What kind of wood to heat the sauna stove. How to heat a sauna: combining benefits with pleasure

The main indicator for firewood is their degree of thermal conductivity. When choosing firewood for a bath, this factor must be taken into account. More experienced bath attendants endow them with a special mystical power, carefully sharing recipes for kindling and maintaining the fire.

Time is moving inexorably and modern technologies and scientific knowledge come to the aid of lovers of a good steam. Thanks to this, it is possible to obtain the desired result at a lower cost.

Carrying out kindling

During the construction of the bath, different schemes for installing the firebox, the location of the dressing room, the installation of ventilation, the stacking of woodpiles, and many other important positions are selected.

In addition, what you need to know which firewood is best for a bath, it is worth having an idea of which materials are undesirable for use:

you should not take old logs that have lain for several years, as they create a bad smell in the room and form a painful atmosphere;
logs with dust do not go for kindling for two reasons: they give little heat, and also create excess ash;
knotty logs burn with poor uniformity, which sometimes presents some difficulty, since the main tree burns out first, and dense knots may not even catch fire;
insufficient amount of heat is given off by young oak.

In no case are firewood soaked with chemicals used, for example, loose sleepers, since they will be based on harmful fumes leading to poisoning.

Firewood preparation traditions

In Russia, men have always been involved in the preparation of firewood. This usually took place in the first months of spring, even before the snow began to melt. This is due to the fact that sap flow in the tree is still very slow and such firewood dries out quickly. Summer firewood had to be dried for at least a month. so that they can then be stacked in a woodpile.

On October 22, when the Orthodox celebrate the day of St. James, the keeper of the woodcutters, the preparation of firewood for the bath is finished even at the present time.

For many, the felling was of a competitive nature. Moreover, it was important not how much was cut down, but how early it was done in the morning. Whoever chopped before will be happy all year.

Sundays and holy days are taboo for felling. These days you need to rest.

Firewood for the bath is harvested exclusively for the growing moon. Only then will the bath be really healthy, useful, the logs will burn brightly and give a lot of heat. If you are busy with harvesting on a full moon, it can be very bad after bath procedures.

Right choice

The main criterion for choosing firewood is their closest location to the dwelling. It is great if there are close quality deciduous tree varieties. When choosing firewood for a bath, they choose which ones are better for the minimum amount of resins. In this case, if possible, it is undesirable to drown with conifers.

You need to keep warm in the stove as long as possible, so they try to open it less often. During such procedures, significant heat loss occurs.

Wood harvesting, as a rule, is carried out in January-February. This is due to the fact that at this time, sap flow in plants is significantly reduced. Sawed logs can be split more easily, as they retain a minimum amount of moisture.

Birch firewood

When choosing which firewood is the hottest, they often remember about birch. In most regions, it is a classic fuel for a sauna stove. In addition to the pleasant atmosphere, a healing light aroma is formed. Such logs have disinfecting properties, due to which it is customary to warm the stove with an open fire from the birch.

The approximate shelf life for them is about two years. Further, the thermal properties remain, but the healing properties decrease, since many aromatic and essential substances evaporate.

The composition contains wood tar, which supports the combustion process. Other firewood is set on fire with its splinters, and the bark can be used to light the stove.

Oak firewood

Oak logs are also highly effective. Due to this, they are sold at a higher cost, but show sufficient efficiency in this situation. Such firewood is needed much less than other types of wood.

Oak has its excellent heat-conducting qualities due to the density of the fibers. In many cases, the heat will be greater than that of birch. However, the age of the tree plays an important role here. Too old will give less heat, as well as too young wood. Oak also provides healing steam, which is able to heal even a child's body.

Alder firewood

The unique color of alder will provide not only a warm bath, but also decorate any woodshed with bright colors. It is difficult to confuse a cut of this tree with any other log. It can be aggressively red to ocher. Biologists have more than two dozen varieties with their own flowers.

