DIY Russian stove repair

Most of the townspeople believe that the Russian stove has long disappeared from the life of the domestic village and only in fairy tales is the memory of it preserved. This is an erroneous opinion: as long as there is a Russian winter, a village and a peasant, the need for a brick Russian stove will be relevant. Therefore, more than ever, stone ovens are now popular, and not only in the countryside, but also in country houses. And since everything decays over time, sooner or later, the question arises: how to repair a Russian stove with your own hands?

Like any other heating unit, a stone stove, including the Russian one, needs care and repair. Repair of the stove, depending on the degree of wear and tear, can be divided into three types: (See also: Stove with a stove bench with your own hands)

Maintenance is used as a preventive measure and to protect the furnace from serious damage. The repair is carried out in order to eliminate minor defects that appeared during operation. Current repairs include work on strengthening weakened parts, sealing seams and cracks on the furnace surface, and, of course, periodic whitewashing.

Small repairs include such works that do not require rebuilding the furnace, but require serious attention, because neglect can lead to disastrous consequences. Such works, when it is possible to repair the stove with your own hands, include updating the furnace hearth and lining, repairing chimneys, etc. Each damage that requires minor repairs appears as a result of aggressive, tough operation. Lining, for example, deforms when exposed to very high temperatures. This can be facilitated by the use of coal or anthracite. The so-called "under" wears out due to friction during regular movement of utensils on its surface.

Overhaul is a rather complicated process and requires some knowledge. If the stove is built by you, anything that can break, you can fix it without too much trouble. It is not difficult to make repairs, even when you have minimal knowledge of construction. Much more preparation is required if you are faced with the masonry and repair of the stove for the first time. The types of malfunctions requiring major repairs are: (See also: DIY Russian stove)

Any furnace repair will be effective and error-free if the correct "diagnosis" is made first. Since the overhaul is quite a serious matter and is fraught with certain difficulties, it is better to entrust this matter to the master.

In many homes, the Russian stove has served faithfully for several decades. Constant exposure to high temperatures causes one of the most common damage to the Russian stove - cracks and crevices on the surface. It is necessary to repair these cracks and crevices for at least three reasons:

• cold air enters the slots, which can significantly reduce the efficiency of the furnace itself;
• carbon monoxide can escape through the cracks, which can cause serious poisoning, suffocation;
• if small gaps are not repaired in a timely manner, they will expand over time and the furnace will require serious, major repairs. (See also: Stove chimneys)

Some slots are quite wide. In order to seal the holes in the Russian stove, it is necessary to properly prepare the solution. This is a rather complex process, it can be made from clay and sand, with the addition of salt, cement, and even horse manure. However, all of these solutions can be ineffective.Modern manufacturers have released a special solution based on which fireplaces, barbecues, barbecues, as well as brick ovens are laid. A refractory mixture called "fireclay mortar" may be the option you need.

First you need to prepare a small amount of the solution. The consistency of thick sour cream is what you need to seal the cracks. You don't need to prepare a lot of the solution right away, as it can harden before you use it.

The slit is pre-cleaned from dust and dirt. And only after that, using a spatula, fill with a solution. For leveling, you can use a wide brush soaked in water or a wide spatula. After a while, you can heat the stove, if small cracks appear, then they are rubbed with a solution. This procedure can be carried out several times with continuous operation of the oven. (See also: Oven Mortar)

With through, deep cracks, it may be necessary to re-lay the site, since the cause of the occurrence may be initially incorrect dressing of the oven masonry joints or "heat stroke" from improper installation of metal parts.

Decorating the stove with ceramic heat-resistant tiles or painting is an excellent means of preventing wear and tear on brickwork, therefore, cracks. You can only veneer the stove, which has a very simple shape. After a similar finish, your Russian stove looks like new.

As a rule, the draft is weakened (absent) with a long pause or insufficient maintenance of the stove. Aspen firewood is an excellent tool for kindling and cleaning the Russian stove. Summer residents who have a fireplace stove for heating a house always keep a supply of aspen firewood. It is easy to check the efficiency of the "work" of aspen "cleaners": you need to watch the smoke coming out of the chimney. Dark smoke should go first, then light. If such a transformation has occurred, then the walls of the chimneys have cleared. (See also: DIY Rustic Stove)

If the channels are clogged with combustion products, then they are cleaned by removing soot from specially designated small doors. To prevent the canals from clogging up with soot, it is strictly forbidden to burn various kinds of garbage in a Russian stove, plastic, polyethylene, raw firewood can also serve as a source of soot formation.

