How to drown a stove except firewood: an overview of alternative options

Traditional firewood-burning stoves are not the only option for keeping your house warm during the winter. Alternative options abound and just need to be discovered. There are many creative ways to heat your home effectively and efficiently, whether your goal is to lessen your impact on the environment, save money, or just try something different. We’ll examine some of these alternate approaches in more detail in this post, along with discussing some of their advantages and drawbacks.

Although using firewood to heat a home has been a tradition for centuries, there are now a number of viable alternatives thanks to modern technology. Pellet stoves and electric heaters are just two examples of the many options available to suit a range of tastes and requirements. Investigating these options can improve your home’s comfort while also advancing sustainability initiatives by lowering your dependency on fossil fuels.

The pellet stove is a well-liked substitute for conventional firewood stoves. These stoves provide a practical and effective heating solution by burning small, compressed pellets made from wood waste. Because of their automated operation and reputation for being simple to use, pellet stoves are a desirable choice for individuals looking for convenience without compromising warmth. Furthermore, pellet stoves are a more environmentally friendly option because they emit fewer emissions than conventional wood stoves.

Electric heaters are a good choice for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint even more. Electric heaters are now more energy-efficient than ever thanks to technological developments, providing a dependable and hygienic source of heat for your house. Electric heaters come in a variety of forms, each with advantages and disadvantages of its own, ranging from radiant heaters to infrared panels. Electric heaters have the benefit of precise temperature control and low maintenance requirements, but the cost of electricity may vary based on your location.

Solar heating systems are an additional option to consider, as they use the sun’s energy to generate warmth for your house. Typically, solar heating systems include heat transfer equipment that moves the energy collected from the solar panels to the house’s interior and are mounted on the roof or in the yard. Although solar heating systems may require a larger initial investment than other heating options, they provide long-term energy bill savings and lessen dependency on non-renewable resources.

It’s important to take your home’s unique requirements and limitations into account as we dig deeper into the world of alternative heating options. The decision that’s best for you will depend on a number of factors, including cost, insulation, and climate. By looking into alternatives to conventional firewood stoves, you can find creative ways to minimize your environmental impact while maintaining a warm and comfortable home.

Processes during the furnace

Any fuel that is heated undergoes thermal breakdown, producing non-combustible residues and pyrolysis gases (pyrolysis gases and their use). The composition of the gases is directly related to the composition of the original substance.

Following the addition of air to the pyrolysis gases, the process of oxidation begins, releasing heat energy and a variety of combustion products, including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, once the mixture reaches a specific ratio and temperature.

Other solid fuels will burn in the KP with less efficiency or, worse, heat the body of a brick furnace, heavily pollute the walls, and bring attention to an unpleasant or even foul odor because the KP is designed primarily for burning firewood.

How to drown a firewood for other types of fuel?

If you replace firewood with another fuel, you will, at best, need to use a special combustion mode and, at worst, will need to modify the stove by redishing it or adding more connections to it.

Furthermore, since every alternative fuel has different requirements, we will inform you about the most common kinds of combustible materials as well as the kind of house that is needed in order to heat the house using them.

The most widely used species of alternative fuel for brick furnaces are as follows:

1. Fragments of boards, including paint or varnish.
2. Scraping or fragments of plywood, OSP, chipboard and other similar materials, including laminate.
3. Corn stumps.
4. Luzga or sunflower hats.
5. Hay or straw.
6. Sawdust, chips and chips.
7. Dried manure.
8. Gorbil.
9. Spruce or pine cones.
10. Tires (car tires).
11. Pellets.
12. Briquettes.
13. Sparks soaked in creosot.
14. Gas.
15. Various types of liquid fuel.

Fragments of boards, including paint or varnish

These pieces typically remain after repairs (disassembled building structures removed floors), so the material is nearly useless as a source of thermal energy due to rot and other diseases.

Furthermore, this fuel heavily pollows the chimney channels because the great majority of boards are made of spruce and pine trees, which are known for their low density and high resin content.

If this is the only fuel available and there is no other option, take into consideration the following:

1. Since the boards burn fast and hot, you will have to carefully regulate the operating mode of the furnace.
2. Lay the fragments of the boards as tightly as possible, filling them with half the volume of the combustion chamber (fuel).
3. To ensure a constant temperature in the furnace chamber, throw new boards every 10-15 minutes, and limit the total time of flooding by one or one and a half hours, focusing on the street temperature and design of the furnace.
4. Clean the channels at least once a month.
5. If the boards are covered with varnish or paint, increase traction, this will increase the fuel consumption, but it will save you from an unpleasant odor.
6. To increase the combustion time of each bookmark of such firewood, knock down the boards with nails to make the most dense logs, the width and thickness of which is 8-15 cm (choose such a width so that a couple of logs can be laid in a row).

