What to put the potbelly stove on. Basic rules for installing and using a potbelly stove in a wooden house. Potbelly stove for a summer residence: main functions

For heating houses that cannot be connected to a central heating system, the most optimal, affordable and economical option is the installation of standard stoves. They can be different, but potbelly stoves are considered the most popular and traditional.

They can be formed using various elements and materials, and their sizes and other parameters can differ significantly. They work from firewood or, so when installing a potbelly stove it is important to remember O rules fire safety , and also install such a stove on the surface, fire resistant. Due to this, many people have a question: is it possible to equip this structure in a wooden structure? This can really be done if you approach it wisely and choose your stove carefully, as well as its installation.

Oven characteristics

Wooden structures are very popular, and for them it is important to choose heating devices that are safe and reliable. If you approach this issue incorrectly, you can expect a fire, which is life-threatening people and the whole house in general.

The potbelly stove has the following positive parameters:

and installation;
inexpensive cost all elements;
accessible and cheap ;
light weight and choice suitable size;
simple and quick installation;
with proper installation and reliable protection operation will be safe.

Among the disadvantages, the following stand out:

premises cool down quickly after stopping use of the stove;
the danger of using an element in a wooden structure if no reliable protection will be created;
use it in a home intended for permanent residence, inappropriate, since the regular presence of a person is necessary to add firewood;
the need for constant availability of fuel, without which there will be no heating in the building.

How to choose a stove for a wooden house?

Can build it yourself, for which it is advisable to use literate and detailed instructions, and also watch a training video, or buy a ready-made version.

Read also: Making a stove out of a barrel

If you choose a ready-made product, it will consist of a metal box, which has a small door and a pipe designed for chimney pipe connection, on the back wall or roof. More expensive products usually have two chambers, and the chimney can also have many bends.

As a rule, purchased stoves are lined with bricks with a gap of three centimeters, so they can be used in wooden houses and also have good heat transfer. After the combustion stops, the structure remains for quite a long time will release heat into the rooms.

However, most often people prefer to install a structure at their dacha, self-created. It can be equipped with a hob, and to create it they can the following materials should be used:

brick;
metal;
stone.

Each option has its advantages, however, if the design is used in a wooden house, then it must, in any case, be installed on a suitable surface and at a sufficiently large distance from other foreign objects and walls.

Varieties of homemade potbelly stoves

A product made of a metal cylinder to which a pipe is connected, having with a diameter of 350 mm. The walls of this structure should not be thinner than 10 mm., but it will differ in the unregulated draft. You can even find a video on the Internet that carefully and step-by-step shows the process of forming such a furnace. To install the door you will have to use welding and a grinder, as well as the pipe itself welded to a metal box. The resulting stove will have a long period of heating the room, and it will cool down very quickly. Due to the unregulated draft, it will not be possible to install it in a country house or in another building constant combustion mode.
The use is considered a popular option for forming a potbelly stove. Cylinders are incredibly affordable items, so you won’t have to spend a lot of money to create a stove. The formation process is considered easy. To do this, you first need to select the top metal cylinder rim, which is equipped with a tap, and for this a standard hammer is usually used. Water is poured into the container, and a suitable door hole. A frame is welded for it from metal corners, which is later welded to the structure. A door is installed, and a hole is created in the place where the bottom of the oven is supposed to be intended for grating, which is equal in this part of the cylinder. From metal strips a box is created without the top, which is welded to the bottom of the element, and it will act as a collection of ash. A metal damper is installed that will regulate the air flow entering the firebox. In order for the cylinder to be positioned horizontally, legs are welded to it, and a hole is made for the pipe, which will be opposite the door. Further joins this. If all the work is done correctly, you will get a reliable and high-quality stove, which needs to be lined with bricks, as a result of which it can be used even in wooden house .
Stove from metal sheets. You can also make it yourself, and it is usually equipped with an element for cooking food. The formation process is considered quite easy, and such a potbelly stove can have absolutely different sizes and other parameters. To use it you will not need use more fuel, since there are partitions located in the firebox, as well as all the doors in the structure will fit tightly to it. In such an oven you can easy to adjust air flow.