Sometimes a cold air "plug" can form in the chimney, weakening and sometimes blocking the movement of air masses (draft). The reason for the formation of an air lock can be a long “downtime” of the furnace, when it has not been heated for a long time. It is possible to restore the normal functioning of the chimney by punching a path for the smoke through the upper part of the exhaust duct on the roof with a special device.

Lack of traction, smoke can cause another miscalculation, which an unskilled stove-maker can admit. This defect is called insufficient thickness of the chimney walls. If the chimney is "thin", it freezes and damp, therefore, the hot air mass passing through the chimney quickly cools down. Then follows an elementary law of physics - cold smoke "descends" downward, impairing traction, not letting hot smoke through and creating smoke. Such a disadvantage is simply "treated": you need to plaster the Russian stove, or rather its pipe, increasing the thickness of the chimney walls.

In addition to serious and important shortcomings, there are a lot of small, but also unpleasant defects that require elimination.

Of the minor troubles, the most common are:

• fallen off furnace door;
• burnt grate;
• failure of the oven;
• burst plate.

To re-install a fallen-off door tightly, you need to cover the plaster around the doorway, cleaning the seams between the bricks. Thus, carefully loosening the bricks, disassemble the masonry, attaching a metal strip or wire to the door, fold the bricks again.

Burnt-out - grate, oven and burst stove, you just need to replace with new ones, while observing the rules for dismantling. All these and other problems arising from the operation of the Russian stove can be solved quite simply, even without being a stove-maker or construction specialist. The main thing is to find out what is required for the repair and find out how to eliminate this deficiency.

It is very important to regularly monitor the condition of the furnace foundation. The Russian stove is a rather bulky part of the interior, and time can leave its mark, especially destructive if the underground is damp. If necessary, it is advisable to lay an additional layer of roofing material.

Like everything that is created by human hands and has at least some history, the Russian country brick stove is perfectly repaired, so it can and should be periodically updated. Careful operation, in accordance with the recommendations, regular care, cleaning, whitewashing will allow you to enjoy the warmth emanating from the Russian stove for a long time.

If the Russian stove is used incorrectly or for a long time, certain problems may arise that require the intervention of the owner. In this case, it is not necessary to call a stove-maker; you can carry out repair work with your own hands, without the involvement of specialists. This article will tell you about various problems and ways to solve them.

If you notice that the heating system has begun to function incorrectly, then you should carry out a step-by-step solution to the problems. This must be done in a timely manner so that the structure is not damaged, and the operation is without negative impact on the atmosphere in the room. Let's figure out how to quickly repair the frequently occurring problems of the Russian stove, which is also called current, since it is necessary all the time.

The draft inside the chimney may disappear precisely due to insufficient maintenance of the furnace structure. To prevent this problem from ancient times, aspen firewood has been used for heating, which helps to clean the chimney. Heat the stove with aspen chips, make sure that the smoke coming out of the chimney changes color from black to light gray.

Try using aspen firewood

The formation of soot inside the chimney occurs due to the use of low-quality raw materials when firing in the furnace. Garbage incinerated in the structure carries the greatest danger, therefore it is strictly forbidden to use it as fuel. Heating with raw wood can also lead to the formation of a large amount of soot.

You can clean a brick oven through a special metal door, or using a special device through the chimney pipe on the roof of the building, which is presented in the form of a long cable with a heavy load and a brush at the end.

Use a cable to clean the chimney

Due to the appearance of cracks and cracks in the furnace structure, serious problems may arise during its operation:

• Cold air enters through the holes and the efficiency of the heating system is significantly reduced;
• The release of carbon monoxide from the holes is possible, which can cause poisoning and suffocation of those in the room;
• Small cracks can expand and if they are not eliminated in a timely manner, then a major overhaul of the structure will be required.

