How to make a stove from a 200-liter barrel with your own hands

Here you will learn:

• Advantages of a barrel stove
• Assembly sequence
• Modernization of the design
• Interesting potbelly stove with stonework

An old 200 liter metal barrel is an excellent material for making a simple potbelly stove. The resulting stove is suitable for heating any non-residential premises, from garages to outbuildings. A 200-liter barrel stove has a simple design and does not cause any difficulties even for novice craftsmen. Let's look at the features of this simple heater and discuss the assembly instructions.

Types of designs

Many designs of potbelly stoves for the garage have been invented, so choosing the appropriate option based on the available material is not difficult.
The drawing is drawn up independently, taking into account the characteristics of the room, or taken ready-made from the Internet. The structure, depending on the size of the garage, is made horizontal or vertical. A classic potbelly stove is made from sheet iron. The easiest way to make a stove is from an iron barrel, but the service life of the structure is short, since the thin walls quickly burn out. The option made from a gas cylinder or pipe will last much longer due to the greater thickness of the metal. Simple structures for garages are made from old rims and iron cans.

Choosing a quality barrel

To make a potbelly stove, you can use any steel barrel used in the petrochemical, paint and varnish, chemical, and metallurgical industries for storing and transporting technical products:

• bulk - oils, solvents, paints, diesel fuel, sodium liquid glass;
• pasty - thick lubricants, bitumen;
• bulk - caustic soda, various plasticizers.

They are produced in two types - with an open and closed top; they also differ in the thickness of the bottom, lid and shell.

Any of these containers can be used as a potbelly stove if you first thoroughly clean and rinse its inner surface. However, the thinner the walls of the container, the faster they will burn out and the stove will fail. Therefore, for a potbelly stove you need to choose a product with a metal thickness of more than 2 mm.

Expert opinion

Nikolay Davydov

Stove maker with 15 years of experience

Well, the best option is a stainless steel barrel. High-alloy stainless steel is most resistant to high temperatures in the fuel combustion zone, which means a stove made from it will serve for a longer period.

Types of stoves depending on location: vertical model

Depending on the plane in which the metal tank will be located, there are two types of homemade potbelly stoves: vertical and horizontal. Each of these types of heating devices has its own advantages and disadvantages.

A vertical barrel stove is installed not on the floor, but on legs. To make the door, you will need to cut out the side of the tank and provide it with hinges

It is important to remember that the hinges must be fixed to the barrel and the door not from the inside, but from the outside.

A mandatory element of this design is a perforated metal plate, which is called a grate. To fix such a grille, you can use ordinary corners. In order to make a blower, you will need to prepare a metal pipe with a gate valve. The thickness of the metal walls must be sufficient, otherwise the structure will quickly burn out.

A vertical barrel stove is always installed not on the floor, but on legs

The damper for a long-burning wood stove, located in a vertical plane, is fixed with special bolts. When igniting fuel inside the tank, open the blower as far as possible.

A hole in the shape of a circle must be made in the upper part of the canister. It will be needed to connect a chimney structure to a homemade stove. The pipe is joined to a metal surface using welding equipment.

The function of the grate is to protect the bottom of the canister from burning out, as well as to retain thermal energy. Thus, this element is necessary when installing a homemade long-burning stove.

Before starting assembly, it is recommended to draw up an individual drawing of the device. It should be as detailed as possible, contain a drawing of the future unit and its individual components, and also indicate their dimensions.

To make the door, you will need to cut out the side of the tank and provide it with hinges

Design features are determined depending on the purpose of the device and the place where it will be located. If you wish, you can download a ready-made drawing of a potbelly stove on the Internet. However, in this case it is necessary not to make a mistake with its volume.

The vertical version of a homemade heating device is easy to assemble. You can find application for such a unit both in a private home and in the country. The firewood used to light a heating device of this type is selected depending on the dimensions of the firebox.

Barrel stove: features of the horizontal model

From a barrel with a volume of 200 liters, you can also make a heating device located in a horizontal plane. In this case, it is also necessary to prepare a supporting structure. Its height is calculated taking into account individual operational characteristics. When choosing this indicator, first of all you need to focus on the dimensions of the room in which the homemade heating device will be installed.

In the drawing of the furnace, you need to take into account the features of its location. The assembly of such a structure occurs in almost the same way as in the case of a vertical heating device. Let's take a closer look at the process of making a potbelly stove from a metal canister yourself.

From a 200 liter barrel, you can make a heating device located in a horizontal plane

A hole must be made in the bottom of the tank, which will be used to remove ash. At the same time, you need to understand that its parameters should not be too large. Next you will need to make an ash pan. The material used for this element is a regular metal sheet of appropriate thickness. Then it should be docked with the bottom of the heating device. For this purpose it is customary to use welding equipment.

When arranging the ash pan, it is necessary to provide an inspection window through which this compartment will be cleaned. Next, the chimney structure is installed. In this case, there are two common options for locating the pipe - on the back wall or in the upper part.

A long-burning potbelly stove, located in a horizontal plane, can be used not only for heating garages, basements and outbuildings, but also for cooking. For this purpose it is equipped with a special hob. This device is mobile, so it can be taken out into nature.

A 200 liter barrel is installed horizontally on the surface, in a lying position

Design features and operating principle

Those who want to build a potbelly stove with their own hands should first understand the features of its design. This is a very simple stove in appearance, but despite its simplicity it is quite effective in heating rooms.

The main highlight of the device is the pipe, or rather its diameter. Therefore, during manufacturing, it should be remembered that the throughput of the chimney pipe should be lower than the productivity of the firebox for the formation of flue gases. It is necessary that gas distribution be ensured by accurately calculating the pipe diameter. For example, if the volume of the firebox is 40 liters, the diameter of the chimney should be made equal to 106 mm.

