Homemade firebox with high efficiency

It can be expensive to keep your house warm in the winter, particularly if you only use traditional heating systems. A homemade firebox, on the other hand, offers a solution that not only lets you take control of the situation but also offers effective heating. You can lower your energy costs and greatly improve the efficiency of your heating system by building your own firebox.

In essence, a homemade firebox is a compact, enclosed space intended to effectively burn wood or other combustible materials. A well-designed firebox optimizes heat retention and distribution throughout your home, in contrast to traditional fireplaces, which frequently lose a substantial amount of heat through the chimney. This implies that you won’t have to turn up the thermostat or keep adding fuel to the fire in order to stay warm and comfortable.

The freedom it provides to choose your own materials and designs for the firebox is one of its main benefits. You can customize your firebox to meet your needs, regardless of your aesthetic preferences or the amount of space you have available. The options are endless, ranging from small models ideal for tiny homes or cabins to larger installations capable of heating larger spaces.

For those with rudimentary carpentry skills, building a homemade firebox can also be a rewarding do-it-yourself project. You don’t have to break the bank to create a practical and effective heating solution with the correct advice and supplies. Furthermore, it can be immensely fulfilling to know that you’ve designed a system that lowers your carbon footprint in addition to saving energy.

This post will cover the fundamentals of high-efficiency firebox design, the supplies and equipment needed for the project, and detailed building instructions for creating your own DIY firebox. A homemade firebox might be the answer you’ve been looking for, whether you want to add to your current heating system or find a more environmentally friendly substitute.

Materials needed	Step-by-step instructions
Steel barrel or thick metal box	1. Cut an opening for the fuel door on one side of the barrel. 2. Cut holes for air intake and chimney on opposite sides. 3. Weld sturdy legs onto the bottom for stability.

How to increase the efficiency of a burzhuika and create a homemade efficient stove

Burzhuyki is a popular choice for house heating. Although they have a number of benefits over other kinds of stoves, there are situations in which using them requires raising the output. The bubbler’s efficiency can be raised with a few easy and affordable steps.

Numerous factors can influence how strong the chimney draft is. These include the effect of the waste gas’s temperature, the chimney’s proper size and shape, the cleanliness of the pipe’s interior, and the deflector.

Draughts that are incorrect (left) and correct (right). Any solid fuel stove that experiences excessive draught will produce a distinct rumble coming from the chimney. Observe whether a deflector is present (3)

How to increase the draught in a burzhuyka with the help of a chimney

A high-efficiency burzhuyka’s chimney design ought to include the following elements:

• The chimney should be made sufficiently high. So, the optimal distance from the stove itself to the top of the chimney is a parameter of about 5-6 meters.
• In the shape of the pipe should not meet horizontal and inclined less than 45 degrees sections, or their number should be minimized.

Increasing the birch stove’s efficiency will also help the pipe’s thermal insulation to form, which will greatly lessen the harm that results from condensation.

• Installing the cross-section of the chimney, it is necessary to choose the optimal size. If at the time of establishing the efficiency of the chimney is already too narrow, you can put on top of the deflector, which will protect the design from precipitation and increase the draught.
• The height of the chimney should also be affected by the level of the ridge. If the chimney is lower than it, you need to increase the pipe.

Make sure you read the suggested readings on the subject.

How to build a low-cost, manually operated stove burner that produces more heat

Advice: The color of the flame indicates how strong the draft is in the stove; if there is insufficient air, it is red with dark stripes; if there is too much, it is brilliant white, and the chimney frequently produces a humming sound. The stove’s draught is normal if the flame is golden-orange in color.

How to increase the efficiency of the stove by working on the design

Occasionally, the shape of the chimney has less of an impact on the draught’s strength than the influence of operating conditions:

• It is necessary to periodically check the stove for cracks, especially around the perimeter of the furnace door and the stove. Slabs and lids are replaced in case of cracks, gaps are sealed.
• Usually the question of how to increase the heat output of the bun is asked after some time of use. This is due to the fact that on the walls of the chimney gradually accumulates soot, which reduces the lumen and makes the draught lower.

