Photo from the site https://domik.ua The stove was and remains the heart of the Russian bathhouse. But the methods of heating a steam room have undergone changes over time, which has made the task easier for novice bathhouse attendants. At the same time, the traditional wood-burning stove remains to this day. This method is not easy and requires knowledge and experience.
In this article we will tell you how to properly heat a Russian bathhouse with wood.
Benefits of wood fuel
Why do many people choose to light the stove with wood if this process is quite labor-intensive? Many people know firsthand that this is the most environmentally friendly and healing way to create heat in a steam room.
Professional bath attendants also note other advantages of this type of fuel, because firewood:
- do not explode, thereby providing gradual and safe heating of the room;
- are relatively inexpensive;
- burn for a long time;
- give off a lot of heat.
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An alternative to logs can be wood processing products called pellets. They are granules of compressed sawdust. This material is easy to transport, but when using sawdust for a bath procedure, it is quickly consumed.
If you still prefer wood, then it will be useful for you to know which species to choose for the firebox.
How to wash soot in a bath
After each bath procedure, it is necessary to clean the room from the soot layer. The use of the following products is not recommended:
- water;
- liquid or laundry soap;
- sponges;
- hard brushes;
- spray bottle.
These products can be used when the surface is completely free of soot.
It is mandatory to use personal protective equipment:
- robe;
- rubber gloves;
- headdress;
- glasses;
- gauze bandage or respirator.
There are two ways to clean a bathhouse from soot: with mechanical devices and cleaning with chemical compounds.
Mechanical devices. You can use a spatula or a sharp scraper. This type of cleaning will require a lot of time and effort. To make your work easier, experts recommend a grinding machine. Then remove the resulting dust with a clean cloth and soapy water.
Cleaning with chemical compounds. The easiest way, according to the instructions, is to use liquid chemical compounds. Simply spray the product onto the contaminated surface and wash off after a while. Such preparations contain alkali components that quickly remove soot from a wooden surface.
Important! Do not use abrasive cleaning products for cleaning.
You can use a chemical sponge. It is impregnated with special substances that quickly and safely remove soot and soot from wood.
After all cleaning work, rinse the surface with clean water and wipe dry.
How to choose firewood for a sauna: which materials perform their functions best
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The choice of quality fuel should not be rushed. In this matter, not only the type of tree is important, but also the condition of the log itself. Although the first is a very important criterion, because it is the type of wood that affects:
- the amount of soot released during combustion;
- time spent on warming up the steam room;
- the speed at which the room will cool;
- preservation of beneficial vapors.
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The best firewood for a bath is logs, split independently and stored in a dry, ventilated place. There are a number of other parameters that need to be taken into account so as not to be disappointed in your bathing holiday and, especially, not to harm yourself.
The following items cannot be used as fuel:
- boards remaining after renovation (impregnated with stain, painted, with nails driven into them);
- damp or moldy logs;
- rotten branches from garden trees.
Many lovers of steam baths are concerned with the question: is it possible to heat a bathhouse with poplar? After all, this material is easy to obtain and is relatively cheap. If the logs are in good condition, then lighting them is not prohibited, but poplar firewood for a bathhouse is not as good as oak, birch and ash. Although these varieties are more difficult to obtain, because they are often used to make furniture. To pamper yourself with a rich spirit and excellent heat, you will have to spend money, but such logs will not only warm up the steam room well, but will also give a powerful healing effect.
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What kind of firewood is best to heat a bathhouse: choosing the type of wood
In order for a beginner to navigate the variety of types of logs, you need to know the main characteristics of wood: how it behaves during combustion and what type of evaporation it emits.
There are several main types of logs that are available to the bath attendant.
Aspen
The advantage of this tree is light, fragrant steam and ease of cleaning the chimney after completion of the procedure. But the room does not warm up much and soon cools down.
Spruce
The juicy, oily logs of such logs release resin abundantly when burning, which is why the steam room becomes filled with a thick, aromatic heat. Lovers of light steam have prejudices about the use of coniferous wood to light the stove. Therefore, beginners often wonder whether it is possible to heat a bathhouse with the same pine. By the way, this is real heavy artillery among fuel types, because such firewood burns for a long time and evenly, leaving a large amount of smoldering coals. They help keep the room warm for a very long time.
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Alder
Experienced people believe that this is an ideal option for many characteristics. They do not smoke the chimney, the fumes from them are easy to breathe, they flare up quite quickly, but hold the heat for a long time.
Birch
When burning logs, a lot of heat is produced from the young trunk. The best option for large steam rooms. But wood emits a lot of resins, so professionals rarely use birch firewood for a sauna as the main material for kindling, but are happy to add a few logs to the stove later.
Oak
This noble breed is suitable for a long “day of purity”. Just as oak brooms are good for bathing procedures, so are logs. They burn for a long time, heating the steam room evenly and maintaining the healing heat for a long time. Oak has a wound-healing and antiseptic effect, and is good in the fight against colds.
