Brick stove for the home: guidelines for choosing the optimal type and examples of procedures for independent craftsmen

The hearth is the heart of buildings not connected to centralized networks.It generates the heat necessary for life and provides energy for cooking. The microclimate in the building and its service life directly depend on its productivity and efficiency, and these are very important factors in the operation of the unit, don’t you agree?

The article we presented describes in detail how to competently build a brick stove for your home. Schemes for building a home are given, and technological nuances are thoroughly analyzed. We offer carefully selected, scrupulously verified, practice-proven information on the selection and installation of brick stoves.

Beginning stove makers and country property owners who want to supervise the work of hired craftsmen will be helped by the information we offer, based on construction requirements. Photographic images and video tutorials will be an excellent help in mastering the material.

Selection of brick kiln design

It is not easy to understand the abundance of constructive brick ovens. However, owners of suburban real estate who want to equip their house with a brick unit should study this difficult issue. It is better to determine in advance the optimal option for its purpose and design than to rebuild and modernize.

Brick stoves are divided into types according to the following aspects:

• Purpose.
• Type of gas movement.
• Performance.
• Frequency of combustion.
• Geometric data.

Ideally, a stove that is perfect for you personally is selected according to two or three of the most important criteria. Let’s look at what should be classified as significant aspects in your opinion, which will become the basis for choosing the optimal brick unit.

Classification of stoves by purpose

Based on their purpose, brick stoves for private households are divided into three groups:

• Heating. Brick structures that perform the only duty - supplying heat to the premises served. There can be no more than three heated rooms. Moreover, the walls of the stove should, if possible, serve as part of the interior partitions.
• Heating and cooking. Stoves equipped with both a heat-generating surface and a hob.This category also includes brick stoves equipped only with a cast iron hob.
• Special purpose. These are units designed to solve highly specialized tasks: baking bread, preparing a bathhouse for procedures, drying clothes or decorating a room. This group includes stoves for garages, greenhouses, and workshops.

Typical representatives of the first group are Dutch stoves, thin-walled stoves built in frames, tiled and Markov structures. Characteristic of the second group are Russian stoves, stoves with and without a water circuit, as well as kitchen hearths.

The third group has an abundance of variations. However, if we take into account buildings made of brick, sauna stoves mainly predominate. Although they can be metal, they have a brick lining - lining the firebox with refractory brick.

Brick stoves are built from a material with high heat capacity and relatively low thermal conductivity. Simply put, heating, cooking and sauna stoves made of brick heat up more slowly than metal ones, but they also retain heat much longer.

The low thermal conductivity of brick is also good because, despite the high temperature inside the firebox, reaching 500-700º, the outer surface of the brick structure heats up only to 95-100º. This excellent property meets both hygiene and safety requirements.

Division into types according to the movement of gases

The priority qualities of the material strongly complement the design features of the stoves. To increase the heat capacity, they are equipped with smoke channels and chambers through which smoke circulates for some time before leaving the stove through the chimney and escaping into the atmosphere.

We will exaggerately describe the movement of gases through smoke channels - smoke circulations as follows:

• High-temperature flue gases, rushing upward from the firebox, meet the stove blockage on their way.
• Having encountered an obstacle, gases flow into vertical and horizontal channels and travel along them, giving off heat to the walls of the furnace.
• The flue gas, which transferred heat to the brick, cools, falls to the exit into the chimney and exits through it into the atmosphere.

Note that in furnaces with horizontally oriented channels, gas cooling occurs faster, because gases move slower along them than along vertical paths. As a result, the heat is distributed unevenly throughout the heat-releasing array and is most often accumulated at the exit from the furnace.

To increase heat transfer, the internal space of brick kilns is equipped with smoke circuits - smoke channels, along which the smoke transfers heat to the mass of the unit

Therefore, in the stove business, brick structures with vertical smoke circulations predominate.In them, the movement of gas occurs due to the action of natural laws. They are connected to each other or to the channel emerging from the firebox by short horizontal jumpers.

The disadvantages of structures with vertical smoke circulation include a noticeable difference in heating of the part of the furnace located above the channel adjacent to the firebox and the channel combined with the chimney. In units with horizontal revolutions, the bottom of the stove warms up better, while at the top they are colder, which is better according to sanitary standards.

If you are deciding how and which brick stove is best to build in a house, you need to take into account that smoke ideally moves vertically in an ascending or descending direction, depending on the design. Only under the pressure of gases accumulated above or below the overlap does it flow into the next revolution.