A positive quality of this material is the fastest drying possible. It is customary to choose trunks that are farther from a river or pond so that the massif is not saturated with excess moisture. Such plants burn well in the firebox.

The effective use of alder firewood is about three years. During this period, they have a unique aroma that can spread throughout the entire space of the room. At the same time, there is practically no smoke from them, but there is a large heat transfer.

Alder helps to clean the pipe from soot deposits. This is due to the presence of special chemical compounds in it. It is from this material that the so-called. chimney-sweep logs, which are regularly used to clean the chimney.

Linden firewood

Its logs are kindled a little longer than other varieties. After ignition, the flame remains even and intense. It also has a healing effect, as its color and bark are used in home herbal medicine.

Using a complex of wood and color, it will be possible to create a favorable atmosphere in the steam room while the heater is warming up. This heat promotes the healing of various lesions, including skin lesions.

It is not worth collecting a lot of firewood, as its healing effect is limited. The approximate period is about two years.

Weaker firewood

These include, for example, aspen. Although it helps to clean the chimney, like an alder, it gives much less heat for heating the stove. Due to its pure smoke, it is suitable for a "black" bath. All that remains is the use in preventive pipe cleaning.

Certain species of fruit trees retain similar properties with a dense oak structure until their middle age. Older wood has less aroma and good heat dissipation. The term of its use is limited to 1-2 years after the felling.

Poplar or willow firewood is hardly suitable for harvesting in a bath. To create a good heat, you need to burn a large amount of such logs. They burn out quickly, but at the same time they have minimal characteristics in terms of heat transfer. They are often offered at a lower cost, but even that doesn't justify buying them.

How to properly preserve woodpile

Even these are woodpiles

They store firewood closer to the bathhouse, mostly under one roof. This arrangement allows for practical use so that the log is always at hand. It is not customary to heat only with sawn wood, it is necessary to let the tree dry for several weeks. You need to know that logs cut down in the winter period will dry out faster than those that were cut down in spring or summer.

VIDEO: How to properly store and prepare firewood for a bath

You can’t take a steam bath without first melting the oven. Of course, if you have an electric or gas model, then you don't need to know any special tricks for heating a bath. It is enough to read the instructions and exactly follow all the manufacturer's recommendations. It's a different matter if the stove in your bath is real - wood-burning. Not all novice bath attendants know how to properly heat a bathhouse with such a stove. Ignorant beginners spend hours heating a wood-burning stove, wondering that the temperature in the steam room does not rise above 40 degrees. Or they forget about the dampers, and then the dangerous carbon monoxide becomes a companion of the bath procedures. There is no need to make such mistakes. Let's start learning how to heat the sauna correctly!

Important ingredient # 1 - good firewood

The choice of firewood determines how quickly your sauna will heat up, what the sauna heat will be. Preference should be given to hardwood wood: hornbeam, oak, ash, maple. These rocks have the highest heat transfer, that is, they release the greatest amount of heat during combustion. The calorific value of the wood of fruit trees (apple, pear, cherry) is somewhat lower, but it also provides a good heat in the oven. Deciduous tree species have an even lower calorific value: birch, alder, etc. Despite this, it is deciduous species that are used most often, due to their availability and low cost. Coniferous firewood is the least popular for heating a sauna stove. This wood gives little heat, in addition, when burning, it forms a lot of soot, which settles in the chimney and on stones.

Another important characteristic of firewood, which is also worth paying attention to, is humidity. The smaller it is, the better the sauna will be heated. Ideally, if the moisture content of the wood does not exceed 20%. Freshly cut wood has a moisture content of 33 to 50%, so it burns poorly. To dry such wood, it is enough to let them rest for a while in a dry, well-ventilated room.

And now let's figure out what kind of wood is better not to heat the bath. Not suitable for this:

old boards and logs - due to an unpleasant smell when burning.
rotten firewood - burn poorly and form a lot of ash.
wood impregnated with chemical compounds - during combustion, releases substances hazardous to health.

