Construction, finishing and repair of furnaces can be done by yourself. The efficiency of fuel use, as well as its consumption, largely depend on the serviceability of the furnace, its main components – the pipe, firebox, chimney. Therefore, they must be maintained in normal condition, and any defects that appear must be eliminated in a timely manner. In this case, repair work can be done independently.
Decorative finishing for stoves and fireplaces is not always necessary. But additional processing of brickwork is still required.
Furnace finishing
Unlike fireplaces, which have thick walls and a moderate heat-emitting surface, the walls of the stove are always hot and strongly heat the air in the room. Therefore, all the dust that accumulates in the cracks and seams of the masonry burns and has an unpleasant smell. Accordingly, if you do not plan to perform decorative cladding or plastering of the stove, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules.
First of all, it is necessary to use smooth selected bricks for laying the walls of the stove, laying each element carefully and thoroughly. You can also grind the edges of the outer side of the bricks to give the masonry a more beautiful appearance. In this case, it is better to stitch the seams into the hollow joint and fill them with mortar using a concave joint.
Various solutions can be rubbed into the seams. Often, a solution of cement with asbestos is rubbed in by hand. Solutions based on black clay can also be used. In this case, the jointing must be smooth. The finished masonry is also rubbed, i.e. first moistened with water, and then carefully ground with a simple red brick. The resulting brick dust colors the solution, fills all the micropores of the masonry. Then the walls of the stove can be whitewashed.
Plastering the stove
Plastering of the stove can be started only after the masonry has completely dried. Also, before work, it is better to clean the surface of the stove, removing the solution from the seams to a depth of about five to ten millimeters. Then the stove is heated, and the surface cooled to 50-60 degrees is moistened with water and treated with plaster composition.
A metal mesh with 1×1 cm cells may also be useful . Such a mesh is nailed into the masonry seams. It is also possible to lay wire protruding five to ten centimeters into the masonry seams during the construction of the walls. Then the mesh is attached to the wire, and the plaster layer turns out strong.
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The composition is applied over the entire height of the stove in several stages. First, the plaster mesh is treated with a solution of sour cream consistency. It is applied over the entire height of the structure with a thickness of five millimeters. Then a second layer of the same thickness, but of a thicker consistency, is applied. It is leveled and rubbed. If cracks appear during the drying of the plaster, the defective areas should be cleaned, moistened and filled with new solution.
Wooden slats should be attached to the corners, which are removed ten minutes after the solution is applied, and the corners are rubbed down. After the plaster layer dries, it is recommended to whitewash the stove with lime milk. To prepare it, add one hundred grams of salt to a bucket of lime mortar. You can also dilute chalk with milk. To check the quality of plastering, determine the vertical deviation, which should not exceed 1 cm in the height of the stove. Horizontally, the deviation should not be more than 2 mm in the width of the structure. Check the deviation using a level.
Furnace maintenance and repair
Usually, stove repair is required when the draft becomes insufficient and the stove starts to smoke. This happens when cracks form in the masonry seams or the soot in the chimney cools down. The accumulation of soot is dangerous, as it can lead to the fuel burning out, causing a fire. Therefore, stove maintenance should include regular cleaning of the pipe and firebox. To do this, you can lower a chain, a pole with a roller or wire into the pipe or use special chemicals, such as rock salt.
If the stove starts to smoke when cold weather sets in or there is frequent rain, this is due to the insufficient thickness of the chimney walls. As a result, they become damp, then freeze, which leads to cooling of the gases passing through the chimney, deterioration of draft and the appearance of smoke. The solution to the problem is simply plastering the pipe, which will increase the thickness of its walls.
Another reason for poor stove operation may be cracks and crevices on the surface. Cold air penetrates the cracks, takes away heat and, therefore, worsens the draft. Do-it -yourself stove repair in this case consists of sealing the cracks with clay mortar. It is necessary to use a solution that is not too thin and not too thick, so that after it dries, cracks do not appear on the surface again. To give the solution elasticity, you can add crushed asbestos fiber to it.
Sometimes, during repair work, it is necessary to replace burnt or cracked bricks. To do this, you must first remove the defective brick, then thoroughly clean the place where it was from clay, dust and other debris. Then this place is moistened with water and a layer of prepared clay mortar is placed on the bottom row. In order to fill the vertical and upper seam with new mortar, the mortar should also be applied to the new stone, and then inserted into place.
If there are many vertical cracks on the chimney, stove walls and pipe, then the cracked parts can be pulled together with wire. This is done with a chisel, which makes horizontal grooves from corner to corner up to 2 cm deep. Next, stove wire is laid along the grooves, forming a bundle. Using a thick nail, this bundle is twisted in two places, after which the groove is sealed with new mortar.
Usually, the stove is treated with plaster on a hot, well-heated surface. Therefore, the usual lime mortar is not suitable for the job, as it cracks a lot. You need to use a solution that includes 9 kg of sand, 3 kg of slaked lime, 300 g of crushed asbestos and 1 kg of gypsum. All ingredients must be mixed well, then diluted with a salt solution. Subsequent painting of the stove is carried out only with water-based compositions.
Proper maintenance, timely detection of defects and proper repair of the furnace ensure its long, economical and safe operation.
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