how to improve a potbelly stove in the garage

The lightweight and easy-to-use metal stove “potbelly stove”, with all its advantages, has one significant drawback: low efficiency.
To heat a room, an ordinary metal potbelly stove usually spends 50-70% of its efficiency, the rest of the heat simply flies out into the chimney.
It is clear that it is very difficult to reconcile with such a situation, but unfortunately, few stove owners take radical measures to increase the efficiency of the furnace. Although, as experience shows, with a little skill and spending a little time you can get a fairly effective stove from this gluttonous design.

Why increase efficiency?

The compact dimensions of the stove mean that the surface that heats up during operation is small. Not much heat flows outside and the room quickly cools down. Sometimes it seems that the return from the potbelly stove is weak.

To help it increase efficiency, several tasks are solved:

the duration of combustion and smoldering increases;
a sufficiently high combustion temperature is ensured;
a high level of traction is achieved.

Standard potbelly stove efficiency

Asbestos chimney size

When selecting asbestos chimney pipes, you need to be guided by the following considerations:

The use of this material is only possible for gas boilers and pyrolysis heating units, which are characterized by a low flue gas temperature. It should be taken into account that the smoke of pyrolysis furnaces is oversaturated with products that contribute to the formation of condensation, and therefore soot.
The diameter of the asbestos chimney pipe should not be less than the outlet pipe of the heating unit.
The total length of the chimney must be at least 5 meters, while the excess above the roof ridge must be at least 0.5 meters.
Significantly exceeding this indicator will also lead to undesirable consequences due to a decrease in the speed of gas movement in the pipe.
This will increase the amount of condensate formed. The effectiveness of a chimney made of any material depends on its correct installation on the roof of the house

Methods to increase efficiency

There are several ways to increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove in the garage and stop freezing. They are complex in varying degrees: from a sandbox to an updated design. All of them are produced without serious financial costs, and improvised means are used for their implementation. Let's consider each method for increasing the efficiency of a potbelly stove separately.

Changing the chimney

The efficiency of a potbelly stove is directly affected by the shape of the chimney. To ensure that heat transfer does not suffer, the pipe design must meet certain parameters.

The pipe must be vertical. Angles with an inclination of no more than 45 degrees are allowed. If conditions force you to insert 90-degree angles, then you should try to use them as little as possible.

Angle 90, replace with 45

Make the chimney higher

Brick screen around the stove

The brickwork around the device allows you to retain heat and protect yourself and others from contact with hot metal. Properly placed masonry increases heat transfer by about a quarter. When the potbelly stove is heated, the brickwork heats up. After the fuel burns, it will continue to share the collected heat. Experts advise laying bricks not close to each other, but 30 centimeters from the walls of the firebox.

To lay out the screen, you will need a couple of dozen heat-resistant bricks:

the screen is laid out on clay mortar;
the first row is laid out according to the intended markings;
in the second row, ventilation gaps are made the size of half a brick;
the brick is laid out in accordance with a pre-designed shape and size for the opening;
A steel strip is attached to the last row for additional fixation.

Improving heat transfer using fuel

A metal stove is heated in different ways: from wood to sawdust with small debris. To improve heat transfer in a potbelly stove, compressed sawdust, briquetted industrial waste and coal are used.

Compressed sawdust burns out much more slowly - one load is enough for many hours of smoldering.
Briquettes are made from wood shavings and waste. The pressed composition allows them to smolder for a long time, because they cannot flare up. Briquettes smolder evenly and for a long time, increasing the heat transfer of the potbelly stove.

Sawdust briquettes

It is also worth assessing the traction force. This can be done by looking at the color of the flame. If there is not enough air, the flame turns red and dark stripes appear; if there is too much oxygen, the flames become bright white. The draft, and with it the efficiency of the stove, is normal when the flame is golden-orange. For better traction, you can blow the potbelly stove using a conventional fan.

Sandbox

If you have no desire at all to re-equip your stove, add anything to it, or experiment with different types of fuel, there is the simplest and most economical method. A box is placed on the potbelly stove, in which two buckets of sand are placed.

Place 2 of these buckets in a box on top of the stove.

Redesign of the structure

Steel corners welded on the sides strengthen the device itself and increase the temperature of the furnace. Metal side screens are also screwed on for these purposes.

Craftsmen attach sheets of iron 6 centimeters from the walls of the firebox. This is done so that the heat energy is transferred using convection, due to which air moves between the installed plates and the body of the potbelly stove.

