Pros and cons: stove heating in a private house

Main features of use

Before installing the heater, you must carefully select it. Will it be convenient for you to use it? How much money should you invest in installation and maintenance?

Is fuel difficult to find and how safe is the system for home use? Cast iron stoves provide quick results with minimal effort, are not too expensive and can be used for a long time.

It is believed that wood is an expensive fuel and that wood-fired cast iron stoves are expensive. However, the situation at the dacha is somewhat different - almost every plot has trees that have to be cut down every year. Raspberries and currants, vineyards - all this is a large number of small chips that need to be burned. If you do not live in a country house all the time, you do not need to buy firewood or urgently need it.

Heat such buildings very quickly, which is important if you decide to come to a country house in the cold season

Ovens can perform different functions, which is especially important in small villages where nature is amazing, but with problems with gas or electricity. In addition to the conventional heating models, there are also cooking and heating models.

On their special surface, you can prepare dishes that, if you have there is some knowledge that tastes better than usual from a gas or electric stove. The modern industry offers a wide range of design solutions, including the possibility of installing a stove with a fireplace function. For the most original decoration of the premises, you can choose a stylish model that will emphasize the refined taste of the owner, without losing its functionality.

Tip: To keep your home warm quickly, leave the wood near the stove and save time to find it the next time you arrive.

What does it look like

In a summer cottage, the stove is heated infrequently, but it is constantly in sight. For those who care about the appearance of the stove, there are a huge number of exterior finishes.

Oven fireplace Bavaria Optima "Forget-me-not" (PK138Н)

21,990 RUR

Fireplace portal Lewis 2

532 380 rub

Fireplace stove MetaFire Meta Ohta

31 850 RUR

Tiled stove ABX Karelie, white base

236,746 rub

Tiled stove ABX Helvetia LP white base

148,468 RUR

Stove fireplace Supra Chatenois 06

Stove fireplace Invicta Seville (enamel)

102,000 rub

Stove fireplace Contura 35T: 1

319,807 RUR

Fireplace stove Fireplace Lille SP (K 3330)

Stove fireplace MBS Magnum Plus Stone L / R (Magnum stone, left, right)

83 040 RUR

By style, stoves can be - Antique

Oven fireplace LK AMBRA BRONZE (Ambergris Bronze)

27,040 RUR

Stove fireplace Invicta Sologne black

Stove fireplace Sergio Leoni Maria Luigia, White Craquele

614,040 rub

Oven fireplace Contura 556G: 1 Style glass door, white

217,405 RUB

Fireplace stove Rais Q-20

339,710 rub

Stove Kratki Koza K9 fireplace

61 634 rub

Heating principle of cast iron and steel furnaces

The cast iron stove is like a fire. It only warms up to the bone when you're near him. This principle of heat transfer is called radiant. Heat is transferred as from the sun - by radiation. All nearby objects: walls, furniture, floor - everything starts to warm up and transfer heat further. Here I note that this is why a cast-iron stove should be placed further from the walls than a steel one. The advantages of this heat transfer: it does not dry the air, it is pleasant to sit by the stove.

And our steel stove is decorated. And between the decor and the firebox there is an air channel. As the furnace heats up, the air in the channel begins to rise upward, and cold air begins to flow in its place from below. This is how heat transfer occurs, called convection.As the furnace heats up, the air movement increases. And the longer and warmer this air channel, the faster the air movement in it. This gives us a more intense mixing of the air. The advantage is faster heating and more uniform temperature. And the minus is the dehumidification of the air - it heats up first of all, and only then all other objects.

Varieties of cast iron stoves

To begin with, mainly cast-iron stoves are heating devices that are fired mainly with wood or coal. This is a classic. Accordingly, their design is arranged in such a way that solid fuel burns inside the unit. Therefore, it consists of a combustion chamber, which is located in a sealed housing. The firebox is connected to a chimney through which smoke and carbon monoxide gases are discharged outside.

In fact, this is an ordinary stove-type stove. Of course, today engineers and specialists are improving designs, making them functional and economical models. But the essence of a cast-iron stove for a home remains the same - to heat the premises. With which they do an excellent job.

