as the fire may not be able to cope with them.
In addition, they form long-smoldering coals, which is inefficient in terms of fuel use. Most of the heat will be carried away into the chimney by air, which significantly reduces efficiency. You need to carefully remove too large firewood, postponing its use for a while. It is also important to turn over those logs that burn weakly in time and try to maintain an even distribution of fire inside the firebox.
The longer the combustion process lasts, the more you need to ensure that the flame inside the firebox burns evenly. Need to get maximum heat from coals to heat the house. This can be achieved by turning the coals. It also promotes a greater flow of oxygen. The chimney channel must be closed when the burning flame turns from blue to white.
There are specifics for lighting stoves depending on the material from which they are made. Fireplaces made of stone, concrete and brick require a lot of effort when lighting them. It takes at least an hour to ignite. The fireplace takes the most time. When lighting a fireplace with an open flame, you should always be nearby for safety reasons.
How to light a stove with coal:
It is often difficult to light the stove after a long break, for example, at the beginning of the summer season. After long downtime it is damp and cold. In this case, you need to know that such a stove needs to be melted slowly and gradually, otherwise cracks in the material are guaranteed. Moreover, they can not be detected immediately, but after a couple of years.
Correct ignition looks like this:
- It is necessary to ensure a normal flow of oxygen, as well as smoke output. It is necessary to warm up the smoke channels of the stove and the chimney just so that cold air does not accumulate in the chimney, since it prevents the escape of smoke, which moves in the opposite direction and fills the house.
- To eliminate this undesirable option, start kindling with small portions of dry firewood. A medium-intensity flame should burn quietly, and smoke should be produced to a minimum. Afterwards you can increase the intensity.
- A common problem is that at the beginning of the kindling the flame goes out. Before lighting the stove, you need to check the stove's smoke duct and chimney to ensure everything is clean and free of obstructions. Do not under any circumstances speed up the process by adding flammable substances. You just need to close the vent and wait for the chimney to clear, starting the kindling with thin, dry wood.
If the chimney becomes clogged, do not immediately try to disassemble the stove. It is not so easy. Sometimes it is easier to build a new one than to correct the flaws in the old one. In any case, the help of a specialist is required. A simple way to solve the problem is to flood the stove slowly, checking the air outlet system. If everything is normal here, then the cause may be fuel. It is better to prepare firewood in advance.
Finally, a few secrets for stacking firewood. Thin splinters or paper should be located below the firewood itself. Firewood must be dry, laid so that there is a small distance between them. This is done to ensure an even flow of air to the firewood and smoke exit through the chimney. Fill no more than half of the total volume of the firebox. And one more tip: practice more often. Along with experience will come knowledge of how to properly light a stove in the house.
If the Sun is a source of light, warmth and life for everyone on Earth, then a Russian stove in a house is a source of warmth and prosperity for all residents. But it is always necessary to remember that fire can also become a source of catastrophic events in the house, for example, cause fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Therefore, in order to enjoy the warmth of your home for many years without much worry, you need to know how to light a Russian stove.
There must be traction
Main condition efficient and safe operation of the oven– presence of traction. The draft is influenced by: the design of the furnace, weather and cleanliness of the hearth and chimneys. Timely removal of soot and remaining ash from other compartments is the basis of long-term trouble-free operation of the Russian stove.
Once a year, you should perform the work of a chimney sweep and clean the chimneys from the accumulated layer of soot. If the chimneys have not been cleaned for years, and resinous pine, spruce, or birch firewood was used as fuel, a method will most likely be required mechanical cleaning using chimney sweep tools. Convenient for regular annual cleaning of chimneys use chemical cleaning method.
There is a range of chemical cleaning agents available for sale to remove accumulated soot, used in according to the attached instructions. Also used are traditional methods removal of soot by burning potato peelings and alder firewood. Before each firebox, it is recommended to check the presence of ash in the relevant compartments and remove it, cleaning the hearth grate.
So, it is properly prepared for kindling - cleaned, the valves are set to the maximum draft position. The draft should always be checked by lighting a match near the open blower door. If there is good draft, smoke from a lit match will quickly be drawn into the ash pit. When the smoke from a match is only partially drawn in and some of the smoke remains in the room, it means the draft is not strong enough.
If weak cravings are observed regularly and little depends on the weather, it would be right to start kindling a small amount firewood If the draft is weak and the stove is cold, you should not add a large amount of fuel at once, since as the flame spreads through the wood, smoke will be formed. will not have time to go down the chimney and will begin to fill the room, leaving the hearth. When, traction will always be good. However, if there is a need to increase traction at minimum costs, it is recommended to increase the height.