Read also: Wood-burning metal stoves for home

You can make stoves from other materials and elements, and the choice depends on future users, however, it is important to consider that the operation will be carried out in a wooden house, so the design must be reliable and safe.

What rules must be followed during work and operation?

If you need to install a structure in a wooden structure, it is important to know certain rules and requirements that will allow you to obtain an element that is safe:

if metal is used, it is important to consider that it heats up quickly and strongly, so it is best imposehisbrick;
when used cast iron is important to remember that it retains heat for a long time, so it is best to position the stove in such a way that after the combustion stops, its walls are located in an open place;
the legs of the potbelly stove, as well as the other elements, quickly and significantly heat up, so they must be located on a surface that is resistant to high temperatures;
It is prohibited to install on linoleum or laminate, parquet or plastic, as well as carpet, and suitable floor coverings are ceramic tiles or concrete, brickwork or tin;
distance between wooden walls and potbelly stove must be more than one meter;
in one room the chimney pipe should be without sections, and if they are still present, then the connections should be strong and reliable;
in the place where the pipe goes outside, there must be a pipe, which can be made of brick, concrete or ceramics;
away from the door should locate fuel tanks so that sparks do not fall into them, which could lead to fire;
You cannot load more than three kilograms of fuel into the stove;
when the potbelly stove is working, its door should be tightly and very well closed;
the ash bin should be carefully and clean ash regularly;
do not touch the walls or other structural elements during its use, as they become very hot;
the chimney pipe must always be in good working order and clean, otherwise it is prohibited to use the stove.

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A potbelly stove for a summer residence is installed taking into account safety rules and design features. Choosing a location for installation, preparing surfaces, correctly assembling the chimney, choosing the type of pipe outlet are the basic rules for the work ahead.

Fire safety standards

Rules for installing a potbelly stove:

the base consists of a non-flammable material;
flammable materials during installation and subsequently should not be placed close to the structure;
there must be a distance of at least 50 cm between the potbelly stove and other objects, including furniture;
during use, do not touch the body of the potbelly stove - you can get burned;
Do not leave the stove on for a long time without supervision (there is always a risk of fire);
if a malfunction of the exhaust pipe is detected, subsequent use of the stove must be temporarily suspended;
the firebox door must be closed;
distance from stove to wooden wall not less than 80 cm;
3 kg of fuel is the maximum volume of a single serving;
after the first start of the stove, you may smell paint - this is considered normal for the first time;
The ash pan is cleaned with the non-hot stove turned off;
Suitable fuel is dry firewood or logs.

Do not forget to remind children that approaching a working potbelly stove is dangerous.

Installation steps

When the power of the device is calculated for the dimensions of the house, you can begin installation work. Potbelly stove size 1 square. m. is capable of fully heating 35 sq. m. area.

Choosing a place in the house

Be guided by the following criteria for choosing a location for installing a potbelly stove:

Flooring. If your home has uneven coatings, evaluate the fire safety level of each type. Concrete and brick will do. You cannot place a stove on linoleum. You can choose a place for the potbelly stove and remove a section of linoleum from it - it should start further than 50 cm from the stove.
Availability of distance around the device. Assess the size of the potbelly stove and compare it with the intended installation location. What will be the distance between the stove and furniture, walls? If it exceeds 50 cm, the place is suitable.
Convenience for residents. It is not recommended to install the stove near corridors and passages - there is a risk of burns during combustion.
Availability of pipe installation. It is mounted with an outlet on the roof or through the wall. IN two-story house A convenient option would be to install the potbelly stove closer to the wall with a pipe outlet.

The external design of the device is taken into account when assessing the design of the room. Visualize suitable options using photos, think about how best the new device will fit into the interior.

Choose your location wisely

Wall protection

To preserve the surface of the walls, you need to install a protective screen for the potbelly stove. There should be a gap between it and the furnace body, averaging 3-4 cm. This is necessary for the unhindered entry of air. Screens are installed to protect the nearest wall, which may gradually turn yellow as a result of exposure to high temperatures. Also, an additional layer will provide high level security.

