Installation of a furnace requires determining the installation location of the product and, accordingly, calculating all parameters. The dimensions and diameter of the pipe depend on the power of the product.
An important component in the construction of a bathhouse is strict adherence to the rules and standards; you need to act in accordance with the drawn up project; the slightest changes will entail consequences. It is useful to determine the diameter of the pipe while drawing up the project.
The ideal shape of a pipe is considered to be a cylinder. This is the optimal solution, because the draft in rectangular chimneys is not as good as in cylindrical ones.
The cylindrical shape prevents soot from accumulating and allows the combustion product to escape freely. Dimensions are determined taking into account the parameters of the passage opening and height.
Traction concept
Do not allow dripping condensation to form in the chimney, which gradually destroys the inner surface of the channel. This especially happens in the cold season , when there is a significant decrease in outside air temperature. The process of moisture droplets falling out in the chimney also causes disruption of normal draft. A decrease in the rate of passage of gases from combustion products occurs not only with the internal formation of condensation; the draft force is affected by the humidity of the outside air, which can have different values depending on the weather. A deflector installed above the chimney will help you ignore this indicator.
To find out whether there is draft in the chimney pipe , you should bring a match or a strip of paper to the boiler firebox with the door open and the vent half open. The fire of the match should deviate towards the firebox, the strip of paper should also sway towards the mouth of the furnace.
If the opposite happens, then this indicates the occurrence of reverse draft, which prohibits the start of heating.
List of materials for metal structure
Elements of a metal chimney
To understand exactly what materials need to be purchased, you first need to draw up a detailed drawing, which will indicate all the angles and turns of the pipe. In this diagram, indicate the exact angles so that the knees are chosen correctly for you. Pipe sizes are also very important. It needs to be enough for the entire height of the building. Buy a couple of sheets of metal the same diameter as the pipe. They will need to be fixed to the ceiling of the bath room and to the floor of the attic. It is necessary to take care of heat-resistant materials that will be laid on the ceilings and protect the bath structure from the high temperatures of the chimney pipe. The pipe on the roof must be waterproofed
To do this, you can use glue, sealant or a special rubber seal.
When purchasing chimney pipes, pay attention to their internal cross-section. Depending on the power of the furnace, you need to choose the one you need.
For a bathhouse, work with a diameter of 15–20 centimeters is usually used. By installing a pipe with a larger diameter than you need, the oven will lose heat too quickly. And if the pipe has a cross-section that is too small, the draft will be insufficient. The height of the chimney pipe must be at least 500 centimeters. The quality of traction directly depends on this. To ensure that the pipe lasts as long as possible, choose the metal from which it is made, with a thickness of at least 1 millimeter. If you plan to install a heating water tank, consider this too. Indicate its location on the diagram and calculate what you need to purchase to install it.
Features of the chimney
Removal of gases through the channel will occur effectively only if the pipe is constructed according to standard dimensions and made of the correct material. These pipe characteristics are selected depending on the type of fuel; the material for the chimney is:
- refractory ceramic bricks;
- asbestos pipes;
- stainless steel;
- sandwich pipes with an inner layer of insulation.
Brick channels are made in the case of a stationary chimney , which ensures the removal of gases when heating with wood and coal. To determine the diameter and internal size, the boiler power and the dimensions of the firebox are taken into account. If the calculation is incorrect, reverse draft results or the useful effect of the furnace is significantly reduced.
For gas boilers, it is effective to use pipes with two walls , between which insulation is laid. The problem with a chimney for a gas fuel boiler is internal condensation, so insulation will help avoid significant temperature differences.
It is allowed to install one chimney for two operating heating units , if the internal size of the chimney, raised to the required height above the roof ridge, allows combustion products to be easily removed from both stoves. The cutting section pipe is about 0.8 m high.
A feature of the functioning of the chimney is that all overall, internal dimensions and height must be made with maximum accuracy. A wide and tall chimney, folded to a large height, with a low power of the heating unit, will reduce the efficiency. Insufficient dimensions will lead to smoke being sucked into the room, creating backdraft, and leaking dangerous carbon monoxide.
The warmth in the house depends on a well-designed heating system. But not a single stove or boiler will be able to cope with the task of supplying heat unless a technically competent chimney is made, raised to the required height above the roof ridge.
Dependence of draft on pipe height
The importance of the chimney in the heating system cannot be overestimated. Attempts to save on an extra meter of pipe will lead to cold walls during the heating season and excessive waste of fuel. The danger of carbon monoxide is that it is invisible and undetectable, but can be fatal.