Read also: Stove for a cauldron from a gas cylinder
How to heat a Russian stove
Any stove requires some time in order to master the process of burning wood and. In a Russian stove, firewood, peat briquettes, pressed shavings and pressed straw in briquettes. But firewood is always used, at least at the beginning of the firebox, to generate heat from charcoal, on which fuel briquettes are then laid.
For the most comfortable and long-term operation of a Russian stove, the best firewood is hardwood - oak, ash, beech. When burning the mentioned wood heat release is maximized, and soot deposition is minimal. If you burn wood coniferous species, there will be less heat, and soot deposition will occur very quickly. An ever-increasing layer of crystalline soot forms inside the chimney, which reduces cross section chimney and weakens draft.
The same soot formation will occur if fuel briquettes are made from coniferous trees. Since firewood and briquettes made from coniferous trees are much cheaper, burning the mentioned firewood and briquettes is much more profitable, but at the same time every third or fourth firebox must be burned. combine with chemical cleaning of chimneys.
Just add fire
Firewood must be dry before lighting. reduces the heat transfer of a Russian stove. Each log should be easy place across the hearth. To quickly light the stove and bring it to maximum heat output, it is best to use lighter fluid or gel.
If you don’t have commercial lighter fluid, you can use a mixture of four parts sunflower oil. oil and one part kerosene. For kindling you will need one or two tablespoons of liquid. One or two logs must be split lengthwise to obtain the semblance of bars with cross-section side 2 – 3 cm.
A sheet of paper should be placed on the bottom of the hearth of a Russian stove, without blocking the ash grate. approximately 40 by 40 centimeters. Place the bars on the paper so that they lie parallel and closer to each other, the length along the air flow, that is, along the hearth. Pour lighter fluid onto the bars. Then onto the bars across the hearth put 3 – 4 thin logs with a diameter of 5 – 6 centimeters. Or, instead of thin logs, put chopped logs on several pieces thick log.
Despite the proliferation of stove designs designed to operate on liquid and new biological fuels, the demand for wood-burning units remains. The traditional concept of heating with solid fuel material has a lot of advantages, but also requires compliance with special rules. Taking into account the nuances of the furnace operation will not only improve the safety of the structure, but will also make the heating process more efficient. How to properly heat a stove is a controversial question and, depending on the type of structure used, provides for different approaches.
Preparing the stove for heating
In classic furnace structures When preparing, you have to deal with three main components. This is the combustion chamber itself, the ash pan and the smoke exhaust system with a blower. The combustion chamber must be thoroughly cleaned so that the remnants of the previous session do not interfere with the ignition process. In addition, the excess mass of ash will interfere with the ventilation necessary for oxygen access. The ash pit itself is also cleared. As a rule, this is a small compartment that it is advisable to service immediately after the process is completed. On the question of how to properly light a stove, Special attention paid to smoke exhaust and blower systems. Initially, both channels must be open so that the same possibility of providing the chamber with the oxygen necessary for combustion remains. As for the smoke exhaust channel, you should slightly open the damper of the shaft, which goes from the combustion chamber to the outlet through the roof.
Bookmark
By the time the preparatory operations are completed, the full estimated volume of firewood should be prepared, which will be used throughout the entire heating process. At the very least, you need to take a responsible approach to preparing the initial kindling mass. As a rule, it is ¾ of the camera's full capacity. But it is important not so much to calculate the volume of the initial fuel for ignition, but rather the quality of the firewood itself. Often, questions regarding how to properly light a stove are determined by the difficulties of the first ignition. Its quality is influenced by many factors - from the function of the blower to the efficiency of the kindling fire. But the most important thing is the presence of flammable materials in the stash, which can be paper or birch bark with thin twigs. The main thing is that the base for ignition is dry. There is another nuance. Even in case of successful ignition, the dry part of the bookmark can be quickly used up, ultimately not starting a reliable combustion process. Thin splinters turning into full-bodied logs will allow you to avoid this. That is, the first bookmark should contain the entire range of firewood material of different sizes.
Checking traction
The mechanism of operation of the smoke channel and the blower, as a rule, remains hidden from view, so its effectiveness is sometimes ignored. Moreover, even if the channel is opened, there is no guarantee that it fully meets the oxygen needs of the hearth. This system clearly visible in cast iron and steel structures. The question is how to properly heat a metal stove from the point of view of sufficient nutrition air masses, comes down to assessing the brightness of the flame. An experienced stoker determines the adequacy of the oxygen supply by the color of the fire. So, White color indicates that the channel is open too much and the valve should be closed slightly. Conversely, a bright yellow tint indicates that the lesion is receiving a normal flow of oxygen.