Device design

Hot gases cool down too quickly, so it was invented to burn the fuel in partial pyrolysis mode. The secret lies in the presence of a metal screen on three sides - at the back and on the sides of the structure. These plates should be located at a distance of 50 mm from the furnace body in order to reflect back 50% of the IR radiation. This makes it possible to achieve the desired temperature inside the firebox and reduce the risk of fire in the enclosing structures, as well as avoid burns when operating the stove.

A potbelly stove burning dry wood or coal emits a lot of heat at the beginning of combustion

Therefore, even if you heat the stove little by little, it will fly out into the chimney, which means that when creating a structure with your own hands, you should pay great attention to convection. It is necessary not only to prevent the warm air from going in different directions, but also to hold it near the stove. The bottom of the stove heats up moderately compared to the walls, but also radiates heat downwards

This does not reduce the performance of the potbelly stove, but you should think about safety - avoiding a fire, especially if the stove is installed on a wooden floor. In this regard, it should be placed on a metal sheet with a 350 mm offset along the contour of the structure. The sheet is laid on a layer of asbestos or other non-combustible material. This will further increase the efficiency of the stove.

The bottom of the stove heats up moderately compared to the walls, but also radiates heat downwards. This does not reduce the performance of the potbelly stove, but you should think about safety - avoiding a fire, especially if the stove is installed on a wooden floor. In this regard, it should be placed on a metal sheet with a 350 mm offset along the contour of the structure. The sheet is laid on a layer of asbestos or other non-combustible material. This will further increase the efficiency of the stove.

Chimney

Chimney installation

Another important element in the design of such a stove is the chimney. It must be constructed as follows: a vertical part with a height of at least 1.2 meters is installed. In this case, it is advisable to wrap it with heat-insulating material, for example, basalt cardboard.

The next part of the chimney is the hog, which is a horizontal or slightly inclined pipe of the same diameter. It is in this compartment that the remaining flue gases burn out, and from here up to a quarter of all heat is released into the room. The length of the hog is at least 2.5 meters, and ideally 4.5 meters.

According to injury safety requirements, there must be at least 2.2 meters from the bottom of the hog to the floor covering so that a tall person does not touch his head on a hot pipe. It is advisable to surround the device with a special protective fence in the form of a metal mesh or cylinder.

Chimney construction process

The complexity of the process of constructing a chimney for a potbelly stove in a country house directly depends on the location of the stove in the room. For example, bringing a pipe out through a window is much easier than making a hole for a chimney in the roof. In this regard, before installing a potbelly stove, you should take into account the design features of the building.

Safety rules and structural measurements

If you plan to install the stove outdoors, then installing a chimney will not cause much difficulty, the main thing is to choose a suitable location

It is important to remember that the stove structure should be located away from flammable objects and active recreation areas

Constructing a chimney indoors will require knowledge of safety rules that will help avoid fire. The material from which the pipe is made must have increased heat resistance and can easily withstand temperatures above 1 thousand degrees. If you plan to install a potbelly stove near walls lined with clapboard or plastic, then the part of the wall located in close proximity to the stove is sheathed with fireproof material.

Don't forget to decide on the pipe size

The hole through which the chimney will enter the ceiling must also be decorated with non-combustible materials, since the entire structure becomes very hot when the stove is operating. For these purposes, a special glass is used to prevent contact of the hot pipe with the edges of the hole. If there is more than one potbelly stove installed in a building, then a separate smoke exhaust system is made for each of them.

After calculating the diameter of the pipe for the potbelly stove, you will need to calculate the total length of the pipeline, but first you need to accurately determine the location of the stove in the room. Then determine the specific location where the chimney will be vented outside. When measuring the length of the pipeline outdoors, you need to take into account that the height of the pipe above the ridge should be 1.3-1.7 meters.

It is more difficult to carry out installation work indoors

Installation of all system elements

Installing a stove installed outdoors is not difficult. To assemble the system, you will need a pipe of the required diameter, which is placed on the pipe extending from the potbelly stove. The pipe must be put on the pipe, and not inserted into it. Otherwise, smoke will leak out at the junction of the nodes. The procedure for installing a smoke exhaust system in a room is much more complicated and consists of several stages:

• the pipe section is securely attached to the furnace pipe;
• the pipeline is extended using connecting elbows;
• the smoke exhaust is passed through a passage glass and discharged onto the roof or behind the wall;
• all connecting nodes are securely fixed.

A section of pipeline located outdoors must be insulated with heat-resistant material. During operation of the potbelly stove, condensation inevitably accumulates on it. To get rid of the condensate accumulated in the system, a tee is installed on the outer section of the pipeline, equipped with a faucet for discharging liquid. In the place where the horizontal and vertical pipelines connect, an inspection window is made to make cleaning the chimney easier.

The final stage is checking the functionality of the smoke exhaust system. If you managed to properly make a chimney for a potbelly stove, then after igniting the stove the necessary draft will be created and the smoke will quickly be discharged outside. During the combustion process, you need to ensure that smoke does not leak into the joints of the nodes. If a smoke leak is detected, the connections must be sealed using heat-resistant sealant.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any equipment, the Bubafonya stove has both positive and negative sides. Among the advantages, the following are noted:

• long burning period;
• uncomplicated operating conditions;
• simplicity of design;
• low cost of fuel raw materials;
• cheap components;
• availability of self-installation of equipment, provided that you have skills in working with a welding machine;
• easy transportation due to small size and weight.

