Sauna stove made of brick: with open and closed heater

A durable and original alternative to a purchased cast iron stove will be a stone version, built with your own hands, the so-called heater stove.

The laying process requires a lot of effort and experience, time and money, but such a stove will serve for decades.

It will not lose its functional properties or attractiveness. You can order its masonry, but it will be much cheaper to do everything yourself by looking at the available arrangements of brick sauna stoves.

How to calculate the optimal stove size

To determine the requirements for the size of the furnace structure, it is necessary to know the heat loss of the room. For example, you can take the street temperature to be -30 degrees, and in the house you need to get +18 degrees. The amount of heat loss takes into account the external volume of the house, since it needs to be heated completely, and not just some rooms. Sometimes the structure is planned to heat only one part of the bathhouse. In this case, it is recommended to count the cubic capacity of only this part.

To warm up one cubic meter, 21 kcal is required. To determine the total energy, you need to multiply it by the volume of the room. If it is equal to 200 m³ (10 meters long, 10 meters wide and two meters high), then the total heat loss will be 200 × 21 = 4,200 kcal. From this it is clear that the installed structure must provide the room with heating of 4,200 kcal. If it is less, then the heat will not be enough.

After obtaining the amount of heat loss, the parameters of the furnace structure can be determined. The meaning of “mirror” is usually used for this. It is equal to the product of its perimeter and height without taking into account the chimney. Every 1 m² of fire gives off 300 kcal of heat. From this it turns out that a mirror for heating a room of 200 m³ should have an area equal to 4,200/300 or 14 square meters.

Next, determine the height, length and width of the stove. Typically, the active height is used as the height, which is equal to its normal height from the floor minus 30 centimeters. In this example, a value of 2.2 meters will be used. This means that the perimeter of the mirror is 14 / 2.2 or 6.36 meters. It is two widths and two lengths of the stove, so their sum is 6.36 / 2 = 3.18 meters. This is the size of the base of the future masonry. For example, if the length is 2 meters, then the width will have to be 1.18 meters. Further, everything is individual and depends on the room and the desired installation location.

If the bathhouse has a small area, then a stove measuring 3 by 4 blocks will be enough. Square shapes with dimensions of 4 × 4 and 6 × 6 bricks are also popular.

Device and installation

The design and installation of any furnace begins with the preparation of a diagram or drawing. Before you start laying a brick stove, it is necessary, in addition to the drawing of the sauna stove, to prepare a diagram of the order of the brickwork. Instructions on how to make wiring in a bathhouse are here: https://banya-gid.ru/stroitelstvo/osveshhenie/instrukciya-kak-sdelat-provodku-v-bane.html.

The figure shows a drawing of one of the options for Kuznetsov’s sauna stoves.

Scheme of the order of brickwork during the construction of a Kuznetsov stove for a permanent bath in the figure

Features of installation of the Kuznetsov furnace:

laying a solid foundation is carried out with a reinforced mesh (the size of the foundation should be 10 - 15 cm wider than the expected dimensions of the future furnace, keep in mind that the furnace foundation should not be tied to the main foundation); it is imperative that a waterproofing layer is installed on top of the foundation, for roofing material is quite suitable for this; the first and second rows of the stove structure are laid out with refractory bricks; as a rule, the height of one row is 7 cm, based on a brick thickness of 6.5 cm and a seam thickness of 0.5 cm; the horizontality of the rows must be verified using a building level ;it is recommended to use solid brick of grade M150 for external masonry; between the external masonry and the internal one, made of refractory fireclay bricks, it is necessary to leave a gap of 5 mm (the gap can be filled with basalt cardboard); the container for stones is made of heat-resistant steel; when installing a brick kiln, The main thing is not to deviate from the order scheme. Read the instructions on how to insulate a wooden bath..

Read the instructions on how to choose a stove for a sauna.

Ways to increase furnace efficiency

Achieving the best performance indicators of the stove, as well as increasing the efficiency of its use, is possible only with complete combustion of the fuel. If the firewood is on the grate, then the primary air flow will pass into the equipment from below through the grate from the ash pit. Its main purpose is to oxidize the fuel to release water vapor as well as carbon dioxide. As the fuel temperature increases, the release of flammable gases increases. They burn in the upper space directly above the firewood, forming carbon monoxide.