You can use a brush or a basic DIY tool to mechanically clean the chimney pipe: A figure-eight-shaped wire wound around a wooden rail

• It is also worth removing soot from other parts of the stove periodically. So, when cleaning the chimney, part of it crumbles into the channels of the burzhuika. They are removed through the already existing sweep doors or through holes made in the stove.

Increasing the efficiency of the bourzhuika with your own hands

Since cleaning the pipe alone isn’t always enough to increase the bourzhuika’s heat output, a more labor-intensive but still fairly straightforward method was developed.

Prior to improving the burzhuika’s effectiveness, you must get ready:

• About 30 red heat-resistant bricks.
• A frame made of steel angle.

You can store dried berries, herbs, and other plants on top of the frame.

The stove’s installed frame will function as a heat shield. In addition to maintaining the heat for a longer period of time, it will lessen the strain on the pipe and increase its lifespan.

Important: You should leave about 250–300 mm between the brickwork and the stove so that you can easily use it for its intended purpose.

Given the importance of properly enhancing the burzhuika, it is prudent to proceed with the following heat-shielding procedures:

• Two frames are welded from the angle, the lower one is placed so that the rib captures the stove.
• From the outside, four more corners are added to the frame.
• The next frame, corresponding to the dimensions of the lower frame, is welded at a height of one row of bricks.
• The frame is installed on the burzhuyka, a chimney pipe is added to it.
• Brick laying on clay mortar begins. The first row is placed on the frame flat, the next – ribbed, then again flat, then two more rows ribbed.

When laying, the joints’ thickness should be as little as possible.

• A steel strip is attached to the last row from all sides, which will play the role of a fixer.
• The gap between the bricks and the pipes is filled with mortar or asbestos cord.

Make sure you read the suggested readings on the subject.

How to construct a bunzhuika on your own using a water boiler

Following every step, the stove is left to dry out for a few days. The stove must then be heated repeatedly for a total of fifteen minutes. Then, a high-performing half-homemade bourzhuika will demonstrate its effectiveness right away and last for a very long time.

This diagram illustrates the multiple turns that carbon dioxide gases make prior to entering the chimney, helping to improve fuel combustion. Three times the firebox’s liter-volume measurement should be the diameter of the chimney, measured in millimeters.

How to improve the draught in the burner with the help of fuel

Enough air circulation is only possible in an oven that is not packed full. One way to figure out how much fuel is enough is to do the following:

• Prepare a bucket of standard size and put fuel in it.
• A small part of it is laid out in the firebox and kindled.
• Continue to put fuel underneath until the beginning of the hog – the horizontal chimney for venting gases – does not take on a cherry hue. This volume will be minimal.
• Add fuel and keep an eye on the far side of the hog – its 1/5th should remain dark. This indicator will be the maximum.

Video: guidelines for boosting the bourzhuika’s effectiveness

Therefore, by taking a few easy and affordable steps, you can improve the stove’s efficiency and prolong the life of each of its parts.

View additional resources on related subjects

Cast-iron burzhuyka: varieties, benefits and drawbacks, models

How to build a brick stove by hand: detailed instructions

Build a "Dutch oven" with your own hands: the technology of work

Homemade bourzhuika stove with your own hands

A burzhuyka, a small, compact metal stove, can be used to heat a small summer house, garage, or workshop. It can be fabricated using metal sheets that have been welded together or from rusted steel pipes, gas cylinders, barrels, or even old flasks. The most crucial factor is that the metal used to make this kind of stove shouldn’t be overly thin.

Materials and tools

To create a burzhuika you will need:
– metal of 3±0,5 mm thickness: thinner sheets will quickly burn through, besides, under the action of high temperature they may rot and the stove will become shapeless; thick-walled metal will be heated for a very long time;
– a pipe for smoke exhaust;
– bars of 16 mm;
– a sheet of metal with a thickness of 0,3 mm for the device of a box for collecting ash;
– tape measure, ruler, chalk;
– welding machine 140-200A;
– a bolgar for cutting metal; for making round holes it is more convenient to use a gas torch;
– metal brush for cleaning the places of welding;
– sandpaper wheel for fitting the doors;
– drill and drill bits.

