What kind of firewood is best for a bathhouse

Steaming without preliminary kindling is a pointless idea. We do not consider options when gas or electric models are used, everything is extremely simple here. It's a completely different matter when a wood-burning structure is used. To melt it properly, you need to know some tricks. It’s not enough to just set the wood on fire; if you do everything in a simple way, you shouldn’t be surprised that you can’t achieve the desired temperature level in the room. Today we will look at how to properly heat a stove in a bathhouse and with what kind of wood.

Sauna stove design

Metal structures are very popular because they are quite compact, heat the air in the room very quickly and consume less fuel during operation.

The design itself includes three main components:

Firebox compartment. This is where the combustion process takes place.
Kamenka - it is filled with cobblestones, which are heated by the metal walls. There is also a hole for water supply.
Tank for heating liquid.

There are many different variations of stoves on the market, but most of them are designed in a similar way. If you are just choosing the ideal option, pay attention to the products. We have prepared for you reliable high quality products at an affordable price. We also sell various bath accessories.

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.

The best way to heat a sauna: types of fuel

The most suitable option is ordinary firewood. Here are some of their advantages:

capable of generating sufficient heat;
allow you to achieve long-lasting and uniform combustion, which contributes to high-quality heating of the room to the required temperature;
are not explosive;
they are quite cheap.

All kinds of wood processing products can also be used. As an example, pellets are pre-compressed granular sawdust.

You cannot use coal, everything is connected with the combustion characteristics of this type of fuel. It gives off all the heat quickly enough, after which it begins to slowly smolder. For an ordinary home, this option is ideal, but in the case of a steam room, it is not at all suitable.

It should be noted that wood is ideal for a stove. Obviously, the question immediately arises: what kind of firewood for a bath is the best? Let's consider this nuance in more detail.

What kind of firewood should not be used?

There is a list of prohibitions and restrictions on the use of certain types of wood fuel. In other words, what firewood is best not to use for a bath:

Elements of sleepers, posts, supports, protected from rotting by impregnation with creosote. The combustion of such fuel provokes the release of harmful volatile substances.
Remains of wooden building structures treated with paints and varnishes. In addition to increased soot emission, such combustion is harmful for the reason stated in paragraph 1.
Rotten wood, because, in addition to its low calorific value, it is prone to increased smoke formation.

What types of wood are most often used?

You need to understand that different types of wood material are characterized by their density and heat output. These indicators directly affect how much fuel is needed to achieve the required temperature level. We will consider trees that grow in Russia. The hornbeam produces the most heat, the poplar the least. As a result, you will need very little of the first type, and an impressive amount of the second.

Obviously, hornbeam does not grow everywhere, so sometimes you will have to replace it with what you can find in your area. In this case, you need to take into account the fact that not the first tree you come across will do. The most common species are alder and birch. They burn excellently, and what is important, when heated, they release aromatic essential oils. Pine wood is also ubiquitous, but its problem is that when it burns, it releases resin, which will clog the chimney.

The choice of wood is important, but you still need to figure out how to properly heat a sauna with wood. We will also dwell on this topic in detail further.

The best options to consider as fuel are:

Hornbeam is an ideal option. It burns for a very long time and produces very little smoke.
Acacia - is characterized by the fact that it allows you to maintain a constant level of heat in the firebox.
Linden - it is not very dense in its structure, so it burns quickly without leaving behind hot coals.
Oak is an excellent option; it fills the room with a pleasant aroma while burning and gives off enough heat. The cost of such firewood is high, however, they can be stored for a very long time and do not change their qualities.
Birch - burns quickly and evenly, releases substances into the air that allow you to clean the steam room from harmful microorganisms. It is better to use those logs that were prepared quite recently. Watch the amount of firewood thrown into the stove; when there is a lot of smoke, tar begins to be released, which clogs the chimney.
Pine or spruce. They should be used as a last resort, when there is simply no other material. Resin contaminates the walls of the smoke exhaust pipe quite quickly. When figuring out what kind of wood you can’t use to heat a bathhouse, this option is first on the list.

Once you have decided on a specific type of fuel, all that remains is to learn how to prepare it correctly. Of course, this option is more relevant for those who prefer not to buy ready-made logs

Types of firewood

The fuel for the sauna stove is wood. Firewood is tree trunks of different species cut to size. And each type of wood burns differently. Even a stove that is not the best in design, with good wood, will produce more heat than a beautiful stove in which garbage is burning.

Wood burning in the stove

Brick kilns

It is best and most economical to heat the stove with dry wood from deciduous wood. Good firewood should give a good and long heat. This requires wood with high density. And to speed up the kindling, lighter types of wood are added to it. Each type of wood has its own characteristics.