To increase the efficiency of a heater stove for a brick bath, it is necessary to ensure complete combustion of the gases in the fuel compartment. To do this, organize an additional air flow through the cracks in the firebox door. If there is no secondary air, the wood will not burn completely, and a lot of soot will settle on the stones. Because of this, heat transfer will significantly decrease and the risk of fire spreading will increase.

A brick sauna stove with an open heater can also increase its efficiency as follows:

Increase in coolant (stones).
Expanding the heating surface area.
Reducing wall thickness during the construction phase.

It is worth understanding the dependence of the size of the firebox on the consumption of firewood or other fuel. The larger the volume of the combustion chamber, the greater the fuel consumption will be. At the same time, heat transfer will also increase.

Step-by-step execution of brickwork of the furnace

The procedure for erecting brick walls for a bathhouse is determined by the construction scheme - the order. The proposed step-by-step instructions consider alternate brick laying.

Bricklaying from 1st to 7th row

Beginning craftsmen have a completely logical question: how to build a stove from the foundation (the first 7 rows)?

The first row is laid out directly on the waterproofing layer of the foundation. The bricks are pre-wetted with water. Corner elements are made at a right angle, which is checked with a corner. The edges require careful measurement, which will prevent the appearance of unwanted gaps in the stove structure. In this case, the thickness of the finished joints between the bricks should not exceed 6 mm. To better stack the bricks, you need to properly mix the mortar.
The second row of bricks is laid out in a similar way, with each subsequent element being located at the joints of bricks from the bottom row. Bricks for the third row should be laid according to the same pattern. A blower door should be installed here. It is fixed with thin wire and steel strips.
Before proceeding with laying the next row, it is recommended to check the evenness of the walls being erected vertically and horizontally, as well as the accuracy of the angles. In this row, wells for ash and gratings for air ducts are installed. To do this, small holes of 1 cm are made in the elements with gaps for mounting the grate. Under the installed grille, the rear wall is made slightly rounded.
In the sixth row, the installed blower door is fixed, and in the seventh row, the installation of the grate and firebox door is completed. To ensure safe heating of the steam room, the stove door must be made of cast iron. At the moment this is the most durable and heat-resistant material.

Bricklaying from the 8th to the 23rd row

How to fold the stove from the 8th row until installing the chimney? When forming the eighth row, a partition is installed, which serves as the basis for arranging the chimney. Using a similar principle, brickwork is carried out up to the 14th row inclusive, on which metal channels will be installed. In this case, it is necessary to create a small opening in the front wall of the furnace for the vertical installation of the water tank so that it is in full contact with the channels.
To lay out the fifteenth row, ½ bricks are used, which are placed at a slight angle among themselves. This will serve as the basis for the dividing partition. Up to the 18th row, the laying of bricks is carried out by analogy with the first rows of the structure.
When laying the nineteenth row, a door is installed to allow steam to escape. Next, metal strips are installed, with further laying of the remaining rows. This is necessary for securely fixing the door frame for steam exhaust and installing a hot water tank, which is lined with bricks.
From the 23rd row, a chimney pipe is installed, which determines the final height of the structure.

Brick heater stove: how to reduce heat loss

The most common way to reduce heat loss is based on laying trench channels in the lower part of the stove (at the same level as the ash pan). This must be done at the laying stage.

Trenches are blind channels, the purpose of which is to reduce the interaction of the bottom of the unit with the floor, foundation and basements. They contain an air layer inside, which acts as a thermal insulator.

In addition, trench channels can improve the convection of air masses in the most problematic place of the furnace - the lower part. The heat from the firebox falls down, and the channels distribute it throughout the room. This avoids heat accumulation in the lower part of the stove.

Heat transfer can be increased not only with trenches, but also with cast iron pipes that are laid inside the unit. Empty pipes will heat up and warm the air masses. The result will be a primitive heater.

Metal oven

Stoves made of steel and cast iron are much lighter than brick structures, they heat up faster and provide good heat transfer. In addition, such a structure can be created anywhere, while a brick oven can be created directly at the place of future use. There is no difficulty in welding a sauna stove with your own hands.

First of all, you need to cut sheets of steel or a large piece of pipe. A metal stove is made in the same way as a brick stove; you need to create the same parts. It will just look completely different, and the performance will be higher.

Before choosing a homemade metal sauna stove for construction, it is worth considering that the disadvantage of such a design is the occupied overheated area of the unit.