Install protective metal screens

To prevent the heat energy from disappearing so quickly, you can use a metal cassette. It is a cylindrical object welded from a sheet of steel. It is called a cassette because it is inserted into the combustion chamber. A little firewood is loaded into the cassette, turned over and placed in the potbelly stove so that the firewood itself gradually falls onto the heated coals and ignites. While the wood already in the firebox is burning, the remaining wood in the cassette is dried and lights up after the first layers.

Using additional coolant

The stoves are complemented with water tanks and so-called water jackets in order to use them as an additional coolant and save energy.

The water jacket is designed as follows. A U-shaped tank in which water is heated is mounted in the housing. Two pipes branch off from the tank: for supply and processing. The tank itself is fed by tapping into the pipeline.

The efficiency of a potbelly stove increases without the help of specialists and serious financial investments. To make the stove heat up better, we can resort to changing the design, additionally covering it with masonry, or simply change the type of fuel. All these methods differ in complexity, but have one thing in common - they work.

How to increase draft in a potbelly stove using a chimney

The design of a high-efficiency potbelly stove chimney should have the following features:

The chimney should be made high enough. So, the optimal distance from the furnace itself to the top of the pipe is about 5-6 m.
There should be no horizontal or inclined sections of less than 45 degrees in the pipe shape, or their number should be kept to a minimum.

An increase in the efficiency of a potbelly stove will also be facilitated by the creation of thermal insulation on the pipe, which will significantly reduce the damage from the formation of condensation.

When establishing the cross-section of the chimney, you need to choose the optimal size. If at the time of establishing the efficiency of the potbelly stove there is already a too narrow chimney, you can put a deflector on top, which will protect the structure from precipitation and increase draft.
The height of the pipe should also be affected by the level of the ridge. If the chimney is lower than it, you need to extend the pipe.

↓ Be sure to study the recommended material on the topic ↓

How to make an economical stove-stove with your own hands with increased heat transfer

Tip: The draft force in the stove is determined by the color of the flame: if there is not enough air, it is red with dark stripes, if there is too much air, it is bright white, and the chimney often makes a hum. If the color of the flame is golden-orange, then the potbelly stove’s draft is normal.

Ways to increase efficiency

Potbelly stoves are made in various shapes and sizes. But they have one drawback in common - low efficiency. More than half of the thermal energy, in the literal sense of the word, flies out into the chimney. The irrational use of heat has led to the fact that the owners of these heating devices began to think about possible changes in the design of the furnace to increase its efficiency. The solution to this problem could be a partial modernization of the potbelly stove. There was no single concept for solving this issue, and each stove owner began to solve the problem independently, by trial and error.

Increasing the efficiency of a potbelly stove means receiving additional heat from the heating device while maintaining a constant amount of burned fuel. This can be achieved in several ways:

changing the heat transfer surface,
increase in heat removal;
using more high-calorie fuel;
increasing the heat capacity of the furnace.

The potbelly stove gives off heat to the surrounding space not only with its body, but also with its metal chimney. You can increase the heat transfer surface of the device by revising its dimensions upward. This option is possible when creating a stove with your own hands. Having already made a potbelly stove, you can do it in another way. Usually a corner is welded to a chimney made of a metal pipe. Position it with its apex facing the element along its entire length. The angle is installed around the pipe. Thus, the area of the heat transfer surface can be increased by 3-4 times, depending on the size of the corner.

Another option for increasing the heat transfer surface is to make a chimney running inside a large area. For this purpose, a chimney with turns is made. They are performed in the form of smooth transitions. It is undesirable to create turns at right angles, as the potbelly stove may start to smoke. The last section of the chimney is installed vertically. A pocket is made on it with a hatch for cleaning soot.

If it is impossible to lengthen the pipe, its design is changed. Cylinders made of pipes with a diameter of 300-400 mm are welded onto the pipe coming out of the furnace body. They are connected to each other by pipe sections with a diameter no less than that of the smoke pipe. They are welded out of alignment to increase the smoke path.

Design and principle of operation

What is the difference between the Loginov Potbelly stove and other metal stoves? The point is the L-shaped blower. The ash pan door is replaced with pipes welded perpendicularly. The edge of the horizontal pipe is tightly welded, and the edge of the vertical pipe has a thread for a plug. There are holes made on the thread - by screwing the plug you can reduce the air flow, thereby regulating the combustion process.