What should be observed during the combustion process?
When the ignition has successfully taken place, care should be taken to prepare the next batch of firewood, but now consisting entirely of whole logs. At the same time, you should not put firewood that is too large in diameter into small chambers, hoping that the fire will cope with them. For more efficient combustion, it is recommended to split them in half. Now you need to answer the question of how to properly heat the stove so that maximum thermal energy goes into the room. The fact is that it is precisely large logs that leave large coals that smolder for a long time. In the midst of the heating process, such pieces are of little use, since their heat will be hidden by the incoming cold air. Therefore, if possible, they should be carefully removed and stored for subsequent sessions. Also, when servicing the firebox, it is important to turn over low-burning logs in a timely manner. In such operations, it is important to achieve uniform fire distribution throughout the entire chamber.
Completion of the firebox
The responsibility for ensuring uniform flame distribution throughout the burning material increases as the process progresses. It is desirable that maximum heat be squeezed out of the smoldering coals. To do this, you can turn the coals more often - this will not only help the fire move to new, unaffected areas, but will also provide a greater flow of oxygen. When the weak blue flame changes to white, you can close the chimney duct.
How to properly heat a stove in a sauna?
The main feature of many sauna stoves is the presence of a direct smoke exhaust. The fact is that curved and complicated channels in residential buildings promote long-term heat retention due to larger area contact warm gases with the surrounding material. So, bath structures are often made with direct-flow outlets, which improves safety. This especially applies to metal structures. Therefore, in search of an answer to the question of whether metal stove, you need to rely on the nuances of working with a straight chimney. What does this mean in practice? First, you should be prepared for the bookmarks to burn out quickly. Abundant air flow into in this case is inevitable, therefore the processes of decay will be fleeting. Secondly, it is important to more efficiently turn over the deposited and burning mass, so as not to end up with large unburnt coals at the exit.
Features of the firebox in metal furnaces
Usage metal structures common not only in baths, but also in ordinary houses. Such units are compact in size, so they can be installed even in a living room with a fence around a small area. Accordingly, another question arises: “How to properly heat a metal stove if it is installed in a house?” General rules fully apply to cast iron and metal models, but there are some restrictions when igniting. Experts do not recommend using flammable liquid mixtures to stimulate the primary flame. Many homeowners abuse such products, which has a detrimental effect on the environment. Even with an actively working chimney, it will not be possible to completely eliminate harmful fumes from the room, so you should avoid pouring kerosene or gasoline over the stash. As an alternative, you can use special alcohol tablets. They burn easily and for a long time, which makes ignition easy - this option is especially valuable if we're talking about about wet wood.
How to properly heat a brick oven?
Brick, stone and concrete structures They are distinguished by their impressive size and, accordingly, require great effort from the stoker. The igniting mass must be larger and more substantial in order for a thorough heating process of the entire structure to begin. Ignition will take longer - about 1 hour. Further, each complete bookmark can take about 2 hours. Fireplace designs require even more resources. When deciding how to properly heat a fireplace stove, it is important to take into account the special function of this structure. Such designs are distinguished by the fact that, in addition to heating, they also provide the possibility of demonstrating an open flame. Therefore, you should be especially careful when loading and changing logs. If a closed conventional stove allows the stoker to get distracted for a while, then it is advisable to stay close to the fireplace throughout the entire heating session.
How to properly light a long-burning stove?
To understand the features of servicing units operating on the principle long burning, you should familiarize yourself with the effect of a divided combustion chamber. In such structures, not only firewood is burned, but also gas that comes out as a result of its smoldering. But there is another important difference. Such furnaces require a supply of oxygen in smaller volumes, which determines long process combustion. For the stoker himself, this means that firewood will need to be laid not every 2-2.5 hours, but at intervals of 4 hours. Otherwise, the rules of care are the same, but with a more careful approach to regulating the chimney channel.
Despite the widespread use of liquid and gaseous fuel stoves, the operation of solid fuel stoves is no less common today. Not every user thinks about the fact that the firebox is wrong wood stove leads to an increase in fuel consumption by an average of 15-20%, as well as inefficiency of the heating process, violation of the safety of operation of the fireplace or stove with a reduction in its service life. The question of how to properly heat a stove with wood depends on its design and involves different approaches.