The original design of the cast iron stove

As for the varieties, today the market offers three main modifications: standard stoves, heating appliances with hobs (planes) and fireplace stoves. Depending on the size and structural elements, plus designer accessories, cast iron stoves have different costs. At the same time, manufacturers today offer a variety of shapes: rectangular, round, multi-tiered, and so on. It turns out that there is plenty to choose from in this category, hence, probably, the great popularity of cast-iron heating devices, but not only. The advantages will be discussed below, but now I would like to consider cast iron stoves by type.

It is clear that the traditional equipment is a heating stove consisting of a firebox in which a grate is installed. Of course, a branch pipe is also built into it, which connects to the chimney. This is a simple design that is sometimes complicated in order to increase the efficiency of wood burning. For example, a compartment is installed into which ash falls, it is called an ash pan. It can be fitted with a drawer for easy cleaning of waste fuel. Air can be supplied to the wood burning zone through the ash pan. You can equip a double wall of the case, and let water into the gap for heating. That is, there are a huge number of options to complicate the design of a cast-iron stove for a wood-fired home, while receiving many functional options.

Cooking and heating oven

This design is used both as a heating device and as a stove on which you can cook food and heat water. There are models equipped with an oven. In all respects, a good option if the conversation is about the kitchen. It is not worth putting such stoves in living rooms.

Cast iron stove with hob

If we talk about the advantages of this design, then we can note:

• dual functionality: heats and cooks;
• it is possible to store kitchen utensils on the upper surface when the oven is not heated;
• the efficiency reaches 78%;
• if there is a retractable ash pan in the structure, then ash removal can be carried out directly during the cooking process.

The simplest design

The famous ancient potbelly stoves have significantly transformed externally, remaining all the same structurally simple.

Single-circuit furnaces consist of a firebox, a grate, an ash pan and a chimney, while being contained in a compact and pleasant appearance.

The firebox is equipped with doors, behind which there is a space for fuel. Usually air ducts make 2 elbows to trap warm air and increase heat transfer.

Note that the conventional version has an efficiency of 60%.If the cast iron stove is dressed in a steel case, the efficiency rises to 75-80%, and the model is called convection.

Gas generator type

If the basic model of the furnace is improved, its efficiency can increase up to 90-95%. To do this, it is made two-chamber. In the first, with minimal penetration, firewood smolders, emitting pyrolysis gas (the product of the decay of solid fuel, contains combustible elements). In the second, gas already burns out.

The option is attractive not only for its high heat transfer, but also for the ability to rarely look after the stove - it is enough to throw up firewood every 3-4 hours, depending on the regulation of oxygen. For this, ash pan doors are used.

Good to know: thick logs burn longer, they are used when a heap of thin red charcoals burns out.

Water cameras

Several chambers can be used not only for gas combustion, but also for water heating. In this case, the walls of the furnace have two layers, between which water is poured.

In the presence of batteries and a pump, this option smoothly turns into water heating for the whole house. The firewood is burning, the water is warming up, the pump pumps warm water through the radiators and the whole house becomes warm in an hour or two.

Cooking and heating ovens

Constructions of this type have a more oblong shape, and the surface has one or more burners, openings to an open fire. You can cook food on them, just like on a gas stove.

The combustion force is regulated by rounds of different sizes. The more the pot or frying pan should be heated, the larger the size of the hole must be left to the fire.

Some models have built-in metal boxes - ovens. The heat heats up the walls on all sides and allows you to cook food in the same way as in the more familiar electric and gas options.

However, the strength of the combustion must be carefully controlled. At too high temperatures the food burns, at low temperatures it remains soggy. But with proper use, it acquires a taste that is achieved only in real ancient Russian ovens.

Advice: do not put pots with plastic parts in ovens, they melt from temperature. You can put glass, but only from a refractory material and not from the refrigerator.

Fireplace stoves

The most expensive and most beautiful models. They are made by both convection (laid in a steel case) and gas generating (with a chamber for combustion of pyrolysis gas).

One wall in the firebox (or door) is transparent, made of fireproof glass, which allows you to admire the fire without breathing smoke in the room.

Some models of fireplaces have burners on the surface and allow you to cook food.

