A stove in a bathhouse is a mandatory attribute, since it is responsible for heating and subsequent maintenance of temperature. At the same time, there is a whole range of factory-made brick products or structures that best meet the necessary requirements. However, drawings of homemade metal sauna stoves are especially popular, which make it possible to make a small device that is ideal for specific conditions.
Manufacturing process
To begin with, it is necessary to say that there are a number of similar products that differ in their design and operating principle. Therefore, the drawings of stoves for metal baths are different. However, they all have approximately the same principle of operation ().
Firebox
- First of all, you need to make a firebox. Everyone determines its dimensions himself, but professionals advise making it the same height for a width of 0.5 meters.
- Many drawings of a homemade metal sauna stove involve the use of some ready-made elements. These include grilles and doors. At the same time, craftsmen advise choosing these parts made specifically from metal, since cast iron products will have to be fixed in a special way.
- A typical drawing of a stove for a metal bath assumes that the firebox will consist of two sections. In the first of them, fuel is burned, and the second is needed to collect ash. Taking this into account, they are separated by a grill and made into separate doors.
- It is worth noting that the window of the ash collection sections is often used to create draft, which is necessary for combustion.
- If the drawing of a metal sauna stove involves the placement of a heater, then the upper part of the firebox is also made of a grate
Advice! To make a stove, you should use thick metal. This way the structure will not behave when heated, and it will be able to generate more heat.
Heater and water tank
- Above the firebox it is necessary to make a separate chamber with a door, which will be separated by a grille.
- Special stones will be placed in it to maintain the temperature for a long time.
- At the same time, the drawings of a metal sauna stove recommend making a closing window that can be used to supply water and create steam.
- It should be noted that ordinary stones are not suitable for such furnaces. This especially applies to material containing silicon or other inclusions.
- The top of this compartment is made with a hole for the pipe. It will remove smoke and at the same time heat the water.
- The liquid container is installed on top. At the same time, drawings of metal sauna stoves recommend that the stove pipe pass through its middle. So the water will heat up both from the chimney and from the upper surface.
- Professional craftsmen recommend installing a tap on the bottom of such a tank. In this case, you need to purchase special devices, the price of which can be high, but they will be able to work for a long time under conditions of constant temperature changes.
Special attention is paid to the lid of the container. It can be made of wood, but then you need to protect the area of contact with the chimney. At the same time, the installation instructions advise making small slits in it to allow free steam escape..
Advice! Such a structure is usually made of thick-walled pipe. This helps solve the issue of cheap materials, since such products can be found at recycling centers at similar prices.
Chimney
When creating a drawing of a stove for a metal bath, special attention is paid to the chimney, namely to the places where it will pass through the roof. The fact is that the pipes during combustion have a fairly high temperature and in order to avoid fire they need to be additionally insulated. They must also be located at a certain height in order to create constant traction.
When creating ovens with their own hands, many craftsmen advise purchasing ready-made products that are made specifically for these purposes to organize such passages. At the same time, they are quite often produced in the form of an integral complex with an outer pipe and a fungus.
You also need to think about a protective screen, the purpose of which is to prevent the impact of high temperatures on wooden walls. It is best to create them with a reflective surface to remove infrared radiation. These products are often sold ready-made and have a relatively low cost.
Conclusion
In the video presented in this article you will find additional information on this topic. Also, based on the text presented above, we can conclude that the principle of making metal stoves is quite simple. At the same time, there are a lot of different designs that have their own specific features and characteristics ().
Special attention should be paid to some factory products, which are presented in the form of doors, chimneys and grilles. They will significantly simplify the manufacturing process, which means it is worth developing drawings on their basis.
Perhaps you have already built it yourself or are just planning to do so. In this case, it is simply necessary to know how to make iron sauna stoves with your own hands. in some respects they are superior to the mentioned heaters, but it is quite difficult to find a good specialist and negotiate at a reasonable price.
We weigh the pros and cons
It is impossible to make the right choice without considering all the pitfalls. Positive sides:
- Easy to install. Usually installation comes down to choosing a location and. In some cases, the firebox is located in the rest room or dressing room, then it is necessary to provide a corresponding opening in the partition.
- Ease of maintenance and repair. It is much easier to clean such a structure than a brick one.
- Convenient installation of a water heating tank.
- Fast heating. Brick analogues may take up to 5 hours to reach the same temperature that a metal oven will reach in 1 hour.
- Availability of materials for self-assembly.
- Possibility of a creative approach. You can assemble a structure of a type that will better suit the overall interior.
The disadvantages of this design are:
- The difficulty of creating steam conditions in a real Russian bath.
- The unit itself becomes very hot, which can lead to burns.
- Fast cooling. If you plan to stay in the bathhouse for several hours, then it will need to be heated periodically.
- High fire hazard if installed incorrectly.
Note! In order to make assembly and subsequent installation easier, before starting work it would be good to prepare approximate drawings of the entire structure.
Separate foundation
Whichever option you decide to use, it is important that a separate foundation is laid for the stove. This is done in order to reduce the load on the logs, as well as to prevent the possibility of fire of the floor covering and subsequently the entire bathhouse.
Note! You can install a purchased metal stove without a foundation, but a homemade structure usually has considerable weight, so it is better to make a strong foundation for it.
The foundation must be calculated at the design stage. This is very important, because if a pile foundation is used, it is advisable to place an additional supporting element under the heater. Once the entire structure is ready, this will be impossible to do. But there is a way out of every situation and you can make a concrete support. To do this you will need the following:
- A hole 50 cm deep is dug exactly under the location of the stove. Its dimensions should exceed the length and width of the stove by 5-10 cm.