A wood stove should undergo preventative maintenance two or three times a year to clean the chimney of soot and soot, including repairs if necessary. Immediately before starting the kindling, it is necessary to prepare the stove. To do this, all combustion products are removed from the ash pan (ash, soot). If the internal walls of the stove are covered with soot or ash, it will warm up weakly and for a long time, burning a large amount of wood. The grate must also be cleaned, since if the grate gaps are clogged, there will not be sufficient air circulation to support intense combustion of the fuel.
The right choice of firewood
Firewood must be well dried. If you heat the stove with raw wood, their combustion will produce a large amount of soot that clogs the chimney, as well as condensate, the accumulation of which on the walls will lead to rapid destruction of the stove structure. In order to dry well, the firewood after chopping must lie in a dry woodshed or under a street shed for at least a year. Correct styling Firewood is considered to be a criss-cross method.
Firewood supply Depending on the type of wood, a certain amount of heat is released during combustion. The best firewood for a stove is considered to be fuel made from hardwood. These are birch, aspen, oak, linden. Birch firewood They emit more heat than aspen or pine, give an even, high flame and do not spark. When choosing oak logs, it is necessary to use a medium-aged tree. To clean the chimney from soot, it is better to use alder logs. Aspen firewood burns quickly, leaving no coals. It is not advisable to use linden, fruit and coniferous firewood for kindling. home oven or a fireplace, but they emit life-giving and healthy vapors into the air, so it is better to use them to fire a bathhouse.
For maximum efficient heating, it is necessary that the logs be of the same thickness (on average, 8-10 cm).
Stacking firewood
To provide good process combustion, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the preparation of the primary kindling mass solid fuel. As a rule, the volume of the primary kindling mass for ignition is at least ¾ of the loading capacity of the firebox. The ignition box should contain flammable materials - paper, birch bark, thin dry branches, dry shavings. It may happen that, after the combustion of the ignition mass, the combustion process of the main load of firewood does not begin. To avoid this, you need to use logs with thin splinters. Thus, the primary stack should contain firewood of various sizes.
When ignition has taken place, you can lay the main part of the firewood, consisting of whole logs, preferably of the same diameter. At the same time, you should not put large logs into a small firebox; they should first be split into two parts. During the burning process, large logs should be turned over to ensure even burning.
Beautiful stove To know how to properly heat a Russian stove, you need to keep in mind that during the kindling process important They have a stove valve, or view, as well as an ash pan blower door, located under the combustion chamber (firebox). The valve regulates the draft force, and the blower door regulates the amount of air supplied. If during the combustion process they will be in open position, the combustion temperature will decrease as excess air will carry most of the heat out through the chimney. If the valve and door are closed, a sufficient amount of air will not form in the combustion chamber and the wood will not burn completely. Therefore, in order to properly light a Russian stove, after adding the kindling mass, it is necessary to open the valve and close the ash pan.
After the kindling begins to burn, the main part of the fuel is added. To properly heat a Russian stove with wood, they can be laid in horizontal rows close together or with a gap of 1 cm. As a rule, the firebox of a Russian stove small size, so firewood is loaded in several portions. In addition, a Russian stove usually has a stove, and it has a so-called summer and winter operation. If heating of the heating panel is not needed, then the summer valve opens.
After the firewood in the firebox ignites, you need to open the ash door and close the firebox door. Then the blower door is closed, but not completely, and the combustion draft is adjusted using a viewer. To know how to properly heat a Russian stove with wood, you need to monitor the fuel combustion process:
- If the flame has a golden-straw color, this is a sign of normal combustion.
- A bright flame and a humming sound indicate an excess of air. This can be corrected by closing the blower door.
- If the flame is smoky, the combustion process is sluggish and with a lot of smoke, you need to add air to the firebox. To do this, a view is opened to increase traction.
When the firewood of the first stack has burned down to the state of large coals, you can re-stack it, the unburned firewood being raked to the center of the firebox. When all the wood burns out, even the bluish flame disappears, and a coating of ash appears on the coals, after ten minutes you can close the ash door and the view.
How to heat a Russian stove with wood: precautions
To make the kindling process as efficient and safe as possible, some points should be taken into account:
- A Russian stove takes no more than 2.5 hours to heat. A longer combustion process can lead to damage to the stove and overheating.
- It is not allowed to enter the combustion chamber with products made of plastic, painted wood, bitumen, or to use gasoline, kerosene, or similar flammable mixtures for ignition.