That is, it is easier to get burned in a steam room with a metal stove than in a brick stove. But coping with such a disadvantage will not be difficult and will take a lot of time. The furnace can be lined with bricks with fire-resistant characteristics and a converter can be hung on the body of the unit.

Diagram of a homemade metal stove

Another advantage of metal structures is their long service life, which is achieved due to the fact that the firebox cools due to the air circulating inside the structure.

You should not make a unit yourself that runs on electricity or gas, since the design of a sauna stove is quite complex and the likelihood of an explosion due to improper construction is quite high. Even factory stoves with such fuel do not always live up to expectations and are not safe to use.

Kamenka - a feature of the stove for a Russian bath

This type of structure is easier to erect than others, but before laying it is recommended to draw a diagram with the planned dimensions. Based on it, it will be clear how much materials are needed and where it is better to install the heating system.

This design consists of three zones. These are the most important elements of the system. The lower one is the firebox, then the heater, and above it there is a water tank, if it was originally planned. The peculiarity of the heater is that it is able to warm up even a large room, enriching it with warm and soft steam, as well as hot water when installing the tank.

Precautionary measures

In order not to endanger the life and health of people during operation, you must follow all recommended fire safety measures. When installing a stove in a bathhouse, you need to remember the following nuances:

the foundation for the furnace must be as strong and stable as possible;
it is imperative to equip the chimney in such a way that those surfaces that come into contact with it do not overheat;
When placing the stove in a bathhouse, care must be taken to ensure that all surfaces are reliably protected from overheating during lighting.

An important condition is the correct organization of insulation.

Brickwork around the sauna stove is a must. But simply using masonry is not enough. It is also necessary to purchase tin.

What kind of stove to build in a bathhouse

A sauna stove can have different dimensions, which will depend on the area of the heated room. Most often, people build stoves measuring 3.5 × 4 or 4 × 5 blocks. The height reaches 168 centimeters or 210 centimeters, respectively. The second type is suitable for small steam rooms with a high ceiling.

Preference should be given to a brick stove with a water circuit, which is a tank for heating water.

The designs of such devices are almost identical. The functionality remains the same. Only the appearance and location of the tank changes. Stoves with lower and upper water tanks received recognition. A brick sauna stove with an open container for stones is also popular, but it pollutes the air with soot and requires the wood to burn out completely in order to fill the stones with water.

Epilogue

Using the above diagram for the construction of a sauna stove, you can build the desired stove yourself with enough effort. The considered project was created for the general concept and structuring of the correct sequence of construction of the structure. You can change the dimensions, appearance, configuration to your taste and color.

Laying a brick stove for a bathhouse is a troublesome and time-consuming task, requiring the involvement of specialists and financial investments, therefore, before starting to lay the stove, it is necessary to carefully select the most suitable design of the brick stove so that the result of the efforts expended does not disappoint, and the folded stove has the highest possible performance at economical fuel consumption. I.V. Kuznetsov proposed a fundamentally new design of the furnace, in which gases do not pass through channels, but move in free movement from one bell to another, due to which the efficiency of the brick kiln is significantly increased. Read the guide to choosing an electric sauna stove on this page.

The photo shows Kuznetsov's bell furnaces

Types of brick stoves for baths

A sauna stove with a closed brick heater is one of the most important attributes of a Russian sauna. It is often classified according to the combustion method:

In black . Such stoves appeared before everyone else. They did not have a chimney, and the smoke accumulated in the room, blackening the walls or objects with soot. We had to wait for the firewood to completely burn out and ventilate the bathhouse through a window or door.
In gray. The stove has a chimney, but its container with stones is open. It warms up the room faster, but the soot settles on the stones. Because of this, you also have to wait for complete burnout.
In white . These are stoves with a closed container and a chimney. It does not pollute steam room walls or stones. The design retains heat better than others. From the open type the steam is hot, “hard” and scalding, but from the closed type it is comfortable and pleasant even at one hundred degrees Celsius.

Another convenient division of stoves is also based on the combustion method. They are:

Periodic action. The stones are above the flame or in direct contact with it. You can water them only after the firewood has completely burned out, as there is a risk of flooding them. Such stove systems are heated periodically.
Permanent action. The stones are placed in a closed container. Most often it is a metal or cast iron container. Because of this, heat transfer suffers slightly, but you can pour water on them throughout the entire firebox. Such a stove is heated when there are people in the bathhouse. This is not harmful, since combustion products do not enter the air.