Important component # 2 - oven preparation

Now that the firewood has been selected, you can think about kindling a sauna stove. First you need to prepare it - we will melt it after. Follow the instructions:

We clean the grate and ash pan (blower) from ash and coals;
We wash stones in clean water;
We determine if there is a draft (chimney patency) necessary for the release of carbon monoxide from the stove.

To do this, open the smoke damper in the chimney, the doors of the firebox and the blower. Then we bring a lighted match into the firebox and see where the flame rushes. If it is up, that is, it is drawn into the chimney, then everything is in order - there is draft. You can start kindling. Otherwise, you will have to pre-clean the chimney, since it is forbidden to heat the bath without a draft - the stove will "smoke".

Important component # 3 - correct combustion algorithm

We construct a "seed" from 4 small, approximately identical logs, chips, shavings and paper

On the grate, parallel to each other, lay out two logs at a distance of 10-15 cm. Between them is a crumpled sheet of paper, which we cover with chips or shavings. Completing the "seed" are two more logs laid out obliquely on top.

We set fire to the "seed"

With a match or a kitchen lighter, set fire to a piece of paper in the "seed". You cannot use flammable liquids to accelerate the ignition: gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, xylene, acetone, etc. If the wood is damp and does not ignite, you can use a dry alcohol tablet. We are waiting for the characteristic noise of the flame to appear in the furnace, close the firebox door and cover the blower (not completely).

Putting firewood in the oven

The "seed", of course, will not be enough to light up the furnace. Therefore, to continue burning from time to time you will have to put firewood. The first time this is done 10-15 minutes after igniting the "seed". We open the door of the firebox, level out with a poker all that remains of the "seed" and put the firewood about 2/3 of the volume of the furnace.

In the future, a new portion of firewood is laid when the old one burns out - about once every 1-1.5 hours.

We complete the heating chamber of the bath

In winter, the bath is heated for at least 5-6 hours, in summer it is faster - on average 3-4 hours. When the bath is heated to the required temperature, the furnace can be finished. We wait until the last batch of firewood burns out, open the firebox door and check if there are bluish flames above the coals - signs of carbon monoxide. If everything is in order, blew it, close the smoke damper and the firebox completely.

After all that has been done, we open the doors of the steam room and the window so that the bath is ventilated. It takes 15 minutes for the bath to be filled with fresh air. After that, we close everything except the vents. The bath should be infused for about two hours. Do not be afraid, during this time it will not have time to stand, but the heat will become soft, even, the steam will be light. Then we close the window and proceed to the bath procedures.

In order for the bath to become not only a place for ordinary washing, but also a kind of home "medical institution" where strength and health are gained, from time immemorial firewood was chosen for its heating, which has a fragrant tart aroma of wood and various resins.

What kind of firewood is better for a bath to choose so that they create just such an atmosphere in the premises, our ancestors knew well. Moreover, when preparing fuel, they never forgot various folk signs and tried to clearly follow their wisdom.

Signs and traditions associated with wood for a bath

Only men prepared firewood for the winter. The months of March-April were considered lumbering time, but only before the massive snow melt, although the best period can still be called the winter months, when sap flow has not yet begun in the trees. Firewood was also chopped in the summer, but such blanks required a longer drying time.
Traditionally, the time of harvesting firewood ended on October 22 - this is the day of the keeper of the woodcutters St. Jacob.
Firewood was collected early in the morning. It was believed that life would be richer and warmer for the one who cut down a tree earlier than others.
In some villages, they went out collectively to harvest and for the bath, filling the wood-keepers of all houses in turn, including those where there were no men.
It was impossible to procure fuel on major holidays and on Sundays, as well as after the sun went down.
In the old days, it was considered a bad omen to stack firewood on the threshold of a bathhouse or at home, as this can lead to various diseases and even death.
Firewood for the bathhouse was harvested only for the growing moon, because it was noticed that the logs cut down for the full moon quickly deteriorate and do not bring health.
For firewood, especially for a bath, it was forbidden to cut aspen and mountain ash, cherry, elderberry and wild rose, as well as trees that were hit by lightning or felled during a hurricane. It was believed that this is an unkind sign for the residents of the house where such fuel is used, so everyone tried to prepare firewood on their own so as not to bring misfortune to the house.
The woodburns were considered a place where evil spirits are found, therefore, they never went to them, as well as to the bathhouse, at night.
For newlyweds, the stove was heated with cedar and pine wood, as this wood gives a favorable aroma and vigor, and also adds health.
A fire in a sauna stove is able to predict the weather for the near future. For example, if firewood smokes, hisses and does not light up well, it means that warming will soon come. Firewood, burning with a crack, speaks of the approaching frost.