- You cannot close the view before the blue flame above the firewood disappears. This can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
- If the stove has not been used for a long time, before lighting it is necessary to check its draft and open the cleaning door.
Rules for lighting a metal stove
Metal stoves are common both in homes and in bathhouses. The difference between a sauna heater is that its design contains a direct-flow outlet for increased safety. In order to properly heat a sauna heater, you should take into account the rapid combustion of the primary filling due to the abundant air flow. In this case, it is important to quickly turn over the burning fuel so that large unburned coals do not form.
Metal stoves installed in residential buildings have a curved smoke exhaust system for long-term heat retention. The rules for igniting wood in such stoves concern the ban on the use of liquid flammable mixtures. Otherwise, you should follow the recommendations as when lighting conventional stoves.
A few words should be said about the features of kindling brick fireplaces and long-burning furnaces. In the first case you will need large quantity stowage of firewood for the initial and main ignition, as well as time for kindling. In the second case, the features of the combustion chamber require a longer combustion process than in conventional fireboxes, so firewood should be added at intervals of not every 2.5 hours, but every 4 hours.
The Russian stove is used for heating homes, for cooking, and also for drying fruits and herbs. Regardless of the purpose of the unit, first of all, you need to know how to heat it correctly, and for this you should have an idea of the features of the device.
Design features of Russian stoves
They consist of three main elements:
- fireboxes;
- chimney;
- pipes.
The combustion chamber, an essential part of any unit, is a compartment designed for solid fuel. An ash pit is installed under the firebox, which provides the oxygen necessary to maintain the combustion process, and in addition, ash from burnt wood accumulates in it.
The purpose of the chimney is to remove smoke and excess thermal energy collected in the firebox of a Russian stove. During its construction, several zigzag turns are laid out inside to heat one of the walls of the house. The surface inside the chimney should be smooth so that it is less covered with soot and dust.
The pipe allows the smoke to be vented out into the atmosphere. It should be properly insulated, as it heats up to a high temperature.
Also, at the very bottom of the Russian stove there is a podpechek or podpechek - a special compartment for storing a supply of firewood. The undercoat was often used for dishes. The six is intended for ease of cooking.
The stoves installed in the unit improve heat transfer and dry the fruit preparations. The front part of the structure is called cheeks, and firewood is placed through the stove mouth. The crucible is the place where fuel is burned. The smoke is carried to the chimney by a heil. The roof is used as a warm bed.
Proper lighting of the stove
After familiarizing yourself with the design features, you should figure out how to light a Russian stove correctly. The rate at which fuel burns largely depends on the delta between the temperature outside and inside the building. If this value is small, then the traction force will be weak and drowning will be more difficult.
Draft promotes the flow of oxygen to the fireplace and the exhaust of smoke from it. To make it easier to light the stove, the pipe walls are heated by burning flammable materials - paper, birch bark. Next, you should place dry wood in the crucible and firebox and light it.
If there is no urgent need to heat the unit, it is advisable to wait for the change temperature regime. The fact is that, regardless of the time of year, it always gets colder in the evening and the traction force must be restored.
True, even after changing the temperature outside, sometimes the stove still cannot be lit and then you need to stop trying to light it until the cause of what is happening is determined. Possibly, chimney cleaning required. Experienced stove makers advise heating the unit gradually, especially if it is rarely used. Since its walls are quite thick, when suddenly heated to high parameters, cracks may appear along them.
Kindling methods
Before heating a Russian stove with wood, you must first empty it inner space from remaining fuel, kitchen utensils, and the firebox from ash. It is necessary to clean the blower and furnace. After this, they begin to kindle. So that there is comfortable temperature, you need to light the stove at least once a day.
Most often, two main firebox options are used:
- Firewood is burned in a firebox.
- Kindling is carried out on the hearth.
The most economical method is in which fuel combustion occurs in the firebox chamber. In this case heating design fully warms up. Firewood is placed in the combustion chamber as densely as possible, filling the entire space with it.
In the future, they are laid after the previous fuel raw material has burned down to coals. But first, the firewood is moved further away to prevent sparks from splitting and fading. The second fuel load, like all subsequent ones, is made one third less than the first.
When kindling, the valve at the mouth is well closed. The stove valve is opened slightly, and the ventilation valve is closed. This procedure is performed to improve traction. When the stove has not yet warmed up, a slight return of smoke may occur during lighting. To eliminate this problem, the ventilation valve is moved back 2–3 centimeters. It must be returned to its original position after a while.