The disadvantages include the following:

1. Difficulties in maintenance: it is inconvenient to clean the bottom of the tank and remove combustion products, namely soot and ash.
2. The appearance of condensation on the pipe walls, which leads to a decrease in efficiency.
3. The classic version of the stove is characterized by insufficient heat accumulation. To correct this point, you should construct an additional water jacket, cover the stove with heat-insulating material, or make brickwork.
4. Heating the bottom of the fuel tank requires placing non-combustible material underneath it or constructing a small foundation.
5. The need for ventilation in the room.

How a stove can be used in a garden plot made from a barrel with your own hands

The furnace is fired up as follows:

• Dry solid fuel is tightly packed into an empty cylinder to such a height that the upper plane of the piston is below the lower boundary of the chimney opening. Do not add wet wood, which can slow down the movement of the piston during the combustion process.
• Place wood chips, a rag or paper sprinkled with diesel fuel or kerosene on top, close the lid with the piston.
• Open the valve completely, set fire to the rolled paper and throw it into the pipe. When the wood burns well, close the damper, setting the minimum gap for air flow.

Cooking shish kebab on a homemade stove

On a homestead, a stove made from a 200-liter barrel can be used to heat greenhouses, light a bathhouse, or burn garbage.

Rules for starting a furnace during development

The furnace is started as follows:

• The waste is poured into the filler hole in the amount of 2/3 of the tank volume.
• To make the stove start faster, you can splash a little gasoline.
• A wick twisted from oiled paper is ignited and inserted through the filler hole into the firebox - the tank.
• The damper is installed so that the filler hole gap is no more than 10-15 mm.
• A few minutes later, after the burnout flares up, the stove will return to operating mode.
• The damper regulates the draft.

Ready-to-use oven

As can be seen from the figure, heating occurs in the upper part of the stove, where the thermal chamber is located. The secondary air entering through the openings of the afterburning chamber, connecting with waste vapors, burns at a very high temperature. Pyrolysis system in action.

You can improve this stove by connecting a water or air circuit to the heat tank. Of course, using such a stove at home is not entirely convenient, but it is ideal for heating utility rooms.

Burning area and savings

What else is worth noting is that fuel consumption in such garage furnaces directly depends on the combustion area of ​​the waste. The larger the area, the greater the consumption.

A fuel tank that is too high also does not contribute to the good operation of a long-burning stove. At a certain point, when a large amount of fuel burns out, draft may be disrupted in a stove with a high firebox.

Therefore, proportions must be respected. The most optimal would be if the height of the fuel tank is 100-150 mm. Of course, you will have to add fuel to the tank more often, but stable operation of the stove will be ensured.

Construction of a pyrolysis bath

Such a pyrolysis stove for a bath can be an ideal option in places where there is a problem with wood fuel.

The upper part is heated to a temperature of 800-900°C, which is a good option for installing a heater and heating water for a bath.

A homemade pyrolysis stove for a bath can be even simpler. Its installation will require a minimum of materials and labor.

The picture shows a diagram of the Bubafonya pyrolysis stove, which is also suitable for a bathhouse. To operate, this stove can use wood waste - sawdust, wood chips.

The structure of this furnace couldn’t be simpler, but nevertheless it is a real pyrolysis furnace.

Scheme of a waste pyrolysis furnace

It is made from a regular 200-liter barrel and consists of four main parts:

• housings (200 liter barrels, you can make a stove from a gas cylinder);
• covers;
• piston;
• chimney.

Furnace before loading fuel

Furnace before loading fuel

If you decide to make the stove from a gas cylinder, then you need to choose the option from a single piece of metal. The use of a gas cylinder made of composite materials is prohibited. The option of a small gas cylinder will not work either, since its dimensions will not be enough. However, the use of a gas cylinder with a capacity of 27 liters will allow you to create a stove of low power (up to 7 kW), which is suitable only for a very small bathhouse.

• The lid of the barrel (or gas cylinder) is cut off, and the chimney is welded as shown in the figure. Unlike the previous stove, the use of horizontal sections in the chimney is allowed here.
• It is necessary to install a damper inside the chimney, with which you can regulate the draft.
• Next, the furnace lid is made. It should fit loosely on the barrel. There is a hole in the middle of the cover for the piston.
• The piston is made from a piece of pipe with a length exceeding the height of the barrel by 100-150 mm. A circle made of 3-5 mm metal is welded to the base of the pipe. The thicker it is, the longer it will last.
• But if you don't have thick metal, any will do. Just be prepared for the fact that when one burns out, you can install another.
• On the reverse side, ribs are welded onto the piston; they can be made from pieces of reinforcement with a diameter of 10-12 mm. That's it, the oven is ready.

Can stove

A can or barrel is often used as a furnace container. The idea is quite popular because it requires almost no work to make the case. You can cut and weld the remaining structural elements (door, legs, chimney) in a few hours.

Assembly steps

• For the blower, make a hole under the neck.
• You need to make a hole in the bottom of the can for the chimney pipe.
• The design of the grate should be either serpentine or in the form of a grid of reinforcement so that it easily fits into the container of the can without using unnecessary fasteners.
• All dimensions of the structure can be seen in the drawing. The finished stove is installed on bricks, or metal legs are welded.

Due to its compactness, such a stove can be installed in a small room. Consuming a lot of fuel, heating a room with it for a long time is not rational. You also need to ensure that burning coals do not fall out of the stove during the combustion process.

Features of operation

When operating the stove, it is necessary to alternate its lighting cycles, which include:

• fuel storage;
• ignition of the stove;
• direct combustion process with room heating;
• cleaning of ash products from the combustion and blower sections.

The most important stage is the placement of fuel, which must be placed in a certain order to facilitate the ignition process. First you need to put paper and thin dry firewood on the grate, light a fire and close the door.

Once the kindling material has ignited, larger logs can be added. Wood must be loaded carefully to prevent the fire from dying out. Once the wood has been fully loaded, the fire door must be closed tightly.