The best firewood for a sauna stove

Today, alas, few people observe old traditions and rules, but one thing remains unchanged - firewood should give a good and long heat. Therefore, they try to choose wood with a high density, but in order for it to burn quickly, lighter varieties are added to it.

In addition to the type of wood, it is necessary to pay attention to its quality, since old rotten wood is unlikely to give a fragrant spirit and a hotly heated steam room. Fumes from such wood can even be harmful to health. Therefore, only fresh, well-dried firewood that has been in the woodshed for no more than two years is chosen for the bath.

However, it must be remembered that all the aromas of the forest can be felt only if the stove is heated "in black" or the stove is heated with an open fire. Such stoves of periodic heating are characteristic of a real Russian bath and have a therapeutic effect to the maximum extent. You can read about such a device in a special article on our portal.

However, bath stoves are often designed in such a way that the stones do not come into contact with the heat from the burning wood, and the natural aromas of the wood do not get into the steam room. Therefore, in these cases, equal decoctions, tree branches with leaves or spruce branches prepared in advance are used for health improvement. From firewood in such a bath only a good heat is required to quickly heat the steam room.

And only the stove, heated by a closed fire, comes out into the washing room; you can use different types of wood with a high density of the fiber structure.

Such firewood, when burned, turns into coals, which, smoldering, give off heat for a long time. Such woods include hardwoods such as ash and oak, birch and alder, and light woods are used as an additive for quick kindling of the stove.

To make the right choice, you need to consider the characteristics of different types of wood.

Softwood for firewood

For you can use conifers, but you need to remember that they contain an increased concentration of resins, which, not completely burning, create layers of soot in the chimney.

If the stove is heated with an open fire, then the conifers, not letting smoke into the room, enrich it with the aroma of pine needles. Coniferous wood fumes are able to cleanse the respiratory organs from accumulated mucus, help in their cure, normalize the nervous system and improve the general condition of a person.

Thanks to a large number oils and resins, coniferous firewood burns out quickly enough, therefore, if you use only them for heating a bath, you will have to store this firewood in a large number... This mainly applies to pine and spruce firewood.

Other conifers, such as larch and cedar, have a denser texture and lower resin content. They burn much longer, but they ignite poorly, so they need to be fired up with dry light wood, for example, aspen or linden.

Deciduous wood for heating a bath

Such firewood is used most often for the fire, as some of them are just perfect for this process.

Birch firewood

Dry birch firewood is a traditional sauna fuel. In addition, everyone knows that birch brooms are used for the steam room. Using them in combination contributes to the creation of a favorable atmosphere in the steam room - it is the birch that gives it a light healing steam. In addition, birch firewood has a disinfecting property, therefore it is recommended to use it for heating the stove with an open fire.

Birch logs retain their useful properties for bath use for two years, after which it is also possible to heat them, but the firewood will no longer give the proper effect for healing.

Often, birch firewood is kindled with its own bark, which contains birch tar, which contributes to the intensity of combustion. Birch torches are also used to ignite dense heavy rocks. It is not for nothing that birch has become the most popular wood for a bath - having all the above properties, it also gives excellent heat transfer, surpassing many other firewood in this indicator.

Oak firewood

Oak firewood is perhaps the best of all the existing baths for heating. Although they have a high cost, but still remain enough economical. You need much less oak logs than any other wood to heat a sauna with high quality, as they burn for a long time due to their very dense fiber structure. When burning, this fuel gives a high heat transfer, which is even higher than that of birch.