There are several rules on how to properly heat a Russian stove with wood. In order for the combustion process to be stable, it is necessary to ensure constant access of oxygen. To do this, the fuel must be stirred periodically with a poker, as a result of which the air reaches the lowest layers, and the degree of combustion of the wood increases.
Before opening the stove door, be sure to close the ash pan, which helps temporarily subdue the flame a little when in close contact with it and reduce smoke.
You can light a fire in the hearth using the bottom or top method. The easiest option to implement is the first one. In this case, flammable materials are placed under the stack of firewood in the center. This way you can light any fuel quickly and easily. But that's the downside this method, since oxygen burns quickly, and the stove ignites unevenly.
It is better to use the top ignition option. It consists of placing kindling material at the top of a stack of firewood. In this case, it is possible to uniformly heat the unit and achieve a smooth spread of fire throughout the entire masonry. All this allows you to reduce the load on the firebox. During the combustion process, the ash door should be kept open 7 centimeters.
Another method is called kindling “in Russian”; it is performed on a hearth. To do this, close the valve in the furnace and at the same time keep the ventilation open. The firewood, which must be dry, is placed at the front edge of the furnace in the shape of a well, then lit and slowly moved to its center.
This option is used when there is no need to quickly heat the room or if you need to use the stove as a fireplace. When using this method, carefully monitor the combustion process so that sparks and coals do not fall out of the unit.
On average, the firing time should be two hours to ensure long-term operation of the stove and prevent cracking of its walls. After the fire is completed, the mouth and valves are certainly closed, as a result of which the food cooks faster and the house cools down more slowly.
A correctly selected method of placing fuel in the fireplace helps to quickly light up the unit. Typically, firewood is laid out in parallel in the form of a well or hut. Parallel stacking means that the logs are placed straight, stacked on top of each other.
To ensure free access of oxygen, gaps are created in the masonry in a checkerboard pattern. The firewood is laid out in a circle while standing in a “hut” and then tilted toward the center to create a closed cone. At this option the flame immediately covers the length of the wood, and it burns faster.
It is believed that when choosing a way to properly heat a Russian stove, it is better to choose the use of parallel fuel.
Safety Compliance
Heating a house with a Russian stove means that property owners have to constantly interact with fire. If you don't adhere to measures fire safety, the consequences can be very negative.
Must be observed simple rules regulating how to cook in a Russian stove, how to heat it, and take advantage of the advantages it has:
- It is necessary to light a fire using flammable materials and do not use flammable liquids, such as gasoline.
- When operating the unit, you must use wood, and household waste and polymer materials may render the chimney unusable.
- The firewood must be dry, otherwise heat is lost to dry it when burning. To do this, the required amount of fuel is prepared several days in advance, stored in the oven.
- To prevent fire, hot coals and sparks from spilling out, the oven lid must be kept tightly closed.
- You can't burn glossy ones printed publications- the paint on them interferes with the combustion process and severely clogs the chimney.
- It is strictly forbidden to heat the fireplace with small waste wood - sawdust. If they are evenly distributed in the place of combustion, they will interfere with the appearance of good draft and access of oxygen, and with a sharp air flow an explosion may occur.
- Combustible materials should not be adjacent to the walls of the unit, so as not to cause a fire, and in addition, heat transfer to the room worsens.
- The recommended heating time should not be exceeded, as the heating structure will quickly become unusable. It is advisable to use a special thermometer for stoves, which will constantly keep the combustion temperature under control and maintain it at around 70 ̊ C. It is better to heat more often, but with a lower degree of intensity.
- In newly built houses, you need to start lighting the stove only after completing the construction of all walls and ceilings. The fact is that heat must be retained in the building, otherwise internal elements the unit may overheat.
Caring for a Russian stove
It is important to know not only how to heat a Russian stove, but also how to properly care for it. All furnace passages and working chambers should be cleaned in a timely manner. The ash compartment is cleaned of accumulated ash every time the firebox is completed. First, its remains in the hearth are swept into the ash pit to be completely removed, for which they use a shuffle - a special metal scoop attached to a long handle.
Typically, major cleaning is done once a year the day before heating season. When carrying out cleaning, openings are used that are closed by doors that are provided in the design. This procedure is performed with a poker. Using open holes, it is used to remove the remaining ash and soot that has accumulated on internal surfaces walls
You can remove plaque more thoroughly with a broom made of hard rods. After cleaning, the doors of the openings are tightly closed. chimney clean from soot, condensation or foreign objects once a year with a special hose or rope with a weight at the end. But in this case it is better to use the help of specialists.