Thrust occurs when heated smoke and gas with low density, in accordance with the laws of physics, rises upward. The result is a pressure difference at the beginning and end of the channel, that is, draft occurs. To ensure that the process is constantly repeated, cold oxygen is supplied through the blower. The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the thrust will be.
A narrow chimney of great height relative to the ridge will accelerate the smoke masses, thus reducing heat transfer. To maintain the desired temperature in the room, you will have to add fuel in excess of the norm. A wide channel of small height will allow smoke and gases to rotate arbitrarily in the pipe, their movement will slow down, and most likely a reverse flow of gases will result. Most often this happens in autumn or spring, when the temperature difference between outside and inside decreases and smoke, without overcoming resistance, is drawn into the room through the firebox.
Chimney location and height
To correctly select the height of the chimney relative to the roof ridge, you need to take into account the location of nearby structures. For an outdoor home, the draft indicators will be good, since there is constant blowing and pick-up of smoke masses. If we talk about a small building surrounded by high-rise buildings, then the length of the pipe should be increased. The height of the chimney depends on several factors:
- slope of the roof plane;
- location of the channel on the roof plan relative to the ridge;
- the location of surrounding buildings and trees;
- estimated thickness of snow cover in a specific area.
When installing a chimney, you should determine:
- elevation of the pipe relative to the roof ridge;
- the total length of the smoke channel from the stove;
- type and dimensions of the head;
- the height of the chimney relative to ventilation and windows of neighboring buildings.
The norms and rules for the construction of a chimney are prescribed in documents SNiP 41.01.03 and in building regulations under number 7.13130.09.
Types of systems
The design of sauna stoves includes 2 types of chimneys:
- Indigenous. They are organized next to the stove, using a special pipe for connection, through which the smoke goes into the main channel. One chimney can be used for 2-3 stoves. The main thing is that its internal diameter has the appropriate parameters, and the pipes from each heating device are located at different heights;
- Systems with a mounted pipe are mounted directly on the stove pipe and discharged through the roof. This chimney option is the most common for sauna stoves.
Classification of chimneys according to installation location includes 2 types:
- External. Their main part is located on the street and fixed to the wall using a bracket. They are not particularly recommended for baths, as they quickly cool down, losing precious heat.
- Internal. These are vertical structures with good traction, located inside the building.
Depending on the material used, chimneys are:
- Brick. A traditional look, characterized by labor-intensive masonry and high requirements for compliance with all parameters. They have a lot of advantages: durability, fire safety, strength, good thermal insulation and heat accumulation. Disadvantages include the roughness and angularity of the inner surface on which soot deposits accumulate;
- A metal chimney is faster to install and costs less. It has a perfectly smooth surface, but weaker heat-retaining characteristics;
- A combined version, including 2 parts: the lower one is made of brick, the upper one is made of a modern sandwich pipe. Allows you to organize neat, small passages that are easier to cover with heat-resistant material.
Rules for choosing pipe length
If the pipe comes out of the roof at a distance of 0.5 m to 1.5 m from the ridge of the roof, then according to the standards it should rise above it by 0.5. This saves chimney material and provides the most efficient heating. During snowfall, the least amount of snow collects in this place, which eliminates leaks during melting. The standards stipulate that the resulting estimated length should not be less than 5 meters, if measured from the surface of the grate to the top edge of the pipe.
If the smoke duct reaches the roof surface at a distance of 1.5–1.3 m from the ridge, then to determine its height, draw a horizon line from the highest point, then set the height of the chimney head above this line. If there are parapets along the edge of the roof, then the pipe should be higher than them.
When the chimney exits to the surface more than 3 meters from the ridge, you should draw a horizontal line from the highest point and lower it by an amount of 10º relative to the horizon. Above it the head of the pipe ends. If other buildings are built nearby, then the height of the chimney is higher than the neighboring roofs. For very high neighboring houses, the 45º rule is used, that is, a straight line is drawn at this degree from the neighboring roof to the one where the chimney is made, and the head is arranged slightly higher than the mental straight line.
Safety precautions when installing a chimney
It is imperative to ensure high fire safety of the chimney for the bathhouse
To do this, as mentioned above, pay special attention to the tightness of the connections of individual parts of the pipe, as well as to the cutting when the chimney passes through the ceilings and roof
In places where the pipe will pass through the ceiling, it is necessary to insulate it from wooden elements with heat-resistant material - this can be asbestos, mineral wool, sand or expanded clay.
- To do this, a metal panel with a hole through which the pipe will pass is fixed to the ceiling where the chimney passes.
- A kind of box is installed on the attic side, which should be 10-15 centimeters higher than the attic floor. An insulating material is placed or poured into it, which will protect the wooden floor from the high temperatures of the chimney pipe. The pipe must be at least 25 centimeters from combustible floor materials.