When choosing oak firewood, you should pay attention to the age of the tree - too thick logs with a large number of annual rings indicate the old age of the wood, which will not give the desired effect in a bath. Young trees are not suitable for this either, so you need to choose logs of medium thickness, which will give the highest heat transfer.

The healing steam with a tart aroma emanating from a burning oak tree creates a healing and invigorating atmosphere, which is especially beneficial for the child's body.

Linden firewood

This type of ditch is also great for a bath. It takes a long time to light up a linden tree, but if the flame has gone, then this wood burns evenly and intensely, which helps to quickly and efficiently heat the sauna stove.

Linden blossom and its bark are used to treat colds and coughs, and decoctions are made from these parts of the tree with the addition of honey to create a healing steam. By using firewood, color and bark in combination, you can truly create a healthy steam room atmosphere. In addition to colds and lung diseases, linden vapor works well on lesions or skin lesions that do not heal for a long time.

However, linden cannot be harvested in large quantities, since it is recommended to store it for no more than two years - then the wood simply loses its healing effect.

Alder firewood

Alder firewood will not only heat up the hot sauna stove, but also decorate the courtyard or dressing room with its appearance. They are recognizable precisely by their cut color, which ranges from bright red to rich ocher and even blue. In total, there are 20 to 25 varieties of alder, each with its own shade.

The advantage of this wood is its quick drying and the fact that it does not require special conditions for drying. For firewood, alder trees are usually taken, which grow far from water bodies and on elevations - it is these trunks that do not have an excess of moisture and are perfect for a firebox.

Alder is stored for a limited period of time, no more than three years after the harvesting of wood. Only during this period do alder logs have that completely unique aroma that fills the steam room when the heater is heated. It was this type of wood that was previously used for a black bath, since it almost does not smoke when burning, but gives a great heat transfer.

Alder has one more remarkable quality. When burning, together with the smoke, it gives off special vapors that cleanse the rub from soot deposits.

Fragrant alder sawdust is always used, which is poured into the brazier when cooking barbecue, and is also used for smoking products.

Aspen firewood

This wood, in its properties, would seem to be close to alder, and its smoke can also carry out loosening and cleaning work in chimneys. Pure smoke from aspen has always contributed to its use for the heating of a "black" bath. However, when burning, this wood has a very low heat transfer, therefore it is rarely used for stoking even home stoves, and even more so for heating a sauna heater.

It is unprofitable to use aspen firewood for a bath - heat transfer is low

Therefore, it is mainly used only for preventive cleaning of chimney pipes and in the form of splinters for lighting firewood from heavy dense wood.

Firewood from fruit trees

The wood of some fruit species is similar in its properties to oak, but, unfortunately, it is not available in large quantities. Therefore, it is mainly used for cooking on an open fire and smoking meat and fish products.

If possible, this wood is stored for future use when cutting orchards that occupy large areas. However, it must be said that old trees, in which the decomposition process has already started, often loses its aroma and gives little heat.

Poplar and willow firewood

It is not recommended to buy firewood of these species for heating a bath, as it takes too much to reach the desired temperature in the room. They burn out quickly, have low heat transfer. The cost of poplar and willow firewood is quite low, but you should not be tempted by a low price. It will still not be possible to save money, because only a very large amount of such firewood can replace a much smaller volume of oak or alder wood. In addition, no pronounced medicinal qualities are found either.

So, such firewood can be bought only in cases where there is no alternative to them.

Prices for different types of firewood

How to properly store firewood?

It is not enough to buy - you need to know how to properly preserve them in a state suitable for bath use as long as possible. Any wood must be properly prepared before storing it, as well as the place for it.

Video: what kind of firewood can be considered "correct"

The place for bath fuel should be located in the immediate vicinity of the bath, or better - even under the same roof with it. It is recommended to do this so that the firewood is at hand during the fire.