- A 10 cm layer of sand is placed on the bottom. It is compacted well and then moistened with water. After drying, the required amount is added and compacted again.
- A metal sheathing is made and laid on brick supports. If the height of the gratings is large, you will need two (more than 80 cm). You can make a concrete base up to a certain level, and cover the rest with brick.
- The boards are used to make formwork panels. It is desirable that there is no gap between the slats. If possible, it is better to use laminated plywood, then the structure will have smooth ends.
- The solution is poured inside and compacted well. It is better to do this with a vibrator to fill all the cracks and cavities.
- It is necessary to raise the foundation a few centimeters above the finished floor level.
- Waterproofing made of roofing felt or bikrost is laid on top to prevent moisture from getting into the stove and into the room.
Note! In areas where there is high soil mobility or a very unstable top layer, it is necessary to go deeper below the freezing level. Only in this case will it be possible to provide the required emphasis.
Oven made from car rims
This option is one of the easiest to make. The components you will need are 4 disks from a KamAZ truck (if you plan to install a water tank, you will need 2 more disks) and sheet metal 8 mm thick.
- Sheet metal is cut to the diameter of the disk hole. A window with a size of 20x30 cm is made in the middle. Metal rods with a diameter of 12 mm are welded every cm. They will serve as grates. Then this part is fixed to one of the ends of the rim.
- The second disk on one side is closed in exactly the same way. But it is necessary to make a hole in the lid for the chimney adapter.
- Two disks are connected to each other. It is necessary to ensure that the seam is without shells, this is necessary to ensure good traction.
- Using a grinder or plasma cutter, cut out a door for loading firewood. Its dimensions can be 20x30 cm.
- Improvised loops are made from reinforcement, which is bent with hooks and nuts. You can use ready-made solutions for welded products. The damper is installed in its place. A locking mechanism is being manufactured.
- Another disk is fixed at the bottom; it will serve as a blower. A hole of 15x30 cm is made in it. A box for collecting ash is made of the same size. It will be located just under the grate, so the burnt coals will fall into it; it will be enough to simply shake it out into a bucket.
- A disk is attached to the top, which will serve as a container for stones. Its ends do not need to be covered with plugs.
- In order to make a water tank, two wheel bases are welded together. Their ends are covered with sheet metal. Two holes are made in the middle and a sleeve is inserted into them. The internal diameter should be larger than the chimney so that it can be passed through freely.
- A ½" pipe with a tap thread is welded into the wall of the tank. It can be installed directly on the structure or brought out through a metal hose and mounted on the wall.
- To fill the liquid, you can attach another pipe to supply the hose. There is another option - a small door is made at the upper end.
Note! For steam rooms for one person, an even smaller version can be made. You will need Volga wheels for it. The principle will be exactly the same as described above.
In order to assemble this option, you will need a pipe from the material with an outer diameter of 50 cm (the length is preferably at least 70 cm), it is better if the wall thickness is 8 mm. Additionally, you need sheet metal 8 mm and round timber with a diameter of 10-12 mm.
- To make it easier to imagine the work process, you need to know that in the end the pipe will be located in a horizontal position.
- An indentation of 10-15 cm is taken from one of the edges. A cutout measuring 20x35 cm is made. A grate made from pieces of reinforcement is welded on the inside. Instead, you can purchase cast iron and make a cutout specifically for it. In this case, it will be removable, which will make cleaning the oven easier.
- A hole is made for the chimney pipe diagonally from the installed grate with an indentation of 5 cm from the edge. It is inserted and boiled well.
- The end closest to the pipe is covered with sheet material. The upper part is cut out in the shape of a circle, and the lower part remains rectangular; it will serve as a stand.
- The second end is closed in exactly the same way.
- If you plan to add firewood from the steam room itself, then it is enough to cut a window measuring 20x33 cm and secure the door according to the principle as described in the previous version. When the firebox opening should go into the rest room, then it is necessary to make an additional protrusion. To do this, the width of the partition is measured. Rectangles are cut out with a length of 20 and 33 cm, and a width of 5 cm greater than the width of the wall. They are welded around a cut hole in the end, and the door is fixed to them.
- A container with a size of 35x25x15 cm is welded under the grate. A hole measuring 25x15 cm is cut out in the sheet that covers the end of the pipe; it is necessary to install a scoop in it to collect ash. The thrust will depend on how far it is extended.
- A container of 40×20×50 cm is made from sheet material. It is welded to the back of the stove and will serve to heat water. There is a door at the top end of the tank for filling water. At the bottom there is a fitting with a ½" thread for the tap.
- In order to lay stones on top, it is necessary to prepare a structure that resembles a box without a bottom. Its dimensions are 20x40x20 cm. In this case, the end walls must follow the contour of the circle in order to lie end to end.
Note! If there are children in the family, then the entire structure can be decorated in an interesting way. For example, it can be made to look like a small train. To do this, a bumper is welded under the firebox, like a real locomotive, and round blanks for wheels are on the sides.
In this case, there will be a lot of options. You can design for specific conditions. We will look at one design that you can customize to suit your conditions.
- Blanks are cut from 8 mm sheet metal. Five are 60x40 cm in size, two more are 40x40 cm.