But on the building materials market today you can buy a special solution for brick stoves and fireplaces, which is used to cover up the holes that have appeared. The most popular are: "TerraKot", "Pechnik", "Parade". The correct consistencies are indicated on the packaging.

If visually visible damage has appeared in the furnace structure in the form of cracks, breaks, cracks or other holes, then you should not panic - these problems can be easily solved without calling specialists. Purchase a spatula and a special compound intended for the repair of fireplaces and brick stoves in advance, then you can proceed with the current repair of the heating system structure.

1. Clean the appeared damage from dust;
2. Prepare a solution of the desired consistency from the purchased mixture, in a small amount so that the excess solution does not harden;
3. Using a spatula, seal the previously cleaned cracks;
4. Allow the solution to dry; for visual beauty, the places of the repair work carried out can be treated with whitewash or special paint.

Under strong mechanical loads and high temperatures, between the masonry and the fire door, or the hob, gaps may appear, which lead to gases hazardous to human health entering the room. To eliminate this problem, it is necessary to seal the furnace door or hob with a special cord and repair mortar. All this can be purchased at a hardware store.

The Russian stove is a unique structure, one of the features of which can be considered a possible independent repair, without the involvement of a stove-maker, whose services are quite expensive. Sealing the holes between the masonry of the fire door and the hob is one of the easiest jobs to implement:

1. Clean the area between the metal element and the masonry, from dust and dirt;
2. Wash the gap, prime and process with heat-resistant oven glue;
3. Purchase a specialized fireproof cord in advance;
4. Insert the cord into the hole between the masonry and the fire door or hob - it will compensate for temperature changes and protect the solution from cracking;
5. After that, rub the hole with the repair mortar using a spatula;
6. Let the composition dry for at least a day.

You can save on the services of a stove-maker not only during routine repairs, but also when carrying out major work to eliminate serious problems. Including with your own hands, you can re-lay the firebox, replace the firebox, restore the masonry and solve other problems. In this case, only a specialized solution and refractory materials should be used in order to prevent the appearance of additional problems during the operation of a Russian brick oven.

Despite the properties of refractory bricks, over time, it becomes unusable, therefore, timely replacement of this component of the structure is also necessary. Do-it-yourself re-laying of the firebox is a rather complicated process and is often trusted by a professional stove-maker, but in order to save money, the overhaul of the stove can be carried out on your own.

If a small damage is detected in several bricks in the structure, then a complete relocation of the furnace can be omitted, having made only a partial replacement. For this purpose, remove the damaged parts in the masonry and after cleaning the surfaces, using a special solution, make a new masonry.

Relining of the lining is one of the most common types of overhaul. Only fireclay bricks are used in its production. It should be remembered that the refractory masonry must not come into contact with the brickwork of the furnace body.

In order not to reduce the overall efficiency of the structure, you should purchase new parts with the same parameters and dimensions as the old ones. This also applies to the fire door, which is most often made of cast iron material. When buying a door, measure the old one and when purchasing a new one, correlate them in size. Also remember about the need to use exclusively specialized solution for fireplaces and stoves.

Dismantle the old part together with the frame, clearing as much space as possible for the new door. Then you can start replacing it:

1. Clean the old mortar from the masonry;
2. Attach the steel tabs to the new cast iron piece and position it so that the strips are inside the masonry joint;
3. Between the oven masonry and the door frame, a pre-purchased cord with fire-resistant properties should be laid;
4. All gaps are filled with a special solution;
5. The composition is allowed to dry for 1-2 days.

In a Russian oven, frame brickwork is rarely damaged, since by itself it does not come into contact with fire and does not threaten damage due to temperature extremes. But if the stove-maker has done the wrong repair work, then it can be damaged too. The restoration of the frame is a simple type of repair, it does not require specific skills or specialized materials.

Due to the fact that the repair of a Russian stove with your own hands is not difficult, whether it be current or major work, the elimination of problems can be carried out without the involvement of a professional stove-maker, which saves money. The main thing is not to forget about their timely implementation and high-quality cleaning of the stove, so that the problems that appear do not lead to more serious damage to the structure.