Schemes of birch houses

The stove’s primary benefit is its rectangular shape. Its efficiency will be significantly higher than oval products made of pipes or gas cylinders because it has a larger heated surface area. A bourzhuyka should be 800x450x450 mm in size. This size stove will fit easily in even the smallest room because it doesn’t take up much room.

The stove "Gnome," which is made up of a box with a pipe welded to it, is the most basic design.

The two plates (reflectors) in the upper portion of the furnace compartment are a significant distinction between the Loginov stove and other models. With a gas path, this type of stove produces a lot more heat than a typical metal stove.

Advice: If the Loginov stove’s size must be decreased, it is preferable to solely alter its width. Its efficiency can be greatly decreased by adjusting the construction’s height and length.

Comprehensive plan of Loginov’s bourzhuika

This article explores the world of DIY fireboxes made to maximize home insulation and heating efficiency. We’ll look at the principles involved in building a firebox that maximizes heat output while burning fuel efficiently, making it the perfect way to keep your home toasty during the winter. For homeowners wishing to upgrade their heating systems on their own, we’ll offer helpful advice on everything from the value of insulation to selecting the best materials and design. Whether your goal is to lower your energy costs or just improve the comfort level of your living area, installing a high-efficiency firebox can be an enjoyable and affordable project that completely changes how you heat your house.

The main stages of making a burzhuyka

1. Write all the information down on a metal sheet: There are six steel rectangles for the stove’s walls, one rectangle for a smoke deflector, grate plates, and a door latch. 2. Disperse You can buy sheet metal at any metal depot. A guillotine gives you more precise cutting (chopping) control than a bolgar. In this instance, straightening, or leveling the sheets, won’t be necessary. 3. The stove’s body is constructed in a rectangular shape. They are welded together with their sides butted at a ninety-degree angle.

4. The stove box is first welded in multiple locations to prevent errors. Only after ensuring that the seams are aligned vertically and horizontally is the stove box’s seams welded together.

Crucial! Every joint in the body is expertly welded; to inspect the welds If the joints are tight, apply kerosene or chalk to them.

5. A metal brush is used to clean the welding seams. 6. The firebox, the smoke chamber, and the ash pan make up the three sections of the bourzhuyka’s interior. A grate that will hold the fuel is placed between the firebox and the ash pan to keep it apart. For this reason, the sides and back of the box have 5×5 cm welded corners, on which the grate will be positioned, at a height of 10-15 cm from the furnace’s bottom.

Advice: It’s best to construct the spike out of two or three separate pieces. Otherwise, it will be challenging to remove the burned grate from the firebox for replacement.

7. The grate is made of thick, 30 mm-wide steel bars or strips that are welded together. They are fastened to two stiffeners, which are 20 mm-diameter bars. It is preferable to have a removable grate of this kind because the grates burn out over time.

8. Two robust bars are welded at a distance of 15 cm from the top of the box. One or two of these reflectors, which are metal sheets with thick walls that will retain hot gases and cause them to burn after they are heated, will be mounted on top of the heating system. However, they shouldn’t cover the furnace entirely at the same time. An indentation of roughly 8 cm is made from the front (for the first sheet) and back of the stove to allow hot smoke to flow into the chimney.

9. The box’s upper portion is then cut out of the pipe hole and welded.

Opening of the chimney

10. The ash pan and furnace door cutouts in the front portion of the stove are welded last. 11. The fuel door should have enough room for fuel to be added and grates to be changed without difficulty. The ash pan opening is slightly smaller than. 12. The hinges are welded to the stove’s body after being welded to the door. They can be welded from two tubes of different diameters or purchased already assembled. A bar or a strip of metal can be used to make the door handles.

Crucial! The doors must be fitted to the body as tightly as possible during the fixing process; to achieve this, they must be leveled and straightened using an emery wheel. The door’s wedge latches are fastened to the body as firmly as feasible.

