Bath stoves "Vesuvius": review and reviews from owners

The production of Vesuvius stoves was organized by one of the dealers. They are produced by the Litkom enterprise. The specialists of this company studied the most popular and productive stoves from Finland and the best-selling products of domestic stove makers. The result was the Vesuvius stoves. The company does not stand still, it is constantly developing, modernizing production and trying to satisfy a variety of requests. Today, not only Vesuvius wood stoves are manufactured, but also heating stoves, as well as chimneys and components for them, tanks and heat exchangers, as well as stove accessories. So there is always the opportunity to replace a failed unit with a “native” analogue or to complete your furnace.

Wood-burning stoves for the Vesuvius bathhouse

The main and main feature of Vesuvius is the absence of corners. The stove has a round shape, which promotes uniform distribution of thermal radiation. The outer casing of Vesuvius is an all-welded structure made of high-strength steel plates 8 mm thick. This form looks unusual and recognizable.

Wood-burning sauna stoves "Vesuvius" with an open heater have a round shape

Stones placed in a round mesh structure heat up more evenly, while at the same time effectively extinguishing hard infrared radiation from the metal surfaces of the firebox.

It must be said that even the best design of an external mesh with stones does not provide the degree of steam humidity that is necessary for a Russian bath. If you decide to make a Russian steam room with its not the highest temperature, but high humidity, then it is better to choose models with a closed heater. All experts in the Russian bathhouse are absolutely sure of this. If you are attracted by an open heater with visible stones, you will need additional devices.

Everyone agrees that with an open heater, the stones simply cannot heat up to a temperature at which the steam turns out to be “light”. They heat well if the firebox has sufficient power, but they also give off heat well, quickly warming up the steam room. This is true. But this results in a dry-air Finnish sauna, and not a Russian bathhouse.

You can pour water on the stones of an open heater. But this produces “heavy” steam, which is not good. To obtain an atmosphere more consistent with the desired conditions in the steam room, tubes are inserted into the stones. And water or herbal decoctions are added to them. Since the temperature of the stones located closer to the firebox is much higher than the outside temperature, the steam produced is lighter and drier. Passing through the stones located above, it becomes finely dispersed and further dries. This kind of steam is much closer to the Russian steam room. But this addition is not ideal - near a well-heated stove it is quite difficult to accurately and slowly pour water into the tubes without getting burned by the escaping steam. In addition, the installation location of the tubes must first be determined intuitively. If the steam is not satisfactory, you again have to rearrange the stones, rearranging the tubes. In general, it’s a hassle.

If we talk about models with a closed heater, they are more suitable for Russian steam rooms, but only if it is possible to open/close the upper, open part of the heater, regulating both the heat transfer and the temperature of the stones themselves.

The bodies of Vesuvius bathhouse stoves are coated with a special silicone compound. It protects the housing from exposure to aggressive water at high temperatures. Such models look no less impressive than open heaters, as some of them are decorated with forged elements. But if you decide to make a Russian steam room out of your bathhouse, then most likely the appearance of the iron stove will not be important to you: in order to create conditions as close as possible to the “Russian bathhouse” you will need to cover it with a brick screen.

All currently existing models of Vesuvius bath stoves have a chimney diameter of 115 mm. All components and accessories for them can be purchased “original” - this is one of the activities of the enterprise. If you choose a stove model that needs to be heated from an adjacent room, then the depth of the combustion tunnel will also be standard - 290 mm.

Lines of stoves for the Vesuvius bathhouse

In the Vesuvius family of stoves with an open heater, the Vesuvius Vertical series looks quite unusual. All modifications have the same dimensions (width 540mm, depth 790mm and height 1010mm), but differ in the type of combustion tunnel door. Doors are available with panoramic or regular glass, or without glass. This line is designed for heating steam rooms with a volume of 8-18 m3.

Wood-burning stoves for the Vesuvius-Vertical bathhouse

Wood-burning sauna stoves “Vesuvius” with an open heater are both the “Russian Steam” and “Vesuvius Skif” lines. There is plenty to roam around here - a wide variety of sizes (different width/height/depth) and types of doors allows you to choose the best option for each specific case.