We bought a house in the village with a stone stove, which turned out to be in rather bad condition. I had absolutely no experience in this matter, so I did not immediately notice that she was “defective”. She was whitewashed and seemed quite decent. I was afraid to undertake its repair myself, but I realized that if you invite a stove-maker, it would cost a very decent amount. In addition, I thought that if I repair it myself, then there will be experience and additional confidence in my abilities. So I started practicing myself - everything worked out for me, and not even bad at all. I will say right away that while the final repair of the furnace is not completed, there are still all sorts of little things to be done in the spring, but it is already working and is working well. So do not be afraid and feel free to take on the independent repair of the brick oven: I think you will succeed too. And now useful information from my experience, how to repair a brick oven with your own hands, both in the country and in a private house.

• Brick. At the construction market I bought a brick of the Tula brick factory, which was called "stove brick". Professionals say that, in general, there is no special oven brick - any building ceramic brick of any brand will do, even M-75 - the main thing is that it has no cracks. But, by the way, I really liked the brick that I bought - smooth, without cracks, much better quality than the usual building brick. It cost 15 rubles apiece, and I took as many as 100 pieces. In some stores, they even sell them for 25 rubles apiece. By the way, 7 pieces were not enough, and I had to use the old one, which I took out of the oven. I also bought 20 pieces of fireclay bricks at 49 rubles apiece. Fireclay bricks can withstand very high temperatures, as much as 1800 degrees. I wanted to lining the firebox with them, but then it turned out that it would not work. So this expensive brick lies and waits in the wings - it will come in handy for a new oven.

• Furnace casting. These are latches, furnace and blower doors, cleaning doors, cooking floor. The so-called scar casting (Zavod "Litkom") is the leader in quality. There is also a supplier from Balezino, but the quality there seems to be worse. I took the Rubtsov furnace door, and the ash door, as less important, I bought the Balezin one. I paid 1,500 rubles for everything. I did not consider imported casting: it is, of course, much better quality, but it also costs decent: I thought it was not advisable to buy it. I did not buy a cooking floor (stove): for now I decided to use the old one, which had been split, until spring. I didn't buy the grate either - I used the one that was in the old oven. By the way, it's homemade. Do-it-yourself brick oven repair did not include replacing valves and cleaning doors from me yet, so I did not buy them. I will do all this in the spring.

• Basalt cardboard BVTM used for sealing when installing metal parts: cooking deck, door. I bought two sheets of 5 mm thickness at 156 rubles apiece. This was quite enough and even remained, but I think that it will still come in handy: during the life of the furnace, it may well be required.
• Wire and metal tape. It is used when installing doors.I'll tell you more about this a little later. I found the wire in the garage, and bought the tape in the store (I gave 500 rubles for 20 meters) - the same as in the photo.

• Drill with mixer attachment - used to prepare the solution.
• Brush (drill attachment) - used to remove soot and old mortar from bricks in some places.
• Grinder + disc for metal + metal disc for concrete - mainly used to cut bricks. It turns out quickly, evenly, but hefty dusty, so buy another respirator. Sometimes it was required to cut the metal too: now a corner of some of the oven sticks out - I cut it off completely, then the grate cut. The photo shows an example of using a grinder when working with bricks. This is a key brick, which is placed over the firebox door.

• Building level - it is clear why.
• Gon - it is better if it is long, I had a short one. I mainly used it to mark out bricks.
• Roulette - for measurements of all kinds.
• Marker - they marked the brick. I took the marker from my daughters from drawing sets and will not return it, because it has worn out in the trash.
• Trowel, trowel - used to work with the solution. Basically I used a 70 mm wide spatula, it seemed to me that it is more convenient for them to work than with a trowel.
• Hacksaw for wood (old) - used to cut a brick out of the oven at the seam. An irreplaceable thing. Sometimes it was required to take something smaller, then I used canvas for metal.
• Hammer - used to neatly straighten a newly laid brick. And so, for other purposes, the hammer will find application.
• Sponge for washing dishes - wetted the surfaces of bricks prepared for mortar with water.
• Buckets - for mortar and for soaking bricks in water.