Asbestos cardboard with a thickness of 1 cm is a suitable material for creating a screen with your own hands. It is fixed to a metal sheet and secured so that the air gap between the oven and the screen is the same along the entire perimeter. Fixing elements are used only fireproof, non-melting, for example, made of steel.

Asbestos cardboard

You can buy the screen ready-made at a hardware store. This design consists of hard mineralized wool and stainless steel. Instead of cotton wool, you can use basalt cardboard.

Protective screens for the oven (in in this example- metal)

Attention! The stove should not be leaned against the wall!

Foundation

Floor preparation begins with the removal of flammable materials. Minimum distance between such a coating and the oven - 50 cm.

The following popular flooring materials are considered flammable:

parquet;
carpet;
laminate;
linoleum.

Linoleum can be trimmed. On top of other flammable coatings, a metal sheet is laid out, each side of which should be 50 cm larger than the stove.

A podium is made using clinker bricks, but this step is not considered mandatory. Instead of brick, stone or durable ceramic tiles are suitable. This is relevant for tall people who bought a small device or are planning to build a low potbelly stove.

Base for a potbelly stove (podium)

Pipe connection and output

When considering how to properly install potbelly stoves, the chimney installation process is taken into account. The pipe may consist of the following materials:

brick (the finished structure cannot be transferred);
metal (light, resistant to high temperatures);
asbestos cement (withstands a maximum of 300 degrees).

The basic principle of making a pipe is its disassembly. This is necessary for subsequent diagnostics, cleaning and ease of maintenance.

A metal pipe is made from the following materials:

pipes with a diameter of 1.6 cm;
metal tee with a diameter of 1.6 cm;
elbows for joints (they will help provide directions - one elbow measuring 10x120 cm, several 16x120 cm will be useful);
protective mushroom with a diameter of 20 cm;
thermal insulation materials;
sealant for filling seams;
bitumen resin.

The pipe assembly process begins with the installation of a potbelly stove. When the base is prepared and the device is placed on it, the first element is fixed to the place intended for attaching the pipe. Next is the second one. The number of pipes depends on the height of the country house.

To extend the service life of the chimney, you can buy a cast iron elbow that matches the diameter of the pipe. It is installed on the base and fixed directly to the stove.

Make a hole in the ceiling near the roof. If its type is collapsible, the problem will be solved quickly. It all depends on what material the ceiling is made of and how the roof is assembled. The distance between the pipe and the sides of the ceiling should be 10 cm around the circumference.
Hole

Zone Restriction

Thermal insulation and fastening

Bottom view
A pass-through glass is installed in the resulting hole. A pipe is inserted into it, the elements are fixed together. Be sure to use fire-resistant sealant or special fire-resistant wool to insulate the area where the pipe comes into contact with wooden surfaces.
The pipe must be secured with NON-COMBUSTABLE materials or fixing fasteners, which are also sold in hardware stores. It is important not to make mistakes, otherwise the following situation may occur:
The next element of the pipe is installed above the passage glass until it is brought out into the street space. The distance between the roof and the edge of the pipe is 10 cm.
Pipe outlet to the roof
The outer pipe is enveloped in insulation (the most popular is mineral wool). The surface of the pipe is first coated with bitumen resin.
Section of a pipe outlet through the roof
A mushroom is attached to the top (a kind of lid).
Seams and holes are filled with sealant, and it is used to fix them.

You can start using the oven only after the sealant has completely dried.

Pipe outlet through a wall or roof

If 1 storey house:

IN one-story house it is allowed to exhaust the chimney through the ceiling and roof, as described in the previous paragraph. The option of piping through the wall is also available. If we talk about preference, then the first option is still a priority, although in practice it is more labor-intensive. Heat transfer, safety, aesthetic qualities - there are many advantages. But you shouldn’t categorically refuse to run the pipe through the wall either.

Options for the exhaust of a potbelly stove chimney in a 1-story house

Diagram with explanations

If a 2-storey house (potbelly stove on the 1st floor):

In a two-story house, installing a chimney through a direct rise to the roof is not the best option.