Loginov's original potbelly stove

It is important to make a plug with a slight play, so that expansion of the metal when heated will not cause problems. A screen is welded to the sides and back on the stiffeners to increase efficiency

Without such screens, it is extremely uncomfortable to be near the stove - the temperature is too high and can cause burns. The firebox door is also threaded. A 200mm pipe serves as the firebox opening, and a plug with a handle 220mm in diameter is screwed onto this pipe.

You can see more details about Loginov’s potbelly stove in this video:

Modification

N. Pyankov’s model is distinguished by the presence of an additional combustion chamber. Unlike more complex designs of slow combustion stoves, the Pyankov potbelly stove is manufactured even faster, the model proposed by Loginov. It is enough to weld steel sheets 140-160 mm long to the back and front walls of the furnace at different distances from the top. The distance between the sheets should be 80mm. The grate is installed 80mm from the bottom. Pyankov moved Loginov’s firebox door to the top of the stove and began using it as a hob.

It will not be difficult for a good master to evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of the two drawings. If desired, you can make a new model of a potbelly stove using only these two developments, changing the rectangular shape to a round one.

An example of a homemade design (in this photo there is a modernized Pyankov stove), but there is practically no difference in the manufacturing process.

Ensuring heat removal

It is possible to increase heat removal by creating devices that promote natural and forced convection. To ensure natural air circulation, screens are made with a guide device that allows you to create a powerful convection flow and distribute it throughout the room. The guide apparatus is made in the form of curved strips of metal, welded to the screen and directing warm air not only upwards, but also to the sides. The prepared device is attached to the oven.

The heat removal device can also be made from scraps of water supply and profile pipes. The distance from the floor to the bottom edge of the elements must be at least 15-20 cm. The pipes are welded to the stove body and covered with a screen on the sides to protect against accidental contact. A traditional potbelly stove heats the air around it by 0.5-1.0 m, and the use of such a design allows you to increase not only the radius, but also the rate of temperature rise in the room. When the body of the heating device is heated above 60 °C, a stable convection draft appears in the device, the power of which increases as the temperature of the furnace increases.

Heat removal can be increased by using fans to blow over the heat transfer surface. Both household and old car fans are used. Devices with variable rotation speeds have proven themselves especially well. They allow you to regulate the temperature and heating time of the room in various oven operating modes.

For more efficient blowing of the furnace elements, special casings are installed that allow cold air to be directed to the hottest areas of the heating device, while it can be taken from various places in the room. A potbelly stove with pipes welded into the firebox for heating air has proven itself well. A multi-speed car fan installed on a common discharge manifold allows you to effectively heat the room.

The combined use of devices for artificial airflow and natural convection can significantly increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove, which means heating the room more efficiently.

The principle of a long-burning potbelly stove

There is nothing special or too abstruse about the design of such a heating device.

The design diagram is as follows:

The lid is opened at the top of the potbelly stove and the cone is installed vertically.
Sawdust is poured into the combustion chamber (to the limit). Then they need to be compacted tightly.
The installed cone can be removed, the lid can be closed and ignition can begin.
In order to light a potbelly stove, you need to pour small wood into the ash box. After this, do not close it completely so that there is a small gap for air circulation.
A draft is formed through the chimney, the sawdust begins to smolder, and the potbelly stove works.
Substances that are formed during the combustion process after leaving the firebox begin to heat the walls of the furnace and flow out through the pipe.

Thus, the room in which the potbelly stove is located receives up to 50% of the heat from the flue gas. The duration of such combustion reaches 11 hours - the result is a device with a high efficiency coefficient.

Increasing heat capacity

The heat capacity of a potbelly stove can be increased both by increasing its weight and dimensions and by using additional heated materials. In any case, it is necessary to make design changes to the heating system. One option may be to use smoke circulation inside the oven. This can be done by installing sheets of heat-resistant metal in the firebox, thereby providing additional paths for the movement of gases. At the same time, they are burned, heating the furnace to a higher temperature. But at the same time, the temperature of the exiting smoke also increases. With a short chimney, the heat is simply released into the atmosphere.

To use this heat, a heat-storing container is installed on the exhaust pipe of the potbelly stove, which can be made either from an old gas cylinder or from a large-diameter pipe. The container is filled with large stones that retain heat well. At the same time, it is loaded to approximately 2/3 of the volume. The stones are placed on the grate. Hot gases flowing through the battery heat them up and, giving off heat, go outside.

The stones are heated to a temperature of about 400 °C. After the fuel burns out in the stove, the damper on the chimney is closed and the room is heated using the heat accumulated by the stones. In this case, the stove is in a cold state. Using such a battery allows you not only to save fuel, but also to receive heat after the stove stops working.