A directly heated brick sauna stove, unlike a closed type, does not allow achieving the most pleasant temperature or air humidity, and also requires periodic operation.

With or without blower

First you need to understand what a blower is. It is a special air channel that passes masses of gas under the grate and into the firebox. This is necessary so that the firewood or other fuel is regularly supplied with oxygen. To regulate traction? doors are used.

You can install a stove without a vent with a solid floor. This does not mean that there will be no air circulation at all: masses will penetrate from the combustion door, but it is too large to finely regulate the flow.

As a result, the efficiency will decrease, and burnt coals will sometimes fall out of the combustion chamber, which is also unpleasant, especially if the floor is covered with wood. The optimal solution remains to lay a blower.

Open heaters

In an open heater, the stones are placed openly. They lie on top and come into contact with the air masses of the steam room. This type is typical for compact cast iron or steel fixtures for small cubic capacity baths. Due to their location, stones or cast iron chocks quickly heat up and transfer their heat to the bathhouse. Lighting up a room takes from 30 minutes to one hour. This method also has a drawback: the stones also cool quickly.

In this case, to generate steam, use a container of water, which is poured over the stones. The steam is hot, “hard” and scalding. If the thermal elements are not on the plate, and not on the grate, then soot will settle in the room, and the water will extinguish the firewood and prevent it from burning properly. The main advantage of this design is the speed of heating and ease of implementation of the circuit.

Closed heaters

The design is more complex in its structure. In it, the stones are placed in a special compartment located inside the oven. During heating, they do not come into contact with the room air and you have to wait longer to warm up the steam room. This takes about a couple of hours, but it all depends on the size of the oven and sauna.

The advantage of this type is a longer heat release, which means that after waiting a little, you can enjoy the procedures all evening.

In the closed type, a tank or container with water is located near the heater itself, so the steam coming out of it has a maximum temperature, since the gas expands in volume. It is soft, and its heat is practically not felt even by an unprepared person.

The process of creating a heater:

the thickness of any metal elements must be above 10 mm;
a pipe for construction is enough for 1.5 m. The diameter is about 50 cm. It is divided into 2 parts: 30% will be for the tank, the rest for the heater and firebox;
The body of a brick stove for a bathhouse with a closed heater is made as follows: a hole is cut from below, which will serve as a blower. A plate is welded on top of it. A grate is welded with metal rods, which is welded above the ash pit in the body;
a hole should be made for the firebox. A piece is simply cut out of the pipe at the location where it is needed. It will be used as a door. Loops are welded to it, a valve is made;
The heater itself will be made of a piece of pipe, which should be welded over the firebox. The height must be at least 10 cm. A door is made in the front of the pipe, and the pipe is welded at the back;
A grid of rods is installed inside the heater. Stones will be placed there;
for greater reliability, a plate with a thickness of at least 5 mm should be welded at the point of contact between the tank and the furnace;
a water tank is installed. A steel circle, at least 7 mm thick, where the hole for the chimney is punched. Then this circle is welded onto the tank. The bottom of the pipe is welded to the bottom of the tank, which will prevent liquid from penetrating into the firebox;
The top of the water tank is covered with a tin or steel element, which it is advisable to make with hinges so that it can be opened slightly if necessary. It will be possible to pour water into the opening. To conveniently open the steel element on top of the water tank, a handle is welded to it.

1 — tank for heating water; 2 - stove; 3 - pipe; 4 - stones; 5 — top cover; 6 — hole for liquid supply; 7 - metal arch; 8—screen; 9—grid; 10—door in the firebox; 11 — ash door. It is not difficult to build masonry for a stove and do it yourself if you approach this process with full responsibility and do everything according to the recommendations. Minimal construction experience is required, ownership of a welding machine and the design will be no worse than its factory counterparts.

Ordering a closed heater stove for a bath

It is better to describe the order of a closed heater in more detail. The instructions look like this:

The first rows are laid perfectly flat. It checks the verticality of the angle using a level.
An ash pit is made that will collect waste from fuel combustion.
In the third row, the blower is attached from a steel or cast iron strip.
Above the fifth row, steel corners of the grate are laid.
They put down the firebox.
The sixth row is laid out with fireclay blocks. The total height of the chamber will be about 25 centimeters and the width – 30 centimeters.
Lay the grate.
Expand the firebox area in the following rows.
Make holes for an additional air duct.
The outer brick is laid.
The firebox doors are blocked.
Install the chimney partition.
Insert the water tank.
On the 15th row, they begin to cover the firebox with a special slab on which stones will be laid.
Lay out a compartment for laying stones.
Lay out a chimney from a fireclay block, which tapers towards the top.