- One wall is attached to the bottom. It is fixed using a welding machine with several tacks. Use a metal square to adjust the angle to 90°. A back wall of 40x40 cm is attached and secured to the bottom and side wall. The angle is checked again, if everything matches, then you can weld all the seams well.
- The next step is to attach another side wall.
- On the inside, on the sides, at a height of 15 cm, two 3x3 cm corners are attached. They do not necessarily have to go through the entire length. Their purpose is a shelf for the internal partition, so it is more convenient to mount it. It is placed on stands and boiled around the entire perimeter.
- A 20×30 cutout is made in it. A ready-made grate is welded onto it or made from round reinforcement.
- The upper part of the structure is fixed and welded.
- At a distance of 5-7 cm from the rear wall, a cutout is made in the upper end for the chimney pipe. It is inserted into place and boiled around the circumference.
- The front wall is installed. It makes a 20x20 cm cutout under the door for loading logs. Below, where the compartment for collecting ash is located, a window measuring 20x10 cm is made. A scoop of the same size is made for it. It will act as a draft regulator and will also allow you to quickly clean the stove after heating.
- To organize the heater, you need to weld the sides on top. Their height will depend on how many pebbles need to be placed.
- The water tank can be welded to one of the side walls. It is manufactured according to the principle as described for the previous version.
Note! It is better that the heater does not cover the space around the pipe. The fact is that stones retain temperature well, and this increases the rate of burnout of the seams.
Proper installation of the stove indoors ensures that the desired temperature is achieved.
- If loading firewood will be carried out in the steam room itself, then the opening of the firebox should face towards the door. It is very important that there is sufficient air flow. This rule is irrelevant when the logs are thrown from the break room.
- The stove heats up to high temperatures, which can lead to damage to the finishing material; to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to protect the space around the heating device. To do this, you can lay refractory bricks around the perimeter under the jointing, this will improve the appearance and prevent overheating.
- The inside of the chimney can be made using sandwich technology (two pipes, one located inside the other, and fire-resistant insulation is laid between them). This will prevent possible burns.
- The place where the pipe passes through the ceiling or wall is additionally lined with fireproof material, and stainless steel sheets can also be fixed.
- The stove should be located as close as possible to the seat shelf, but at a sufficient distance so that you can safely move without the risk of getting burned.
Note! Be sure to install a thermometer and hourglass inside. This will allow you to control the maximum temperature and the time spent in the middle. If you don't take care of this, you can get heatstroke, the consequences of which can be very sad.
We are very interested to know how you managed to implement your project. Share your solutions, as well as links to photos, in the comments.
Video
This video shows how to make a good stove for a sauna from a pipe:
When asked how a metal stove differs from a stone stove, many answer with a smile and without the slightest hesitation - the material of manufacture. For such an answer you can give a three on the five-point knowledge assessment system. To get a higher score, familiarize yourself with the main and fundamental differences; this knowledge will be very useful to you when making a metal sauna stove with your own hands.
The stone oven is made of heavy bricks and therefore has a large mass. And all bodies with a large mass are characterized by significant inertia - they heat up for a long time and give off heat for a long time. This is not bad for a bathhouse, but only under one condition - the firebox design must ensure the maximum combustion temperature of the wood, otherwise you will have to heat the premises for a long time.
A metal stove, on the contrary, has a low mass, heats up quickly and cools down just as quickly. These features put forward fundamentally new requirements for the firebox; the wood in it must burn for as long as possible. This is the only way to keep the oven hot for a long time.
Another important requirement for the firebox is related to the characteristics of the steel. When heated to just +150°C, martensite begins to decompose, it recrystallizes and polygonizes, and the physical properties of the metal change.
Look at the table, at this temperature the metal furnace does not change color, it seems to us that everything is normal, but this is no longer the case. Low-temperature tempering occurs at metal temperatures up to +250°, steel loses its resistance to dynamic loads.
The dark brown color of the furnace indicates that the metal has heated up to a temperature of +550°C, and at these temperatures medium-temperature tempering of steel begins, martensite turns into ferrite and cementite. Crystalline transformations of a metal change its linear characteristics. Have you noticed that sheet iron does not return to its original size after strong heating and cooling? It may swell, lose linearity, etc. The appearance of the stove becomes “very original” and far from the original.
But quite often the metal stove heats up even more and turns bright red. This color appears at a heating temperature of +900°C. And this is already a high tempering, the metal becomes very soft and ductile, and the phenomena of residual deformation increase significantly. The stove may warp, and the welds may not withstand the static forces that appear. How to prevent such negative phenomena? It will not be possible to completely get rid of them, but there are ways to minimize them. They will help increase the operating time of a metal stove and improve the comfort of bathing procedures by increasing the time it takes to maintain a favorable temperature in the room.
We are confident that this knowledge will help you minimize the negative consequences of heating a metal stove too much. This can be done in two ways: special preparation of the metal and the peculiarities of the firebox design.
Preliminary metal preparation
After all the individual elements of the furnace have been cut out, first release the most heated parts. The sides and top parts and the firebox door heat up the most. Heat them in any way until red and cool slowly. After the holiday, the sheets may warp a little, this is not a big deal; use a hammer to straighten them to their original state. Check the dimensions again, if they have changed within noticeable limits, cut to the required parameters. This simple method will prevent the stove from warping during its operation.