In “Russian Steam”, however, there are only six modifications, one of which has an external lining made of a coil. These models are designed for heating steam rooms with an area of 18-28 m3.

Sauna stoves “Vesuvius Scythian” modification SCH12

But “Skifov” has 26 options. Here you can choose for any size of room. There is also a great variety of door designs - regular-sized glass, panoramic doors with glass or iron.

Vesuvius Elite stoves are lined with a coil, equipped with a combustion tunnel and a glass door. There are not many models, but they look quite interesting.

Wood-burning stoves for the Vesuvius Elite bathhouse are lined with a coil

A popular line with a closed heater is “Vesuvius Lava”. Their distinctive feature is decorative forged elements located at the top/bottom and in the middle of the body. These furnaces have many modifications and a wide range of sizes - 24 modifications, which differ in size and power. You can choose models for steam rooms from 6 to 28 m3. You also choose whether there is a combustion tunnel, a glass/metal door and its dimensions (panoramic or not).

Sauna stove “Vesuvius Lava” 22

Bath stoves "Vesuvius Rusich" do not have forged elements on the body. But for those who decided to put a brick screen around the stove in order to bring the steam conditions as close as possible to the Russian steam room, this does not matter.

Bath stove "Vesuvius Rusich"

Each of the lines has so-called fireplace stoves. They differ from the others by the wide panoramic glass in the door.

There is also a line of “Legend” cast iron stoves (not to be confused with the Finnish Harvia Legend stoves). Since the stoves are made of cast iron, they are larger (160kg versus the usual 60-100kg). All Legend models with an open stove are equipped with combustion tunnels. Designed for heating steam rooms with an area of 10 to 28 cubic meters.

As you can see, there is plenty to choose from.

Important component No. 3 is the correct combustion algorithm.

We construct a “seed” from 4 small, approximately identical logs, wood chips, shavings and paper.

We place two logs parallel to each other on the grate at a distance of 10-15 cm. Between them is a crumpled sheet of paper, which we cover with wood chips or shavings. The “seed” is completed by two more logs laid diagonally on top.

We set fire to the “seed”.

Using a match or kitchen lighter, light the wad of paper in the “seed”. You cannot use flammable liquids to speed up ignition: gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, xylene, acetone, etc. If the firewood is damp and cannot be ignited, you can use a dry alcohol tablet. We wait for the characteristic flame noise to appear in the stove, close the firebox door and cover the vent (not completely).

We throw firewood into the stove.

The “seed”, of course, will not be enough to light the stove. Therefore, to continue combustion, you will have to add firewood from time to time. The first time this is done 10-15 minutes after igniting the “seed”. We open the firebox door, level with a poker everything that remains of the “seed” and place the firewood in approximately 2/3 of the volume of the stove firebox. In the future, a new portion of firewood is laid when the old one burns out - approximately once every 1-1.5 hours.

We complete the heating of the bathhouse.

In winter, the sauna is heated for at least 5-6 hours, in summer it is faster - on average 3-4 hours. When the bath has heated to the required temperature, the firebox can be finished. We wait for the last portion of firewood to burn out, open the firebox door and check for bluish flames above the coals - signs of the presence of carbon monoxide. If everything is in order, close the vent, smoke valve and firebox completely.

After everything has been done, we open the doors of the steam room and the window so that the bathhouse can be ventilated. 15 minutes is enough for the bathhouse to be filled with fresh air. After that, close everything except the window. The bath should last for about two hours. Don’t be afraid, during this time it will not have time to cool, but the heat will become soft, uniform, and the steam will become light. Afterwards we close the window and begin the bath procedures.

Vesuvius water tanks

In the basic configuration, Vesuvius stoves are not equipped with water tanks. But you can choose any of those that are in production. Vesuvius produces various tanks:

Rectangular pipe tanks (55 and 80 liter capacity) and rectangular wall-mounted tanks (60, 80, 110 and 125 liter capacity).

