Cast iron is a fairly well-known material for heating stoves, dishes, and various things. Furnaces made of such material are especially relevant in the modern world.
Cast iron stoves are used not only for heating a house or a country house, but also for a bath. People who decide to use this option for heating their homes need to carefully consider the choice.
In the photo of cast iron stoves, you can see any design execution that could only be thought of. However, you won't be able to choose an option for your home based on photographs; a special approach is needed here.
In this article we will tell you a little about cast iron stoves and the features of their choice.
What are the furnaces made of cast iron
As is the case with any other types of household heating stoves, cast iron ones have some subdivision by type. We will consider the varieties of cast-iron wood-burning stoves, as they are most suitable for any living conditions.
Here are the types of wood-fired cast iron stoves:
- The cast-iron stove-potbelly stove is a classic wood-fired heating, which is most suitable for summer cottages.
- The stove is an ordinary cast-iron fireplace.
- Cast iron heating and cooking stove - it has a compartment for cooking.
- Long burning cast iron fireplace stove.
Criterias of choice
The country house only needs periodic heating, so the fireplace stove must withstand long breaks in work. In addition, it should warm up as quickly as possible and have high heat transfer. And also it is worth choosing a device that is able to work for a long time on one kindling and keep warm.
It is best to choose a device that can work not only on wood, but also on some other type of fuel. This is due to the fact that in winter it is not always possible to find dry and high-quality wood for kindling. Ideally, choose a combined design, on such models there is not only a heating surface, but also a cooking surface. So you can always warm water or cook food.
From this video you will learn the specifics of the Eurokom Baron cast iron stove:
Wood-burning cast-iron stoves for summer cottages, in which a water circuit is built in, are very popular. Such models allow you to warm water for dishes or a shower, moreover, they also warm up neighboring rooms, and not just the one in which the device is installed.
In addition, the heater should not be too bulky; it is better to give preference to compact stoves, which are simple and convenient to use. Basically, modern cast-iron heating devices intended for summer cottages meet all these requirements.
Cast iron stove-potbelly stove
The first type of cast iron stove has two chambers - the first for the accumulation of ash, that is, already processed material, the second for loading the fuel itself.
The stove is connected to the chimney using a special pipe outlet.
Combustion air enters through a special bolt, which opens slightly during heating. This type of oven has a very weak power.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages or disadvantages of wood-burning stoves are due to the design features, as well as the composition and quality of the material from which they are made. For example, metal heating models or models with a hob for long burning have a number of advantages:
- safe operation in compliance with technical requirements;
- a wide range of options that are easy to install and maintain;
- made of durable materials;
- the compactness of the models allows you to use it in summer cottages, where every square meter is registered;
- effective heat dissipation: a comfortable room temperature is set within half an hour;
- economical fuel consumption;
- a minimum of waste is generated during work;
- combined use: you can choose a multifunctional heating and cooking model;
- suitable for any interior.
It is impossible to remain silent about the disadvantages of heating wood-burning brick stoves:
- for high heat transfer, you will have to use dry firewood from deciduous trees - birch, oak, alder;
- a good brick oven takes up a lot of space, and a small one cannot cope with heating the room;
- brick ovens heat well with constant use, with occasional work they quickly fail; for irregular or seasonal use, it is better to choose metal;
- require constant attention during maintenance to prevent fire or carbon monoxide formation.
No matter how charming an open fire may have, the practicality and economy of closed models of wood-burning long-burning heaters is their indisputable advantage over brick stoves. Therefore, they are chosen by the owners of summer residents.
Long burning ovens
But long-burning stoves are the most rational version of a cast-iron heating unit.
In their system there is a special compartment for the afterburning of gases separated during the combustion of wood. This helps to keep warm for much longer and thus saves fuel.
Why does the Russian stove in the country house not work
When they talk about a brick wood stove for heating a summer cottage, they usually mean a classic Russian stove. This is a unique structure, capable of keeping warm for more than a day with one bookmark of firewood weighing 10-15 kg. It warms, feeds, heals, airs the house, it is almost impossible to get poisoned with carbon monoxide with it. There are special niches - pechuras - in which medicinal herbs are dried in summer and clothes and shoes in winter. Firewood for kindling is stored in a baking oven, where they remain dry in any weather.
Food is cooked in a Russian oven without direct contact with fire. The unique taste of Russian cuisine is obtained due to prolonged simmering under the influence of thermal infrared radiation from the walls of a heated furnace. With this method, harmful decomposition products are not formed in the products. The temperature mode for cooking various dishes is regulated using a long grip. Moving cast-iron or clay pots closer to the mouth or deeper into the furnace, the hostess changes the heating force in the range of 150-350 ° C.
Contrary to popular belief, the Russian stove is not picky. She perfectly "eats" everything that burns: straw, brushwood, sawdust, peat, coal. However, the type of fuel affects the duration of the heat and the taste of the food. For example, for making bread, only high-quality firewood with dense wood is used, such as: birch, elm, oak, maple, aspen.
It's hard to imagine, but only 200 years ago, wood-burning stoves were the only way to heat poor huts or royal chambers. “The submerged furnace crackles with a merry crack. It's nice to think by the couch, ”wrote Pushkin. All good things come back. Experienced stove-makers are in great demand these days. The owners, as soon as possible, invite specialists to build a wood-burning stove in a country house or lay out a simple heating and cooking structure on their own, using video instructions or ordering diagrams containing detailed drawings of the masonry of each horizontal row of the stove.