13. You can cook food or warm water on such a stove. For this purpose, a hole of the required diameter is cut in the upper part of the box. Burner for the stove. You can buy a hole to fit into this opening at any building supply store.
14. For convenience of use, the design of the mounted on legs or a welded stand made of pipes.
15. The chimney pipe is connected to the stove with the help of a sleeve.
16. For inserting the chimney flap. to regulate the smoke output, two holes are drilled in the pipe. A bar of metal is inserted into the holes and bent at 90°. To it in the center of the pipe is tacked on a "heel" of metal – a gate valve, the diameter of which should be slightly less than the diameter of the pipe itself by 3-4 mm.

Schieber for controlling the smoke discharge

Chimney arrangement

In order to keep valuable heat from escaping through the chimney too soon, a unique design is required. This device consists of two main sections: a sloping section known as the hog and a vertical section that is at least 1.2 meters high and angled 90 degrees above the stove. at least 2.5–4.5 meters long, where the smoke extinguishes. Up to 1/4 of the heat produced by the stove comes from the hog.

Pipe hogs for stoves

– Because a tall person may come into contact with the heated chimney, the hog needs to be covered with a protective grid. The distance between this pipe and the floor should be 2.2 meters to prevent burns. Thermal insulation is also wrapped around the vertical portion of the stove pipe.

It’s crucial! The pipe should be placed 1.2 meters away from plastered walls. 1.5 meters separate it from wooden structures.

Advice: Inserting a pipe through a wooden roof or ceiling requires a lot of work. Leaping it out of a window or wall hole is far simpler.

Letting the smoke out via a window

Rules for safe installation of a metal stove

Since burzhuykas heat up much more quickly than brick ovens, everything combustible needs to be kept far enough away from the stove. If the room has a wooden floor, it can only be put down on metal sheets or bricks. The metal is then placed on top of an asbestos sheet at least 35 centimeters away from the stove’s edges. It should protrude by 5.5 cm in the front section, prior to the firebox. Replace asbestos with felt that has been impregnated with clay. It is possible to install a heat-reflecting screen on concrete.

Crucial! A stove that functions needs to be watched over. Avoid spending a lot of time outside the room where the stove is burning.

Stove installation on a brick foundation

Increasing the efficiency of the stove

The room can be heated by Burzhuyka in a matter of minutes. Additionally, you can throw anything you want into the furnace because the smoke goes "directly" out of it and there is no branch network of chimneys inside, so you don’t have to worry about them clogging up.

However, because the heat from the regular heating stove goes straight into the pipe in the bourzhuika instead of through a branching network of chimneys as it would in a permanent residence, the efficiency of the stove is reduced. That explains why it uses a lot of fuel and is overly "voracious."

To reduce fuel consumption, you can use the following tips from experienced stove builders:
– door to the firebox and under-blower in such a stove should be as airtight as possible; otherwise, the air supply to the burzhuyka will increase, and the fuel will burn through too quickly;
– to regulate the exit of warm smoke in the chimney it is desirable to provide a damper-slider ;
– next to the stove can be envisaged side metal screens At a distance of 5-6 cm from the stove, in this case it will heat the room not only by radiating heat, but also by convection (circulation of warm air);
– burzhuyka, "dressed" in a metal casing, will help keep the heat much longer;

Inside a casing, Burzhuyka

Round stove with heat gun housing and afterburning chamber

– The chimney can also be given a stepped shape by adding elbows to the pipe to retain heat in the room; however, since soot will get trapped in them, it is best to build a collapsible construction; – Each elbow must be firmly fastened to the wall with rods in order to accomplish this;