• If non-critical cracks need to be repaired, then, of course, it is not necessary to disassemble the oven. We melt it - the seams expand. Then we thoroughly clean out the old mortar until we clean the brick well at the crack. It is convenient to work with a cloth for metal.
• If a cracked brick needs to be replaced, then an old wood saw comes to the rescue for cutting bricks from masonry along the seam. Then carefully remove the brick and clean the bricks in the masonry, preparing them for mortar.
• If most of the oven is in critical condition, then you have to take out a lot of bricks. It is very dusty. I did not think of separating the stove from the room with foil, and my whole house was covered with a layer of dust. We remove the bricks until we reach those that hold tight. But turn on your head, otherwise you can disassemble the whole stove. The fact is that some bricks that wobble a little can be left in the masonry. Then they will bond with their new neighbors, and everything will be fine. And, of course, we also take out all the cracked bricks, and also the burnt ones. Here, look at the photo of how my firebox looked like. It had to be taken apart and laid out again. I took out about a little over 100 bricks from the entire oven.

After you have prepared the seams for repair (I wrote about this above), we wet the bricks with water using a sponge and put the mortar into the seam: we take it a little bit and with a trowel we "chase" the seam - we seal it with the edge of the trowel until the metal practically stops penetrating into the solution.

Do-it-yourself brick stove repair is very often a furnace repair. First of all, I took out all the burnt bricks and prepared the firebox for new masonry. But there was one serious problem: one of the walls of the furnace turned out to be load-bearing in the entire structure - let's say, the pipe rested on it. Therefore, I decided not to remove the bricks from this wall, but simply shifted the firebox to a half-brick to the side and laid out an absolutely new firebox wall. There is nothing particularly difficult in the masonry itself - just do everything carefully, take your time and try to keep all the bricks tied. Under the grate, I cut out the bricks with a grinder so that it would lie in the grooves, as it were.The grate must lie freely under its own weight with a gap of 5 mm from the bricks, otherwise it will expand from heating and begin to destroy the masonry. Some people advise to fill these free gaps with sand, but I did not - they themselves will fill with ash.

All kinds of doors (furnace, blower, cleaning) are installed so that there is a gap of 5 mm between them and the bricks, otherwise they will destroy the masonry when heated. The doors are fastened either to wire or to tape. They are attached to the wire like this: four pieces of wire are tied to the door (there are special holes in the doors), and then these mustaches are embedded in the masonry. Places for embedding (seams) must be pre-cleaned. If the door wobbles a little after the mortar to be laid has dried, then bend the wire with pliers - as if pulling it. In this way, I fixed the blower door. I did not like this method - the door is not very securely mounted in the masonry.

But the fire door, as a more responsible one, I fastened with a metal tape. I riveted two strips to the door with rivets, which I made from cut nails, and walled up this whole structure in the masonry. It turned out perfect. Therefore, I almost forgot about the basalt sealant, which is placed between the metal of the doors and the bricks. You can immediately close it up, and then you can fill it in a 5 mm gap.

The cooking deck was also installed with side gaps from bricks of 5 mm. It lies with me just under its own weight, but along the perimeter under it there is a basalt sealant in two layers. So that the cooking floor was flush with the plane of the stove, I cut out grooves in the bricks with a grinder along the perimeter of the stove.

This time, he did not repair the valve on the pipe and the cleaning doors for soot - he postponed this business until spring. But the general approach is the same.

Ideally, if the oven dries up by itself. This is long enough: it can take a month or two. Drying times will depend on the scale of the repairs performed. Another drying option is with gentle heating. In this case, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise the seams will crack. And it worked out for me: the upper two rows of the stove, newly laid out, cracked at the seams, because I hurried and went out ahead of time (5-7 days) to the normal mode of the furnace.

In my case, this is not critical: in the spring I will move the heels of the bricks again, and in some places I will simply rub the cracks. But nevertheless, it is still unpleasant. And one more thing: the criterion that the stove is dry is that there is no condensation (water droplets) on the cleaning doors and on the valves.

Due to regular temperature fluctuations of large amplitude, the operation of the furnace sooner or later fails. Any owner can repair a brick oven with his own hands, having initial technical knowledge and skillful hands.

The main thing is to do it in a timely manner, then you will avoid troubles and fires.