After construction, the surface must be dried for seven days. You cannot use the device right away, as moisture contributes to faster failure of the furnace system or foundation.

Characteristics and nuances of a brick stove for a bath

Water treatments bring joy to everyone. To heat a room, a sauna-stove made of brick is often used. Any stove has the following characteristics:

Type of construction. As has already become clear, there is an open and closed type.
Design. The system may consist of a chimney, grate, firebox, as well as other elements that are characteristic of a particular type.
Weight. The indicator depends on the size of the stove and the volume of its firebox part. The greater the weight of the unit, the more reliable the base should be.
Fuel. The stove can be powered by wood, coal, gas or electricity.
Dimensions. Usually they depend on the volume of the bath. Most often, units measuring 4 by 3.5 or 4 by 5 blocks are installed.

Basic requirements for brick stoves with heaters

A stone stove is one of the most important elements of a Russian bath, therefore a number of requirements are put forward for it:

Carbon monoxide or smoke must not enter the room in which the unit is located.
Warming up the air under the ceiling to 90+ degrees in a short period of time.
Economical.
A design that allows heated stones to retain heat for as long as possible.
Dimensions that allow you to easily place the stove even in a small bathhouse.

An open type of container with water is well suited for a Russian bath, since it is easier to care for, and the liquid can be drained for the winter.

Drawings and projects

The design of a sauna heater differs from traditional designs: it has a special space for heating stones, which allows you to heat the steam room at high speed. There are two main designs of such a stove: grate and grateless.

In a grate stove, the firewood is placed on a small grate or grate. This device also serves as the bottom of the firebox, and primary combustion air is supplied through it. Through the holes in the grate, the ash goes down, thus creating space for a new portion of fuel. The best material for this element of stove fittings is cast iron, as it is more stable than steel. Such stoves have high efficiency, high combustion intensity, and are very easy to maintain.

There are solid grates, which cannot be disassembled, and stacked grates, consisting of several parts. In the first case, when purchasing a part, you need to focus on the available area of the firebox, and in the second, you can assemble an element of the required size yourself. Steel grates are produced by chain or pipe. Steel ones come in slab, basket, beam and movable types.

A grateless oven is also called a hearth oven. The firewood is placed on a sub-solid floor, on which there is also the possibility of cooking and baking, and air is supplied through the firebox door. In such furnaces, “top combustion of fuel” occurs, when the front spreads from the upper layers of the fill to the lower ones as combustion occurs, which is considered a more environmentally friendly method. For such stoves, exclusively wood materials are used: firewood and briquettes.

Some craftsmen assemble stoves “by eye”, because they believe that both the assembly of a brick stove and the lining of an iron stove are so simple that preliminary calculations are not needed. However, it is better to make preliminary calculations. Both the thermal regime and the amount of steam in the room depend on the correct design. Otherwise, it may happen that the air will heat up very quickly, but the stones will remain cold.

Advantages and disadvantages of a heater for a brick bath

Most people use stone elements as a heating bath system, and this is for a reason. Such designs have a number of advantages:

Energy independence. If there is no gas or electricity in the house, then a heater will be the optimal solution for heating a bathhouse.
Comfort. The stove produces soft, warm steam that warms rather than burns.
Heat capacity. Ability to retain heat for a long time.
Economical. It does not require much fuel to heat the entire room. Can run on wood.
Fire safety. A structure made in accordance with all fire safety standards almost never becomes a source of fire.
Appearance. Each person can bring something different to the design or decoration.

There are also disadvantages. Among them:

Requirement for care.
Difficulty of construction.
Dimensions.
Time to kindle.
High cost of the entire project.

Fuel for the heater

A classic heater is a wood-burning stove. However, it is quite possible to equip a heating structure that will run on gas or liquid fuel. In addition, you can purchase ready-made stoves that run on electricity.

Please note that structures operating on gas or liquid fuel have a complex design. This means that it will be difficult to build such a structure, especially for a beginner in the stove business

A prerequisite for their construction is the presence of devices that will regulate the fuel supply and protect the structure from overheating.