Design features of a metal furnace firebox
Most metal stoves produce the maximum amount of heat in a minimum time, firewood burns out very quickly, and surfaces heat up to high temperatures. It is impossible to maintain a normal and stable temperature in the steam room - you have to often add firewood. The room is either too hot or too cold. Why is this happening? Such ovens in most cases have grates. Their presence is justified in stone ovens; we have already mentioned that these ovens need to be heated quickly. Strong combustion of the flame is ensured by a large amount of air entering the flame through the grate.
Grate bars are made of metal rods, sheet metal with numerous drilled holes or cast iron, differ in hole sizes, etc.
The firewood lies on the grate, the air flow is not regulated in any way; on the contrary, all measures are taken to increase draft, which automatically speeds up the combustion process. The top part of the oven heats up the most, a little less than the side, and the bottom and front heat up slightly.
Sheet steel prices
Sheet steel
This combustion mode has an extremely negative impact on both the longevity of the stove and the comfort of staying in the steam room. You have to periodically fill the fire with water; if there is not enough water, the flame will quickly flare up again; if there is too much, the combustion may stop altogether. In a word, a bath day brings a headache instead of pleasure.
What do we offer? The solution is very simple - do not make grates with a ash pit, let the firewood lie at the bottom of the stove, and not on the grate. Seal the firebox door as much as possible; you can use asbestos cord or mineral wool around the perimeter.
Make holes in the firebox door with an ordinary movable damper to regulate the amount of air supplied. One load of firewood in such a stove will burn for more than an hour; it is possible to regulate the heating temperature of the surfaces. In addition, the entire area of the stove will warm up. Due to the absence of a grate and ash pan, the work on making the stove was simplified, and the efficiency and ease of use increased.
As you can see, all the knowledge was useful to us; it can be used not only during the manufacture of a stove for a bath. We've sorted out the theory, it's time to move on to practice.
Brief description and dimensions of the metal stove
Our design will have a separate tank for heating water and a heater built into the top of the stove. The flame heats the heater from all sides, this significantly increases the efficiency of the stove. You can take arbitrary sizes, take into account the parameters of the steam room and the number of people washing at the same time. We give the dimensions of our stove as an example.
- External heater. Width 50 cm, length 50 cm, height 80 cm.
- Internal heater. Width 40 cm, length 40 cm, height 50 cm. The distance between the walls of the inner and outer heater is five centimeters around the perimeter.
- Bake. Width 50 cm, length 90 cm, height 50 cm. You can change the length of the stove, make it only for an external heater 50 cm long (then the water tank will have to be mounted on the side on stops) or increase the length to increase the volume of the tank.
- Water tank. Width 40 cm, length 50 cm, height 60 cm. The tank holds 120 liters of water, which is enough to wash three or four people. Of course, hot water needs to be diluted with cold water.
Instructions for making a metal furnace
Step 1. Prepare materials. For manufacturing you need sheet steel, the thicker the better. But this can be very expensive, we recommend using sheets with a thickness of 1.5÷2.0 mm.
Metal sheets 2 mm
Step 2. Make a sketch of the stove indicating all dimensions and parts. Count the number of parts and their total area. This will help you decide on your sheet metal needs.
Diagram - example of a sauna stove
Step 3. Transfer the dimensions to the metal, cut out all the elements of the stove. Strictly observe the angles, they should be equal to 90°, make the opposite sides as identical as possible. You need to cut metal with a cylindrical grinder, follow safety rules. The grinder is a very dangerous tool, you shouldn’t joke with it, you can end up with too serious injuries. Burrs should be removed after cutting the workpieces. Before starting welding, double-check the quantity and dimensions of all parts.
Welding the furnace
Carry out work on a level surface, free the workplace from foreign objects. Let's start with making a heater for the stove.
Step 1. Place two sidewalls on the edge at right angles and start making tacks.
Adjust the current strength; the electric arc should not overheat the metal - the seam will be uneven and fragile. Tack a few millimeters at a time; 4–5 tacks are enough for one corner. Constantly check the position of the sidewalls. After cooling, the weld seam moves the sheets to the side; align their position. Check the corners with a square. In the same way, grab the two remaining sides of the heater.
Step 2. Place the two prepared pieces together, adjust the corners if necessary and grab the opposite edges of the heater. You now have a heater box, all that remains is to make the bottom and lid.
Four connected blank sheets forming a box
Step 3. Grab the bottom and lid. When cutting blanks by hand, it is impossible to achieve ideal dimensions; there will always be deviations. This is not scary; before gripping the bottom and lid, install them in such a way that the difference in size is approximately the same on all sides. Gaps of a few millimeters will be welded without any problems. To prevent the lid from falling into the box, place one side on any stand, the main thing is that it is thin and does not disturb the desired position of the part. Make several tacks on each side of the heater; as always, pay attention to the position of the elements and, if necessary, correct deviations.
For the bottom of the internal heater, it is better to take a sheet 10 mm thick. This accounts for the main “blow” of the flame; a bottom that is too thin can burn out quite quickly and smoke will begin to flow into the steam room. When the heater frame is completely sealed, apply full seams.
Step 4. Make a door in the heater. Lay the box horizontally and mark it. You can cut a hole with a grinder or welding.
In our version, the heater consists of two parts: internal and external. The outer one should have dimensions around the perimeter larger than the inner one by about 10 centimeters for the passage of flame and smoke into the chimney. The internal heater is installed in the external one on pipes, the diameter of the pipes is arbitrary.
Step 5. Make holes in the lower part of the outer heater for the pipes, on which the inner heater will stand. If you don't have pipes, you can use metal rods or fittings. Make sure that the holes are horizontal and at the same height on both sides of the sides of the outer heater.