The battery, which increases the efficiency of the furnace, can be made of brick and installed on metal supports above its surface. But such a design cannot be used with a round stove.

The calorie content of fuel depends on its type and quality. Replacing fuel with a higher-calorie fuel is expensive and requires additional storage space. As a rule, garages are heated with waste material that is easy to find. Now, knowing how to increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove, you can begin work. It should be noted that the best results are obtained with the integrated use of methods that increase the heating efficiency of the furnace.

Why is there bad draft in the furnace?

Poor or weak traction most often causes reverse traction as a consequence. The reasons may be completely different from each other. As for the main one, these are the mistakes that people made when designing the heating system. In this case, there is a possibility of improper use of building materials. Let us also consider in more detail the possible sources of the problem and what to do in such cases:

The defect may be hidden in the chimney design. The proportions between height and firebox are sometimes calculated incorrectly. And because of a low pipe, for example, the pulling often happens worse. However, if the parameter for this component was greater, then reverse thrust would not have formed.

REFERENCE

That’s why it’s so important to consider the universal size – about five meters

Don't forget about the diameter ratio. A narrow value makes it difficult to remove combustion products.
In addition, if the product is square in shape, then most likely the movement of smoke will not be as free as it would be with rounded corners.
Natural conditions also significantly influence the presence of weak traction. In rainy climates, high humidity or strong winds, the level tends to decrease.
If there are various damages or scratches or irregularities on the pipe, then there is a high probability of obstacles to attraction with a good coefficient.
Stove care. There are often cases when the user forgets about cleaning, thereby accumulating dirt - collapsed building materials.
The reason is very similar to the previous one. Only this time the clog is soot.
The ventilation process has been disrupted. Because of this, there is a shortage or no supply of air mass at all.

Eight ways to increase efficiency

The efficiency of a wood-burning stove varies between 60-80%. It all depends on its design, the length of the chimney, the materials used for its construction and the firewood used. The efficiency increases significantly when using birch and oak logs with a humidity level of 13-15%. The higher the humidity, the less heat transfer and the more resin will remain on the internal surfaces.

You can increase the heat transfer of a potbelly stove and increase the efficiency indicator in the following ways - here is a list of them:

Providing pyrolysis combustion of wood - it increases efficiency by 5-10%.
Creating smoke circulation – the main task here is to maximize heat extraction from combustion products.
Creating a natural convection system will improve the airflow of the potbelly stove, increasing heat transfer and accelerating the heating of the room.
Fan blowing - as in the case of natural convection.
Lining the potbelly stove with bricks retains heat and stabilizes the temperature.
Increasing heat transfer through an air heat exchanger is a complex but very effective method.
Increasing the length of the chimney is important if there is free space in the room.

Let's look at each method in more detail. All the modifications presented in the review can be done using the example of a simple rectangular potbelly stove.

Organization of smoke circulation

It is quite easy to increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove - you just need to improve the heat extraction. In traditional stoves, it instantly evaporates into the chimney. As a result, the efficiency remains low, and the stove heats the street. In other words, you literally throw away about 30-40% of the wood, it goes to waste. The problem is solved in a simple way - you need to retain the heat inside the potbelly stove for as long as possible. For this purpose, two smoke circulations are organized in it. They allow you to increase resistance, causing heat to escape into the walls.

This problem is best solved at the initial stage of assembling the potbelly stove. Weld two pieces of sheet iron into it, as indicated in the drawing. They form two smoke circuits. Passing through them, combustion products will give off heat to the maximum. And only after that they will go up the chimney.

Scheme of a stove-stove.

Pyrolysis combustion

Combustion products are full of heat and contain flammable elements. Afterburning them with secondary air allows you to extract additional kilocalories. To achieve this, wood is burned with limited supply of primary air. The next task is to burn out what is contained in the combustion products. Pyrolysis gases burn releasing a large amount of thermal energy. It is absorbed and emitted by the metal walls of the potbelly stove. Due to this, we will be able to increase its efficiency.

To organize pyrolysis combustion, you will need smoke circulation from the previous section. At the level of the first turn, the supply tube is welded. Secondary air is supplied through it. In its presence, the pyrolysis products are burned out - the efficiency increases by 5-10% of the initial value. On a monthly basis, this will result in savings of several tens of kilograms of firewood. Be sure to provide for a secondary supply if you have already installed smoke circulation.