If the tree under the wood is recently cut down, which means it is still damp, you need to give it time to dry out. The wood brought in early spring should lie in a space free for air circulation all summer long, and only closer to autumn it can be sawed and chopped into logs.
In order for dried firewood to remain in this state all the time, you need to take the following steps:

- for storage, you need to build a woodshed that would be ventilated from all sides and have a reliable wide roof;

- this building is installed in a place where water does not collect and moisture vapor does not accumulate, that is, if possible, on a hill;

- if the woodshed is not built, the poles can be folded in neat rows, but in such a way that they are well ventilated, and covered with slate or other waterproof material on top.

It should be borne in mind that winter firewood dries much faster than spring or summer firewood. For the latter, it is necessary to allow time for drying, at least eight months. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the weather conditions under which the wood will dry.

After the firewood has been dried, sawn and chopped, it should lie in the open air for a while in bulk. Then they must be folded correctly.

If the firewood is stacked on the street, it is imperative to lay trellises under it, which are long pipes, tree trunks of small diameter or bricks. They are needed so that the wood does not lie on the ground and does not absorb moisture from it.
On the sides of the future woodpile, vertical trellises from pipes are installed, which will support the laying of firewood from the sides.
If the woodpile consists of two or more vertical rows, then each subsequent row is installed with a slight slope to the previous one.
Sometimes the woods are not laid in straight rows, but in various interesting shapes, which become a decoration of the territory of the site. For example, these include such forms as "haystack" or "house", "pyramid" or "mushroom".

Video: an original way of folding a woodpile in the form of a "stack"

So that you can quickly and easily heat the stove in the bath, while getting a healing and disinfecting aromatic steam from it, you need to be very careful about the choice of firewood, prepare them well and store them correctly. And for this it is necessary at least understand a little about the specific characteristics of different types of wood.

For 2 thousand years of the existence of the baths, certain traditions of taking bath procedures have developed. And in front of them, you should prepare the logs and heat the bathhouse correctly.

If the stove is wood-burning, then its firebox is a whole science and it will be useful to learn how to properly heat the bath with wood.

The correct heating of a bath requires high-quality and dry firewood.

The type of wood will determine how quickly the bathhouse will heat up, how long the heat will stay in the stove, how much soot will be released during combustion, what kind of spirit will stand in the room.

What kind of firewood is better for a bath

Consider what kind of wood you can heat the bath with:

We'll tell you right away what kind of firewood you don't need to use. First of all, specialists do not recommend using coniferous wood... The thing is that they burn out very quickly due to the large amount of resin that is included in their composition. Because of it, a lot of soot is released during combustion. The soot clogs the smoke ducts and settles on. And the heat of such fuel is low, for the heating of a bath it is bad.

Important! It is strongly not recommended to use painted, varnished or chemically impregnated boards. When burned, they release toxic substances. Do not drown with rotten and rotten boards. They will burn out quickly, and nothing will remain in the steam room except for an unpleasant smell.

The sauna stove is not very good when using poplar and most fruit woods. But fruit trees give a good heat, and the smoke from them is not pungent, so their use is allowed. The material for the firebox made of fruit varieties of wood has one significant drawback - inaccessibility.
Most good heating with wood from hard wood... The ideal option would be oak, birch, ash... But oak and ash are valuable types of wood, which are primarily used for the manufacture of furniture. It is difficult and expensive to get them.
Sauna firebox birch logs- this is what you need. Affordable, relatively inexpensive birch logs perfectly keep heat, practically do not form harmful soot and generate the largest amount of heat during combustion. It was about the birch material for the furnace as the best for the bath that was mentioned in the story of V. Shukshin "Alyosha Beskonvoyny".

In terms of size, the logs should not be too thick or very thin.

Logs for heating a bath

Small pieces of wood will burn very quickly in the oven, leaving no heat behind. They can only be used for ignition.

Thick branches, on the contrary, will flare up for a long time, and even few will fit into the firebox.