Gasified stoves are necessarily factory-produced models. They are equipped with a fuel consumption regulator, a temperature regulator in the steam room, and a temperature relay to turn off the heating when a certain temperature is reached.

With wood stoves (less often coal) everything is simpler. They are not that difficult to build, and they themselves are safer. In addition, firewood is the most profitable type of fuel in an environmental and economic sense.

Construction of a brick sauna stove: sequence of work

It's time to briefly consider the sequence of work during the construction of the system. Any such unit is individual, as it is built according to a pre-drawn plan. This is what you should think about first. Most often, the design and dimensions of the future stove are taken into account in the design of the bathhouse itself.

If a person has chosen the design and its dimensions, then work can begin. To do this, the very first thing to do is pour the foundation. It is also advisable to think about it in advance, since then you will have to cut the joists and rafters. The base for the stove must be strong, multi-layered to prevent heat from escaping into the floor, as well as the spread of dampness.

After this, a solution is prepared. Usually it is a mixture of clay and sand, since cement does not tolerate high temperatures. It is best to use fireclay clay soaked for a day. It is advisable to sift the sand for the solution. The work stage involves completing the order, and then the oven must dry.

Selecting materials for constructing an open stone stove

Typically, two types of bricks are used for construction:

Red full-bodied. They are needed for the outer layer and decoration. For an average oven, 300 pieces are enough, and for a large system - about a thousand.
Fireclay. Sturdy fireproof blocks that can heat up to 1,400 degrees. Often used only for laying out the fuel compartment.

The quality of the bricks can be checked by tapping them with a trowel handle or a hammer. If the sound is dull, then most likely the bricks have flaws or are defective.

In addition to bricks you will need:

Clay-based solution with sand.
Thermal insulating materials.
Cast furnace elements.
Tools for performing work.

Brick stove for a bath with a closed heater: arrangement of a water heating tank

Sometimes a water heating tank is included in the design of a closed heater. This allows you to quickly get a lot of hot water, saving money and time. Tanks can be built-in or wall-mounted, but they must be installed in such a way as to consume the maximum amount of heat.

Usually the volume is calculated based on the rule: 20 liters per person.

A tank is an optional attribute, but it will be useful for those who have problems with hot water supply. This is a very relevant addition for village baths.

The main thing is to take into account a number of points. In order for the stones to begin to emit light steam, they must warm up to at least 300 degrees, and the water will begin to boil from the 100 mark and will not heat up anymore.

This means that you cannot place the tank next to stones, as it will cool them down.

There are three solutions to the problem.

The first is to separate the tank and stones into different sections.

The second is based on installing a tank above the stones, which gives them the opportunity to first warm up themselves and then begin to heat the liquid.

The third option involves heating water using a coil located inside the firebox, but such designs are more complex and more expensive.

Wood burning

First of all, the owner will have to decide on the type of fuel his stove will run on. However, we must remember that the most popular sauna stoves are wood-fired. There are several types of fuel for which modern manufacturers develop their stoves:

Electrical. The most common and diverse, they have a large number of functions and temperature conditions;
Gas. They are considered the most environmentally friendly, require connection to a gas pipeline, but allow the use of an ordinary cylinder;
Combined. To kindle them, you can use one of two types of fuel or both at once. Most often you can find gas-wood and electric-wood models;
At work. Used refined oil is used as fuel. Similar designs are found mainly among homemade heaters;
Wood-burning. Classic designs with high efficiency, high fire safety ratings and the most aromatic useful steam.

The first three options are lightweight and portable, but their fire safety level is too low.
That is why preference is given to solid brick sauna stoves.

The downside is that the bathhouse will also have to be built to last, that is, placed on a foundation.

But this design will last a really long time, will retain heat well and will warm up even a very large steam room.

The heater has a lot of advantages, some of which can only be experienced during operation.

For example, it is believed that brick structures are safe - there is no need to worry about short circuits or gas attenuation. At the same time, you can safely pour not only water on the stones, but also aromatic oils that are good for health.

How to choose

Brick stoves for ordered saunas also come in different types. The first difference is in the distribution of stones. Open stoves pleasantly please the eye with a hearth and rapid heating to 150-200 degrees Celsius. The design does not imply the presence of protective masonry, so steam is created by directly pouring water onto the stones.