The presence of channels in the design that are too long, even if the area is dominated by vertically oriented paths, is also not the best option. As a result of too long circulation, the gas cools down too much, which, just as in the case of horizontal revolutions, threatens uneven heating.

The location of the vertical and horizontal channels depends on the speed at which the gas must move within a certain part of the furnace. In horizontal channels the smoke stagnates, in vertical channels it moves due to gravitational forces

The disadvantages of uneven distribution are eliminated to some extent in bell furnaces. In this group of stove designs, traditional separate channels are combined into one chamber - a hood located above the firebox.

Gas flowing from the firebox into the bell through a narrow hole hits the upper ceiling of the stove.Spreading in different directions from the impact, it falls down, from where it is pulled into the chimney under the influence of natural draft. The scheme with a cap allows the heat to be evenly distributed, but this group also has disadvantages - the upper part heats up more than the lower part.

In terms of heat capacity, bell-type structures are ahead of high-speed stoves. Therefore, the former are chosen for furnishing large houses, the latter for dachas and small buildings, for heating which an overly efficient unit is not needed.

In bell-type stoves, flue gases do not move through a system of channels, but within the chambers, due to which heat transfer is equalized over the entire area of ​​the stove array

Productivity of a brick structure

The stove must cover the heat loss of the premises being treated. Therefore, its power is directly related to the thermal characteristics of the rooms. They are found by adding losses through walls and floors with ceilings, through door and window structures, through ventilation system.

Calculation of heat loss will make it possible to determine the productivity of the furnace, which should be slightly greater than the calculated value, but not more than 15%. If the power of the brick unit exceeds the specified limit, a different design should be selected.

To facilitate the process of choosing the most suitable brick stove for masonry in a low-rise building, nomograms have been developed. The graph presented below, which simplifies the calculations for selecting a stove, was created for rooms with one outer wall.

To simplify and facilitate calculations of heat loss in the premises of low-rise buildings, graphs have been developed. This one shows the relationship between area and heat loss in rooms with one external wall

Using the presented nomogram is extremely simple. On the abscissa axis of this graph we need to plot point #1 - the size of the area of ​​the room whose heat loss we are now dealing with. It should be pulled up until it intersects with the inclined line, this is point #2.

Then to the left of point #2 we draw a horizontal line to the point of its intersection with the ordinate axis. This is point #3, the coefficient of external fences, let's denote it KF. We multiply the coefficient by the average temperature observed in the region during the winter months (we find it in “Building Climatology”).

For rooms with two external walls, a different nomogram has been developed. To work with it, in addition to the area of ​​the room, you will need information about the height of the ceilings.

When calculating heat loss for rooms with two external walls, in addition to the area of ​​the room, you also need to take into account the height of the ceilings

To calculate the thermal characteristics of stoves with closed surfaces facing rooms, correction factors are used. If one or two side surfaces are closed, the obtained values ​​are multiplied by 0.75.

Frequency of stove firing

Based on the frequency of fuel loading and the specifics of its processing, furnaces are divided into two groups:

• Periodic action. These are stoves that require wood to be loaded and fired several times a day. Due to the fact that the temperature in their fireboxes sometimes reaches 1000º, they are distinguished by thick walls. Usually they are placed in ¾ or 1 brick.
• Continuous burning. These stoves are not designed to accumulate heat, therefore they have thin walls, folded into half or ¼ bricks. The fuel placed in the typical mine firebox in such stoves smolderes for about a day, releasing a small amount of heat in portions.

Since continuous combustion requires a regular supply of large amounts of oxygen, such designs have not taken root in dacha farming. True, they cope “excellently” with heating large private houses, industrial and commercial buildings with their own boiler room and mechanical forced ventilation.

In low-rise country houses, intermittent stoves are mostly installed. They are heated once or twice a day, they retain heat from 12 hours to a full day

Intermittent combustion stoves are selected based on the priority number of combustion processes per day. In mid-latitudes, the stove should be lit twice in 24 hours.

The same amount is in the northern regions, but the furnace in the north is increased in duration. In the south of our country, it is enough to heat once.

The Russian stove is a typical representative of a combined heating and cooking unit in which food is prepared, bread is baked, things are dried and rooms are heated.

Geometric parameters of the unit

In plan, most cooking hearths and heating and cooking stoves resemble a rectangle. Moreover, the hobs are mostly rectangular, and the combined structures are square or rectangular.

In Russian versions, the designs are usually supplemented with attached brick beds and sleeping places on the upper ceiling of the stove. Not only beds are attached to the stoves, but also benches and stoves for drying things, storing mushrooms for future use and similar purposes.