The draft in a potbelly stove can be adjusted by using a valve on the chimney or by slightly opening the ash door.

While the stove is burning, you must not touch its body to avoid getting burned.

To restore draft after a long period of burning, it is necessary to periodically disassemble the chimney and clean its elements from accumulated soot.

Arranging a brick oven for a garage

Brick stoves provide gentler heat, but until they heat up themselves, they will not heat the garage. If you plan to heat every day, this option is good. If the garage will be heated periodically, it is better to make a metal stove - heating up a frozen brick stove is long and tedious, and it will start heating in about two hours.

For those who decide to install a brick stove in the garage, we will lay out the order of a small (relatively) stove with a heating shield and a hob (just in case).

Image of the furnace and necessary materials

The stove is made of solid ceramic bricks (not burnt). Excluding combat, 290 pieces are required. The masonry should be laid using clay mortar, the thickness of the seams is about 0.5-1.8 cm.

This furnace requires a separate foundation - the weight will be about 500 kg. Its dimensions are 15-20 cm larger than the dimensions of the oven.

Arranging a brick oven for a garage

It is desirable to lining the firebox (laying fireclay bricks on fireclay mortar). Bricks are ground down for furnace casting. The dimensions of the bed for the grate, stove and doors must be larger than the dimensions of the casting. The gap is necessary to compensate for thermal expansion and also for laying a thermal insulation layer around the doors. This will reduce the formation of cracks near them (due to different thermal expansion).

Asbestos cord was traditionally used as a thermal insulation material. If you don't want to deal with asbestos, you can cut mineral wool cardboard into strips. Only it must withstand very high temperatures - up to 1200°C (minimum 850°C).

Installed in the 6th row, the valve allows you to switch the stove into winter and summer modes. This is convenient in the off-season, when full power is not required, but it is already damp.

Continuation of masonry

The height of the oven can be increased by repeating rows 14 and 15.

Continuing the formation of the heating shield

Watch the video for the process of pre-laying a stove without mortar (recommended in order to select bricks and understand what’s what).

Step by step guide

First you need to cut the metal, taking into account the thickness and length of the required blanks.

Remove the chamfers from the parts, touching the stove will be safer, and the welding seams will be stronger:

1. Check that the parts are correctly marked before you start cutting them. When cutting, take into account the thickness of the oven walls, as well as the thickness of the circle.
2. Remove the chamfers from the prepared parts for safety from accidental contact with a hot device.
3. Check all part markings.

The structure is installed in the following sequence:

1. Connect the welding machine to the network.
2. Take an electrode with a thickness of 4 - 5 mm, taking into account the sheet or pipe.
3. Set the current on the device to 160 A.
4. Wear special glasses and protective clothing, and protect your hands with gloves.
5. Weld three walls to the bottom of the oven.
6. Place the bottom of the device at least 5 cm from the floor.
7. Connect the parts at right angles. Check their perpendicularity with a level.
8. Where necessary, straighten the corners of the parts.
9. Weld the parts and joints relative to the floor level, at an angle of 45 degrees.
10. Weld a partition between the ash pit and the firebox, first cutting holes to prevent ash from accumulating.
11. Maintain a distance between the holes of at least 5 cm from the walls of the stove. The distance between the partition and the bottom of the structure must remain at least 10 cm.
12. Lastly, by welding, cut holes for installing the chimney on the back panel of the homemade stove.
13. Make markings and drill rectangular holes in the places intended for the firebox and vent.
14. Align all the bottom parts of the holes with the partition. The distance between the walls of the firebox and the upper side edges should be at least 3 - 5 cm. The opening for the vent is slightly smaller, but not more than 5 cm.
15. Use a grinder to cut two holes out of metal and form doors. Weld them onto the canopies, raise the blower as much as possible to the top of the slab opening so that they do not sag in the future under the influence of high temperatures.
16. Weld bolts to the doors; they should open and close easily, without obstacles.

After all welding work, check the quality of the seams and tap them. If there are defects, correct them immediately. At the end of the work, weld the upper part of the device.

Interesting potbelly stove with stonework

A 200-liter barrel can serve as the basis for another interesting stove - with masonry inside. To assemble it you will need:

• the barrel itself;
• thick metal wire or fittings;
• large round river stones;
• chimney pipes.

There is no ash pan in such a stove, so cleaning will be some difficulties. We immediately recommend making the firebox door level with the bottom of the barrel - this makes it more convenient to remove the ash. We make a kind of grate from reinforcement or thick metal wire. Only here it will fulfill a different role - it will support the masonry.

To assemble the stove, it is necessary to cut off the top cover from a 200-liter barrel and equip it with a pipe for connecting the chimney. In the lower part we cut out a door for storing firewood with a height of 150-200 mm. We fix a grate at a height of 250 mm, on which we pile stones to the top

Please note that large stones are needed so that combustion products can easily pass through the space between them.

The stove will need a strong, non-combustible base with a metal sheet in front of the firebox - it will be quite heavy, so the legs must be strong or absent altogether. The barrel is placed on the base before the stones are placed in it. Otherwise, you won’t budge it later. After installing the stove in its normal place, weld the lid and connect the chimney - you can start kindling. To improve traction, it is recommended to drill several holes with a drill with a diameter of 4-5 mm - air will be sucked through them.

Additional materials

To build a heating device, in addition to the 200-liter metal barrel itself, you will need the following additional building materials and stove fittings:

• small steel sheet;
• corner;
• fireclay brick for a vertical model or a reflector for a horizontal one;
• a small piece of channel;
• steel pipes for the chimney;
• fittings for the grate;
• sand, clay for making mortar;
• asbestos cord;
• combustion door;
• blower door;
• basalt wool for chimney insulation.