Rectangular tanks for the Vesuvius pipe
All of them are welded from matte stainless steel sheets 1 mm thick. G3/4 fittings are located on the bottom or on the sides.
Oval pipe tanks (55 and 80 liters), vertical and horizontal contour oval tanks (60 and 90 liters) made of mirror stainless steel 1 or 0.5 mm.

Oval tanks for the Vesuvius pipe
Read also: Is it possible to install a gas boiler and a gas water heater into one chimney?

Mounted oval tanks “Vesuvius” made of mirror stainless steel.
There is a filler hole and G3/4 fittings located on the side.
Heat exchangers are round (volume 6 and 12 liters) and flat. They are made of stainless steel with a thickness of 1 or 0.5 mm, two G3/4 fittings for connection to the heating system or water supply.

Preparing fuel

Most fireplace stoves are designed to burn wood. But there are also models that can operate on coal and fuel briquettes. In any case, you will have to light the fireplace stove with wood, and switch to the “main” fuel from the second bookmark. And for this they need to be properly prepared:

Trees are cut down in late autumn or winter, when the flow of sap stops.
Pay attention to the depth of the firebox: finished firewood should not protrude outward. The maximum log length for a factory stove-fireplace is indicated by the manufacturer in the user manual. The logs are cut to this size.
To achieve the required humidity, the logs are split and stored under a canopy until the next heating season.
The firewood is dried indoors. This may take from 1 to 3 days (depending on outdoor storage conditions).

If the residual moisture content of the wood is more than 20%, lighting the fireplace without smoke will be problematic. In addition, evaporating water will condense on the internal stacks of the chimney and cause soot to settle.

Furnace installation

Let's consider an installation diagram in which the stove will be located in the steam room, and the remote tank will be in the washing room.

Standard installation diagram for the Vesuvius stove with a remote water tank

As can be seen from the figure, a “samovar” type heat exchanger is used, which does not allow heat to escape through the chimney pipe, but uses it to heat water. This increases the efficiency (efficiency factor) of the furnace.

As an example, we suggest watching a video that shows how the Vesuvia Skif Russian Steam stove is installed.

Chimney inspection

A chimney clogged with soot will never have good draft. Soot and tar on the internal surfaces reduce the flow area of the pipe and prevent the free movement of flue gases. After the furnace has been idle for a long time, moisture accumulates in the loose soot, and draft will not be established until it has completely evaporated. In addition, such deposits often lead to a fire inside the chimney, which is almost impossible to extinguish. Therefore, before lighting the fireplace, you need to make sure that the chimney is ready for use.

If the pipe is straight, you can use a mirror to inspect it. If it changes its direction, then there should be an inspection hatch at the turning point. It is also necessary to ensure the integrity of the chimney - there are no cracks at the joints.

The chimney should be cleaned before and during the heating season. The most effective way to remove deposits is mechanical. A brush that matches the diameter of the pipe will remove all dirt from the inner walls.

Owner reviews

As often happens, some owners speak positively about the product, and some speak negatively. The video below shows how a dissatisfied customer saws apart a new Vesuvius-16 Skif stove to prove that the steel thickness is less than stated in the instruction manual.

Apparently, adjustments have been made to the description of the stoves, here are the latest excerpts from the manufacturer’s website:

“When designing the Skif sauna stove, the designers of our plant found a unique and at the same time simple solution to create a sauna stove with high efficiency. Sauna stoves of the Skif model range are made of special structural steel. The thickness of the main elements of the firebox reaches 12 mm.”

It is stated in black and white that the thickness of the main elements of the firebox reaches 12 mm, but it is not entirely clear what is meant by “main elements”. We can assume that we are talking about the arch of the firebox.

Personally, after watching the video, what bothered us was not that the thickness of the steel was less than stated, but that some of the seams were not welded. This suggests that in the production of Vesuvius stoves there are problems with quality control (alas, this is typical for many domestic manufacturers).