These positive aspects are also a disadvantage - open stoves quickly lose heat and require constant addition of fuel. Closed heaters require a significant amount of stones, but maintain heat for up to 50 hours. Steam is released through a special door placed flush with the top layer of stone. While the wood is burning, the stove itself remains closed.

Important! The design of the heater also affects the final result. The features of the firebox, the amount of steam and the general condition of the steam room depend on the construction method.

The metal plate heats all the stones, so preheating is required. But the heat lasts for a long time, and the bathhouse itself remains clean. This type of stove is called “in white”;
Due to the design without a chimney, the ceiling and stove are covered with a layer of soot and soot, so you need to wash it when the fuel has completely burned out. This design is called a “black-style” bathhouse, and is currently practically not used;
There are “gray-style” fireboxes, when the stove has a chimney, but still smokes and leaves soot. In this case, you also need to wait until the wood burns out - otherwise you may suffocate;
Sometimes the stones and heating tank are placed on two cast iron plates. In this case, the tank is located in a kind of casing made of brickwork, which allows the water to remain heated to the desired temperature.

It is up to the owner to choose the type of kindling, but it is worth remembering that brick stoves for wood-burning baths with “black” kindling are no longer popular - it is better to spend money on a full-fledged chimney than to suffocate and constantly wash the ceilings of soot.
Date: September 25, 2021

Brick stove with a closed heater for a bath and with open stones - finishing features

Finishing allows you to give the stove a beautiful and unique appearance.

Typically, tiles, stone, bricks, steel, tiles and other materials are used for cladding. The choice is quite wide, but each material has its own characteristics and properties.

If it is prepared independently, then initial processing must be performed so that the material can withstand high temperatures.

Stove tiles have the properties of thermal expansion, therefore, when using them, it is necessary to strictly follow the technological processes of masonry, since the cladding does not tolerate negligence. The most commonly used types are: terracotta, clinker tiles, majolica, tiles, porcelain stoneware, fireclay and tiles.

It is preferable to use tiles, but at the same time the process of laying them is the most labor-intensive. Even using simplified technology, you will have to spend more than one month to complete the finishing. A budget option is fire-resistant tiles, but even these cannot be used in the hottest areas of the structure.

Brick is a traditional material for cladding. It is not only suitable for laying near wooden walls located in close proximity to a heat source, but also accumulates heat well. Typically, ordinary ceramic blocks, fireclay and silicate bricks are used.

Modern designers love to use stone to decorate interiors and cladding stove walls. Finishing with such material is not difficult, but you need to choose the right stones so that they do not crack and serve as additional heat accumulators. The choice should be made on natural stones such as serpentinite and jadeite or artificial analogues. Representing the same tiles with irregularities, executed in a chaotic form.

Advantages and disadvantages

When giving preference to brick kilns, you must remember that they have both certain advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages are the following:

attractive appearance and the ability to fit into any interior of a bathhouse: both made of wood and brick;
such a stove will please the owner much longer than an iron one: unlike metal, brick is a material that will not be spoiled by small defects;
there is no need to carry out additional finishing work;
the resulting steam has a beneficial effect on human health;
a heated brick will not begin to release hazardous chemicals into the air;

a brick stove better maintains high temperature throughout the entire bathhouse;
for kindling, fuel is used, which is sold on any construction market, as well as simple raw materials that you don’t even have to buy: sticks, branches, newspapers, dry moss and others;
In a room with a periodic heater, you can steam for 2-3 days, and it will not cool down;
if after bath procedures you simply do not close the door in the steam room, then the stove will dry the bath itself;
the chimney does not require monthly cleaning, unlike a metal firebox.

However, there are some disadvantages:

the stove structure itself is quite large, you will either need to initially build a large bathhouse, or you will have to sacrifice some square meters;
if errors are made during the assembly process, the oven will not hold the temperature well, and the room will quickly cool down;
brick is a rather expensive material;
the services of a professional stove maker are also highly expensive;

due to the large weight of the stove, a solid foundation will be required, the depth of which should be below the freezing point of the soil, and also the foundation for the stove should not be tied to the foundation for the structure of the sauna house itself;
building a heater is a long-term and labor-intensive task;
To completely melt a sauna with a brick stove, it will take a lot of time, up to 6 hours.