In the same way, grab the outer heater, stove firebox and water tank. Cut holes in the firebox for firewood. We recommend making holes in such a way that the cut parts of the sheet can be used as doors. To do this, make holes in the firebox 1 cm larger than in the heater; from this blank you can make a door for it - material is saved.
Video - Making a metal stove for a bath (part 1)
Assembly of individual furnace elements into a single structure
Step 1. Prepare four plates for welding two heaters. The dimensions of the plates in length must correspond to the dimensions of the opening of the external heater.
Step 2. In the upper part of the outer heater, cut holes for the chimney pipe. The dimensions of the hole must correspond to the pipe you have and provide the necessary draft in the firebox.
Prices for chimney pipes
chimney pipe
Step 3. Weld metal strips approximately 2 centimeters high around the perimeter of the hole in the stove under the heater; the dimensions of the opening should correspond to the dimensions of the external heater.
Weld a 45x45 m corner from the inside of the firebox; one side of the corner should go into the hole under the heater and form a square. The side of the square should be 0.5÷1 cm smaller than the size of the heater. The structure will rest on these shelves in the oven opening. To increase the sealing of the heater installation, use sheet asbestos, cut strips two centimeters wide from it and place it between the bottom of the heater and the corner stops. The detachable connection will make it easier to install the stove in the steam room. The stove structures are made of thick steel, are large in size and weight, and it is impractical to weld the heater to the stove. It is much more convenient to make it collapsible/dismountable, this will facilitate transportation and installation.
Step 4. Weld the firebox door on the hinges. Double weld all pre-made structures. It is better to lay the seam from the outside and from the inside.
Step 5. Insert the inner heater into place, it should stand on the pipes and be in a vertical position. Using prepared plates, connect the holes of the inner and outer heater. If the fastening of the internal heater is in doubt, secure it on top with pieces of metal, angles or fittings. These fasteners will be hidden; you can use any scrap metal.
The hole is closed by a door. There is an asbestos cord around the perimeter of the door, the lid is secured with bolts
Step 6. Weld the top cover of the outer heater. Cut a hole in it for the chimney pipe. Check the quality of all seams and correct any gaps if necessary.
The heater is almost ready. The only backward thing is to make a technological hole to clean out the soot falling from the pipe and think about installing the furnace. Soot will accumulate on the lid of the inner heater. Make a hole in the side of the outer wall of the heater, close it with a bolted lid, and use asbestos cord to seal it. Carefully grind all corners with a grinder and remove burrs.
We suggest installing the stove on metal legs. The height of the legs is at least 40 centimeters, asbestos must be placed below, and a metal sheet on top. These are fire safety rules.
Video - Sauna stove (stages of assembling a double heater and installing it on a welded combustion chamber)
Video – Sauna stove (final part)
We have already mentioned that each master can make his own changes and adjustments during the manufacture of the stove, taking into account his own preferences and individual characteristics of the steam room. The changes concern not only the size of the furnace, but also its design. We give some tips for possible use.
It is better to make the legs in the form of longitudinal slides - the pressure on the flooring is significantly reduced, the loads are distributed evenly over several floorboards. This is very important, the stove itself is quite heavy, and you also need to keep in mind the weight of stones and water. To make the legs, any available metal of suitable size is suitable, and for the slide, you can take a 50x50 mm square. The ends of the slide should not protrude beyond the perimeter of the stove, otherwise your legs may be injured.
You can put refractory bricks on the bottom and sides of the stove - the metal heats up less and the heat lasts longer. There are two types of firebricks: heat-conducting (heavy) and heat-insulating (light). The latter are used for laying smelting furnaces; they keep the surfaces cold, despite the enormous temperature inside. Make no mistake, do not take such materials. Fire-resistant bricks for a sauna stove must conduct heat well, pay attention to this. If you plan to lay bricks, then increase the size of the firebox by the size of the brick.
Prices for refractory bricks
fire brick
The doors of the firebox and heater can be made from plates obtained after cutting out the holes. To do this, make the cuts as even as possible; to reduce the width of the cut, use thin disks. Working with them is more difficult and longer, but in the end you will still save time - you won’t have to waste it on making individual doors. It goes without saying that metal is also saved.
The dimensions of the doors will be smaller than the dimensions of the openings by the width of the cut; the doors may “fall” inside the firebox or heater. To eliminate such situations, stops for the doors should be welded on the back side of the holes. You can use narrow strips of metal. It is advisable to weld the stops along the entire perimeter of the holes, and not at several points, this way you will increase the tightness of closing the doors.
It is better to make it from stainless steel; to weld stainless steel you need to use special electrodes. Adjust the current of the welding machine specifically for stainless steel; remember that it is more difficult to weld and requires some experience.
Prices for stainless steel tanks
stainless steel tank
If small children wash in the bathhouse, be sure to make a protective fence around the stove. It can be portable or stationary, it doesn't matter. The main thing is that the fence guarantees the safety of children.
If during operation of the stove it turns out that its power is not enough to heat the room, do not worry. The heat transfer performance of the stove can be significantly improved by increasing the effective area. Weld any metal plates on the sides and top, they will act as radiators and heat exchangers. There is another way to increase heat transfer. To do this, you will need curved pipes with a diameter of approximately 50 centimeters. Weld them to the sides of the stove, one end of the pipe should be located under the stove, and the other above it. As a result of the temperature difference, a draft will appear in the pipes; cold air is drawn in from the floor under the stove and thrown out hot above it. The stove will work on the principle of the Buleryan stove.