Therefore, the pipe will rise a short distance, then “roll” sideways towards the wall. First you need to think about how to make a hole in it (depending on the materials used during the construction of the house).

Preferred through-wall mounting option (left)

Turn the pipe in size no higher than 25 centimeters from the ceiling. The same installation rules apply here as when working with a chimney passing through the roof. The place in the wall is strengthened, sealant is used to increase the reliability and fixation of the elements.

After the chimney is removed to the street, it must be directed upward again. The distance between the pipe and the facade of the building must be at least 10 cm. In some cases, it is greater if the building is finished with materials sensitive to high temperatures. They will not melt from a hot pipe, but they may change color.

The pipe is fixed along the perimeter of the facade. For this purpose, metal fasteners are used, which are sold in finished form in hardware stores.

Connection and installation

What materials will be needed to install a potbelly stove:

ceramic brick (if there is a substrate);
fastening fittings;
clay mortar;
plaster, the composition of which includes lime and clay.

The first row of bricks for the base is laid out carefully and precisely. It is very important. Check the result using a level. The brick is installed on a clay mortar; you can also use plaster to fill the joints.

After creating the base, a potbelly stove is laid out on the brick. It is not secured with mortar or other fixing materials - the oven must remain portable. The chimney is secured using fasteners and sealant. This completes the installation.

Design verification

To check whether the device is working correctly and that everything is in order, you need to start the oven. Check to see if there are any places in the pipe where smoke is leaking through.

Do not forget to control the process of removing smoke outside. If smoke doesn't come out anywhere other than the top, everything is fine. Stay near the stove for several hours, constantly checking that everything is in order.

Conclusion

How potbelly stoves are installed in houses depends on the type of house, the materials from which it is built, the number of floors, and the dimensions of the free space. It is important to decide on the location, prepare the floor and walls, observing fire safety rules.

Installing a potbelly stove is easy. The most labor-intensive work is preparing, assembling and fastening the pipe. By following all the rules, you can create a useful and beautiful heating structure.

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Both in the past and today, a potbelly stove for a summer residence is the main means of heating and cooking. Furnaces similar type Quite compact, economical and easy to maintain. To install a stove, you do not need to obtain a permit or carry out expensive work with gas communications and electricity. For heating small houses and dachas in which people do not live permanently, best option You just can't imagine a stove.

A potbelly stove consists of a body, a combustion chamber, grates, a door and a chimney. These multifunctional devices are made of steel or cast iron.

A modern potbelly stove is a durable and reliable metal product that can be made in a variety of styles and perform several tasks.

So, there are such functions that potbelly stoves can perform:

heating small rooms;
room decoration;
cooking food;
water heating;
drying clothes;
stove-heater in portable and folding baths.

While losing to brick structures and fireplaces in terms of presentation and performance, potbelly stoves have a number of significant advantages, which makes them a desirable purchase for owners of summer cottages.

The advantages of these devices are:

Cast iron products heat up slowly, but the temperature is maintained for several hours. The steel quickly turns red from the heat, but cools quickly. Modern models provide the ability to adjust the volume of air entering the blower. In long-burning potbelly stoves, air is supplied to the firebox from above. The quality and safety of the furnace directly depends on the correct installation and operation.

Rules for installing potbelly stoves

Potbelly stoves for a summer residence can be installed both on the first and second floors. If necessary, these products can be used to equip auxiliary premises, such as closed gazebos, garages, sheds, summer kitchens and cowsheds.

The basic rules and sequence of installation of potbelly stoves are as follows:

The presence of a durable and non-flammable base. For this you can use sheet steel, brick, paving slabs or natural stone. When burning, coals quite often fall out of the stove. The fireproof coating will prevent a fire from occurring. It is advisable that the legs of the heating device be secured to the base. This will prevent the stove from tipping over due to accidental mechanical impact.
Housing assembly. This is done in cases where a collapsible model is purchased. You should pay attention to the tightness of the connections and the completeness of the kit. The slightest gap can lead to the fact that during fuel combustion the entire room can be filled with acrid and suffocating smoke.
Chimney installation. It is advisable to make the elbow that goes from the top of the stove to the roof or wall in one piece. This will eliminate the slightest possibility of smoke etching at the joints. If this is not possible, then the knee joints must be carefully insulated. Since the pipes become very hot during the combustion process, it is necessary to install a thermal barrier at the point where the chimney exits to the outside. To do this, you can use steel washers, refractory clay or brickwork.
Control firebox. To avoid trouble, this event should be carried out at a time when there are no people at home. During the combustion process, the tightness of all connections and the degree of heating of the points of contact between the elements of the stove and the house are checked. The test should be carried out in the most extreme mode for several hours.