– chimney capacity should be smaller than the capacity of the stove itself, in this case hot gases will not go into the pipe immediately; its diameter should be only 2.7 times larger than the volume of the firebox, for example, with a volume of the firebox 40 liters diameter should be equal to 110 mm;
– it is also possible to increase the efficiency of the stove by using blowing the chimney with a fan – it will turn the stove into a kind of smoke cannon;
– to reduce air circulation wood in the stove should be laid as tightly as possible; if it is heated with coal, tumble the resulting ash should be as little as possible;
– To regulate the air inflow, the door to the under-blower can be made adjustable by equipping it with a vertically positioned with slots and a latch. which will cover these gaps;
– to increase the heating area, it can be finned, that is, welded on its body perpendicular to the stove strips of metal ;
– if you put on the stove a couple of buckets or a metal sand box. they will accumulate heat and store it even after the stove has died down; sand backfill or a heat accumulator made of stones can also be sewn inside the metal body of the stove;

The stove in the birzhuyka plan with sand backfill is constructed from a 500 mm diameter by 650 mm length pipe.

– a stove, one or two brick layers. will maintain the heat much longer;

– The stove’s volume is also crucial; the bigger the wall area, the better. The more heat-retaining material—bricks or metal sheets—that the stove is placed on, the better the room will be kept warm and safe from fire.

A video about making a Burzhuyka stove by hand

How to make a homemade burzhuyka?

• The first type of burzhuika
• The second type of stove-burzhuyka
• The third type of burzhuyka stove
• Step-by-step construction of a bunting stove

The stove, also called a "burzhuyka," is a metal construction with a door and a pipe that has a barrel or box shape. Usually, the stove pipe was connected straight to the vent in the room. In fact, "Burzhuyka" kept people warm during the winter months if the home lacked a big Russian stove or insufficient wood for heating.

The sawdust stove scheme.

This stove was so efficient that it could quickly heat up a room by burning a few birch branches, hence its name.

Similar-looking DIY fireboxes are still in good use today, providing warmth for small cottages, temporary homes, and garages.

Additionally, in the event that the heating is turned off in the winter, urban apartment dwellers should turn to similar simple equipment.

Burzhuyki’s high efficiency and simple construction make them very appealing. Let’s look at a few of the various stove-baby varieties that exist today.

The first type of sawdust stove

A piece of metal pipe with dimensions of 60–80 cm in height, 30–40 cm in diameter, and a wall thickness of roughly 1 cm is the most basic component of a bun.

A square bubbler’s schematic diagram.

This stove differs primarily in that the draught is not adjustable. Let’s take a close look at the stove’s overall layout and the various building phases.

The first step in limiting the amount of heat energy lost from the burner through the proposed chimney is to weld a plate. The shape of this plate is truncated round. By two thirds, it should overlap the inner portion of the structure. After completing this, mark the locations of the future door using drawing 1. Choose the location for the 1.5 cm diameter reinforcing bar welding.

The open ends of the pipe should be welded with heels that match the thickness of the stove walls. A hole with a diameter of 10 cm must be made at the top of the structure. This hole needs to be welded to a pipe with the same diameter. Next, use a bolt cutter to carefully cut out the door, and then weld the hinged flaps to them.

That is how simple it is to build the most basic type of birch stove for a temporary home or garage using only your hands. One benefit of this kind of stove is how quickly the construction can be put together; welding expertise isn’t always necessary. The round bunker’s interaction surface with the surrounding air is smaller than that of a square-shaped design, which is its weakness.

A large-diameter pipe serves as the central component of the circular stove with an inflexible draft. As it happens, the walls’ thickness is also fairly significant. Because of this, stoves with this design heat up slowly and cool down quickly after reaching a small maximum temperature through prolonged heating.

Diagram of a cast-iron stove that burns fuel.

In order to compensate for this disadvantage of the stove, it is necessary to consider how to save heat for a longer period of time. To thoroughly increase the efficiency of a homemade bourzhuyka requires solving a couple of problems: to make a large heat reservoir of the stove and continue the transport of glowing gases from the furnace to the entrance to the chimney. For this purpose it is necessary to slightly modernize the simple construction of the stove by welding a heat exchanger to the top of the stove. It includes 1-4 fairly high empty "pancakes", which are connected by means of short pipes. A round box made of a steel sheet is placed on top of the improvised heat exchanger, and the space between the heat exchanger and it is filled with sand of large fractions.