A Russian stove with a stove bench or beds is ideal for heating a country house in which people live all year round.In continuous operation, a wood-burning stove can work for decades only by increasing heat transfer.
However, if you leave a brick oven unheated for just one winter, it is quite difficult to restore its performance. The material from which the heating device is made absorbs moisture from the air. Drying carefully with small bundles of straw or brushwood to prevent cracking after long periods of inactivity is a complex procedure that can take one to two weeks.
For a summer resident who dropped by to relax on the weekend, this is not suitable. For this reason, the Russian, like other brick stoves, is usually not built in summer cottages intended for seasonal living.
Mini stove
Thanks to high technologies, the internal structure of the crucible of the Russian stove was reproduced in a mini version. The portable wood-fired hob for baking bread or pizza fits easily into the machine. It can be installed in a gazebo in the country, in the courtyard of a country house, or you can take it with you to a picnic to cook delicious food. The only drawback of the mini oven is its high price.
What are good and not so good ovens
Each item has its own advantages and disadvantages. In some ways, cast iron stoves are much better than other options, but in some ways worse. In order to understand whether to make a choice in favor of such a design, you need to figure it out specifically.
Cast iron keeps heat for quite a long time even after the stove goes out, so it is possible to keep the heat away from home for a while. In addition, savings occur, this is especially noticeable in long-burning cast iron stoves.
The second plus is a long service life, which on average for cast iron products is from 40 years.
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Under the influence of mixed types of ash, this version of the furnace systems does not collapse like any other metal.
The appearance of such stoves is very original and will always fit into the interior of a country house.
As for the shortcomings, their cast iron plates are also not without. The biggest drawback is the high price for cast iron heating stoves.
In addition, it should be noted that in addition to the long cooling, the walls of the unit heat up for a very long time. Another point is the large weight of cast iron, which is obtained due to the thick walls.
Types of wood stoves
Of the wide variety of wood-burning stoves, the most famous can be distinguished:
- Traditional brick stoves: Russian, Dutch, Swedish - reliable, practical designs with a winding chimney and a high chimney, known for hundreds of years. They heat up for a long time, but cool down even longer. As a rule, the cooking function with the heating function is combined in one device. Unfortunately, now there are few craftsmen who are able to lay an energy-efficient wood-burning stove out of bricks. They fail quickly without regular maintenance.
- Iron or cast iron wood stoves are divided into two groups in terms of functionality: heating or heating with a hob. Due to their small size, light weight, quick warming up, they are popular among summer residents or owners in private houses. They are used as a main or additional heater. Suitable for seasonal work. The disadvantages include the fact that they cool quickly and require large amounts of firewood.
- Fireplaces or combined wood-burning fireplaces with chimney. They are made of various materials: stone, brick, metal.A distinctive feature is the open firebox, which allows you to admire the dancing flame on the wood. This is a dangerous pastime in a wooden country house. Modernized heating devices equipped with glass doors made of heat-resistant glass or ceramics, which can withstand temperatures up to 750 degrees, help to avoid a fire. However, a classic fireplace does not cope well with the function of heating the room. On cold winter nights, you want warmth not only in front of the hearth, but also in the most remote corners of the house.
- Engineering heating devices that use wood in conjunction with additional sources or accumulators of heat, developed by scientists or practitioners of stove-makers. These include wood-burning stoves with an integrated water circuit, gas generator or air duct. As a rule, they have small dimensions and high efficiency. The heat dissipation of some models exceeds 80%.
How to choose a stove for a summer residence
Convector options are considered the most convenient stoves for giving cast iron. However, choosing one oven from the huge range of convection ovens is as difficult as the others.
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To make the right choice, you need to define several different parameters.
The most important thing is to determine the power of the heater. The power of the heater is always indicated on it and the size of the room to be heated.
In addition, you need to pay attention to the size and purpose of the oven.
Another selection rule is the definition of additional functions that the stove should have. For example, the presence of an oven or hob. Thus, the choice of a cast iron stove for home or summer cottages is not at all difficult.
Instrument characteristics
In a dwelling that has not been heated for a long time, dampness and high humidity prevail, and they, in turn, negatively affect any metal devices, so the latter wear out much faster. Cast iron products are very resistant to condensation, so they are not afraid of corrosion. Cast-iron stoves for giving wood-fired cottages will be the ideal choice, they have increased wear resistance and durability.
In such ovens, there are also disadvantages, for example. room heating speed
Condensation, which appears on the walls of the furnace, in the chimney during melting, mixes with volatile substances of the smoke and settles on the parts of the metal device, gradually destroying them. Cast iron fuel chambers are not harmed by this effect. The only problem that the summer resident faces is that the surface is rather difficult to clean from the resulting plaque.
But as for the heating rate, cast iron appliances are inferior to metal heating structures. The fact is that the thick walls do not allow the stove to warm up quickly. Although this cannot be called a minus, since they cool down much longer, respectively, and their heat transfer is longer than that of steel devices.
In addition, there is a wide selection of cast iron wood stoves for the home, which are compact and presentable. Almost all modern models have additional lighting, water tanks and a hob.
Cast iron stove Lava "Ferlux Lawa":
Safe use rules
For the correct operation of a cast iron stove it is necessary to fulfill the conditions:
- Heat-resistant podium additionally protects the floor from the pressure of massive equipment.
- It is desirable to perform wall cladding with ceramic tiles in the place where the device will be installed, or use other non-flammable material.
- The chimney must be closed from above with a protective coverso that dry foliage does not get into it.
With proper care and operation, a cast iron stove will become a highly efficient and durable heating system for a country house.