The material for heating the sauna must be well dried; damp wood significantly impairs combustion.

Preparing the steam room for bath procedures

To start the firebox of a bath, you need to clean it up well. We do not want to say that everyone leaves a mess after themselves.

In the bath, as in the auxiliary and non-residential premises, a lot of things are left for storage, therefore, putting things in order means removing from the room all that is unnecessary and not related to bath procedures.

Check the floors of the room for wood chips left over from the firewood from the last visit to the steam room. The chips themselves do not get in the way, but they can cause injury.

Make sure there is no soap residue on the floor. Water, when it gets on the soapy place, turns it into a skating rink.

Preparing the furnace for heating

The preparatory stage is considered the most time consuming:

We clean the firebox and ash pan of the furnace from old coals and ash. It is necessary to completely clear the way for air to the combustible fuel.
Do not forget to check the presence of water in the boiler and its supply for washing. It is strictly forbidden to heat the stove without water.
Open the blower door completely. The heating of a sauna must necessarily start with good draft in the chimney.

For the correct heating of the furnace, a seed is needed:

We put birch bark or several crumpled newspapers on the grate, and on them 4-6 thin woods for kindling. It is necessary to lay firewood with gaps so that air passes freely between the material for the firebox. You can stack woodpipes in the common "well" method.
It is advisable to pour a pile of chips inside the structure of wood on the newspaper. Such a seed should flare up the first time.

Lighting up the sauna stove

Kindling the stove is also an art, and don't worry if you didn't succeed the first time, this happens often. Over time, you yourself will develop the correct combustion strategy.

Important! Never use flammable liquids for ignition. This could cause a fire!

We set fire to the paper. While it flares up, we close the door of the combustion chamber so as not to let smoke into the room.
Combustion is determined by the even sound emanating from the firebox. If there is no sound, we repeat the whole procedure again.
When the material for the furnace has flared up properly, it is necessary to slightly cover the blower and open the valve on the water boiler, while not forgetting to close the outlet to the chimney.

Putting firewood in the oven

The heating of a bath involves such an inevitable stage as throwing firewood, but here, too, not everything is so simple.

Depending on the dryness of the fuel and on its amount, the process of firing up and heating the stove takes from 5 to 15 minutes.

After this time, we open the door of the combustion chamber, level the coals on the grate with a poker and add a portion of the material for the furnace, but of the required length and thickness.

Many newcomers to the bathing business are interested in the issue of the correct heating of the bath with firewood. How well you can melt the bath depends on the correct execution of all the algorithms for kindling, the timely preparation of the stove and the correct selection of firewood. Those who do not have experience in heating a bath are recommended to use the following tips.

Preparing the stove for the firebox

Before heating the bath, it is necessary to carry out measures to prepare the stove. Preparatory measures include:

thorough cleaning of the grate and ash chamber. The grate and blower must be carefully cleaned from the remaining coals and ash;
treatment of stones with clean water;
checking the cleanliness and serviceability of the chimney.

Caution: The chimney of the stove must be completely passable to avoid the build-up of life-threatening carbon monoxide.

You can check the draft in the chimney with a candle flame. To begin with, you need to open the smoke damper in the chimney, as well as the blower and firebox doors. After that, you should bring a lighted match to the firebox. Observe the direction of the flame. So, if the flame is drawn into the chimney, then the permeability of the smoke is ensured.

If the flame does not move, there is a danger of a blockage in the chimney, which leads to a decrease in draft. In this case, the owner of the stove must ensure a preliminary cleaning of the chimney.

The better to heat the bath

Firewood is a traditional means for kindling a bath. Sometimes coal and dry manure are used. Each kindling material has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account when firing up the furnace.

Firewood

As a rule, the bathhouse is heated with branches of various shrubs and trees. If the bath is located in a suburban area, then the owner of the bath does not have any difficulties in collecting material for the firebox.