Heater selection criteria

1. Fuel requirements. Convection stoves, stoves, including those with a hob, are capable of operating on almost any solid fuel - this is their great advantage, since it simplifies the search for an inexpensive and affordable energy carrier. In fireplaces and stoves of long burning, only firewood can be burned, in rare cases fuel briquettes are allowed, while wet fuel sharply reduces the efficiency of the unit.
2. Appointment and dimensions. A unit with a hob is ideal for installation in the kitchen - a fireplace will decorate and warm the living room of a country house. A heating stove with a water circuit will provide heat to several rooms if a radiator system is installed. Compact and collapsible units are suitable for small country houses - their dimensions are so small that the stove can be transported in a car.
3. Power. Having decided on the type and size of the heater, a model of suitable power is selected. The product passport indicates what area the unit is capable of heating. When it comes to conventional models that heat the air, the unit of measure is the volume of the room.
4. Additional functions, finishing. The variety of wood-burning stoves for heating a country house allows you to choose a model with a finish that matches the interior of the room. Additionally, the unit can be equipped with an oven, drawers.

Cast iron heating element with hob

Operating tips

Despite the simplicity and reliability of the design, there are certain points that require special control. This also applies to the choice of the furnace and its further use.

1. Cast iron in a humid environment can rust, so in swampy areas it is better to choose models from other materials.
2. Cast iron stoves can work without repair for up to 50 years, while maintaining a decent appearance. But, pouring cold water onto a hot surface, you will lose your stove in one moment - the cast iron will burst, unable to withstand the temperature difference.
3. When buying stoves from foreign manufacturers, it is worth considering that they are most often adapted not for firewood, but for peat and pellets, so you will have to use logs no more than 18-20 cm long.
4. There are safety rules that imply a special covering of the floor and walls, the location of objects near the stove. Their implementation will avoid fire.
5. A cast iron fireplace is much more efficient than a gas one, it cools down longer, has a greater heat transfer, but it is necessary to keep an eye on it constantly.
6. The ash from the ash pan must be cleaned regularly, the chimney must be cleaned at least once a year. Otherwise, the stove may not only work poorly, but also spontaneous combustion of ash in the chimney may occur, which is fraught with fire.

Thus, by purchasing a cast iron stove, you are happy:

• long service life without repair and deterioration in appearance;
• low cost;
• rapid warming up of the room;
• compact size of ovens;
• opportunities for savings due to the processing of scraps from the garden;
• delicious food prepared at minimal cost;
• a beautiful addition to the interior.

However, you have to think about:

• a high-quality chimney and regular cleaning;
• safe equipment of the place for installing the oven;
• careful handling of the surface (do not spill ice water);
• timely addition of fuel.

Installing a cast iron stove for solid fuel is an excellent choice for a small country house. No dampness, minimum hassle and pleasant warmth throughout the house for several hours - these are the results of using the stove. And this will continue from year to year, albeit half a century.

You can learn about the types of cast iron wood stoves from the following video:

Correct operation

Heating units made of cast iron are durable and easy to operate. The material does not burn out over time, even with long operating cycles, and is not damaged by corrosion.

To refresh the outer coating of a cast-iron heater without cladding, it is enough to paint it with a special coloring aerosol composition based on an organosilicon base.

Regular cleaning of the firebox and chimney from settled soot, removal of unburned fuel residues from the ash pan will help to extend the operating life of the unit.... Thorough cleaning is recommended in the spring before the start of the summer season.

Rotary chimney cleaning kit

The chimney is cleaned mechanically or chemically. In the first case, a special device is used - a ruff, in the second, specialized packages are used that destroy the structure of soot layers during the fire.

When using the hob, avoid contact with cold water and chilled metal objects, as sudden temperature changes cause cracking of the cast iron.

When choosing a heating unit with glass doors, pay attention to the presence of a surface self-cleaning function.If soot settles on the glass, it is removed with special means without abrasive particles.

Try to use large dry wood as fuel - they give maximum heat. Freshly cut wood burns poorly, while a lot of soot is emitted, and firewood, chipped into small pieces, quickly burns out.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pluses of a potbelly stove, for which summer residents love it:

Compactness - the stove does not take up much space, both when installed in a house, and if it is moved for storage.
Quick warming up of the room, which is very important, because the dacha is sometimes visited by raids in cool weather.
Potbelly stoves can be heated with wood, branches, wooden construction waste.
Able to tolerate periods of downtime.
Ease of installation and homemade production.
Affordable price.