Maple
Is it possible to heat a bathhouse with maple? Not only is it possible, but such a choice will be perhaps the best. Maple is a hardwood tree and has a high calorific value. A steam room heated over maple logs will remain warm for a long time.
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Pine
Is it possible to heat a sauna with pine wood? We repeat, if you are not afraid of resin fumes, then you can take the risk. But be careful, because these logs do not smolder slowly, but crackle and “throw” sparks.
How to properly heat a stove in a bathhouse with wood: sequence of actions
If you are dealing with a heater, you must remember that before lighting the fuel, you need to carefully prepare the stove. How to properly heat a wood-burning sauna?
There are several main stages.
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The first stage is preparing the oven
- Firstly, you need to thoroughly clean up after your last trip to the bathhouse. Namely, remove soot and old coals, wash the grate and vent. This will get rid of unpleasant impurities during subsequent kindling.
- Secondly, wash the stones themselves. Use a brush and clean water without adding chemicals.
- Thirdly, the most important thing is to check whether the chimney is working. After all, carbon monoxide, which is dangerous to life and health, which is one of the main combustion products, must go outside and under no circumstances get inside the steam room.
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The second stage is lighting the stove
When we have made sure that all safety rules have been followed, we can start lighting the logs. This is done in the following order:
- You can't light a large block of wood with a match. So we start with paper. When you have lit a piece, close the door a little so as not to get burned and the smoke does not go into the steam room.
- You will know that the paper has ignited by the steady sound of a slightly crackling material. The piece of leaf should not be too small so that it does not fade.
- When the combustion process has already begun in the combustion chamber, you need to cover the ash chamber and open the valve on the water boiler, while simultaneously blocking access to the chimney.
- Warming up the room will take about 15 minutes on average. After this, you need to open the door and use a poker to level the coals on the grate. Next, gradually lay the logs you need in length and thickness.
- After one portion of firewood burns out, you need to repeat the procedure. The block should be placed closer to the chamber door.
How to properly heat a sauna with a metal stove? The main difference between heating a heater and an iron fuel tank is that the metal heats up faster, so you need to be very careful when following safety precautions. Heating up a metal combustion chamber takes less time due to the physical properties of the material.
Optimal options
Alder firewood. Alder logs are considered the best, optimal firewood for use in a bathhouse. In ancient times, the baths of the nobility and kings were heated with alder. It is believed that the best firewood is obtained from alder, which grew in dry soil, away from rivers and lakes. The wood of such trees is porous, light, it dries easily and is stored for a long time without losing its basic properties. When lighting such wood, the fire quickly catches on.
A distinctive feature of alder firewood is the absence of smoke, while it produces a lot of heat. The fact is that alder wood contains practically no resinous substances.
Alder firewood can be safely used in a black sauna without fear of getting burned from the smoke. When burned, the wood of this type of tree releases a pleasant aroma, so alder sawdust is actively used when smoking meat and fish. The wood burns steadily, calmly, without sparks or crackles. The cost of alder firewood is quite reasonable, and wood is almost always available from trading organizations.
Harvesting firewood from alder
Oak firewood. Oak firewood is one of the strongest in terms of heat transfer, surpassed only by ash and hornbeam logs. It is believed that it is optimal to harvest oak in its prime, since there is not much heat from young trees, and when old wood burns, a lot of ash is formed.
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When burned, oak wood emits a characteristic forest aroma that many people enjoy. That is why oak firewood is actively used in open fireplaces and black saunas. In addition, according to doctors, the warmth and aroma of burning oak has healing properties, having a beneficial effect on the respiratory system.
Preparation of oak firewood
Birch firewood. Birch firewood is considered optimal in terms of price and quality. Birch is not a rare tree, so it is harvested on an industrial scale. Birch wood burns easily and produces a stable and good heat. Fire catches well on birch, so you can light a stove even with wet wood.
For a bathhouse, birch firewood is simply a godsend, because along with good heat transfer, the steam from it has healing and disinfecting properties. A birch wood bath is recommended for colds and chronic respiratory problems. You can use birch, oak and alder in both white and black baths, the main thing is to tear off the bark, the resin content of which is much higher.
Birch logs can be stored for several years without losing their properties. The cost of birch forest is reasonable; in principle, everyone can afford it.
Preparation of birch firewood
Ash firewood. Ash has the strongest heat transfer among other trees. Firewood made from it is expensive and scarce; it is not so easy to find. The high heat transfer of ash is due to the extreme density of its wood. This type of wood burns even when wet. For a bath this option is very good.
Firewood from linden. Linden firewood can be used to light a bathhouse, but it’s worth noting right away that they don’t produce much heat. At the same time, linden logs burn quickly enough, creating an even fire, you only have time to toss them.
The aroma emitted by linden when burned is considered healing, having a good effect on people with respiratory diseases. Linden retains these healing properties during two years of storage, and after that the quality of the wood deteriorates sharply. Linden is not harvested for future use; it is used in the off-season for preventive purposes, as well as to treat colds and relieve stress.
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