There is a more intricate, though far less risky, method of converting the board fragments into fuel for a brick furnace. They must first be crushed into chips in order to be formed into briquettes.

The only drawback to this process is that it requires pressures between 50 and 100 atm to form briquettes without the use of a binder. This is because the pressure releases lignin, which binds compressed chips together.

Use any binders that are available, such as clay, old wallpaper glue, solid waste, or manure, if there is no way to generate this kind of pressure.

Don’t forget to submerge briquettes created with a binder; they need to dry for at least two to three weeks. We will discuss the technology used to make pellets and briquettes below, if that interests you.

Scraps or fragments of plywood, OSP, chipboard, laminate

Most of these materials come from furniture repair or replacement, and they are all made of different resins based on phenols and other polymers that, when burned, form extremely toxic compounds.

Use this kind of fuel only in the worst circumstances—that is, when you need the heat to survive but there isn’t any firewood for the furnace.

Use the same guidelines for flooding the furnace as for boards because these materials burn similarly to pieces of board. However, keep the following in mind as well:

• During the heating, get out of the room to inhale toxic combustion products as little as possible;
• After the furnace flip, be sure to ventilate the room for at least 10 minutes;
• Surrender the oven with an almost completely open valve and a strongly covered blur to protect the room from toxic substances.

Recall that these safety precautions apply to the furnace for both lump material and briquettes made of it, since hazardous substances like phenols can still be present in such fuels in any form.

Corn stumps

Corn is grown in large quantities or treated with corn, but corn stumps are created after the cobs are cleaned of seeds. As a result, they are used as fuel in places where firewood is unavailable.

In contrast to the heating KP, which has trouble with fuel pouring through the door, heating and welding stoves with cast-iron plates can be completely submerged in stumps because they can be poured through the stove’s holes.

Ultimately, the Soviet shovel’s excessive width and the scoop’s insufficient volume make it difficult to remove ash, forcing you to leave the door open for an extended period of time. This weakens and slows the furnace’s body and heating shield’s heating process. Consequently, making briquettes or pellets out of this material is the best use for it.

In order to maximize heat selection from the flow of flue gases and minimize fuel consumption, if you choose to drown with stumps, restrict the amount of air and traction that is available.

Don’t go over the furnace time; it’s one hour for a KP without a fuel liner and 1.5 hours for furnaces with a lining.

Utilizing pellet burners to grind and burn the fuel is an additional method of using it. The fire from these burners enters the furnace’s fuel chamber and spreads through the smoke channels.

Luzga or sunflower hats

Sunflower Luzga works well with:

• manufacturing briquettes or pellets;
• solid furnaces;
• pellet burners that attach to stoves.

Although pressed fuel is more effectively made of them, hats can be burned in any type of furnace. These materials burn quickly and hotly due to their low density, so if you decide to burn them as is, you should do so with little air and traction. This will increase the selection of heat from the fluxing gas stream.

Hay or straw

Both materials, if not processed beforehand, are only appropriate for use in the Russian furnace; in this instance, the crucible is nearly full of them, with only a tiny amount remaining for fire. This method is not very useful for other furnaces because the Top chambers are not large enough. As a result, after burning one batch of hay or straw, the next furnace must be tightly filled, which is a very challenging task.

To learn how to make briquettes or pellets out of these materials, click this link.

Should you still choose to heat the stove using straw or hay without altering the latter, adjust the thrust and air supply so that the material burns brightly without creating a buzzing sound from the stove.

If you choose to first convert the material into solid fuel, a specific burner is required for heating pellets; we previously discussed choosing the right burner for this purpose.

Sawdust, chips and chips

These materials without processing are poorly suitable for brick furnaces, in which the air enters from the bottom (galloping) or the front (solid), because the smaller the size of the fraction, the denser laying, up to the complete cessation of air movement, and the lower the lower laying density.

Thus, the following are the best ways to use them:

• installation of a special burner with a screw drive;
• Processing in pellets or briquettes.

These kinds of burners are installed in boilers that use those kinds of fuel, but they can also function independently because of their straightforward design. Here is where we went into more detail about them.

We advise you to carefully read this article because, although the pressing technology of these materials is essentially the same as the above, there are some notable differences.

The most efficient way to burn waste processing waste into pellets is to install the appropriate burner; this is the same procedure that applies to unprocessed material. Burning briquettes is exactly the same as burning firewood made of dense wood.

If you still choose to fill the oven to the brim with these materials without first processing them, keep in mind that only heating and welding KPs are appropriate for this, as fuel contains fuel that can be filled with a bucket via the stove’s burner opening. Smoke will start to appear in the room if you try to fall asleep with the proper amount of material through the fuel door because you can’t do it quickly enough.