Potbelly stove rectangular with legs

Disadvantages of a potbelly stove, which you need to know about before buying:

• Low efficiency. Among stoves and boilers, this stove does not shine with economy records.
• Constant supervision is required. The stove cannot be “flooded and forgotten”. It will be necessary to throw up firewood, work as a poker, and monitor safety.
• The size of the firewood. The smaller the furnace is, the more intensively the owner will have to chop and break wood fuel. Some models will need poles 20 - 35 cm long.
• Burning intensity regulation. Roughly speaking, it is not provided, except in a very small range. They adapt to move the ash pan box, and a view that completely covers the pipe is not needed, since the walls of the furnace have time to cool down until the fuel burns out enough to close the damper.

The problem of low inertia of the bourgeoisie is sometimes solved by erecting a brick "casing" around it. The array protects people from burns, heats up well and keeps warm for longer.

Cast iron stove manufacturers

Heating by stoves remains popular in many countries of the world, so manufacturers continue to improve units and expand their range, offer models for different climatic conditions. It is recommended to purchase high-quality and reliable equipment of popular brands.

SUPRA, France. Long burning units of this brand operate on most types of solid fuels. The burning time of one bookmark is about 10 hours.

JOTUL, Norway. The company produces wood-burning heaters of long burning, the fuel loading burns out in 10 hours when working in pyrolysis mode.

GUCA, Serbia. It produces cast-iron fireplace stoves, high-power units with a hob, heaters with three combustion modes. The equipment is characterized by high efficiency.

EDIL KAMIN, Italy. It specializes in the production of long-burning fireplace stoves in luxury cladding. Units with secondary combustion are equipped with an improved air supply system to the furnace.

HARVIA, Finland. One of the world market leaders offering innovative solutions in the field of furnace equipment. The range includes models for baths, as well as combined units that are suitable for heating baths and houses.

TULIKIVI, Finland. It supplies heating units with natural stone cladding to the market. Talc magnesite panels give the heaters an original, stylish appearance and serve as a heat accumulator.

KOTA, Finland. The advantage of the fireplace stoves of this brand is the original heat exchange device, due to which the percentage of heat loss is noticeably reduced in comparison with similar units from other manufacturers, the emission of carbon dioxide is reduced, and there is less incombustible residue. The heater is designed to be used as the main heat source.

META, Russia. You can buy inexpensively reliable domestic products with a laconic design. Cast units are made of high quality cast iron.

Stove made of domestic cast iron Meta

ECOKAMIN, Russia. It is engaged in the production of fireplace stoves "Bavaria" that meet the highest European quality and safety requirements. The fireplaces are designed to work in standard and economy mode, models with a stove are offered.

Operating tips

Despite the simplicity and reliability of the design, there are moments that require special control. This refers to the selection of the stove and its further use.

1. Cast iron can rust in damp rooms, so in damp rooms it is better to choose models from other materials.
2. Cast iron stoves can be operated for up to 50 years without repair, while maintaining a decent appearance. But if you pour cold water on a hot surface, then after a moment you lose the stove - the cast iron bursts and does not withstand the temperature drop.
3. When buying stoves from foreign manufacturers, remember that, as a rule, they are not adapted for firewood, but for peat and pellets, so you do not have to use logs longer than 18-20 cm.
4. There are safety regulations that require special floor and wall coverings and items to be placed in the immediate vicinity of the oven. Their implementation will help prevent fires.
5. A cast iron fireplace is much more efficient than a gas fireplace, it takes longer to cool, has a higher heating capacity, but requires constant maintenance.
6. The ash from the ash pan must be cleaned regularly, the chimney must be cleaned at least once a year. Otherwise, the stove will not only fail to work properly, but the ash in the chimney may self-ignite, causing a fire.

So if you buy a cast iron stove, you will be happy:

• Long service life without repair or visual impairment;
• means little;
• rapid warming in the room;
• compact size of ovens;
• Savings due to garden pruning;
• delicious food prepared at a minimal price;
• a great addition to the interior.

But I need to think about this:

with high quality chimney and regular chimney cleaning;
Safety devices for the place of installation of the furnace;

Handle the surface with care (do not spill ice water);
timely addition of fuel. Installing a solid fuel cast iron stove is an excellent choice for a small hut

Lack of moisture, minimal effort and pleasant warmth throughout the house for several hours - these are the results of using the stove. And this will continue from year to year, even if after half a century

Installing a solid fuel cast iron stove is an excellent choice for a small hut. Lack of moisture, minimal effort and pleasant warmth throughout the house for several hours - these are the results of using the stove. And this will continue from year to year, even if in half a century.