Creation of a convection system (+fins)

Increasing the efficiency of a potbelly stove with your own hands involves creating a convector. Natural convection improves heat removal and ensures quick heating of the room. By installing a stove with a convector in the garage, we will get an excellent heating device. Literally 15-20 minutes after ignition, a comfortable temperature will be established in the garage. Our task is the following - we need to create a convector that sucks in air from below and exhausts it from above.

The easiest way to increase efficiency is to equip your potbelly stove with a metal screen. It is a sheet of iron that wraps the stove on the sides and back like a shirt. The distance between the body and the sheet is from 3 to 5 cm. The sheet is welded onto metal spacers - make them from thin reinforcement. The result is a fairly simple convector. The only problem is that the area of thermal energy dissipation will remain the same.

Fins will help increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove. It can be done:

From a profile rectangular pipe 20x40 mm.
Made from a U-shaped metal profile.
From a traditional round inch pipe.

We scald the back and side walls with the selected material. This will help increase the dispersion area. At the same time, we will get an effective convector.

Forced airflow

Forced convection is more effective than natural convection. And it’s not so much a matter of efficiency, but rather the speed of heating the room. For these purposes, you need to use any fan – even a household one. We place it 50-60 cm from the stove, connect it to the power supply, turn it on and enjoy the result. A powerful air flow will effectively remove heat from the surface of the stove and distribute it throughout the room. The costs are minimal - you only need an old fan with a low noise level so that it does not put pressure on your ears.

Chimney modification

Quite an interesting way to significantly increase the efficiency of a traditional potbelly stove. To do this, we take the following steps:

Take a small old gas cylinder or other metal container.
We weld metal tubes between the bottom and the lid.
We make cutouts in the side walls to suit the diameter of the chimney.
We cut the chimney and weld the resulting module into it.

Such a non-trivial solution will significantly increase the efficiency of your potbelly stove.

The result should be a design like the one in the picture below. Next, all that remains is to install a fan opposite the module, blowing air through the tubes. This step will help increase efficiency by removing the heat remaining in the combustion products.

In other words, our task is to cool the combustion products as much as possible, removing all remaining thermal energy from them.

Brickwork construction

It cannot be said that this method allows you to radically increase the efficiency of a metal potbelly stove. It provides:

Maintaining temperature when the flame goes out.
Safety of using the stove.
Creation of natural convection.
More uniform heat transfer.

Increased efficiency can be achieved in other ways. As for the brickwork, which follows the contours of the rear and side walls, it only complements other technical solutions.

Increasing the length of the chimney

Increased efficiency is achieved by increasing the total length of the chimney. Moreover, it is not the vertical part that increases, but the horizontal one. The bottom line is that combustion products will heat the metal of the chimney, which is why most of the heat will be retained indoors. The gases at the outlet of the chimney will become much colder.

When increasing the length of the chimney pipe, it is necessary to place the potbelly stove at one end of the room, and place the chimney itself at the other end. The horizontal section of the pipe will connect the chimney to the stove and ensure efficient heat removal.

An additional way to increase efficiency is to retrofit the chimney with convection pipes. This step will increase the heat transfer area and create additional convection.

Installation of reflective screen

This step will increase efficiency by 1-2%. We will not touch the stove itself, but will cover the corner in which the potbelly stove is installed with galvanized iron. Thus, we will prevent some of the heat from escaping into the walls, directing it into the heated room. Fireproof thermal insulation can be laid between the iron sheet and the wall.

Warm brick

A potbelly stove using wood, coal and other types of fuel can significantly increase its efficiency. To do this, it is enough to build a screen of baked clay bricks around it with your own hands. If you look carefully at the drawings of such a mini-building, you will see that the bricks are laid at a short distance from the walls of the stove (about 10-15 cm), and, if desired, around the chimney.

Brick screen for potbelly stove

Bricks require a foundation. Do you want the masonry to last a long time? Then fill the base one at a time to form a monolith. It is better to take concrete as the material for the foundation, which should be reinforced with steel reinforcement yourself. It is advisable to place the reinforcement layer at a distance of approximately 5 cm from the surface of the concrete pad.

Ventilation holes are made at the bottom and top of the brickwork, which will ensure air movement (heated masses will go up, cold air flows will come from below). Ventilation also prolongs the life of the metal walls of the potbelly stove, delaying the moment of their burning due to cooling by circulating air.

Bricks laid around the stove accumulate heat and then release it for a long time, warming the air in the room even after the stove goes out. In addition, brickwork additionally protects objects surrounding the stove from fire.