Heating stoves are rectangular, square and even round, the so-called Irish ones. Round varieties are constructed in a metal frame, which makes it possible to lay ¼ bricks.This ensures strength and increases heat transfer.

Thick-walled models include Russian stoves and heating units, built with a wall thickness of half to a whole brick. All structures built with a wall thickness of up to ½ brick belong to the thin-walled class.

An example of the construction of a round Dutch house with the installation of a brick on a short edge to form walls in a metal case. Not the easiest, but interesting option

If you are thinking about how to build an efficient brick stove at the lowest cost in a house intended for permanent residence, then it is better to prefer a rectangular or square heating and cooking structure. The construction of a cooking hearth and a heating Dutch oven is quite acceptable.

A miniature square or round thin-walled stove is quite suitable for a dacha if cooking is not intended. Among the combined options, one of the small varieties of Russian or Swedish stoves would be optimal.

We also recommend reading the article on how to build a mini Russian stove with your own hands. More details - go to link.

Three options for laying a stove with orders

Building a brick stove is quite expensive. The most modest option for a small dacha can cost on average 150 thousand rubles. Therefore, there are many who want to build a simple stove in a private house without stove makers, that is, with their own hands. We are happy to help independent craftsmen realize this idea.

Let us immediately make a reservation that in the procedures proposed for consideration, only the procedure for constructing the furnace mass is discussed - the main part of the structure with functional chambers and channels.

We do not consider the construction of the foundation, since its main postulates are given in another article on our website. We do not dismantle the chimney masonry within the attic or attic and above the roof. We do not offer designs and arrangements for complex two-story heating structures, but rather present the simplest schemes.

Option #1: Russian stove with a high stove bench

This universal stove structure is being built in the middle and northern latitudes of our country. It can be heated once or twice depending on weather conditions. If fuel is loaded only once a day, then the heat output of the unit will be 2100 kcal/hour. When running two fireboxes, the efficiency will increase to 3000 kcal/hour.

One of the simplest options for a brick oven is equipped with a minimum of appliances. All you need is a damper and a smoke damper

When performing the only firebox per day, the side and rear surfaces of the array emit a total of 1200 kcal/hour, the ceiling will emit 500 kcal/hour, and the front wall 400 kcal/hour.Two fireboxes will increase these figures to 1750, 700 and 550 kcal/hour, respectively.

As in most Russian ovens, there is a recess under the hearth, the outer edge of the hearth, on which dishes with food are placed before being sent to the mouth or before being removed. It is called a storage unit and is intended for storing equipment for maintaining the structure.

Its performance allows you to flawlessly process an area of ​​up to 30 m². The peculiarity of the described design is the presence of vaulted ceilings above the technological openings. If you have doubts that they will be executed perfectly, you can fold them without arches, just rectangles.

A waterproofing layer is laid on the stove foundation, built separately from the base of the house, before the construction of the mass. During the construction process, part of the massif is covered with sand and gravel, broken glass and brick to increase heat transfer

The starting 1st row is laid out solid; for its construction it is generally recommended to use cement or lime mortar. The next three rows from the 2nd to the 4th are built in the form of a well, but with a hole for the oven located on the front side. In each row, the brick is laid with a bandage, i.e. with seam spacing.

In the 5th row, the laying of the vault begins, which is placed on a shaped formwork made from boards or plywood scraps. To support the elements, the heels of the bricks are pulled off. Then two rows 6 and 7 are placed with dressing, at the same time the vault is erected. During the construction of the 8th row, the vault is closed.

The construction of the furnace in rows 8, 9, 10 is carried out in one brick. In the 11th row the cold stove is covered. Sand is poured on top so that a slope is formed towards the back wall of the stove.

In the 12th row, a hearth is installed - a solid brick surface. Place it directly on the poured sand. Since this part of the furnace will be in contact with direct fire, it is better to use refractory bricks in construction. If the floor does not come out perfectly smooth, then it is leveled by adding sand on top and grinding the surface.

From the 13th to the 16th row the crucible is laid. The construction is made in ¾ bricks. The elements are placed with dressing, but no solution is used. The brick is cut at 45º to make it possible to build locks.

In the 17th row, the next arch is laid, the mouth and back wall of the stove are formed. As a result, at the same time a foundation is laid for the construction of the cooking chamber. It is erected with bricks placed on edge. The heels are tight.

In the 18th row they begin to build the walls of the stove. The space between the cooking chamber and the heating part is filled with sand and broken bricks. In the 19th, a vaulted opening is made again, this one is located above the hearth, and behind it is the mouth of the stove.