Installation Rules

Like all heating appliances, during their operation, potbelly stoves must be treated with full responsibility and strictly follow the safety rules:

• do not leave the stove unattended, on children or people who have no experience in using such devices;
• place the stoves at a safe distance from furniture and interior items, at least 1 meter;
• do not overload the stove while firing the stove;
• for the firebox, use only oil that has been free of water impurities;
• do not block the chimney during combustion;
• Do not leave any objects on the surface of the stove to dry, even after it has gone out.

Additional equipment for pyrolysis boilers

In addition to heating the surrounding air, pyrolysis boilers can perform many other useful jobs. First of all, of course, they can be connected to heating systems with air or liquid coolant.

pyrolysis boiler with convection

Thus, convection ovens are very popular. They use the principle of air convection. For this purpose, special curved air ducts are placed on the boiler. Their lower pipes take in cold air, and hot air comes out through the upper pipes.

homemade pyrolysis boiler with convection

And of course, no one is stopping you from equipping any boiler with a heat exchanger pipeline that will heat water for the heating system or for the domestic hot water supply system.

And in conclusion, you can watch a short video tutorial describing the manufacture and operation of a pyrolysis boiler.

The classic is a stove made from one barrel. Drawing

Manufacturing progress.

First, remove the top of the barrel, then cut the side for the door.

We take welding and attach the door of the future stove. We measure 200 mm from the bottom and install grate bars.

It is advisable to install another door under the ash pan to control the draft.

You will need fire bricks to protect the walls. We lay them out from the inside.

For the chimney bricks, we install the structure as in the figure below.

The bricks are laid out on the kiln mortar. The composition of the oven mortar is 1 part clay to 2 parts sand, the mixture is mixed with a minimum amount of water until it reaches a very thick consistency.

The thickness of masonry joints should not exceed 5 mm.

To increase the heat transfer of the stove, you can install another barrel on top. You need to make a hole in the barrel for the chimney and weld a piece of pipe under the chimney.

What and how to make doors from

Doors for potbelly stoves can be purchased cast. You will need a small height for the ash pan and a larger one for storing fuel. There are ready-made blocks - a flow door with a blower in one design. In this case, a frame made from corners welded to size is welded into a hole cut to size, and the casting is already bolted to it. To prevent air from blowing in from the cracks, a small edge is welded around the perimeter of the cutout under the door - a 1-2 cm strip of metal.

How to attach a cast iron stove door to a gas cylinder

You can not buy doors, but use a cut piece of a balloon wall. Then you will need some kind of hinges or replacement parts. It’s clear with the hinges: mark the places, weld them. There is an interesting version of homemade loops: several links of a thick chain.

The hinges on the door can be made from several links of steel chain

A latch will need to be welded to such a door.

The principle of operation of a potbelly stove from a barrel

A potbelly stove made from barrels is very similar to the type of potbelly stove that we perfectly imagine. However, it is not mass produced. This structure is purely the creation of self-taught craftsmen. Among other things, the modernized stove has a round shape and is similar to the metal Slobozhanka stove.

The appearance of the simplest potbelly stove made from a barrel, however, has a large number of disadvantages

The main difference between them is the fuel combustion option. Wood sawdust is used for the following reasons:

• if you heat a potbelly stove with this fuel, it will be quite economical due to the low cost of this type of fuel;
• Sawdust that has been previously compressed burns out for quite a long time. One load is probably enough for 6-10 hours for this design.

It is quite obvious that a potbelly stove made from a 200 liter barrel looks good. Such a stove usually has a diameter of 600 mm. A hexagon with sides of 314 mm can easily fit into this circle. This makes it virtually no different in technology from conventional oven appliances. The efficiency in such stoves, as a rule, does not exceed 15% (We previously wrote how to increase the efficiency of a fireplace or stove and recommended bookmarking the article.). If a screen is used to increase it, then such a stove does not last long and goes out of service after about one season.

Read the article on how to make an economical potbelly stove with your own hands and get answers to your questions.

The main reason for this efficiency comes not only from the fairly thin metal, but mainly from the height of the barrel of 850 mm. Approximately 1.3–1.5 times less than the depth, the height of the firebox should be located in potbelly stoves made from a barrel. In the case when the ash pan is made high and the grate bars are raised, then the lower part, as practice shows, will take heat and give it back to the air, thereby violating the entire correctness of gas dynamics. In this case, there are only two ways out:

You can wall the barrel up to the middle of the height in brick. This can be seen in photo 3.

Potbelly stove their barrels walled up in brick

It is also possible to equip a refractory-lined oven at the top of the oven. And run a chimney through it.

In both cases the work will become more difficult. The service life of this furnace does not exceed five years, but the efficiency cannot be raised above 20%.

The principle of operation of "Bubafoni"

The well-known law of convection states that when heated, warm masses move upward, and cold ones take their place. The work of “Bubafoni” is based on this principle: when the fuel burns, the air heats up and rises, entering the outlet pipe; the cold flow enters the stove through the pipeline. This is how constant circulation of air masses occurs. This in turn supports the fuel combustion process.

The furnace design includes a damper on the inlet pipe (gate). By setting the gap at a certain level, you can regulate the intensity of fuel combustion.

The work process ends with the complete burning of the wood and the lowering of the piston with the load to the bottom of the fuel tank. It is possible to stop the operation of the furnace ahead of schedule if you completely close the damper on the inlet pipe. This will stop the flow of oxygen into the stove. Another way to complete the heating process is to use fire safety equipment.

Potbelly stove with smoke circulation

This is a rectangular stove with minimal fuel consumption and the ability to regulate combustion intensity. The structure (furnace body) is assembled from metal sheets by welding.