Chimney, foundation for fireplace stove

Now that the firewood has been selected, you can think about lighting the sauna stove. First you need to prepare it - we will melt it later. We follow the instructions:

We clean the grate and ash chamber (ash pan) from ash and coals;
Wash stones in clean water;
We determine whether there is draft (chimney permeability) necessary for carbon monoxide to escape from the stove. To do this, open the smoke valve in the chimney, the firebox and ash doors. Then we bring a lit match into the firebox and watch where the flame rushes. If it goes up, that is, it is drawn into the chimney, then everything is in order - there is draft. You can start kindling. Otherwise, you will have to first clean the chimney, since it is prohibited to heat the bathhouse without draft - the stove will “smoke”.

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Everyone was happy with the stove - easy to use, provides stable heat, requires little wood. True, until that moment there had been no frost, so the heating of the stove took place in the evening and that was all. An electric convector operates in standby mode and maintains the optimal temperature by morning. But, it was noticed that cast iron surfaces and fireclay in the oven give a very effective and excellent result.

Even when the wood burns out, heat continues to flow from the surface of the stove. There was no tracking by time, of course, but the indicator for the author was morning. When, after opening your eyes in the morning, you touch the stove and it is still warm - this is an excellent result. I have been convinced of this more than once by the author with the Vesuvius PK-01 stove.

Another point that was noticed during operation is that the glass smokes. In this case, the author had to clean it every day to restore its beauty, although this cleaning session takes a little time, it is still unpleasant that the stove gets dirty so quickly. If you don’t pursue beauty, you can clean the glass less often, but aesthetics are still necessary.

Among the shortcomings, I can also highlight cast iron circles for cooking - the manufacturer could have made it much better, cast these parts with more attention to the process. The second minus, already mentioned, is that the glass smokes (not exactly a minus, but there is a valuable remark).

The firebox of the Vesuvius PK-01 device is designed for firewood of 30-35 cm. Ordering firewood of this size is not a problem at all.

As a result, the author was pleased with the choice. You have to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings because the price is not at all high, and the stove fulfills its main tasks in full. The appearance of the stove is also satisfactory. We must wait for frost, and then it will become clear how the oven will manifest itself.

After the onset of cold weather, it became possible to evaluate the results of full operation of the device and slowly talk about the conclusions that emerged. At that time, the stove cost the author 15,300 rubles. The chimney is a little more expensive, more than 17,000 rubles. Now about the operation of the stove in severe frosts. She coped with the frost, but with great difficulty.

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The point here, apparently, was the volume of the firebox. But the frosts were severe, down to -30 degrees. When choosing a stove, the author was not guided by this temperature outside the window. There was a concept that a large firebox volume in relatively warm weather would cause excessive consumption of firewood - and this is true, but the heat did not increase.

Another tile burst during use. The author tried to figure it out and it turned out that it was squeezed out by the fittings, which in turn should have strengthened the side wall of the furnace. Therefore, the sheet iron was deformed, square reinforcement was welded vertically to the entire height, but apparently the distance to the tile itself was violated.

As for the chimney, you can easily run it through the top. Here the chimney is inserted into the wall for aesthetic reasons. The author was afraid of condensation and soot when cleaning the pipe. Technologically, this is not at all difficult to do. In addition, a fireplace stove model was chosen, where the chimney exits from the back, but this choice was again made for aesthetics.

The foundation in this case was used - logs with a pitch of 350 mm, and 9mm OSB was laid on them in two layers. There is no discomfort or fear experienced.

The designs of these stoves provide two options for exhausting the chimney - back horizontally into the wall and up. The burners are provided for the option with a stove; its chimney goes back in a horizontal position, but if desired, it can also be brought up, that is, install a rotary chimney and direct the pipe upward.