Warning: It is recommended to prepare branches for kindling in advance. The ideal time to harvest wood is January and February. In the winter season, the tree freezes through, so chopping wood becomes much easier than in summer. Wood harvested in winter is characterized by low moisture content. Such characteristics contribute to an increase in the shelf life of the material.

When picking up branches, you should pay attention to their smell. It is important to check that there are few knots on the tree.

What kind of wood to heat the bathhouse

The most common materials for heating are birch, alder, as well as some fruit trees and shrubs. When choosing types of wood for kindling, you should give preference to:

firewood from coniferous trees. Such wood gives the air in the bath a pleasant pine aroma due to the high content of essential oils. Aromatherapy helps prevent respiratory disorders, nervous diseases and general relaxation of the body.

Firewood is distinguished by uniform burning, they are able to maintain heat in the bath for a long time.

Attention: the resin in the wood has a crackling effect and small sparks are generated. Sparks can cause fire. That is why, during kindling with coniferous trees, it is necessary to protect the fire safety of the premises;

firewood from deciduous trees, which are divided into:

wood of fruit trees. Cherry, apple, pear or plum logs have a pleasant fruity aroma. They burn reasonably well and generate a lot of steam. When burning apple wood, a minimum amount of smoke is formed;
aspen wood. Aspen flares up slowly and burns quickly.

Important: The firebox with aspen logs helps to clean the chimney, since a long flame is formed without excess soot and soot. Thus, by burning aspen logs, you can clean the chimney in the oven. If you mix aspen branches with potato peelings, then the soot in the pipe will loosen even faster due to the effect of starch;

alder wood. Alder logs of a reddish-brown hue dry quickly, so they are often harvested for heating a stove in a bath. Alder is stored for a long time and retains its aroma for a long period of time. Alder firewood has a low resin content. They flare up well and keep the heat for a long time. When firing, the logs do not form a burn;
linden wood. Such firewood maintains a persistent heat, but burns slowly in the oven and burns quickly due to its low density. After the aspen is fired, some coal and ash remain. The vapor of the linden tree is believed to help boost immunity and protect against lung disease. Linden firewood should not be stored for more than 2 years;
oak wood. This firewood maintains heat well and burns for a long time. High-quality oak logs, when burned, emit fragrant steam with a tart smell;
birch wood. When burned, birch branches produce a disinfecting effect. Birch burns easily and evenly. During combustion, a large amount of tar and tar is released, which protects the room from fire.

What kind of wood should not be used

Those who know what kind of wood is better to heat the bathhouse can advise what kind of wood to avoid. So, for the firebox it is not recommended to use:

firewood that has been impregnated with chemicals or other hazardous compounds.

Warning: Wood that is soaked in chemicals can burn out fumes that are harmful to health;

rotten wood that burns poorly and, after combustion, form a large amount of ash;
old logs and logs that can give off an unpleasant odor during combustion.

Coal

Is it possible to heat a bathhouse with coal? Many people want to know who cannot harvest firewood or buy it at a high price. Bituminous coal is an economical material. When burned, it maintains a higher temperature than wood.

The negative properties of coal are high smoke content during firing. It contributes to the gradual clogging of the chimney and oven channels. That is why, when firing up the stove with coal, it is recommended to monitor the chimney passability and maintain a high draft level.

How to light the stove in a bath

The procedure for kindling a bath includes the following sequential steps:

construction of "seed", which is made from 4 small logs. You can also make it out of paper, wood chips, or wood shavings. To make a "seed", it is necessary to lay out on the grate 2 logs parallel to each other at a distance of about 10 cm. Crumpled paper is placed between the logs, which is sprinkled with shavings or chips. Place 2 more logs on top;
ignition of the "seed", which is carried out with a match or a tablet of dry alcohol.

Attention: It is strictly forbidden to use flammable liquids, for example, gasoline, kerosene or acetone to ignite the logs.

After firing up, the firebox door is closed, the blower should be left ajar;

throwing in firewood to maintain the flame. The first portion of wood is laid, 15 minutes after the ignition of the "seed", the next batch of firewood must be thrown up in an hour;