Returning to the contents table

The second type of bourgeois stove

The characteristics of a straightforward burzhuyka are present in another kind of small stove, along with a few extra benefits. This model has a higher efficiency factor because it enables you to control the duration of combustion, which helps to make up for the long storage time of the accumulated heat.

Because the wood smolders slowly in a factory-made bourgeois stove of the bulerian type, the stove can produce warm air for an extended period of time. However, making a bulerian stove on your own is extremely difficult, and buying one already built would be too costly.

The primary drawback of metal-framed stoves is thought to be their poor heat capacity indicators. Unlike brick stoves, the majority of the heat energy is released through the chimney rather than being stored. Short branches should be thrown into the bourjouka to equalize the heat regime and lower the firebox’s volume. With a few simple design adjustments, wood’s smoldering time can be greatly extended.

The stove’s operating scheme.

You will need to make a closed cylinder out of steel sheet. It will be filled with long firewood. Take care of a solid base for the steel cylinder; it can be a cone or a thrust flange. To make it easier to dismantle the annexe, attach handles to it. When you fill the working area with logs, make sure that they can move freely when you turn them over. Melt the stove before installing the extension with logs. This is necessary for the formation of the initial coal stock. When the logs are dropped from the steel cylinder onto the coal, they will start to ignite. Judge for yourself: with the height of the improvised extension of 40 cm, the stove worked without interruption for 4 hours.

It turns out to be a well-designed, reasonably priced stove, but it is not without drawbacks. The room’s high level of smoke is the primary one. This is not a major issue for non-residential properties, but it is unacceptable for an apartment in a city.

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The third type of bourgeois stove

Let’s now learn how to construct a burzhuyka stove at home, which has a square body, thin walls, and an adjustable draught. The primary benefit of the square-shaped birzhuyka is its increased air contact surface area, which results in higher efficiency when compared to the stove’s pipe-based design.

The ideal measurements for a DIY stove are 800 mm for the structure’s height and 450 × 450 mm for the base. Such a burner will not take up much room and can accommodate almost any kind of wood.

Chimney installation diagram.

Determining the thickness of the metal that will be used for the stove’s construction is another important step. As with everything, you should look for the golden mean: extremely thick walls (about 1 cm) take too long to heat up, and after heating, thin-walled metal sheets bloat and lose their shape.

For these uses, choose a medium wall thickness of between 0.3 and 0.5 cm. The burzhuyka will then continue to look immaculate and will warm the space to the ideal temperature.

Returning to the contents table

Constructing an energy-efficient DIY firebox has many advantages for homeowners looking to improve their heating systems. These do-it-yourself fireboxes can drastically reduce energy expenses while greatly enhancing the warmth and comfort of your living area by utilizing the power of combustion in a regulated setting.

Making your own firebox allows you to tailor it to your own requirements and tastes, which is one of its most obvious benefits. Whether your goal is to heat a small space or your entire home, you can customize the firebox’s features and dimensions to maximize its effectiveness.

Additionally, building a homemade firebox with easily accessible materials is less expensive than buying commercial heating systems. With the correct tools and a basic understanding of carpentry, you can build a high-efficiency firebox that can compete with more costly models available on the market.

One more reason to think about building your own firebox is that it’s a great way to integrate sustainable practices into your home heating system. You can lessen your dependency on fossil fuels and lessen your carbon footprint by using renewable fuel sources like biomass or wood pellets, making your home greener and more ecologically friendly.

Additionally, having a firebox of your own adds a sense of accomplishment and self-sufficiency to being a homeowner. Making a homemade firebox can improve your relationship with your living area and be both gratifying and empowering, from sketching up the plans to lighting the first fire.

In conclusion, for homeowners looking to upgrade their insulation and heating systems, building a high-efficiency homemade firebox is a useful and satisfying project. A do-it-yourself firebox is a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness of homeowners everywhere, thanks to its customizable nature, affordability, sustainability, and ease of use.

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