The process of laying the stove presented for consideration is schematically represented by the procedures that must be followed to obtain an impeccable result.

In the 20th row, the masonry is made so that the walls are leveled and the hole above the pole is reduced. The construction of the over-pipe begins from this row. In the 21st row, the construction is carried out in the same way as in the 19th.

The vault closes in the 22nd row. To the right of the over-pipe there is a base for a chamber designed to collect soot. On the same side, bricks are cut to create a view that blocks the chimney to preserve heat in frosty times.

From the 22nd to the 32nd row, a re-pipe is built, view valves are installed, and a chimney channel with a cross-section of 26x26 cm is constructed.

Then the chimney is constructed and an additional damper is installed. The frame for the damper is made of a metal corner or strip 3 mm thick.

Option #2: improved Teplushka stove

In order to get rid of the main drawback of brick kilns - uneven heating, standard designs are being modernized. Such an example would be a stove called “Teplushka”, in which part of the flue gases from the cooking chamber is discharged directly into the chimney, and the majority of it circulates through smoke circulation to generate heat for the rooms.

Despite its rather small size, the Teplushka stove has increased productivity. Due to changes to the design, heat transfer has been increased by 2.5 times

This structure belongs to the class of bell-shaped ones. Structurally, it consists of one large-sized hood, which is divided into two chambers: a cooking chamber located at the top and a heating chamber located at the bottom. To secure the hearth inside the virtually hollow structure, several posts are installed.

The chambers are connected to each other through four holes located on the sides of the hearth. Through them, flue gases from the firebox are directed to the cooking compartment, then redirected down to the heating zone, and from there released into the atmosphere. The height of the chimney pipe must be at least 5 m, and it is counted from the bottom of the firebox.

Thanks to the non-standard design, the stove’s performance has been increased by approximately 2.5 times. It warms up faster and more readily transfers heat to the premises, which means that less firewood is required to obtain and maintain the desired temperature.But the construction will take the same amount of brick, binding and insulating material as it takes to build a Russian stove.

During two fires, the stove produces 3200 kcal/hour. The unit is suitable for servicing an area of ​​35 m².

The presented drawings of the design of the heater stove are accompanied by an accurate calculation of the material consumption that will be required in the construction of the unit

The chimney is shifted to the side of the firebox. At the bottom of the smoke channel there are two holes through which cooled smoke is discharged outside the house. A valve is provided that allows gases to be removed from the cooking chamber in the summer without using the heating part.

Cooking in such an oven is carried out with the damper closed, and the process is monitored through a peephole installed in it.

We will not dwell on the analysis of the orders; the diagrams demonstrate the masonry in detail. Just note that in the 21st row the floor is covered with sand and crushed bricks in order to increase the heat transfer of the structure.

You can build a Teplushka stove in a purely heating version or in a cooking-heating version. The masonry for these structures in rows 19 to 35 varies

Option #3: simple stove with a shield

We want to please fans of simple heating and cooking units with an extremely simple design. This stove is designed to heat a small area of ​​15-20 m².

When using coal to operate a stove, it is not necessary to line the firebox with fireclay refractory bricks. It is acceptable to use full-bodied red

The operating principle of this stove is also extremely simple. Gases from the firebox enter the cooking chamber. From there they flow to the side, then move into the smoke circuits built in the rear wall.

The sections will familiarize you with the structure of a brick heating and cooking stove in detail. For heating purposes, the design provides 3 smoke circulation channels of equal size

In order to better warm up the bottom of the stove, a horizontal channel is installed, within which the smoke lingers for a long time.

Having warmed up the bottom of the brick structure, the smoke under the pressure of the next portion passes into three vertical channels located above, from which it further flies into the atmosphere.

In building a stove for a small country house or dacha, procedures developed to help independent craftsmen will help

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video instruction on the construction of a heating and cooking unit:

Video guide on how to properly cover horizontal channels in a furnace and the basic techniques for doing so:

Video tutorial on how to line a firebox with refractory bricks:

The construction of a brick oven in a country house requires concentrated attention, a thoughtful approach and a balanced assessment. This kind of business does not tolerate fuss. It doesn’t matter whether you take on the construction yourself or supervise hired stove-makers, you need to thoroughly understand the issue of construction and masonry, which is what we tried to help you with.

If you know first-hand how brick stoves are built, please share your knowledge with our readers - leave your comments in the block below. There you can ask questions about the topic of the article, and we will try to answer them promptly.