Choosing and installing a stove for a wooden house

A stove in a wooden house can be built independently or a ready-made unit can be supplied. It can be metal or made of brick, equipped with a fireplace or hob. Correct installation of the furnace structure implies compliance with fire safety requirements.

Variety of ovens

Home stoves are made of bricks and metal. Due to the design features, each option has certain advantages and limitations for implementation.

Brick

Due to long-term cooling, such a stove keeps the room warm for a long time. It is capable of serving large dwellings, it is resistant to fire. Thinking over the design, you can provide for the possibility of cooking food and even a stove bench. When planning the installation of such a stove in a wooden house, you need to remember that the design requires the arrangement of a solid deep foundation. If there is no experience, it is better to entrust the construction to a specialist, but you can do it yourself.

Metal

Heating structures are made of iron and cast iron. The walls have a two-layer structure; an air layer between the sheets of metal protects the dwelling from thermal shock. Such ovens are attractive by the possibility of purchasing a ready-made system with a chimney and a temperature control unit.

The devices are distinguished by the speed of warming up and heat release. Because of this, you have to heat it often, if it is not a unit with a slow combustion option. You can choose a fireplace stove or a design equipped with cooking appliances (oven, hob). The main disadvantage of these products is the increased fire hazard. Because of it, additional safety requirements are introduced during installation.

When choosing, you need to build on what type of fuel you plan to use. For a wood-burning stove, the chamber is made of refractory bricks, for a coal one - of red with chamotte lining. If peat briquettes are selected, a pair of metal grates must be mounted on the furnace chamber.

Chimney selection and installation

Ceramic chimneys are distinguished by the best performance. They are durable, give good traction, condensed moisture does not settle on the walls. The fire hazard is also reduced by sleeve options made of bricks.

If a galvanized pipe is chosen as the base, it is necessary to take care of the insulation of joints with wood and the roof with non-combustible materials.

In chimneys from a "sandwich", after 10 years of use, the layers may begin to separate from each other. But they do not require additional insulation.

Regardless of the material chosen, you need to equip the chimney with a hatch for cleaning from accumulations of soot.

The location of the stove in the house

The place in which the installation of the stove in the house will be carried out depends on the peculiarities of its functioning. The location of the chimney and the approach to the stove for its maintenance (cleaning the chamber, removing ash and soot) are calculated.

The distance from the hot surface to the wall should be at least 1.1 m. This is necessary to minimize the likelihood of fire.

An iron stove can be installed in a partition between rooms to serve adjacent rooms.

The need for a foundation and types

If the stove weighs less than 80 kg, it must be placed on a solid base made of non-combustible material. A lightweight cast iron unit can be placed on a concrete base. With a mass of more than 300 kg, especially if finishing with facing material is planned, it is necessary to organize a serious foundation.

On poles and piles

Using steel screws, you can create a foundation that can withstand a massive cast-iron stove lined with brick. After screwing into the soil, the piles are tied from above, and then concrete is poured.

The disadvantage of this option is the rather high cost. Screws are rotting, they serve for about half a century.

An inexpensive option, easy to implement and suitable for most ovens (except for the heaviest options) - columnar. Depressions are drilled in the ground into which pillars of wood or concrete are hammered.

Concrete

Concrete foundations are good for their ability to withstand heavy structures and ease of installation. The only drawback is the duration of the work. It is forbidden by sanitary standards to organize a common foundation for the stove and the building itself. If this rule is violated, the base of the building can be squeezed out of the soil in winter, sometimes to a considerable height. This provokes a violation of the integrity of the cladding and the heating unit itself.

It is often practiced to organize a belt-type base, when a trench is dug around the perimeter of the future location of the stove to a depth below the freezing level. A mesh for reinforcement is placed in it and concrete mortar is poured. Another option is to create a monolithic slab with a thickness of about 0.2 m. The arrangement is started by scattering a sand-gravel mixture over the required area, pouring a little water on top and tamping it. Lay out a layer of waterproofing on top and mark the screed. When it is flooded, it is covered with a film. For 14 days in a row, the surface is watered with water to prevent cracking. You can mount the stove on a concrete base a month after the end of the work.

Fire safety rules during installation

Before installing a stove in your home, you need to protect the walls and floor from possible capture by fire. Special care is needed when installing metal assemblies. For protection, mastics and impregnating compounds with a fire retardant are used, as well as sheets of non-combustible insulating materials installed on the walls, ceiling and floor in places of contact with the stove. Load-bearing elements, beams and all areas adjacent to the unit are treated with chemical compounds. Impregnations are good because they do not stain materials, but mastics have better protective properties.

If the processing is carried out by the homeowners themselves, they must first obtain a certificate from the Ministry of Emergencies confirming that the installation of the stove meets the fire safety requirements.

The ceiling is protected from fire with gypsum fiber boards, treated with a putty for painting. A basalt cardboard covering is installed on the walls, and steel shielding on top. Other options are covering with a thick layer of plaster (more than 3 cm) and lining with bricks.

Self-installation of a stove in a wooden house

When the foundation is ready to place the furnace on it, you can proceed with the installation work. The finished heating equipment is installed following the manufacturer's instructions. If you decide to make the structure yourself, before starting all work, you need to think over its design and prepare a layout indicating all significant dimensions (including the firebox and blower). A step-by-step guide for installing a brick Russian stove with your own hands looks like this:

1. Prepare a two- or three-layer waterproofing lining of roofing felt or roofing material. The distance to the gas ducts must be more than 0.45 m.
2. The location of the beams is calculated so as to ensure the remoteness of the passing chimney pipe from the matrix elements between the rafters.
3. Bricks are laid out obliquely, starting from a pair of racks located opposite each other. This method ensures an even distribution of the clay mixture and prevents loosening of the joints caused by slipping. When laying, the configuration is constantly checked against the prepared layout. The construction plumb line will help to assess the evenness. The firebox chamber is laid out from the grate.

The completed structure is left alone for at least a day. Then it can be plastered or tiled.

Installing a stove in a wooden dwelling requires attention to fire safety rules. The selection of materials of construction and the installation of protective screens on the walls are of great importance.