How I heat a brick stove in a house and a stove in a bathhouse: little firewood is consumed, and the efficiency is high

To heat the stove correctly is a whole science! Here you need to save firewood, provide warm housing, and do not forget about blocking the chimney. Read how Alexey, a member of our portal, does it.

At first, the house almost burned down ...

Until I was 38, I was a city dweller, a fully apartment resident. Once such a life got bored. I wanted a yard, a vegetable garden, a bathhouse, in general - changes and space.

There was only one way out - to buy a house in the city. So I did. But the house was not bought as a residential one, the previous owners used it as a dacha. Wooden building 52 sq. m, stove heating: in the house there is a brick stove of the "Swede" type, and in the bath there is an iron homemade product.

Due to some nuances, the renewal of documents was delayed and the gas was not managed in the first year. I had to be heated with wood.

The first experience of heating almost cost me a house. I unknowingly stuffed a full compartment of firewood, slipped the kindling and paper down, and lit it. I opened the blower to the full, the wood caught fire, and I half closed the latch.

Thirty-first minutes later burned out and I shoved the second. Business goes on, the house is warm, the door and the cast-iron stove are red-hot. But then I smelled smoke in the room. The pipe in the ceiling has warmed up and the sawdust, which was laid there as a heater, began to smolder.

I had to throw out firewood from the stove into a basin with a poker and throw it out into the street. And overlap in the area of ​​the pipe with water. To do this, he climbed into the attic with buckets and set up a small flood there.

It all ended without the participation of firefighters, but how to properly heat the stove, I had to learn. Yes, and not without repairs: the insulation was partially changed, and the junction of the pipe and the ceiling was laid with asbestos.

How I heat a brick oven

In order for the wood to burn for a long time and optimally, it took some time to adapt. Of the breeds, I mainly use birch, aspen and pine (rarely). I make sure that rot does not come across - it will not burn, however much it will burn, it will not give heat. Optimum fuel is dried, non-resinous wood.

The first tab is made from 5-7 medium logs with kindling. It burns as intensely as possible. This is done so that the cold stove warms up and the draft goes into working mode. When the first bookmark burns out and some coal remains, I put the second one - 4–5 large logs.

When they ignite, I start adjusting the draft with the blower door. I make sure that the wood burns out as slowly as possible - I maintain a calm "straw" flame.

If the wood is damp, I increase the craving; when dry, I close the blower almost completely. Old stove-makers say this: the stove should whisper, not howl. But this is realized in about a season of practice.

I practically do not touch the damper of the pipe for adjusting the combustion - if it is partially closed to reduce the draft, the chimney can become clogged with soot. I close it only when the wood is completely burnt out.

But I also follow the smoke from the chimney - I shouldn't smoke. If there is soot, it means that the firewood does not burn out, and you need to slightly increase the traction. Soot will go - the chimney will clog quickly.

The number of firewood tabs for one stove depends on the temperature outside. I usually get no more than three. But here the house also plays a role: I insulated it well from the outside, thereby reducing heat loss.

Once a month I try to heat it with dry aspen. I read that it pierces the soot, it is considered a preventive measure so that the chimney does not need to be cleaned once more. I rarely use pine: if you constantly heat with coniferous wood, the chimney will clog quickly. I give preference to birch.

Potbelly stove in the bath

Here I read about one interesting way to bookmark firewood. It looks like this: thick logs are tightly placed on the very bottom; further, medium to the top, and on top of the armful - kindling. The method says that the wood will burn for 4–5 hours. I checked - this is true, but it does not suit me for a bath - the water in the boiler is not heated.

I heat a potbelly stove in this way: the first tab is maximum - so that the water in the boiler and the bathhouse itself are thoroughly warmed up. Next, I close the shutter by 40-50% and throw three thick logs every 30-40 minutes. This allows you to maintain hot water and a normal temperature in the bath.

I was using wood for two seasons. In the first one I tried several methods. I even mixed dry firewood with raw ones, but this did not bring much success in saving - a lot of firewood flew away. The second season was stoked according to the algorithm described above - it took less firewood.

With wood stoves, everything is clear and now let's smoothly move on to plumbing! If you need a high-quality mixer, but you can decide on a model, read the article on our friends channel BUILDER'S BLOG — How to Choose a Good Bathroom Faucet? Plumber's revelations. We tell and show by example.

How do you heat the stove and what can you advise? Write in the comments!

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