Usually renovation work are divided into three types:

1. elimination of minor problems
2. medium troubleshooting
3. elimination of serious defects (overhaul).

We advise you to remember that regular inspection of the oven before the heating season and maintenance is a way to prevent possible serious damage to the structure in the future.

What minor problems can you face when operating the oven and how to fix them?

This problem can occur due to the following reasons:

• the stove was not used for a long time, and cold air accumulated inside the chimney;
• there is no air flow to support combustion;
• exposure to strong winds from the street;
• soot clogged the smoke ducts.

Solution: we ignite the stove not with paper, but with a piece of rubber or dry fuel.

Attention! The use of kerosene or other flammable liquids is prohibited.

In case of a blocked chimney, you need to carry out the following activities:

• light the stove;
• pour coarse salt (about a handful) into the firebox;
• close the damper immediately;
• soot will fly out in chunks into the chimney.

If this method does not help, then it is necessary clean the pipe with your own handsby opening a special door, or taking out knocked out bricks. Experienced kiln craftsmen will always leave doors or knocked out bricks for cleaning.

To determine, where are these bricks located, do this:

• make an external inspection of the oven; especially in places of passage of smoke channels;
• the knock-out brick is usually displaced slightly outward, in contrast to the main masonry;
• clean the old mortar and take out the brick. This will make the smoke channel accessible and you can clean it;
• then replace the knock-out brick and coat it with clay mortar.

as a result of which the stove began to smoke.

In addition, its appearance is spoiled.

Heat the stove and you will notice cracks that need to be covered by hand.

Sequencing:

• soak the seams, and then clean them 2 - 3 cm;
• rinse the walls with a brush using clean water;
• prepare a solution by mixing clay, sand, asbestos fiber and salt (at the rate of 100 grams per 3 liters of the mixture); an indicator of a quality solution is an average viscosity. You can purchase a ready-made solution at a hardware store;
• fill the seams with a clay mixture, compact it, wiping out all the voids;
• if necessary, plaster the walls, whitewash or tile.

It is required to replace it with a new one.

Sequencing:

• clean clay and dust from the place where the old brick lay;
• moisten the place with water and put a clay cake on it;
• wet a new brick, coat its top and sides with a clay mixture (we prepare it first in the same way as for covering the cracks);
• to lay it instead of the damaged old brick.

Sometimes, in case of moderate damage to the furnace, it is impossible to do without self-repair and strengthening of some parts.

Mechanical stress and temperature fluctuations can lead to the formation of gaps around the door of the firebox or hob. As a result, hazardous gases escape outside.

These places need to be compacted.

Sequencing:

• clean the surface, remove the old solution;
• rinse and prime it with heat-resistant glue diluted with the same volume of liquid;
• attach an asbestos or ceramic cord around the door or hob to prevent cracking of the clay.
• rub the necessary areas with the repair mixture;
• dry for at least a day.

Advice: in order to check if the fire-resistant cord is tampered with, set it on fire right at the cash register.

You can eliminate the cracks around the hob using the same algorithm. Heat the oven before removing the stove. Then pry off the metal with an ax. It is permissible to replace the asbestos cord with basalt wool or felt. If the old stove is completely leaking, replace it with a new one.

It becomes necessary if cracks and cracks are located around the entire perimeter of the oven... In this case, it is best to shift the masonry, but if you do not have enough time, you can resort to screeding the frame with a metal wire.

Sequencing:

• we chase special channels with a depth of 15 to 20 millimeters in the oven strictly horizontally;
• we lay the wire in the grooves so that it provides the frame screed;
• we stretch the wire by twisting it with a beard or a thick nail so that it does not break;
• plaster the stove.

When replacing the grate, keep in mind that there must be a gap between the brickwork and the grate. It must be covered with sand. The new grill must be exactly the same size as the old one.

This manipulation should be performed only when the sheets are punctured or rusty. Sequencing:

• removing the old sheet;
• excavation of nails;
• laying a piece of felt that has been previously soaked in clay solution;
• nailing a new sheet.

Sometimes the damage to a brick oven is so serious that it is necessary to restore its full performance, replace or improve the broken parts.