Photos of brick stoves for baths

Model with tank

Cast iron option

Open type stone oven

Plastered stove stove in the bathhouse

Disadvantages of brick construction

There are no ideal heaters. This needs to be acknowledged. And therefore, before deciding to install such a stove in a bathhouse, you need to familiarize yourself with its main disadvantages:

the stove requires constant care associated with cleaning certain elements;
laying a furnace is a complex and labor-intensive process;
the heater can occupy a significant area of the room;
It may take more than 60 minutes to warm up the steam room.

The cost of a brick heater cannot be called low. After all, even a brick shield for a sauna stove is not so cheap.

For many, this price may be unacceptable. And that’s why some consider this a disadvantage.

Materials for the stove: what and how much

Now about the materials. Masonry should be done with bricks, but not ordinary ones, but heat-resistant ones. The thing is that ordinary blocks can overheat and crack, but fireproof ones will accumulate heat and keep it inside themselves. Typically, fireclay and red solid bricks are used for masonry. The first one is quite expensive and is used only for laying out the firebox, but some people buy it for the construction of the entire furnace system. The second is to lay out all the other elements, including the chimney. It is less expensive, but cannot withstand extremely high temperatures.

You also cannot do without masonry mortar. It is made only from clay and sand, but some craftsmen add cement, table salt or heat-resistant glue to it to increase its strength characteristics. Only cement will not work, as it will crumble and collapse.

A heat insulator is also needed to prevent heat from spreading to flammable surfaces (wooden walls, benches, floors). Usually it is finished with tiles or an additional layer of stones.

The heater also requires stove casting elements, since doors, grates, water tanks and coils cannot be made from stones. Usually they are purchased in advance, determining the dimensions according to the structure diagram and its dimensions.

The third stage - materials

The choice of building material is one of the key stages. The quality and long-term performance of your structure will depend on the quality of the components used. Don't skimp on cheap materials. This can lead not only to poor heating of the room, but also to the destruction of the structure.

The main building material is brick. To build a furnace, we need high-quality fired material without visible defects. Fireclay brick will serve you for quite a long time, but it costs an order of magnitude more than regular brick. Several methods can be used to quickly and easily check bricks:

Drop the brick from a small height (1-1.5 meters). If the brick has broken into many small pieces, then such material should not be used in the construction of a stove.

The brick should break into several large pieces.

Taking a small hammer with you, hit the brick; if the sound is not dull, then the brick is of good quality; if the hammer sinks upon impact, crumbling the brick, then you should refuse such a purchase.

After splitting a brick in half, pay attention to the chips and the inner surface of the brick; it should be even in color, without dark spots and the presence of various components.

Having chosen the necessary brick, you should also take care of the choice of material for obtaining the mortar. The mortar for laying a brick stove should consist of clay, sand and water. Obtaining the required properties of a solution is one of the difficult stages in the construction of a stove. The solution should be neither greasy nor thin. The clay should be mixed with water and left to sour overnight.

The next day, stir the resulting solution, removing all lumps, and only then add sand in small portions. The solution should not stick to the trowel (the solution is greasy) and should not push out water (add clay). A normal solution should stretch slightly behind the trowel, maintaining its given shape and not tearing. When working with such a solution, the trowel remains clean and the solution does not stick to the working metal surface.

Final finishing of the stove

Everything is clear about finishing materials. In addition to tiles, you can use plaster, whitewash, painting and decorative heat-resistant clay. This will help decorate a boring stove and make it stand out against the background of the interior of the bathhouse. Finishing with tiles or other materials is necessary only after the mortar fixing the stones has completely hardened.

A stone stove is the most popular attribute of a Russian bath. Recently, people have begun to prefer building it themselves. It's much cheaper than ordering estimates from unknown people. Manual construction also allows you to give the stove an individual style and shape of the structure.

Video

Watch the video for recommendations on building a sauna stove using the Kuznetsov system:

Kuznetsov’s stoves are distinguished by a variety of shapes, allowing you to select a specific version of the stove in accordance with the layout and design features of the bathhouse, as well as the personal preferences and wishes of the customer.

The order of the stove for the bath, or the pattern of laying bricks, is the most important element with which you can correctly lay the stove, while having minimal skills in performing stove work.

It is worth noting that, despite the abundance of ready-made metal stoves on sale, the traditional wood-burning heater still holds the palm in Russian baths. At the same time, the ordering of a brick stove for a bath, properly maintained, allows its design to be reliable, which will have a positive effect on the service life of your stove.