We recommend making an adjustable air supply on the firebox door. The easiest way is to make a blower from a pipe. You will need a piece of pipe approximately 10 centimeters long and a piece of sheet metal of the same size. Make a hole in the middle of the door to fit the diameter of the pipe. Cut a circle from sheet metal with a diameter several millimeters less than the nominal diameter of the pipe. Drill two holes in the walls of the pipe; they should lie strictly on the same line and on the axis of the pipe. The distance of the holes from the end of the pipe is at least half the diameter, otherwise the damper will not completely block the gap, which will impair the ability to adjust the amount of fresh air supply.
Insert a piece of wire rod of the appropriate diameter into the holes, bend the upper end into a handle. Weld a circle cut from sheet steel to the wire rod, fix the manufactured damper to the hole in the firebox door.
There is another way to make adjustable door openings. Drill holes with a diameter of 10÷20 mm in the lower part, the centers of the holes should lie on the same line. Weld a metal plate at the bottom and top of the holes; the distance between the plates and the door should be equal to the thickness of the valve. The plates will serve as guides for the valve. As necessary, open one or more holes when firing the stove.
These are not all the possible improvements to a metal stove; think for yourself and engage in technical creativity. This process brings real pleasure, trust the professionals.
For many centuries, the bathhouse in Russia was considered perhaps the most important attribute both in cities and in remote taiga settlements. Our ancestors loved to take a steam bath so much that even on his trip abroad to France, Peter I ordered the construction of at least a temporary bathhouse - right on the banks of the Seine. Since that time, a lot has changed in both the design and the interior of the steam room, but something remains that will not disappear over the millennia: in a real Russian bath, the heat should be soft, but quite noticeable, and the steam should be thick and enveloping.
All this directly depends on the stove chosen for the bath. Therefore, even before constructing the steam room itself, experts advise first reviewing the drawings of the sauna stoves and choosing the most optimal option.
Sauna stove connected to a water tank
Design features of sauna stoves
Sauna stoves “black” and “white”
It has long been the case that in Russian baths only “black” stoves have been used - their difference from the second type is only that they do not have a chimney. This is just a modern “white stove”, with a chimney, you can light it right during the washing process - you just need to add fuel occasionally. And it’s easy to regulate the temperature in the steam room using such a stove.
But in a more archaic version, even before the bath procedures, the stove and the whole room were well heated, the fire was extinguished, and the bath itself was thoroughly ventilated. And only after that you can steam and wash in it. And what’s interesting is that these days there are many fans of “black” sauna stoves: they say that the heat of the stove and the aroma of walls smoked with smoke are charming in their own way, and the smoke itself adds to everything destroys both mold and rot at the root. That’s why the black baths really stood for centuries.
Furnace designs for convective air distribution
Modern designs of sauna stoves have a variety of convective air distribution systems. Basically, these are special casings for effective heating of stones and relatively small heating of the outer walls of the furnace, due to which the latter is considered safer in operation.
On the other hand, the stone lining, which can simply frame the stove, or can act as a full-fledged screen for the body, perfectly combats the so-called “radiant heat” - the unpleasant infrared radiation of a red-hot metal casing. Among the domestic ones, these are mesh ovens “Sayana”, “Termofor” and “Imbolk”, the lining of which is made of soapstone.
A selection of drawings of popular designs
Due to its design, a stove for a bath has completely different drawings than traditional stoves for heating a house. It is not for nothing that they are also called heaters - they are equipped with a special pocket for heating a pile of stones, due to which such stoves heat up quickly enough and their heat capacity is high.
Drawings of brick stoves for a bath
If we talk about the material of the stove, then for a long time in Russian baths massive brickwork with clay mortar was used. And even today, many fans of steam and brooms prefer only this type of oven - after all, they are best suited for producing dry steam.
Depending on their design, sauna stoves come in grate and grateless fireboxes. The grateless type is easier to maintain and more economical, and therefore is simply ideal for careful use of firewood. But the grate firebox, with a separate ash pan, creates a fairly powerful high-temperature flame, thanks to which the air in the steam room and the stone filling heat up as quickly as necessary.
And grate stoves are simply irreplaceable for those who have only raw or freshly harvested firewood in stock, but grateless stoves are much more demanding on the quality of the available fuel.
Popular options for metal stoves
But it’s easier, of course, to buy a ready-made steel or cast iron stove, already equipped with a “heat accumulator”. And ordinary heaters are a metal lattice container with stones above the firebox and a 30-liter water-heating tank in the upper part.
Metal heater stoves are usually made from sheet iron 4-5 mm thick. Usually a water tank is also welded to them - it can be placed either around the chimney or on any side of the stove. But for backfilling the stones, a special open chamber is already being organized. By the way, such stoves can operate on absolutely any fuel.
As you can see, all the drawings have the following common elements: a box and a firebox, which is a steel box with a neck of about 60 mm, designed for a heater attachment. The firebox is made from strong high-quality steel, the thickness of which is not less than 5 mm. The set includes two valves, a blower grille and a heater grille. The heater grate must be welded from steel rods 20 mm in diameter so that the distance between them is 5 cm and they are freely installed on supports. And the vent grate must be made from 8 mm steel rods - it must also be removable.
The heater for the stove is traditionally made of steel, the thickness of which does not exceed 3 mm - it should fit freely onto the neck of the top. But the doors to the heater itself should be made from the side facing the steam room.