Lining is nothing more than protection of the furnace surface from various mechanical and thermal damage. In our case, this is the use of fireclay bricks.

If the firebox lining is damaged, it must be replaced.

Important! For old and new masonry, use a homogeneous brick so that the coefficient of thermal expansion does not change.

Simple work can be done through the firebox door. To do this, it is enough to restore the damaged areas with an earthen solution or a factory-made refractory mixture.

Partial replacement of bricks is performed in the following sequence:

• prepare the mortar that was used during construction;
• soak and clean up the old solution in the required area;
• remove the item that has been damaged;
• insert a new brick into an empty space and cover it well.

For these manipulations, a ready-made refractory mortar can also be used - Chamotte mortar, which consists of chamotte and refractory clay. Then the seams of the furnace will be able to withstand more than 1700 degrees.

Complete replacement of the lining is carried out only after dismantling the wall. The main masonry must not be touched.

Sequencing:

• disassemble the wall from the hearth to the ash hole; do not touch the stove ribs;
• remove the remnants of rubble;
• lay out a new fireclay brick lining so that it is not tied up with the material of the stove body. Observe the thickness of the seam - no more than two millimeters.
• if the stove is large, lay the brick flat. If small or medium - on the edge.

This may require plastering of the masonry, or even brute force in the event of destruction.

The main method is to lay out the walls of the firebox with fireclay bricks using refractory mortar. Install slopes on the sides of the firebox. On them, hot coals will fall down during the heating process and close the grates.

It is important to use only high quality bricks.

It is better to prepare tools for repairs in advance.

You will need:

• brick;
• double-sided hammer;
• Master OK;
• plumb line;
• level;
• roulette;
• bucket for solution preparation.

Not all the subtleties of repair can be described in words, the video will show this clearly.

Didn't answer your question? Please leave your comments and wishes below. Thanks!

The effective functioning of any unit depends on its condition. Even despite careful and correct operation, sooner or later the time comes when the unit or its separate mechanism will require repair. Any oven is no exception. Consider some methods that allow you to repair a Russian stove with your own hands in a country house, in a house or in a summer kitchen, both minor and major restoration.

Scheme of a traditional Russian stove.

As already mentioned, even with proper operation, repairs cannot be avoided. The thing is that some parts of the furnace always work in extreme conditions. This is, first of all, the effect of high temperatures appearing during fuel combustion. As you know, almost all materials change their volume when cooled and heated, and cracks appear on the plastered surface of the Russian stove, and if there is no plaster, then the cracks are clearly visible on the seams of the masonry - the used solution is deformed. Dark patterns often appear around dampers, doors and metal parts as a result of the contraction and expansion of the materials of the oven during operation.

It is important to understand that the oven does not consist of one material. Clay mortar for adhesion, fireclay bricks used, metal - they all have a different thermal coefficient. Even the bricks have an unequal coefficient among themselves, because they are located at different distances from the fire. Therefore, some part heats up faster, the distant part of the bricks takes longer. If it is simpler, then the oven during operation, depending on the thermal regime, changes its shape all the time.

Usually, the repair of a stove laid out with your own hands in the country or in another place is required when it is not known for some reason that its thrust suddenly disappears or starts to work ineffectively.

The quality of the draft is influenced by the correct design of the chimney, and the ignition of the stove according to the rules, especially after a long downtime, as well as the possible clogging of the chimney ducts.

Sometimes, for some reason, the masonry solution cracks and a fallen out brick can clog the canal - which will carry with it a rather difficult DIY repair, but what happens more often is the clogging of the canal with a piece of soot, if you use coniferous wood as firewood: pine , spruce. Firewood from such trees splits very well, but when burned, due to the presence of resins in them, they form a very large soot.

To eliminate this nuisance, we will proceed as follows: using aspen or alder wood, we thoroughly heat the stove, and when the wood is well lit, we will throw a couple of tablespoons of table salt into the fire. If soot is to blame for poor traction, this method will burn it out and traction will return to normal. Well, if the proposed method did not help, then in search of the fallen brick, the chimney masonry will have to be disassembled and repaired by oneself.

Layout of the masonry of the Russian stove.