If desired, you can completely lay out the stove from brick. Such a structure is advantageous in that it will last for many years without additional effort on the part of the owner. However, there are also certain disadvantages. The disadvantages of this option include the following:

the process of laying out such a stove is quite labor-intensive and is suitable only for those people who have experience in masonry with their own hands;
a brick stove is quite expensive, as it requires the use of fireproof materials, including fireclay bricks and special clay for mortar.

In order to get a small potbelly stove with wood, it is enough to lay out a cone measuring 2 by 2.5 bricks, 9 bricks high. In the combustion chamber, rows 2-4 are laid out of fireclay bricks. An ordinary fired clay brick is suitable for a chimney, into which you must remember to insert a stainless steel sleeve.

Whatever the method of making a miniature stove or potbelly fireplace with your own hands, whether you make them according to a drawing or by eye, the main thing is that at the end you get an effective heating device, and in an expanded configuration also a hob for cooking. Look around for suitable materials (barrels, sheet iron, etc.) and go ahead to your own homemade stove or even a potbelly stove!

Washing machine tubs

Many have noticed that when the stove is burning, sheaves of sparks often fly out of the chimney. This means that the fuel did not burn out completely and left the working chamber, taking with it most of the thermal energy. So, one of the first ways to improve a potbelly stove is to create a working chamber where small coals will burn out and heat will be retained.

A common method of such an improvement is to install two washing machine tanks welded together, which will act as a kind of car muffler.

Materials and tools

To make this structure we will need:

first of all, two whole tubs from old washing machines,

Washing machine tubs

Instructions

To properly attach 2 tanks from a washing machine welded together, you must follow a simple guide:

First, you need to weld two washing machine tanks together so that after welding they form a single container resembling a large cylinder.
After welding, clean the weld seams and bring the single tank to a marketable condition.
The next step is to make one hole at opposite ends of the tank, the size matching the diameter of the furnace outlet pipes. Carefully clean out the holes made.
Insert the outlet pipe elbow into these holes, but so that the pipes inside the tank are at different levels, as if overlapping each other.
Seal one connection between the pipe and the tank and clean it. Make the second hole in such a way that it fits tightly around the pipe, which will be directly inserted into the potbelly stove. There is no need to weld the second hole, as it will later be useful for removing carbon deposits inside the tank.

Upgrade with washing machine tanks

This simple improvement will allow you to retain a large amount of heat, which previously simply flew away into the chimney.

How to heat a stove with raw wood: basic techniques

First you need to figure out what type of wood is suitable for heating the room. Experts say that non-coniferous wood is best suited for this purpose. Pine and spruce, when burned, release resin, which is deposited on the walls of the chimney. They also do not maintain optimal temperature.

Depending on your geographical location, you choose the timber that grows in the immediate vicinity of you. We will give a brief description of the more relevant categories of raw materials:

Pine. It has a high degree of combustion, releases a huge amount of resin, and is characterized by internal voids. When ignited, sparks fly and the log explodes into separate pieces.
Spruce. They heat it when absolutely necessary, as it brings little heat, smokes, and smolders. But it pricks easily.
Alder and aspen .
If you heat the stove with raw wood from these species, you will solve another problem at the same time. They are the only ones that clean the chimney of tar and soot.
Poplar. The cheapest wood. It does not produce much heat, burns out very quickly, and requires constant presence near the heater. You can’t heat a bathhouse to the optimal temperature.
Birch. Just like poplar, it burns quickly and has little heat transfer. In this case, a constant flow of air is required, otherwise the birch logs will smoke and not produce heat. It is better not to use wet dies from these rocks, because the released resin will quickly damage your heating system. You will have to call a specialist to clean out the clogged smoke exhaust system.
Oak. Optimal type for heating. It burns for a long time and produces a lot of heat. The only negative is that it pricks hard when dry. Therefore, it must be processed immediately after felling.
How to light a stove from an apple, pear or other fruit tree? This question is asked by owners of private houses, summer cottages and garden plots. There is no need to throw away cut logs. They provide excellent heat transfer. In addition, the room is filled with a fruity aroma, which has a beneficial effect on people’s well-being.
Linden and maple. They are convenient and easy to prepare into bars, but do not produce charcoal when burning, leaving only crumbly ash. And this affects heat transfer. These breeds require special attention from the heater owner; logs need to be added every half hour.
To heat the living space, you can use peat briquettes and pellets made from pressed sawdust. In Asian countries, dung is widely used.