Required materials and tools:

• welding machine complete with electrodes;
• grinder and circles for cutting metal;
• roulette;
• metal corners;
• metal rods for the grate;
• pipeline;
• sheet metal.

The furnace consists of the following sections: firebox, smoke circulation, ash pan, exhaust pipe. Additional elements: doors with canopies and latches, grate, metal legs, valve on the pipeline to reduce heat loss.

Assembling a potbelly stove with smoke circuits

1. We make a drawing of the future furnace.
2. According to the dimensions indicated in the drawing, we make markings on the sheet metal and use a grinder to cut out blanks for the future firebox.
3. We join the sheets of metal to form a rectangle. We weld metal corners inside (on the side walls of the oven) on which the grate will be placed.
4. The grate is made from a set of longitudinal and transverse metal rods of the same length, connected by welding. The cells must be of sufficient size to retain fuel on them and free passage of combustion products through the grate. There is no need to weld the grate itself to the body of the firebox, then it can be pulled out while cleaning the stove from ash and ash.
5. At the next stage of work, it is necessary to weld a sheet of metal inside the firebox, which forms a smoke circulation. The size of this sheet of metal should match the bottom of the furnace in width and be slightly shorter in length.
6. After the interior of the stove is ready, it is necessary to make a ash door and a door for putting fuel into the stove. We make the doors in such a way that it is convenient to clean the oven and remove the grate. To make canopies, we use a metal rod and a tube of suitable size. We cut them with a grinder and weld them to the walls of the firebox and to the doors, respectively, then insert the free section of the rod into the tube. For ease of use of the doors, we make handles from thin strips of metal and attach them by welding. We make the valves in the form of a long curved strip of metal and, accordingly, a hook to which it will cling.

7. The legs of the stove can be made entirely from metal corners or adjustable. To be able to adjust the length of the legs, you will need nuts and threaded metal rods of appropriate thickness. Thanks to this technique, the potbelly stove will stand steadily even on an uneven surface. And also, with the help of such legs, it is convenient to disconnect the stove from the pipe and carry out maintenance or replacement of any parts.
8. Outlet pipeline with damper. For the damper itself you will need a metal rod of small diameter and a sheet of round metal with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the pipe. We drill two holes in the pipe, insert a rod into them, bend its outer part for convenience, and install and weld a metal circle inside the pipe. Thus, when the rod turns, the circle will turn accordingly, changing the gap and reducing heat loss from the furnace to the atmosphere.
9. In the upper part of the furnace we cut a hole corresponding to the diameter of the outlet pipe and weld it hermetically.

There can be two or three smoke circuits in a potbelly stove. And in order to reduce heat loss from the metal walls into the atmosphere, the outside of the furnace is lined with refractory bricks or a reflective metal screen is installed with a layer of heat-insulating material, for example, an asbestos sheet.

To light a fire in the stove, newspapers, sawdust are placed on the grate, small dry logs are placed on top and the newspapers are set on fire with matches. Once the logs are hot, larger pieces of wood are added to the stove. Do not open the firebox and ash door at the same time. Regulation of draft and combustion intensity occurs by changing the gap in the pipe (valve) and through the blower.

Making a potbelly stove

When a certain moment comes, many people wonder how a potbelly stove should be made from a barrel with their own hands. And in general, how to make a potbelly stove from a 200 liter barrel.

The potbelly stove is created in different sizes and shapes. It can be round and square, vertical and horizontal. It all depends only on your imagination.

Horizontal stoves are considered simpler than vertical stoves. In such a stove, in place of the door, a part of the bottom is attached, which is cut out. She sits on her hinges. At the opposite end of the barrel there is a hole to which a metal pipe should be attached, which will serve as a chimney for such a stove. Then you should put a grate in the middle of the barrel. It plays an important role, as it will help retain heat for a longer time, and also protect the so-called bottom from burning out. If you really want to create a hob, you will simply have to weld thick steel wire.

Do you want to build? See detailed instructions on our website!

Before you get to work, you will need to prepare some tools. To begin with, it is best to stock up on a welding machine, as well as a full set of clothes for working with it, a grinding machine, wheels for grinding and cutting metal, a hammer, a wire brush, pliers, a tape measure and a drill.

At the required level in the barrel, you should first mark and then cut two rectangular holes that will serve for the ash pan and firebox.

The parts that remain after cutting should not be thrown away, as they can later be used to make the door. To make the door complete, metal strips are attached to it, and then a special latch with a handle is installed.

Then, on the inside of the barrel, just below the firebox, no more than 10 cm, angle-type brackets are attached, which will later serve for laying the grate.

For the manufacture of the grate, ordinary fittings are used. You need to cook it yourself.

It is best to weld the legs to the bottom of the barrel, but in the upper part you need to cut a hole for the future chimney and weld a pipe into it.

The door is installed on the hinges that have already been attached in advance. Only after installing the door is a hook for the lock attached.

If you want to achieve a more aesthetic appearance for your stove, then you should carefully clean all welding seams. Heat-resistant paint is suitable for painting, after applying which your potbelly stove will be practically indistinguishable from the factory one.

After complete completion of all work, the potbelly stove is connected directly to the chimney, which is already connected to the street.

High thermal conductivity of a potbelly stove - minus or plus

The most significant advantage of a potbelly stove is its high thermal conductivity, which ensures rapid heating. This characteristic also acts as the main disadvantage, since it not only warms up quickly, but also cools down quickly.

This is a common “disease” of all metal heating devices.

You can solve the problem of rapid cooling. To do this, it is enough to cover the resulting structure with bricks. This material, unlike metal, is a wonderful accumulator of thermal energy. True, such a design will require a longer firebox to heat the room. Burning time and fuel consumption are successfully reduced by installing a brick screen equipped with ventilation holes. Such systems are widely installed in bathhouses.