Experienced stove-makers for such situations leave a sufficient number of doors or, so-called, knocked-out bricks (but also planted in mortar), to be able to clean the chimney without disassembling it.

If a dacha or a house was purchased with a ready-made stove, then to find out where the knocked-out bricks are located, you need to proceed as follows:

• carefully examine the smoke channels of the Russian stove;
• usually knocked-out bricks are mounted with a slight outward displacement, by a few mm, not more;
• when such a brick is found, it is necessary to clean the solution around it and then it will easily be pulled out;
• in this case, access to the channel is provided, and the stuck brick can be pulled out of it;
• it is necessary to prepare a mortar from clay - with the help of its knock-out brick is put in place.

A fallen brick is a sign of the beginning of the destruction of the chimney and it is necessary to understand that very soon you will still have to overhaul the stove. She will still survive the winter period, but with the onset of heat, you will need to think about the fact that without repairs, with the onset of cold weather, the house or dacha may be left without a Russian stove with a high probability.

Brick oven layout.

Decreased heat output and poor draft can be the result of more than just clogged flue ducts. Cracks in the furnace doors and walls of the furnace also become the culprits for the malfunctioning of the unit.

To carry out the correct repair with your own hands, you need, first of all, to identify the damage and assess it. The metal parts of the furnace are installed taking into account the coefficient of expansion of the material when heated, but if soot appears around the doors over time, this indicates that carbon monoxide gets inside the room, albeit in small quantities.

The doors are installed during bricklaying, so there is no need to remove them from the structure. It will be correct to repair the waste-permeable masonry in this way: scrape the mortar around the doors to the brick, and carefully seal it with your own hands with a solution of cement and clay. This will require 1 part cement, three parts clay and ten parts sand. These ingredients are very thoroughly mixed and diluted with water until the consistency of thick sour cream. This solution is used to cover the seams around the doors.

Sometimes, when scraping the mortar, it turns out that some brick needs to be replaced. In this case, we prepare a whole brick and all other materials, and do-it-yourself tools for such repairs:

• metal brush to remove old mortar;
• sieve for sifting sand for cement mortar;
• chisel for knocking out cracked bricks;
• Master OK;
• hammer;
• wooden float for plastering;
• brush;
• sand;
• clay;
• cement;
• fireclay powder (if necessary);
• water spray for wetting the brick when installing it in place of the cracked one.

The deformed brick is gently knocked out of its place with a chisel, a metal brush will help to completely get rid of the old mortar and clear the place for a new brick. Prepare the above solution with your own hands, and apply it to the moistened brick, which is then inserted into the place of the old one. The same solution is used to completely putty the brick, then the plaster is rubbed with a wooden float, leveled and all this remains until it dries completely. In a hot period, a solution that dries too quickly on a Russian stove is wetted to prevent the formation of cracks in it.

There are times when an unplastered stove in the country is covered with so many cracks that it is impossible to repair it with ordinary plastering. To extend its service, you will need to tie the furnace frame with metal wire:

1. Channels 15-20 mm deep are grooved horizontally in the furnace.
2. The strobe must be made in such a way that it encircles the entire furnace frame.
3. After laying the steel wire, it must be pulled, this is done in several places with a barb or a thick nail. It is necessary to stop in time so as not to cause a wire burst.
4. After that, the oven must be plastered.

You should be aware that any plastered stove will last longer than an unplastered one.

Repair of the furnace is required even if the principle of its operation changes. For example, in a situation when a gas pipeline is being built and you want to take advantage of its benefits, giving up firewood. With the gas connection, gas stoves and the corresponding heating systems are installed, but many continue to use the stoves after installing gas burners on them. It is convenient, and there is no need to clean the stove from soot, only the problems with cracking of the joint seams and the passage of burning remain. Therefore, this topic will be relevant for a long time, since there are fewer and fewer specialists in laying and repairing stoves, and for a beginner it will turn out to be a real problem to repair an old stove in the country without the right tips.

The key to good and long-term operation of the stove is proper operation, but the most important thing is not to use unsuitable fuel for the stove. Many people burn household waste in it, and this entails environmental pollution and has a very bad effect on the functional capabilities of the heating unit.