Making an ash pit

An ash pan is a grate near a potbelly stove, on which fuel will subsequently be placed to heat the room.

A good ash pan provides the combustion chamber with a sufficient amount of air (that is, oxygen), and also provides good draft, thereby ensuring better combustion. In most cases, ash pans in potbelly stoves leave “much to be desired,” so upgrading the ash pan will help improve the performance of the potbelly stove.

An effective ash pit should be made of heat-resistant material and have a door, thanks to which you can avoid smoke in the room. Improving the ash pan will help turn an ordinary potbelly stove into something like a fireplace.

Instructions

Making an ash pan yourself will require certain skills from you, and the production must be in accordance with the instructions:

First you need to weld the box to the size of the potbelly stove, without the top wall and leave a rectangular cutout in the end wall. Steel is most often used in production. The dimensions must correspond to the width and length of the potbelly stove itself.
Make holes in the bottom of the stove. The diameter of the holes should be about 20 mm.
Drilling holes for the ash pan
Weld the box to the stove.
Install the door into the ash pan.

This design will give better and more uniform operation of the potbelly stove.

Rules for safe operation

Before you start lighting the stove, you should check if there is water in the oil tank. It may appear due to condensation flowing down the inner walls of the chimney. If the liquid is not removed, when it boils it will cause oil droplets to splash through the diffusion holes.

The used oil is poured through the filling opening, and then ignited using a rag soaked in kerosene, barbecue liquid, etc. The oil film ignites within 3–5 minutes, after which it is necessary to close the air damper. Usually, for normal operation of a potbelly stove, a gap of 1–2 cm wide is sufficient. The exact amount of air can be adjusted by observing how the liquid fuel behaves. As soon as it starts to boil, close the damper a little. There should be just enough air to ensure active evaporation of the oil, but not the boiling of its top layer.

It is convenient to ignite the stove using a long wick

Since a potbelly stove during mining is a fire hazardous unit, several rules should be followed during operation:

Do not shake the container with used motor oil before refilling. Remember that moisture, antifreeze and other pollutants settle in the lower part.
The oil level should not exceed ¾ of the height of the fuel chamber.
It is best to refuel the stove a few hours before ignition - this will allow the fuel to settle.
It is prohibited to add oil to the tank while the unit is operating.
To stop a fire, do not use water or powder fire extinguishers. It is best to completely close the air supply and wait a few minutes.
You should not light the oil by pouring a portion of gasoline or solvent on top, since an instantaneous flash can cause burning fuel to splash over a large area.
Before using the stove, be sure to check the draft. To do this, bring a lit match to one of the diffusion holes. The deflection of the flame into the vertical pipe indicates that ignition can begin.

Basic safety standards should not be ignored. No flammable materials or liquids are allowed near the stove. Spilled waste is immediately removed with a rag, and the oil stain is covered with sand. By the way, the box with it, as well as the carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, must be located next to the heating device.

When burned, used engine oil leaves a lot of sludge, so the potbelly stove needs to be cleaned periodically. To do this, disconnect the stove pipe and remove the upper part of the unit from the fuel tank. Carbon deposits are removed from the surfaces of parts using a scraper and a stiff brush. The non-removable upper module can be tapped with a mallet. As for the chimney, it is cleaned with the same tools that are attached to a long pole.

Making an ash pit

An ash pan is a grate near a potbelly stove, on which fuel will subsequently be placed to heat the room.

Instructions

Making an ash pan yourself will require certain skills from you, and the production must be in accordance with the instructions:

First you need to weld the box to the size of the potbelly stove, without the top wall and leave a rectangular cutout in the end wall. Steel is most often used in production. The dimensions must correspond to the width and length of the potbelly stove itself.
Make holes in the bottom of the stove.
The diameter of the holes should be about 20 mm. Drilling holes for the ash pan
Weld the box to the stove.
Install the door into the ash pan.

This design will give better and more uniform operation of the potbelly stove.

Procedure for kindling

Experienced stokers don’t have a question: how to quickly light a stove with raw wood? They elevated their work to the level of art. Because they know that wood gives off heat at a temperature of 300 to 400 degrees. And to heat rooms it is not enough to maintain a fire at 50 °C. This will only lead to smoke.