Pipe passage through the ceiling
It is very important to arrange thermal insulation protection not only in the ceiling, but also on the wooden wall of the bathhouse. Basically, bathhouse buildings are built from pine, and its wood is quite resinous and can easily overheat and even burn from the high temperatures of a nearby chimney
Therefore, the wall must be protected using non-combustible material - this can be special drywall, asbestos, masonry, foil-lined mineral wool, or a combination.
It is very important to protect not only the ceiling, but also the walls.
- After passing through the attic, the smoke exhaust duct is discharged through the roof and rises above it by at least one and a half meters.
- Around the chimney, when passing through the roofing, waterproofing is installed, which will protect the roof sheathing from moisture, and therefore from the appearance of mold and destruction.
The passage through the roof needs waterproofing
A special protective mushroom is placed on top of the pipe head and a spark arrester is installed.
Water tank
Sometimes a metal tank for heating water is built into the chimney system of a bathhouse, built from metal sandwich pipes, inside which there is an uninsulated part of the chimney. Tanks can have different volumes - this will primarily depend on the power of the selected furnace.
When choosing this chimney accessory, it is best to pay attention to a stainless steel product that will serve for a long time. Naturally, you need to focus on the diameter of the chimney pipe to which the tank will be attached
It is better to purchase the entire set as a set so that you do not have to disassemble an already assembled structure.
Finished chimney section with water tank
The water tank has pipes onto which sections of the chimney pipes are placed. They must fit tightly together, otherwise the draft will decrease and carbon monoxide may enter the room.
A metal water tank is also built into the structure of a brick chimney. In this case, hot air from the furnace passing next to it heats the water poured into the tank. When building a container, you need to provide a place in the chimney wall where there will be a tap and a pipe with a tap for filling the tank.
Diagram of a sauna chimney
This diagram clearly shows all the above-described sections of the smoke exhaust system of a sauna stove.
Approximate general diagram of a sauna chimney
It is worth noting that a sauna stove with its firebox usually opens into another room - the dressing room. This is provided so that there is no risk of getting burned during washing, and so that the bathhouse attendant has the opportunity to constantly add firewood to the firebox.
The stove itself is located directly in the bathhouse with a metal sheathing, which encloses the hot walls and is 10-15 centimeters away from them. Pebble stones are placed at this distance, which, when heated, give off heat to the room, and if you want to get steam, they are splashed with ordinary water or an infusion of fragrant herbs. In this embodiment, the chimney and the tank installed on it are also located in the bathhouse.
Cast iron stove with fence, metal chimney and water tank
The figure also shows how the chimney should pass through the ceilings and roof and how to ensure complete safety of its operation.
Based on this diagram, you can easily build a chimney yourself if you strictly follow all the norms, rules, sizes and volumes of insulating materials.
Some more tips
In addition to height, the draft force is influenced by the shape of the internal section of the chimney. An oval passage is considered optimal, since as you gain altitude, the smoke begins to twist into a spiral and nothing prevents it from accelerating. Square and rectangular sections themselves become an obstacle due to the internal corners, so the surface must be smoothed as carefully as possible. Some masons select and lay bricks with the smooth side inward, while removing the mortar buildup.
Another important point is the size of the chimney diameter. Oval passages are made according to the size of one tenth of the area of this firebox parameter. Square pipes require an area size of one fifteenth of the firebox area. The general rule for all smoke ducts is that their diameter should not be less than the width of the upper exit from the ash pit.
In addition to the height of the pipe relative to the ridge, you should take into account its height from the location of the ventilation ducts . Ventilation located nearby requires raising the height of the chimney by 20–25 cm from its horizon. If there is insufficient draft in the pipe, then the method of increasing the pipe height is used. But at the same time, you should remember the rule of relevance, that is, you should not make the height too large or insufficient.
Cleaning the pipe in the bath
Chimney cleaning tool
If the chimney becomes clogged, the draft deteriorates and smoke appears inside the bathhouse. A question arises regarding how to clean a pipe in a bathhouse. This can be done using a special tool, or the stove can be heated with a certain type of wood.
Mechanical cleaning involves the use of a special scraper and a stiff brush with a link handle. The work is done from the outside, from the roof, through the top of the chimney.
Over time, a serious layer of soot can form
Considering that a lot of soot gets inside the firebox, it is necessary to protect the room from it. One option is to cover the firebox with a thick cloth.
The second method is to heat the stove with aspen wood, and the pipe cleans itself. It is recommended to do this at least once a year.