This stove does not have a long-term burning mode (afterburning of secondary gases). But it is provided for in OB-7, for example, there is an owner who admits that he has never been able to set the combustion mode to long-term. According to him, he managed to withstand 4-4.5 hours of burning and no more. Here the stove burns until 6 o’clock in the morning in the evening, that is, 7 o’clock, in the evening a bookmark is made and the mode is set, which was empirically calculated to be long.

An electric convector also helps maintain the temperature on cold nights. If at night it is -14, -17, then the convector does not turn on, i.e. all the heat (about 17-20 degrees Celsius) comes from this stove. The author is completely satisfied with this. The problem with the tiles has not been solved, but it’s not a big deal and can be replaced over time.

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conclusions

Despite the negative reviews, it cannot be said that all stoves are of low quality. When choosing a sauna stove, it makes sense to look into a store with an “understanding person” so that you don’t bite your elbows after the purchase.

If you are limited in funds, but want to buy a stove with thick walls (8-10 mm), then you can take a closer look at stoves. Despite the fact that Zhara stoves are made of pipes and look like a steam locomotive, they are quite reliable. After covering the stove with brick, everything looks quite aesthetically pleasing.

If you have a piece of pipe of suitable diameter and a welding machine, you can make a sauna stove yourself.

If you are willing to pay for quality, check out Finnish-made stoves.

Necessary accessories

You need to prepare for the first kindling in your life. There are a few seemingly insignificant things that should be on hand when you start lighting a fireplace in your home:

Poker . It needs to reach the back wall and the far corners of the firebox, then it will be comfortable for her to work.
Scoop . It should be light, non-flammable, and fit across the width of the ash drawer door. When choosing, pay attention to metal scoops: they meet all the requirements.
Canvas mittens . The fire door handle, poker and scoop can become very hot. Canvas mittens will protect your skin from burns and are comfortable to work in. Cloth vachegs, for example, are significantly inferior to them in terms of comfort. They are convenient for holding a thick crowbar, but not a poker.

Main characteristics of Legend series furnaces.

The Legend series sauna stoves are divided into four groups by volume:

Legend 12 - from 6 to 14 m3
Legend 16 - from 8 to 18 m3
Legend 22 - from 12 to 24 m3
Legend 28 - from 14 to 30 m3

All groups differ only in the dimensions of the furnaces. Not by a smoke damper system or any other design changes, but simply by size. The stove is created according to the complete classics. Three parts of the furnace are screwed together. Between the parts there is a ceramic cord and a heat-resistant sealant.

The oxygen supply system is regulated by the ash pan and, in some cases, by doors. Let’s say that on doors numbered 205 and 224 there are blower dampers, thanks to which a pseudo-system of clean glass and regulation of the oxygen supply are carried out.

Legend series standard

There is also a grid distinction. In the “legend forging” series, the series is made with forging elements, and also contains the most interesting doors. And in the cheaper series (standard) the doors are ordinary. So the company differentiated essentially the same stoves, without any special changes, into premium and economy.

Is this fair? I think no. In fact, if you want a large glass or a hermetically sealed door, you are required to overpay for a forged mesh painted with bronze paint.

As I wrote earlier, the smoke tooth system in “legend” sauna stoves is primitive. In fact, this is an ordinary curved plate, thanks to which unexhausted gases are slightly retained in the chamber before leaving the furnace. Simply put, we are not talking about the complex system that is installed on Feringer furnaces or the rather good systems of the Teplodar company. But the indisputable advantage of the simplicity of such a tooth is cleaning the chimney. You move this tooth to the side, or remove it altogether, and get direct access to the chimney.

How can you heat a brick oven?

The efficiency of a furnace structure largely depends on the quality of the fuel supplied. Even not the best designs will heat rooms better than a properly built stove in which garbage is burned. Therefore, use the type of fuel for which the furnace structure was designed.

A wood stove must be fueled with wood. If it is planned to use another type of fuel, the structure must be designed accordingly. For example, a coal stove differs from a classic stove in a more developed smoke circulation network. During their passage, the flue gases manage to transfer a sufficient amount of thermal energy to the walls of the structure, and the heat does not immediately go into the chimney along with the combustion products.