For an optimal kindling process, experts give several recommendations on how to reduce fuel consumption and increase heat:

It is preferable to prepare raw materials that are five centimeters smaller than the combustion chamber.
The size of the chopped log should be approximately the same.
It is necessary to remove all burnt ash and coals from the furnace, and clean the grates from tar and soot.
Then check for the presence of traction, first light the paper. And look at the direction of the smoke. If everything is in order, then it will go inside the firebox, and not out.
We begin to make a seed: we place two logs parallel to each other, and between them is a crumpled piece of paper. Sawdust and shavings are poured on top. Two more beams are placed on top of this structure. Next, we set it on fire with the blower open so that there is additional air supply.
When the heater begins to hum, then close the lid, but not completely.

This method is suitable for dry logs, but how to light a stove with wet wood? Stokers give their recommendations:

Chop the block lengthwise into several pieces.
If it is a birch tree, then remove the bark, as it will interfere with the kindling.
From the inside, pinch the splinters, which are not so wet.
There should be a large number of such chips. Because they will have to maintain the fire for 15-20 minutes until the firebox warms up.
Place the prepared splinters in a “hut” on the crumpled paper.
When the fire is burning properly, you can then add thin dies.
Wait another twenty minutes, then add the raw logs to the hot coals.
Cover the vent and monitor the combustion process.
Don't let the fire go out, otherwise you'll have to do it all over again. Periodically add wood to the flame.
Watch the draft so that smoke does not enter the room.

Design

In some cases, traction force can be directly related to operating conditions, for example:

The potbelly stove needs to be inspected from time to time for cracks, especially pay attention to the slabs and the perimeter of the firebox door. If cracks have formed in these places, then these places need to be covered up or completely replaced. The decrease in draft may also be due to the fact that during use, soot has accumulated inside the pipe on the walls and the clearance has become smaller.. You can even determine how well the stove is working by the color of the flame

For example, if the flame is red with dark stripes, then there is not enough air. If you often hear a hum from the chimney and the flame is bright white, then there is too much air. And if the flame has a golden-orange color, then the draft in the stove is normal

You can even tell how well a stove works by the color of the flame. For example, if the flame is red with dark stripes, then there is not enough air. If you often hear a hum from the chimney and the flame is bright white, then there is too much air. And if the flame has a golden-orange color, then the draft in the stove is normal.

Grid with stones

Modernizing a potbelly stove with a mesh with stones is quite one of the most common improvements. Almost everyone had a bath and steamed in the steam room. There you saw a set of stones that warm the air in the steam room.

The principle of this modernization method is similar. It is necessary to line the potbelly stove with stones, which continue to retain heat for a long time. It is worth remembering that you should not use galvanized material for manufacturing, since when heated, toxic fumes are released into the air.

Materials and tools

For this event we will need:

a set of good stones (you can use high-quality clay bricks), preferably of medium size, similar to those you came across in the steam room.
dense metal net, you can use a chain-link net.
if you plan to do it like an adult, then you will need fittings and a welding machine.

Instructions

Making this improvement is simple:

It is necessary to make a frame of metal mesh (or reinforcement) near the stove, which will not block access to the technological openings of the potbelly stove.
Design example
After creating this frame, it is necessary to fill the cavities between the stove and the frame as tightly as possible with prepared stones.

You can also fill the cavities between the stones with clean clay, which will also help retain heat.

Precautionary measures

It is strictly forbidden to use flammable materials and metals with low melting points to create this improvement. Also, this structure should ensure free maintenance of the potbelly stove, not block access to the firebox, to the ash pan, and not interfere with the removal and replacement of outlet pipes.

Pyrolysis boiler

Connoisseurs of high technology may be interested in pyrolysis boilers, the cost of which, although higher than usual, is not comparable in productivity to traditional systems. The owner of such a boiler saves significant amounts on firewood, since the process includes the stage of burning gas released from solid fuel. With one stack of firewood, such a boiler can operate for more than a day.

To properly heat a pyrolysis boiler, you should put a portion of wood chips and a large piece of dry paper into the scorching door, and firewood and a small amount of coal on top into the loading door. You should light a piece of paper, from which the combustion process will spread further. The door can be closed as soon as the wood chips ignite.

Conclusion

A potbelly stove is one of the most reliable and common helpers for both summer residents and owners of garages or utility rooms and change houses. Moreover, you can not only purchase it, but also make it yourself. Manufacturing does not require any complex and hard-to-find materials, as well as very specific skills.

To improve the potbelly stove, we considered several types of modifications: attaching 2 tanks from a washing machine welded together; making an ash pan; mesh with stones; increasing the number of pipe bends. These improvements will increase heat retention and improve the operation of the stove.