You can learn more about the types of cast iron stoves in the following video:

Varieties of household cast iron stoves

Manufacturers offer stoves for giving in various modifications, made of a special grade of cast iron. The list includes the following types of aggregates:

• heating;
• heating and cooking;
• fireplace stoves.

According to the principle of operation, wood-burning heaters are divided into traditional models and long-burning stoves. It should be noted that the introduction of new technical solutions in the design of traditional furnaces has made it possible to increase their duration of operation on one fuel fill.

Heating units

Traditional wood-fired units for the house, performing exclusively a heating function, are stoves, stoves - the most budgetary option for the heater. The internal space of the cast-iron stove is divided by a grate into a combustion chamber and an ash pan. The chimney is connected to a special branch pipe, and the intake of combustion air is regulated using a damper or by opening and closing the ash pan door.

Cast iron wood stoves have a significant drawback - the efficiency is about 40%. Low efficiency means that most of the heat goes outside through the chimney along with the flue gas.

Varieties of heating units

Improved wood-burning heating stoves are characterized by a higher heat transfer (over 60%) due to design changes. It helps to increase the efficiency and extend the operating time of the furnace on one fuel load.:

• An increase in the volume of the fuel chamber and the installation of several smoke circulation channels for the movement of hot gases, moving through which they intensively give off heat.
• Installation of an additional combustion chamber, in which combustible gas is burned - it is released from the wood fuel during the smoldering process. During the afterburning of pyrolysis gases, a large amount of thermal energy is released.
• Using the installation for the extraction of thermal energy from flue gases entering the chimney - a water heat exchanger or a heat accumulator made of ceramics is mounted on the outlet pipe (the second option is typical for Norwegian and Finnish stoves).

Cast-iron stoves for a bath also belong to heating units. These are compact, durable units that differ in the relatively small thickness of the walls of the combustion chamber, which contributes to rapid heating. Sauna heaters can be equipped with a heater that allows you to get steam.

Cooking and heating models

Heating cast iron stove can be additionally equipped with a hob with one or more cooking zones. The stove allows you to use the heat of combustion of solid fuel for heating and cooking food, heating water.

Cast iron stove equipped with a hob

By design, cooking ovens are an ordinary potbelly stove with a cast iron burner. In some models, the hob is protected from direct contact with the flame - for this purpose at the top the combustion chamber is provided with a horizontal partition.

Fireplace stoves

Cast iron stove fireplace - heater with decorative function. Such fireplaces differ from an ordinary stove in a peculiar shape of a firebox and a panoramic glass door. Manufacturers offer models in straight and angled versions. The price depends on the characteristics of the unit, as well as on the external finish, for which natural stone, ceramics, steel can be used.

Fireplaces are designed to burn wood, some models can also work on fuel briquettes. The use of other types of solid fuels (pellets, coal, wood waste, peat) is prohibited.

In the standard version, a cast iron fireplace stove for a summer residence or a country house corresponds in efficiency to a conventional stove - the bulk of the heat evaporates with smoke, the firewood quickly burns out.

Cast iron fireplace stove decorates and warms the interior

Relatively recently, Finnish long-burning stoves, made in the form of a fireplace, have appeared on the market. He is able to work on one tab of fuel from 6 six hours to two or more days. Thanks to this, the fireplace for giving long burning can serve as the main source of heat in the house.

Key characteristics when choosing

Having stopped the choice on cast iron, it is necessary to compare the parameters of the product with the bath in which it will be installed.

Working properties:

Performance, characterized by the area of ​​the room heated by the unit.
Fuel type. Most often, buyers prefer wood-burning stoves.
Type of firebox (standard or extended). The elongated one is mounted in the wall. You can heat the bath directly from the steam room or from the dressing room, which is very convenient.
Material. There are several variations of cast iron. The service life of the unit and the thickness of the furnace walls depend on the correct choice.
Wall thickness. Best option: gray cast iron.
The presence of a water tank and its type. There are two types in total: built-in and suspended. In use, preference is given to hanging tanks: it is easier to fill in water and control the level of the remaining

The location of the tank attachment is also important: at the back or at the side.Depends on where you will install the unit.