Ideally, the chimney should look something like this
Attention: Do not use any chemicals when cleaning the chimney. This method causes great harm to the environment.
Head design rules
What functions are attributed to this device:
- protecting the chimney from rain, snow, leaves and foreign objects, reducing the impact of strong gusts of wind;
- thanks to protection from moisture and wind, increased draft in the smoke channel;
- roof decoration.
If the roof serves for the outlet of several pipes , then identical heads will serve as a decorative detail and combine all the outlets into one ensemble. There are various designs of caps; they are intended for ventilation ducts and chimneys, but their protective functions are necessary for the normal operation of the heating system.
Design features of a chimney for a bath
Planning a chimney in a bathhouse is always associated with the choice of design. It is necessary to understand all types, know how to correctly calculate the size, display and install. Before drawing up the project, it is necessary to briefly study these aspects.
What pipes are used for baths?
The chimney in a bathhouse can have two devices: external and internal. Each has its positive and negative sides:
- External arrangement is less fire hazardous, do-it-yourself installation and fastening is also easier. The disadvantages are that the pipe goes outside and heat loss increases.
- The interior arrangement is complex, but all the heat gets into the bathhouse. The main disadvantage is a high degree of fire hazard.
The sandwich pipe is easy to install with your own hands.
Design flaws can be prevented by using high-quality insulation. We advise you not to save on time and effort and install an internal chimney; although it is more difficult to install, it will reduce the cost of heating the steam room structure. For a small bathhouse in a summer cottage, it is easier to remove the external chimney. In any case, the choice is up to the user.
Various materials are used for the chimney: red brick, ceramics or metal. They withstand temperatures above +100 °C and are durable.
It’s easier to buy a ready-made sandwich chimney. It is easy to assemble and install, and the internal asbestos lining makes the device safe.
Cleaning the chimney
Several methods are used to clean a bathhouse chimney. This process can be performed using special brushes, or you can use a more modern method using chemicals.
If the structure is not arranged vertically, but with transitions, then the listed methods are not effective. In this case, there is only one way out: pour several liters of hot water into the chimney of the bathhouse, and then perform a serious fire to dry it. During the combustion process, soot will begin to leave the pipe along with the evaporating water. You should not worry about the formation of foreign odors. Everything will disappear after it dries completely.
Which materials are better
In the modern construction market, the range of pipes for baths is very wide. They delight consumers with their appearance and varied designs. The material from which they are made is also varied: ceramics, steel, stainless steel and even thermoplastic.
- Asbestos-cement pipes are absolutely not suitable for a bathhouse. They cannot withstand the same temperatures as metal or ceramic. At any moment, an asbestos-cement pipe can burst, which will lead to a fire in the bathhouse and injury to a person.
Dangerous temperature
For comparison, consider a number of studies conducted by scientists in the twentieth century to monitor the effects of regular visits to a steam room heated to extreme values of 110-130 °C.
Professor H. Their in the 80s of the last century put forward an assumption about the connection between high temperatures in Finnish saunas and the occurrence of cancer, which was subsequently confirmed by the results of a large study. After considering a significant number of cases of lung cancer in those who like to steam at 110-130 ° C, it was found that staying in a steam room heated to such temperatures contributes to the formation of this disease.
The fact is that you can only be in such conditions when the air in the room is very dry, and this eliminates the hydrostatic effect of steam on the body. As a result, the blood does not supply the lungs well enough and they become burned due to their inability to adapt to the elevated temperatures to the required extent.
A number of other studies have also discovered that exposure to the dry, highly heated air of a sauna negatively affects sperm production and also leads to digestive problems in children born to mothers who frequently visited such saunas during pregnancy.
Discussion “what is the temperature of the stove in the bath
"or about the temperature around the stove in the steam room - a lot. Unfortunately, they are all carried out on an intuitive level and only a few specialists devote entire studies to this issue using pyrometers, thermometers and other equipment. How does the temperature of a sauna and steam room oven actually differ from the one that the thermometer shows us?
Bath lovers are not builders and, for the most part, coordinate the stove modes with their feelings. The other half of the steamers glance at the thermometer. I decided to find out what the difference is between our perceptions, between the data from the needle of a universal thermometer and what a digital remote temperature meter will show us.
Some temperature measurement data puzzled me, which I wrote about in the conclusions after the video.
By and large, we are not interested in the temperature of the oven, but in the conditions in the steam room. Your own skin is more expensive than the lid of a piece of iron. Therefore, I measured everything where the laser pointer of the device was shooting. I wanted to document the temperature measurements with a diagram, but decided to make a video with remarks
Attention! I used a device with a maximum measurement threshold of 330 degrees (footage in the furnace firebox)