As for metal gas furnaces, they consist of a housing and a special thermostat, which regulates the power of the unit. In addition, they must have a device that ensures the safety of such a stove.
But for a small family bathhouse, a closed one is also quite suitable - it is very compact and quite easy to manufacture. True, its heat capacity leaves much to be desired, which, in principle, can be easily corrected by full brick cladding. An open stove differs from it only in the presence of a heater.
But in any case, metal stoves must be lined with red refractory bricks, which must be laid from the grate to the edge. Only the front side of the stove is not covered, and on the other three sides the masonry only needs to be half a brick. They should be secured with wire clamps 3 mm in diameter.
And after you choose a suitable project or drawing, study in the corresponding section of our website how to build the stove you like with your own hands.
» Metal stoves for baths
When there is an abundance of information, it is difficult to navigate and extract “rational grains”. On our website there are many articles that can help - explain, advise, and ease the pain of choice. To make the reader comfortable, we decided to arrange the section of metal furnaces in the form of a list of the most significant questions to which we have answers.
If you are interested in the content, you can always get more complete information by following the link to the detailed article.
Cast iron stoves
Cast iron is chosen not only by lovers of Russian baths. This metal is famous for its durability, although it is fragile and is susceptible to temperature changes. Taking a metal stove made of cast iron to a bathhouse means spending twenty years in its company.
Of course, there are not many manufacturers, but among them there are better and worse ones. We will help you figure out who is who in the bathhouse cast iron market. Read the article about metal stoves made of cast iron with a self-explanatory name.
Metal sauna stoves: cast iron, usually wood-burning. Of course, you can make it from cast iron, but On sale you will find exclusively wood-burning cast iron sauna stoves. By the way, there are non-bathhouses, but also made of this metal - they don’t have any heater at all. Take a closer look at the available options described in the article.
Cast iron with closed heater
Lovers of Russian baths know that they need a stove with a closed heater. And if there is no good stove maker to install a brick stove, then the best option would be a cast iron one. That is why they are looking for manufacturers of the necessary stoves.
We have collected all the available information in the review - there are all the manufacturers, models and their features available on the market.
The best cast iron
Steel wood stoves
A cast iron stove is not cheap, a steel sauna stove is much more affordable, and the choice of models is so wide that it makes your eyes wide open. If you look only at steel wood-burning ones, then even so there are still a lot of them. There is only one way out - to decide on your preferences and look for a manufacturer that best suits them.
Iron stove: the best for a Russian bath
The best wood-burning iron stoves for a bathhouse
Those who decide to buy an iron stove for a bathhouse, of course, want to know which one is better. And since firewood is still the main type of fuel in our country, then we decided first of all to orient the reader to wood stoves -.
The best iron stove for a bath
Wood-burning sauna stove “Harvia”, stainless steel
Varieties
With water tank
A few words about metal sauna stoves, wood-burning, with a water tank. A water tank is a useful device when there is no centralized hot water supply, but we’re not used to it, right? Therefore, we will choose such wood-burning metal sauna stoves, which are adapted for installing tanks. Descriptions of suitable stoves in the article
With heat exchanger
There may also be an iron sauna stove with a heat exchanger. If the owner prefers a remote tank, which will also heat the room, then it’s worth thinking about stove with heat exchanger- exactly it heats the water, which then enters the remote tank. You will find the types of designs in the article.
Stove-fireplace
Sauna stoves
Wood burning
Metal stove design for a Russian bath
Stove for a Russian bath with a closed heater
Design of a metal sauna stove for a steam room
A variety of metal stove designs are suitable for a country steam room. The main thing is that the owner knows exactly his preferences and they are taken into account in this very design.
Those who like a Russian steam room choose one lined with brick on all sides. The rest choose between top and bottom ignition, vertical and horizontal design and other nuances.
Metal stoves for baths made of pipes
One of the extremely popular solutions when making a homemade metal sauna stove is to use a large-diameter industrial pipe - usually half a meter. But don’t think that it’s just the ease of manufacture that captivates you. Heat spreads radially, so cylindrical shape is the closest approximation to the ideal. That's why metal pipe sauna stoves are an excellent solution.
Common Questions
Below are detailed answers to questions that often arise regarding metal sauna stoves.
Brick or metal stove for a bath
The ancient debate among bathhouse attendants about the merits and demerits of different types of stoves will never end. And we do not at all pretend to put the last point in it. We just want you to be informed about both the pros and cons of both options.
Briefly and to the point: advantage of a brick kiln first of all in what it gives uniform soft heat for a long time, while in a closed heater they heat up properly and give off light steam. The brick one can be recommended to lovers of Russian baths, but they should know this: it takes a long time to heat, several hours. You have to heat it skillfully, to prevent the chimney from cracking. During operation you will need constant masonry care– it can crumble due to temperature. In general, the stove is for a skilled bathhouse attendant, even if installed correctly. TO cons can be attributed high cost and rarity of good craftsmen.
The advantage of a metal stove almost exclusively in steam room heating rate. Everything else is shortcomings that can be partially smoothed out. It cools down quickly. This can be adjusted using a brick or stone casing. He will pay it off hard infrared radiation. Steel stoves are made from thin (2 mm on average) steel and have seams. If the steel is not chrome-plated, then everything burns out, rusts, and the seams burst. Not right away, of course. Cast iron ones last longer in this regard - they are cast and thicker.