It is most rational to install a brick screen at a certain distance from the stove walls. In this case, the heat emitted by the stove is used as efficiently as possible.

With grates or without?

In the simplest version, no grates are provided. If the cylinder is small or stands horizontally, then selecting a part inside is problematic. In this case, the design of a potbelly stove made from a cylinder is quite simple: the body is placed on legs, one door, and a pipe for connecting the chimney is welded in the upper part. All. The whole stove.

The internal structure of a potbelly stove made from a horizontally located cylinder is quite simple: only a door for loading fuel/unloading burnt coals and an exit for the chimney

The photo above shows examples of such simple ovens. In order to improve heat transfer, metal strips are welded to the outside of the body. In the upper part, in addition to the smoke pipe, there is another outlet - a lid is installed on it, and this outlet is used as a stove for cooking food and heating tea.

If you still want to make grates in a potbelly stove from a horizontally installed cylinder, you will have to weld a tray for collecting ash from below. Below there is a drawing and photo of the practical implementation.

Drawing of a potbelly stove made from a horizontally located gas cylinder with an ash box welded to the bottom. A finished stove made from a cylinder with an ash box. A drawer, welded to size, is placed on this shelf. By extending/retracting it, the oxygen supply and the burning power of the wood are regulated

In vertical versions of potbelly stoves made from a cylinder, grates are most often installed. In this case, it is easier to allocate space. Usually, thick reinforcement bars are welded inside: a cast iron grate of a suitable size is difficult to find. But this option is bad because the reinforcement quickly burns out, and repairs are complicated: remove the old reinforcement and weld in a new one. You can weld pieces of thick corners or reinforcement inside (as in the photo), separately weld grate bars from the reinforcement and lay them on the corners.

Option for installing grate bars in a potbelly stove from a gas cylinder

This video talks about how to make a stove from a gas cylinder with your own hands - the grates are made of fittings.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=97RjGkMHbG0

Conclusion

It is quite possible to make a brick potbelly stove from bricks yourself. Such a furnace increases efficiency from 50-60% to 70-75%. However, it is still not cost-effective enough to fully replace stove heating. Although it retains heat more efficiently than iron, it requires the connection of a heating panel for constant use.

As a temporary source of heat, a brick potbelly stove, made with your own hands in a garage or greenhouse, is fully justified.

The design can be further improved by clad in metal. This will increase the service life and protect the stove from damage.

Required Tools

To build a high-quality potbelly stove from a 200-liter barrel with your own hands, you need to prepare a minimum set of tools, consisting of:

• welding machine;
• grinders or hacksaws for metal;
• standard hammer, pliers and chisel;
• steel brush;
• drills with a set of drills;
• measuring instruments: tape measure, level and plumb line.

Personal protective equipment is also needed when welding: a protective mask, dielectric gloves, protective clothing made of thick fabric and closed shoes.

What are double combustion furnaces? Design and benefits

Currently, you can find a huge number of heating stoves and fireplaces on the market, while sellers, praising their products, will tell you about a large number of additional functions, such as long burning, air supply, or even double combustion.
What is double burning? What advantages does it provide and is it really necessary for the owner of a stove or fireplace? In this article we will try to answer all questions regarding the function of double combustion of flue gases in modern stoves and fireplaces. The very term afterburning of flue gases implies that some kind of flue gases are burned out. What is this, and what gases are we talking about? It may come as a surprise to some, but when solid fuel, such as firewood, is burned, gases burn! Yes, it is gases that are formed during the combustion of wood, and with the participation of oxygen contained in the air, they provide a flame with the release of heat.

How does a double combustion furnace work?

So, what is a double combustion furnace, and how does it provide this combustion of flue gases? First of all, a feature of such furnaces is the special design of the firebox, in which additional air is taken in a special way, the flows of which are distributed along a system of channels, heated and supplied to the combustion chamber.

Distribution of air flows in double combustion stoves and fireplaces

Conventionally, step by step, the process of double afterburning can be described as follows:

1. Additional air enters through air intake openings
2. Passing through the channels along the wall of the combustion chamber, the air is heated, and as a result of heating, pressure is formed
3. Preheated air is supplied to the furnace firebox through a series of holes in the upper level of the combustion chamber.
4. Mixing with flue gases, it ensures their more complete combustion.

The video below shows the process of double combustion in modern Danish fireplace stoves Morso 7110 series. In this video clip you can see the supply of additionally heated air into the combustion chamber through two rows of holes in the firebox of this stove.

How to distinguish a double combustion furnace from a conventional furnace

Of course, you can rely on the seller’s words about the availability of this function on the stove or fireplace you like. However, do not forget that the seller, first of all, plans to make money by selling you a product, even if it is not of the highest quality; he does not intend to use it himself. Therefore, you should not buy a stove for your home anywhere, but only in places with a good reputation, where sellers can be trusted.

Visually, the presence of the double afterburning function can be determined by looking into the furnace firebox. For stoves with a long-burning function, in the upper part of the firebox you can see a number of holes for supplying preheated air.