The following fuel is also used for brick stoves:

Coal, hard or brown. This fuel has maximum heat transfer with minimal consumption, and is characterized by long and uniform combustion. When it burns in a stove, the temperature is much higher than from firewood. Therefore, the walls of the fireboxes in such structures are made much thicker and must be lined with refractory bricks. It has a number of disadvantages - coal dust is very corrosive and harmful to health. Fuel is sold in tons, which is not always convenient when the stove is used infrequently. In addition, without the same firewood, it will not be possible to light coal.

Furnace fuel

Euro firewood or fuel briquettes. There are two types: RUF, formed by pressing wood chips and sawdust under pressure and glued together with a natural composition. Pini-kei, the same briquettes, but fired at the last stage of production, which makes them resistant to moisture and ensures long-term storage. Fuel briquettes burn for a long time (3-4 times slower than ordinary firewood) and heat the walls of the stove well. But they produce little external heat, so it is better not to use them in a fireplace. High-quality briquettes are quite expensive, but cheap briquettes crumble and do not produce long, slow combustion with a long heat release.

Peat briquettes consisting of peat and sawdust. When burned, such material does not emit toxic substances, does not spark during combustion, and is easy to store as it takes up little space. Forms a small volume of ash (it can be used as a mineral fertilizer due to the increased content of potassium and phosphorus). Among the disadvantages, the most significant are low heat transfer and increased soot deposition.

Pellets are cylindrical granules of wood waste of the same size. They are most effective when burned in a special boiler, but can also be used in a wood stove. Environmentally friendly fuel with a minimum content of ash substances, high dryness and high density, which transfers heat well, but is expensive.

Despite the fairly large selection of fuel types, firewood remains the most popular option.

Combustion control

After the fuel has ignited, regulate the air flow to achieve the required combustion temperature by opening or closing the ash door, or using the air intake system regulator and the air supply regulator for combustion of flue gases. The quality of draft can be assessed by the color of the flame and the sound that accompanies combustion. The golden color of the flame combined with a slight crackling sound indicates normal combustion. The hum of the fire in the stove and its bright, almost white color indicate too much air flow, the excess of which reduces the combustion temperature and carries heat into the atmosphere. The dark red color of the flame and black smoke indicate that the fuel is not completely burned and it is time to increase the air supply. All combustion control manipulations are carried out using a blower or air intake regulators. The firebox door remains closed in order not to lose heat and ensure good heating of the stove body, as well as for fire safety. It is desirable that the combustion temperature of the fuel be high, because flue gases with temperatures above 200°C leave almost no soot on the walls of the chimney. Most modern stoves are equipped for this purpose with a secondary combustion chamber for flue gases, which increases the efficiency of the device and simplifies such an unpleasant task as cleaning the stove and chimney.

After reaching the desired air temperature in the room, the intensity of fuel combustion is reduced by regulating the access of air to it. In long-burning furnaces, you can bring the process to a state of slow smoldering, which will last up to 8 hours. If you fire a stove that is not equipped with a long-burning system, then one load of firewood is enough for 1.5 - 2.5 hours. During this time, you need to stir the burning wood with a poker once or twice to ensure even combustion. At the same time, unburned fuel residues are raked closer to the center of the grate. Re-loading of fuel can be done when the logs from the previous stack of firewood have turned into large coals.

About firewood

Those who have installed wood-burning stoves in their home will first have to ensure that only dry firewood gets into the firebox. Damp wood takes a long time to burn and does not burn completely. Water vapor in combination with combustion products produces a lot of soot that pollutes the chimney, and drying damp logs in the firebox uses up the heat that could warm the room. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase firewood long before the start of the heating season and dry it outside under a canopy in the summer. It is also good to place a small amount of logs next to the stove for final drying, designed for one or two bookmarks. Tiled stoves are often equipped for this purpose with built-in compartments for firewood; heating and cooking stoves with or without a water circuit can have a drawer for them, and if there is neither one nor the other, you can use a separate firewood rack.