How to line iron sauna stoves with bricks
Before you take up the trowel, understand What is the function of a brick casing for an iron stove in a bathhouse?- this will determine you with the shape and thickness of the masonry. After this, you need to calculate the required number of bricks. And if the base under the stove is already ready, then you can proceed with these data. Unless you want to stay a quarter of an hour to read the article. 
Metal stoves for a bath: photos of brick lining options.
Sauna stove: cast iron or steel
A little has already been said above about why a cast iron stove is better than a steel one. But here is a question of budget - those who can afford an expensive cast-iron stove can choose chrome alloy steel, which is also quite durable. And so - steel cheaper, last less than cast iron, are not afraid of mechanical and thermal damage(well, not to the same extent as cast iron).
Cast iron ones are taken by those who want to invest once and for a long time. And lovers of Russian baths also take them - they cover them with bricks and it turns out almost.
Read some of our articles about cast iron stoves to get a more complete understanding of this metal in the bathhouse (see above).
Metal bath stove: installation in a steam room
You need to think about the stove even before building a bathhouse, because there are a number of requirements related to its place in the steam room. A metal sauna stove is dangerous - anyone who would not want to burn down their own sauna understands this. We advise you to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for installing a stove in a steam room, which minimize the risk of fire, described in the article.
How to properly heat a sauna with a metal stove
Among metal furnaces there are units with two types of ignition. The most common is bottom ignition. It is used in furnaces with a grate and an ash pan.
To start kindling you need prepare a certain amount of finely chopped firewood, literally a torch, and a newspaper will also come in handy. Then follows open the damper damper and damper- this is done to create maximum draft inside the furnace. However, depending on the weather, cravings may not occur immediately. The solution to this problem is to warm up the chimney. However, you should prepare for the fact that when lighting, some of the smoke will end up inside the bathhouse. (Note that this does not happen with all stoves, although it depends on the chimney design.)
ADVICE! Warm up the chimney by burning newspaper. A few crumpled sheets are enough to get the traction going.
After they start lay the first portion of firewood. The volume of the filling is one-third or two-thirds of the volume of the combustion chamber. Not more! Needless to say, they should be dry and correspond in length to the dimensions of the firebox? It happens that the owner puts in longer firewood than the combustion chamber can accommodate, they stick out and can cause a fire at any time!
The blower door or damper is kept open until before the first coals appear. Then they cover it, but carefully watch how the colors change: what darker and redder the flame, the less oxygen there is in the firebox - the door still needs to be opened slightly again, if light, whitish flame And you can hear the hum of the stove, then the draft is clearly excessive - adjust it with the blower door and damper. The correct color of the fire in the firebox - yellow, straw color.
Second bookmark This is done only after the first one burns down to coals. The number of bookmarks depends on how warm the bath is. When the room temperature reaches the desired level, you can switch to slow burning mode. To do this, the draft is reduced, and only 1-2 logs are placed in the firebox.
IMPORTANT! Never close the gate completely. This promises not only trouble in the form of smoke entering the room, but also makes it possible carbon monoxide poisoning. However, there are gates with gaps that are physically impossible to close completely.
Wood species also matter: conifers will quickly clog your chimney, since they release a lot of resins. The best are birch logs, as well as oak, alder, and aspen. Firewood from fruit trees is also good. It is acceptable to use fuel briquettes.
ATTENTION! You cannot heat a sauna stove with coal. Do not use charcoal lighter fluid. And you shouldn't burn garbage in the oven.
Why does the iron stove smoke in the bathhouse?
If you are not the first to notice that an iron stove in a bathhouse is smoking, then first of all you should check the design for defects. This applies primarily to homemade stoves, however, factory ones can also be defective. Or the stove may simply burn out from old age and intensive use – if the firebox has lost its seal, smoke will inevitably go into the room.
The second common cause of smoke is lack of traction. Need to check the chimney– whether it needs cleaning.
It was said above that firewood should not fill the firebox more than 2/3. Otherwise, smoke may appear.
Do not forget! Combustion must not be allowed outside the furnace, that is, in the combustion tunnel. This happens when firewood is laid longer than the firebox.
It is also worth paying attention to the regularity of the appearance of smoke and the surrounding circumstances. In some cases only in windy conditions the smoke returns to the bathhouse, then the solution is simple: you need to place a protective cap (deflector) on the top of the pipe.
In other cases, the reason may be a nearby high obstacle to the wind. But it must really be close to the pipe, then smoke appears from behind it - it will help increasing the length of the pipe and installing a deflector. The problem with insufficient pipe height above the roof ridge is solved in a similar way - the minimum distance should be half a meter.
How to paint an iron stove in a bathhouse
Suitable for painting heat resistant paint, capable of withstanding heating of several hundred degrees. In addition, such dyes usually also Rust resistant.
For example, silicone enamel(KO) calmly tolerates temperature in 600 degrees or more. It is not afraid of temperature changes and has excellent adhesion to metal.
Russian " Certa» is able to survive and More than 700 degrees. And if you take black paint, then its heat resistance is even higher - it 900 degrees doesn't matter.
« Tikkurila" releases " Thermal» – durable alkyd enamel, which can also be used to paint an iron stove in a bathhouse.
But this is paint in cans. And if you want to paint with spray can, take enamel " Kudo».
In addition, there are special dyes that are designed to withstand direct fire. These can be used to cover the inside of the firebox. But they are not cheap.
***
Well, our guide to the section of metal sauna stoves is complete. If you have any questions that you haven’t found an answer to, ask them on the contact page.