Dried manure

When there are lots of pets but not many trees, their dried excrement makes a good substitute for firewood. Dried manure must frequently be thrown into the furnace because it is much less dense and heat-intensive than dry wood, but it is still possible to heat their home.

The ideal regime is strong burning without a hum, which achieves a balance between heat efficiency and soot speed. Keep this in mind when adjusting the air supply and traction.

Gorbil

Three application methods exist for the hump-up in brick furnaces:

• constant tossing;
• grinding followed by burning in a pellet burner;
• making pellets followed by burning in the corresponding burner.

The first method doesn’t require any extra equipment, but you’ll need to be close to the furnace all the time because you’ll need to throw fresh fuel in every three to five minutes and choose the combustion mode individually to get the maximum flame without any rumbling.

To ensure the best combustion and ease of disposal, chop the humps into pieces that resemble firewood logs in both size and shape. Both of the following approaches do away with the requirement for continuous KP control, but their application calls for the use of a pellet burner.

Spruce or pine cones

These materials burn quickly and hotly, but continuous tossing cools the stove. As a result, the furnace time increases, and the body of the CP in the vicinity of the fuel chamber sustains damage. This material only becomes good fuel after grinding and pressing. It is nearly impossible to warm up a furnace without processing.

Because these cones contain a lot of resin, their heat-intensive ability is slightly higher than that of wood. However, this is also the reason for the rapid casting of soot channels, so clean the oven once a month.

In case you prefer not to use contact pressing, you can attach a pellet burner to the CP and fill it with chopped cones. However, exchanging nuts for coal or conuits will yield greater profits.

Recall that only completely dry bumps can be used in furnaces; if they are not, soot will grow quickly in the KP channels.

Tires (car tires)

Car tires have a significantly higher heat-intensive capacity than firewood because they are composed of artificial rubber and soot; however, burning them in brick furnaces is not recommended because of the characteristics of the combustion regime.

The sole exception is a KP with a secondary air supply and a burning chamber, but even in these cases, it is challenging to completely burn such fuel; hence, using one of these will produce black smoke and a pungent, disagreeable rubber-burning odor. It’s unlikely that your home’s tenants and neighbors will appreciate such a "gift."

In the event that there is no other fuel available, the tires can be used as a backup and help heat the house; however, keep in mind that the material that is created when tires burn is highly carcinogenic. For this reason, the effects of excessive heating can include a range of illnesses, from allergies or bronchitis to lung cancer or sore throats.

You will need a pellet burner and a shredder in order to burn such material.

If rubber fragments are attempted to be burned in the golsnikova, and the fabric even more so, then:

• The furnace chamber will have to be constantly cleaned from frozen slag mixed with molten rubber;
• The chimney will be scorched by soot in a few weeks, after which the soot will light up, which can lead to a fire, or the smoke will go into the room, which is fraught with carbon dioxide poisoning.

Pellets

Pellets are rarely used as fuel for KP due to their relatively high cost (5–20 thousand rubles per ton) and poor compatibility with any combustion chambers of brick furnaces.

The exclusion applies in situations where:

• The furnace chamber is equipped with a gallop and cast -iron hob with burners;
• The house has an unnecessary pellet burner.

Because there are numerous ways to burn coal and pellets, the KP with a firebox under the coal is the most appropriate if you want to burn pellets in a brick furnace.

They can also burn in other kinds of furnace chambers, but the heat release will be less and the soot will fill the channels much more quickly.

When purchasing a similar device or connecting a pellet burner to the stove, keep in mind that even for a small KP, the heat source’s power should be between 40 and 60 kW/h. This is because the furnace chamber’s power is precisely what enables the furnace to warm up in one to one and a half hours.

You will need to extend the furnace time and keep an eye on the furnace body’s temperature in the vicinity of the furnace chamber if the power is lower. When a temperature exits the allowable range and causes overheating, it will be necessary to switch the CP’s mode of operation and flood it three to four times a day for approximately an hour.

An alternative would be to use a burner that can only hold half the thermal power of a brick furnace; in this scenario, you could run it for five to ten hours straight before turning it off for ten to fifteen hours.

This regime will reduce the brick furnace’s resource but prevent the furnace chamber from overheating, provide uniform heating of the furnace’s body, and dry the chimney.

In fact, the condensate will dry out noticeably longer and part of it will be absorbed into the pantry, changing its characteristics, because of the low temperature of the passing gases.

Keep in mind that cleaning the KP channels needs to happen at least once a month if you use gray, which is composed of coniferous wood and heavily mixed with pellet bark. The same holds true for pellets made from spruce or pine cones, Luzga sunflowers, and other comparable materials. Every two to three months, clean the channels when using white pellet.