Firewood

Coniferous wood for firewood

Coniferous wood is often used in sauna stoves. But they contain a higher concentration of resins. Unburned resins leave thick layers of soot in the chimney.

Coniferous wood

Hardwood

Most often, hardwood wood is used for sauna stoves. They are considered an ideal fuel for a bath.

Birch firewood

Traditional sauna fuel is birch firewood. Birch bark contains birch tar, so it is convenient to use for lighting a stove. Birch splinters are used to ignite dense, heavy wood. The use of birch firewood in combination with birch brooms helps to create a favorable healing atmosphere in the steam room. In addition, burning birch has increased heat transfer - higher than other types of wood. Firing a stove with birch wood is more economical than using other types of wood.

Birch firewood

Oak firewood

Oak firewood, despite its high cost, is the most economical fuel.
The dense structure of the fibers ensures the duration of combustion, and the heat transfer of oak is higher than that of birch. When choosing oak firewood, you should give preference to middle-aged trees. Therapeutic steam from burning oak has a healing effect, especially beneficial for children's bodies.

Linden firewood

The linden tree takes a long time to light, but burns with an even, intense flame that quickly heats up the heater. Linden flowers and bark are useful. They are used for medicinal decoctions that promote the healing of damaged human skin. You need to know that it is not recommended to store linden for more than two years; it loses its healing properties.

Alder firewood

In addition to its main heating function, alder firewood also performs a design service. The ends of the logs have a variety of colors - from bright red to rich ocher and blue.

In addition, alder dries quickly. But within three years after harvesting, alder fills the steam room with a unique aroma. It is well suited for black fires, as it produces almost no smoke when burning. But its smoke contains vapors that clean the chimney of soot deposits. Alder sawdust is used for smoking food and cooking kebabs.

Alder firewood

Aspen firewood

Aspen firewood is similar in characteristics to alder, but it has very low heat transfer. And aspen smoke cleans chimneys very well.

Aspen firewood

Firewood from poplar and willow

This firewood is very cheap, but its heat output is too low, and therefore you need to burn a lot of it to heat the room. This firewood does not have any medicinal properties.

Firewood harvesting rules

After choosing the optimal breed, you need to choose the right time to collect it. As practice shows, it is preferable to do this between February and March. The fact is that at this particular time of year the fibers are still frozen, so it will be quite easy to split the trunk. To determine that very moment, you can hit the wood with the back of an ax: when a ringing sound is heard, everything is perfect, but if a dull rumble echoes, the material has begun to rot from the inside.

Another important point to pay attention to is the number of branches. The more there are, the more difficult it will be to dry the wood. Obviously, you won’t find a tree without knots in the forest, but you need to try to find options where there are the fewest of them.

If you have a good chainsaw, it is easier to purchase whole logs and cut them yourself later. This approach will save money.

If you buy firewood, you need to pay attention to the following features:

Humidity of the purchased material. It should be no higher than 20%, then the firewood will ignite quickly and burn evenly.
Uniformity. Make sure that the quantity supplied contains only the breed you have chosen, without other impurities.

If you prepared the material yourself in winter, it is better to dry it for about six months. After complete drying, it can be used in business. We’ll talk further about how to properly light a sauna.

Exotic firewood

What other trees are suitable as firewood? Let's look at their characteristics.

Elm. It smokes heavily and takes a long time to melt.
Beech. Such firewood burns even when wet, but you will have to work hard to split and ignite it.
Poplar. Burns quickly and sparks strongly. It pricks easily.
Fir. Gives off a lot of smoke and sparks. They prick and light without any problems.
Sycamore. There are no problems with its kindling, but it is difficult to crack.

How to make a heated floor in a bathhouse with your own hands under the tiles?

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How to store kindling material

Just leaving the wood in a pile on the grass is a bad idea because it will become damp and moldy. It is quite convenient to stack the logs next to the wall of the house in such a way that the roof canopy protects them from any weather conditions. The problem is that not everyone wants to clutter the facade, especially when there is a lot of material.

The easiest and most effective way is to build a small shed or so-called firewood shed. As an example, it is created as follows. Bricks are selected and placed in two rows at a distance of 600 mm from each other, plank flooring is laid on top and bottom. Actually, this stand is used for storage. Additionally, the structure can be strengthened with transverse wooden posts or made into something like walls. In order to ensure good ventilation, it is preferable to lay the floor not solid, but to leave small gaps between the boards.

Alder firewood - “a royal gift”

Finding alder logs is not easy. However, if you manage to get them, you will appreciate all their advantages. Such firewood burns for a long time, does not smoke, and does not leave soot or soot. During combustion, substances are released that prevent the development of respiratory diseases and serve as a prevention of viral diseases. As a rule, alder logs are used to kindle a black bath. They are able to cope with cleaning the chimney from soot and soot.