A number of holes for supplying additional air to the furnace firebox during double combustion

However, it should be borne in mind that some unscrupulous manufacturers simply create holes in the furnace firebox, simulating the presence of a double afterburning function

Therefore, before choosing and buying a fireplace stove, it is better to pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer

The advantage of stoves with a long burning function

Stoves with long-burning functions undoubtedly have a number of advantages over conventional stoves:

• Beautiful combustion – double combustion furnaces generally provide more beautiful combustion. The flame in such a stove is more voluminous and has a fascinating, beautiful shape.
• Efficiency of the stove - such stoves use fuel (wood) more efficiently, which burns almost completely, leaving a minimum of ash. Additional air in the furnace firebox, mixing with flue gases, ensures their more complete combustion. This ensures maximum high temperature and heat transfer from the fireplace.
• Chimney safety. In double combustion furnaces, a minimal amount of soot and soot is formed and enters the chimney. In stoves with a normal combustion mode, on the contrary, a large amount of soot is formed, which, when it gets into the chimney, mixes with moisture, forms an aggressive environment and leads to its corrosion. When using long-burning stoves, the chimney will last longer.
• Environmental friendliness. Fuel in furnaces with double combustion burns almost completely, with minimal emissions of combustion products into the atmosphere, and practically does not pollute the environment. Residents of the Russian Federation do not place great importance on environmental safety, and for example, in the European Union countries, smoke emission control zones have been established where it is prohibited to use stoves without double combustion. And many manufacturers are abandoning the production of older models of stoves and fireplaces without double combustion.

Types of long-burning stoves

Options for furnaces of this type are classified depending on the material, method of operation and method of heat transfer. The designs differ in the type of traction and the relative position of the internal chambers. Thus, stoves are made of metal or brick.

Table: classification of pyrolysis furnaces

Photo gallery: variety of heating units

Based on the method of heat transfer, the units are divided into models:

• with a water heating circuit;
• variability in the placement of heat exchangers (combustion and smoldering chambers are located in different orders). If the firebox is located at the top and the afterburning chamber is at the bottom, then forced draft is required using smoke exhausters and fans. If, on the contrary, the firebox is located below, then natural draft is triggered.

How to choose a stove option

First decide:

• for what purposes is the stove needed;
• where will she stand;
• what fuel to run on?

When choosing the type of structure to DIY, consider the area and type of space. Depending on the parameters of the heated room, the size and power of the furnace are selected. It is worth considering that brick models are placed in a permanent place for future use, while metal ones are almost all mobile.

A homemade stove must meet the necessary characteristics and be safe to use

When making any furnace model, it is worth calculating the balance between the ratio of oxygen and gas. Therefore, the selection and assembly of any furnace option requires careful calculation of the parameters, power and dimensions of the product.

Structural elements

High-quality steel sheets are used to create rectangular metal structures. In this case, the stove is made with double walls. The space between them is filled with sand or water (water circuit). Metal barrels with thick walls can serve as the basis for making a small oven.

The metal structure can be covered with bricks from the outside (lining) or from the inside of the furnace (lining)

The pyrolysis furnace has two combustion chambers. In one compartment, solid fuel is processed, and in the other, pyrolysis products are mixed with air. When the firebox is located at the top for solid fuel, a grate is placed between the compartments. In metal furnaces, the partitions are hollow plates inside.

A visual representation of air flows during operation of a pyrolysis stove with a firebox in the lower compartment

Charge fans are necessary elements in structures where the gas chamber is located below. With the help of forced draft, gaseous substances move downwards, where the afterburning process begins. Such products also contain smoke exhausters on the exhaust channels.

Forced draft directs the gases to the second part of the furnace, where they are burned (releasing a large amount of heat)

All structural elements are interconnected, ensuring efficient operation of the pyrolysis furnace.

Fireplace made of an iron barrel. Fuel and firebox of a metal fireplace.

The ideal fuel for a metal hearth, as well as for a classic brick one, is firewood from deciduous trees. Coniferous trees emit large amounts of resin, which contaminates the heating device. The use of coal as fuel is strictly prohibited. The combustion temperature of coal is extremely high, this can lead to deformation of the body, rapid failure of the furnace itself, and increases the risk of fire.

The firebox of a metal fireplace is built a little differently. It is divided into two chambers: in one the fuel burns, in the second smoke accumulates. The chambers are separated by a shutter.

The design of the fireplace is elementary, so for a person with welding skills it will not be difficult to weld such a fireplace. The double design of the firebox, like the double walls of the device itself, allows you to receive heat from the metal firebox, warming the cold air between the walls. When you want to assemble a fireplace made of metal, take this circumstance into account.

The stages of manufacturing a fireplace include assembling the chimney. To do this, you need to purchase special stainless steel pipes and elbows. These parts are the main components of the chimney. The pipe parts are connected to each other using sockets. The parts are secured with mastic, which is used for tiling. This is done like this: the end of one pipe, lubricated with mastic, is inserted into another pipe.

If the pipe does not rise straight up, and the exit is located somewhere to the side, so-called elbows are used, which are a kind of turn signals. Using brackets and wire, the pipe is secured to the wall. If the pipe exits through the attic, then the entire “attic” part of the chimney, like the “room” part, is wrapped in thermal insulation, which is a layer of glass wool wrapped with a mesh around the chimney, and a metal casing is put on the mesh.

The prototypes of these stoves were ordinary “potbelly stoves”, which entered our everyday life in the 19th century. Since making a fireplace out of metal is quite within the capabilities of the average Russian, the popularity of these decorative heating units has increased greatly in recent years.

A metal fireplace can be quickly installed. It fits harmoniously into any interior of a country house or cottage. You can also add a fireplace mantel and other attributes of a real brick hearth to such a stove.

In the metal fireplace, the flames also flicker and the wood crackles merrily. It can be called an economical option for a large brick hearth.

Long-burning boiler principle

Before reviewing the unit, you need to understand the principle of its operation. The bubafonya stove runs on solid fuel - wood. Before you start burning it, you need to prepare the wood. In the boiler it is heated to 250 degrees Celsius using paper ignition.

When charring, wood decomposes into simple chemicals: gases and vapors. When the temperature reaches 300o Celsius, the gaseous components ignite, accelerating the thermal reaction.

To protect against fire, and also to prevent it from spreading throughout the entire container, a protective screen is provided on the fireplace. A damper is used to regulate the temperature. When turned off, the air supply stops, as does the combustion process.