If the device works normally, then it can be safely used in the future.

Safety precautions when using ovens

Most the best option fuels are dried firewood and small logs. You can light them with paper or dry branches.

When using and servicing the potbelly stove, the following safety precautions must be observed:

Do not use flammable liquids such as gasoline or acetone to light wood. This may cause a large explosion.
Do not open the vent completely for a long time. Due to the high temperature, the housing may become deformed or the chimney may burn out.
It is not recommended to use coal as a fuel. Its heat can melt the grates and pan.
All interior elements and the fuel box cannot be located closer than 1 m from the stove.
The fuel compartment door must be kept closed at all times.
If the exhaust pipe is clogged, the potbelly stove must not be used.
Do not leave the operating product unattended for a long period of time.

If operating rules and safety measures are followed, potbelly stoves can last for decades.

From the owners country houses there is a need for seasonal heating and cooking. In this case, building a bulky furnace is very expensive, given the short operating cycle. Also, for the construction of any stove structure you will need a considerable amount of space, which is very difficult to allocate if the area of the dacha is small.

In such situations, potbelly stoves come to the rescue. Their design allows you to quickly heat a small room with minimal fuel consumption. There is also the possibility of cooking lunch and boiling water.

History of origin

The potbelly stove came to us from the 19th century. History remembers this period with devastation and poverty. In those days, only in rural areas there were no problems with heating houses. And in cities, only wealthy people could heat their apartments.

The stove got its name, which is comparative to the bourgeoisie, due to its high fuel consumption and low heat output. The walls, made of metal, had no thermal capacity and maintained the temperature only during the combustion process.

Modernization process

Potbelly stoves went through a long stage of development before it turned out modern version ovens. A huge number of modifications are produced, from miniature decorative designs to heating units.

Summer cottage stoves serve as an addition to the existing heating system. There is also the possibility of connecting them to boilers that will provide residents hot water. Stove units for cooking are equipped with hobs and ovens. They become a worthy replacement for a kitchen stove. Compact miniature analogues are indispensable assistants on a trip.

Improvement methods

Modern models are highly efficient heating devices.

In the process of developing the potbelly stove, design improvements were made that make it possible to heat fairly large rooms with an area of 50 m².

The appearance of the familiar potbelly stove has undergone minor changes. The main unit of the furnace, the firebox, was subject to modernization. The following changes have been made:

window made of glass;
a slow combustion process has been introduced;
heat-resistant lining added;
The gas re-burning system is turned on.

Design features and operating principle

A classic potbelly stove for a summer residence is a metal cylinder or a rectangular box on legs. It consists of main components:

firebox;
grate;
ash pan;
chimney pipe.

Furnace and ash pan arrangement

The lowest part is the ash pan, and above it there is a grate, which serves as the basis for storing fuel. When wood burns, ash is formed, which spills through the holes into the bottom drawer. The design of the ash pit is made retractable so that combustion waste can be removed.

The ash pan and firebox have doors that prevent smoke from entering the room. To regulate the intensity of air passage, air intake holes are made in the doors. They are equipped with valves that help regulate the air flow.

Chimney structure

It consists of two components:

heat exchange;
excreting.

The heat exchange section is located inside the housing. Its shape depends on the type of oven. The pipe can be made in the form of a knee chimney or a “bag”.

An exhaust pipe is inserted into the heat exchange chimney. It can be connected to an existing chimney duct or taken outside the room. A damper is installed at the beginning of the pipe, which must be closed after the combustion process is completed.