Briquettes

Fuel briquettes can be used in any furnace because they burn in the same manner as firewood. The only requirement is to be mindful of the materials used in their construction. In order to improve the furnace’s heat transfer and safeguard yourself from fire or poisoning, clean the smoke channels from soot once a month if they are composed of conifers or have a lot of bark.

Sparks soaked in creosot

These sleepers were used to build all railroads until the 1950s, when they were replaced with concrete. However, nearly half of the sleepers that are laid today are still made of wood, so the transition to concrete is happening gradually.

If you have sleepers like this, keep in mind that they were impregnated with coal tar, a potent carcinogen, which a brick furnace cannot fully oxidize because of its construction.

As a result, smoke from the furnace settles in the surrounding areas and poisons them even if it does not enter the room. Use this kind of fuel only in the most dire circumstances, when survival is more important than comfort.

Cocking the sleepers to get the churks from them first makes it difficult to get the logs; creosot causes the logs to become fortress-like, so be prepared to frequently sharpen the chainsaw.

Since wood is actually saturated with coal, this material is similar to regular firewood but has a stronger heat. As a result, adjust the combustion mode to prevent smoke from entering the room.

Natural gas

If you can only heat your home with a brick furnace and you have access to natural gas (trunk or in cylinders), connect a gas burner from the boiler of the appropriate power to it. Nonetheless, it makes sense to install a low-cost gas boiler and lay water heating given their worth.

After all, installing a cheap, low-power burner will interfere with the CP’s heating and cooling mode, thereby shortening its lifespan. Recall that cleaning the oven channels is required at least once every quarter, even when using natural gas as fuel.

Liquid fuel

Place the liquid fuel burner of the appropriate power into the KP if you have access to liquid fuel and the house already needs to be heated and there is no other heating equipment aside from the brick furnace.

This will enable you to wait until the water or air heating installation, which is being overseen by a standard liquid-fuel boiler, is completed. Remember to clean the furnace at least once a month after connecting this type of burner to it.

We explore alternatives to traditional firewood for stove heating in our guide on heating and insulating your home. We look at a variety of economical and eco-friendly substitutes, such as solar-powered solutions, electric heating, propane, and pellet stoves. Homeowners can lessen their dependency on firewood, minimize their carbon footprint, and possibly save money on heating expenses by taking these alternatives into consideration. Our thorough overview offers helpful insights to help you make decisions about heating your home sustainably and efficiently, regardless of whether you want to replace your existing heating system entirely or just add to it.

Video about alternative furnaces

We recommend viewing this video to learn how to use cones as fuel:

Watch the video below to learn how to use fuel briquettes for furnaces more cheaply:

We use the sunflower’s lunch to test the boiler’s functionality:

Alternative Fuel Option	Pros/Cons
Wood pellets	Pros: Clean burning, convenient storage. Cons: Requires pellet stove, can be expensive.
Coal	Pros: Produces long-lasting heat. Cons: Can be messy, emits pollutants.
Propane	Pros: Clean burning, easily controlled. Cons: Requires specialized equipment, can be costly.
Electricity	Pros: Widely available, no emissions. Cons: Can be expensive to run, reliant on power grid.

A world of possibilities becomes available when you look into alternatives to traditional firewood stoves for heating your home. There is a wide range of options to meet various needs and preferences, from eco-friendly solutions to those that provide greater convenience and efficiency.

Pellet stoves, which burn biomass pellets or compressed wood, are one attractive option. With the added convenience of convenience, these stoves provide the coziness and warmth of a conventional wood stove. For busy households, pellets are a convenient option because they are minimally ash-producing, easy to store, and can be fed into the stove automatically.

Heat pumps are an eco-friendly choice for those looking for one. These gadgets transfer heat throughout your house by drawing it from the ground, the air, or the water. Even though they could cost more up front, heat pumps are very energy-efficient and over time can drastically lower your carbon footprint.

Solar heating systems are an additional cutting-edge option that use the sun’s energy to warm your house. Installing solar panels on your roof to collect sunlight and use it to heat water or air for distribution throughout your home is the standard procedure for these systems. Although they might not be appropriate for every climate, solar heating systems can result in significant energy bill savings in areas with more sunlight.

Furthermore, don’t discount the possibilities of geothermal heating systems, which control indoor temperature by drawing on the steady temperature of the earth beneath the surface. Even though installing a geothermal system may cost more up front than choosing another option, in the long run, it can save energy costs and lessen dependency on fossil fuels.

Ultimately, it’s important to take into account aspects like cost, convenience, environmental impact, and suitability for your unique situation when thinking about alternative heating options for your house. You can find a heating solution that not only keeps your home warm and comfortable but also fits with your priorities and values by looking through the wide range of options available.

Video on the topic

There is a stove, but no firewood? Boards, fuel briquettes, a fire of flax, as they burn in the Dovre cast -iron stove?

Surrect the stove with bricks instead of firewood