Alder firewood

If you use them on a regular basis, you will be provided with a boost of energy. Alder firewood is in great demand among those who smoke meat and fish. The shelf life of alder under natural conditions is 3 years. During this period, it does not lose its beneficial properties. Alder can be stored in natural conditions without problems.

How to insulate the floor in a bathhouse with your own hands?

How to properly heat a sauna with a metal stove with wood

A little practice is enough to master the art of professionally lighting a stove in a steam room. All you have to do is strictly follow the instructions provided.

The process begins with preparation. It is necessary to restore order and remove any items that will not be used during the procedure. Next comes a stage called burning. Each oven has its own characteristics, so the principle of the approach will vary.

If you violate the rules of kindling, quite serious consequences can arise: from the formation of too heavy steam to heat stroke or, even worse, fire.

Checking and preparing basic elements

First of all, we pay attention to the stones. They should be washed to remove soot. Then we move on to the water boiler. If you have it, then it should never be empty. Even in cases where it will not be used by anyone while you are in the steam room. An empty boiler may not withstand high heat and will burst. After this information, questions about whether it is possible to heat a bathhouse without water should not arise.

In the process of taking procedures, regularly check the fluid level; if it becomes critically low, raise it. This will not only ensure the safety of the entire structure, but will also ensure your safety while you are inside the steam room.

Next we check the traction. We close the doors that go into the room and release the valves of the firebox, vent and smoke hood. To understand whether oxygen is flowing to the stove, you simply light a match and bring it closer to the ignition channel of the structure. Just watch the movement of the flame, it will react instantly when there is normal draft.

How to heat a wood-burning sauna

Prepare small wood chips, which can be obtained by separating thin, small pieces of one log. Place them in the firebox on pre-lined newsprint or small wood chips that need to be set on fire. Then close the door and wait a few minutes. Remember not to use any flammable liquids. After just a short period of time, you will hear the characteristic sound of a flame.

Loading firewood

After the fire has appeared, you need to open the firebox and fill it with wood. It's important not to make it too tight. Carefully, leaving small gaps, place the logs at a short distance from the door.

It usually takes about 3 hours to heat a sauna - in warm weather and about 6 hours with the onset of the first cold snap. It is worth understanding that these indicators are variable, it all depends on the volume of the water tank, the number of stones, and what kind of stove you use. Insulation is one of the main factors in preparing a steam room! VÖHRINGER employee

It is worth abandoning any alternative types of fuel, garbage or other waste. Most of them release hazardous substances when ignited. Accordingly, no one wants to breathe it.

How to properly and safely heat a stove in a bathhouse

The main dangers encountered when heating steam rooms and baths are water vapor and carbon monoxide. The invisible volatile poison is a product of the interaction of vapors with hot coals, so the chances of getting burned in a Russian bathhouse are much greater than in any other.

Carbon monoxide appears during the initial and final stages of heating the furnace. In the first case, the condensate formed on the walls of the chimney accumulates in the firebox on the coals, so in the bathhouse, when the stove is ignited, the chamber door should be closed, and the ash pan, ash pan and scraper should be open.

In the second case, when the stove in the bathhouse is no longer heated and is filled with firewood, the flame slowly burns out on the coals. Chimneys and walls of steel stoves cool quickly, so at some point there is not enough draft, and some of the gases are forced through the ash pan into the dressing room or steam room. Therefore, a steel stove cannot be left; it is turned off and raked out with a poker.

Summing up

In this article, we talked in detail about how to light a sauna and what kind of wood is best to heat it with, and looked at all the features of this process. Now all you have to do is prepare a sufficient amount of material and properly prepare the heating device for operation. If you have any additional questions, you can always ask the specialists at the time of purchasing the stove. They will explain to you in detail all the intricacies of the device of a particular model and tell you how to make the product last as long as possible. Modern metal structures are made with high quality; it is enough to follow basic rules such as timely cleaning of the firebox from ash, regular inspection of the chimney and compliance with operating techniques.

Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and under no circumstances constitutes a public offer as defined by the provisions of Article 437 (2) of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Coniferous firewood - a cozy soundtrack

Spruce and pine are also suitable for fireplace inserts. It is worth considering that when spruce burns, sparks are formed, and pine produces too much smoke. After ignition, you can hear a crackling sound, which is characteristic exclusively of coniferous firewood. Pine logs give off a lot of heat, but they burn in a matter of minutes and smoke heavily. They are valued for the special aroma that is formed during the combustion process, so they are recommended to be added at the end of the kindling.

Do-it-yourself metal sauna stove

Coniferous firewood

It was already said above that such logs spark strongly. To prevent a fire, when lighting the fireplace, you will have to remove all objects capable of spontaneous combustion from it.