Homemade stoves

Manufacturers offer a huge range of potbelly stoves. Cast iron structures or kitchen units are expensive. In search of a cheap type of heating, craftsmen manage to make a potbelly stove from improvised materials. Let's look at the most common options.

A pipe or barrel can be used as a base. The diameter can be chosen at your discretion. A potbelly stove is a straight section of pipe, closed on both sides by circles of sheet metal. Two holes are cut in the side for the ash pan and the firebox, which are closed with doors. All structural elements are connected by welding.

The design can be either vertical or horizontal. Depending on its position, a chimney pipe is welded to the upper part. The grate can also be made by welding from reinforcement.

Such a potbelly stove is bulky, and it is advisable to place it in large rooms.

The upper plane can be used to heat water and cook food.

This option is the most compact of all and is suitable for any size cottage. The rectangular oven body will fit into any space. The simplest design consists of an ash pan, a firebox and a chimney.

For the walls of the stove, potbelly stoves can be used sheet metal. To prevent the body from deforming from high temperatures, the thickness of the sheet should be at least 3–4 mm. For convenience, the firebox door can be made to span the entire width of the stove. A pipe can be used as a chimney. The structure is assembled by welding and installed on legs made from a metal angle.

Using a cylinder or can

Very often, improvised means are used to make potbelly stoves. Unusable containers are used for this purpose.

For example, a gas cylinder is shaped like a finished oven. It is installed in a horizontal or vertical position on legs. Holes are cut for the firebox and ash pan, and a pipe is welded. Before work top part the cylinder with the tap must be cut off and closed with a plug.

A can can be used to make a portable version of a potbelly stove. By placing it in horizontal position, you will receive a finished firebox cover. Handles can be welded on the sides for carrying. To increase the thermal capacity of the structure, a reflector can be installed at the top of the can.

Requirements for homemade potbelly stoves

The following requirements are presented:

the side parts of heating equipment must be protected by screens to protect people from hot surfaces;
when using firewood as fuel, the chimney diameter should be in the range of 80-150 mm;
Do not place the heat source near flammable objects;
For the stove to function well, it is necessary to use only high-quality material.

Kindling rules

Owners of private houses with stove heating may not have any difficulties with the operation of a potbelly stove. But if this is your first time encountering such a design, then you need to follow the sequence:

for kindling you will need paper, wood chips, logs and solid fuel;
paper is placed on the grate;
chips and several small logs are poured on top of it;
open the blower halfway and set fire to the paper;
the combustion process must be monitored, and as soon as the logs are well lit, you can start adding fuel.

If coal is used to heat the dacha, then you cannot do without firewood. Coal combustion requires a high temperature, which wood chips and paper cannot provide. Potbelly stoves are compact devices that do not require a solid foundation. The design is quickly assembled and provides the necessary heat in a short period of time.

Before we move on to the process of installing a potbelly stove, let's find out why we need to install this heating equipment. In most cases, a potbelly stove is installed as an additional or backup source of heating. Very rarely, a potbelly stove is used to heat a residential building, mainly in technical rooms and garages.

And so, for those who have decided to install a potbelly stove, I present you with a short photo report on the installation of this equipment in a wooden temporary shed.

Size of the potbelly stove: length - 700 mm, height - 500 mm, width - 400 mm, made of steel 5 mm thick (St3).

As I already said, the building is entirely wooden. Laid on the floor asbestos cement sheet on top there is a sheet of galvanized steel and posts made of sand-lime brick. A stove is installed on the brick.

The walls will be protected as follows: the first layer is a paronite gasket (an insulating material consisting of an asbestos rubber mass that can withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees), a galvanized sheet. The distance from the stove to the wall is only 12 cm. There is no other way. If you have the opportunity, then you need to retreat 80 cm, according to the norms.

Stainless steel chimney, diameter 140 mm. The pipes are joined together using corded asbestos (see diagram of the correct joining of chimney pipes).

To bring the chimney above the roof, the following was done:

A hole is cut in the slate using a grinder, and a galvanized sheet is placed on top. We install a fungus on top of the pipe.