It is advisable that firewood from the same type of wood be used in one kindling, since different types will burn unevenly. Birch and oak firewood are considered the best in terms of their calorific value. Firing a stove with resinous rocks is not recommended, since the resin deposited on the walls of the chimney will be almost impossible to clean off. The logs should be 5-10 cm shorter than the length of the firebox and not too massive - 6-8 cm thick.

How to avoid getting burned by the stove in your home

After the wood burns out, quite a lot of coals remain. They can smolder for quite a long time, while carbon dioxide is released no less than during combustion. Therefore, at this moment you cannot completely close the chimney damper.

Open chimney damper

On the other hand, if the view is open for too long, the stove will quickly cool down due to heat leakage through the chimney. This problem can be solved by afterburning coals:

To do this, they are raked onto grates in the middle of the combustion chamber, the combustion door is tightly closed and the damper is half closed. Then open the blower door for free access of air. The coals will smolder on their own.
If the design does not have a grate, the remains of burnt firewood can be raked to the stove entrance. In this case, the firebox door must be closed, and the holes in the lower zone of the door must be open. Air is blown through the lower holes.
If the design of the furnace does not allow you to quickly burn out the fuel and there is no time, small-sized coals can be removed from the combustion area and collected in a metal bucket. The main thing is to close it tightly with a lid and immediately take it outside.

It is unacceptable to extinguish the coals in the firebox with water, this will lead to damage and reduce the service life of the heating device.

Only after complete combustion of the coals can the valve be closed. Following this simple rule will help preserve your health, yours and that of your loved ones. Or maybe even life.

Stages of kindling

For kindling, take birch bark, wood chips and shavings from dry firewood. Lighting the stove with flammable and explosive substances is prohibited!

The prepared kindling is placed on pre-crumpled paper, and several logs are placed on top. When filling for the first time, the fuel chamber does not need to be filled to the limit; it should be filled to a third of its height. If you immediately load the firebox, it will be difficult for the stove to reach operating mode. In addition, the height of the stack depends on the quality of the firewood. The damper the logs, the lower their layer should be.

Firewood for the stove

As soon as the kindling flares up, close the fuel door and fully open the ash chamber. We wait until the bookmark burns out.

We stack the first main portion of firewood tightly, over the entire area of the grate, so that at least 100 mm remains to the top of the fuel chamber. We regulate combustion by partially closing/opening the valve and the ash door:

Normally, the flame should be straw-colored.
If the fire turns red and soot appears, you need to increase the access of fresh air (i.e. open the valve or ash door).
The flame becomes almost white and the stove begins to hum - the draft is excessive, you need to cover the vent.

The main batches of firewood should be laid as tightly as possible to ⅔ of the volume of the firebox, so as not to unnecessarily open and cool the firebox. If one load is not enough, subsequent bookmarks are performed after the first one has completely sunk.

There may be several floods, but it is worth remembering that a brick stove “does not like” overheating. And a long time of heating will ruin it. Therefore, do not make more than two bookmarks.

The firebox is considered complete if the flame completely disappears in the chamber. However, you should not close the valve or view if there are still smoldering coals in the stove. This is life-threatening! You must first wait until they burn out completely and only then close the chimney.

Safety regulations

A brick oven is a fire hazardous structure. Therefore, when operating it, first of all, it is necessary to adhere to fire safety rules. There should be no flammable substances or materials near the structure. When opening the oven, make sure that no coals fall out.

The stove is a fire hazard

The second danger is the formation of a significant amount of carbon monoxide when burning fuel. That's why:

do not operate the structure if there is no traction;
light the stove long before bedtime and do not leave it running unattended at night;
do not close the valve until the coals have completely burned out;
if the structure has not been used for a long time, first inspect it for cracks through which carbon monoxide can enter the room.

In addition, a furnace is a structure with an increased risk of injury, and it is easy to get burned on the heated elements (furnace doors, cast iron stoves, side surfaces of individual structures). When working, be careful and keep children away from the structure.