The services of a master - a specialist in masonry are not cheap. The price of building one structure from scratch starts at 350 c. e. (20 thousand rubles), reaching 1,500 c. depending on the complexity and scope of work. Imagine how much money you can save if you fold a brick fireplace with your own hands. But the task is not easy - you need to learn the basics of the furnace business, choose the appropriate design of the hearth, build and melt correctly. We will try to give a maximum of information on all of these issues, we will provide drawings of fireplaces for self-production.
The device of a classic brick fireplace
Strictly speaking, open hearths are not suitable for heating private cottages because of the low efficiency of burning wood, the efficiency is only 20-30%. While the fire is burning, heat is distributed throughout the room through infrared radiation. After attenuation, the heating intensity decreases and stops after 2-3 hours, when the brickwork cools down.
An important point. It is unrealistic to build even a small wood stove in an apartment of a multi-storey building - there is nowhere to put out the chimney, and the ceiling is not designed for that weight. Reference: the mass of the mini-fireplace, whose design is presented below, is more than 700 kg, size - 0.5 x 1 m (load area - 0.5 m²).
Despite the low rates of heat transfer, fireplaces remain attractive to homeowners, as they create a unique atmosphere of home comfort. The device of the classic English hearth is shown in the diagram and includes the following elements:
- the underground part is the foundation;
- base of 2-3 rows of bricks;
- the hearth with a protruding platform protruding forward;
- portal - a brick frame of an open firebox;
- smoke collector - a channel tapering upwards in the form of an umbrella above the combustion chamber;
- the chimney tooth at the beginning of the smoke collector serves to better remove heat from hot gases;
- chimney leading to the roof;
- traction force is regulated by a valve.
If the construction budget allows, then outside the walls are tiled, as is done above in the photo. It is not necessary to decorate the walls of the structure - the correct brickwork looks quite neat.
The size and location of the hearth in the room
Choosing the design and drawings of the fireplace, pay attention to the dimensions of the portal, fuel chamber and chimney. The specified dimensions are selected according to the area of the heated room and are interconnected by such ratios:
- the cross-sectional area of the chimney pipe is 1/9 of the square of the portal;
- the depth of the firebox is 1.5-2 times less than the height of the portal opening;
- the area of the open opening is 1/50 of the square of the room.
If you make a large fireplace in a small room, the chimney draft will not have enough air flow. The hearth will begin to smoke into the room or "suck" air from neighboring rooms, and along with the heat. It is allowed to build a small structure in a spacious room, but the heating will be minimal - the fireplace will serve as a decoration for the living room and play the role of a barbecue.
For the convenience of determining the dimensions of the firebox and the chimney channel, depending on the square of the room, there is a ready-made table:
In shape fireplaces are divided into 2 types - wall and corner. In the publication, we describe the first variety - it is relatively simple. To build home foci of the angular type, you need to gain experience in the furnace business. Having decided on the dimensions of the heater, select a place for installation, taking into account our recommendations:
- Place the fireplace in the central part of the interior partition.If a private house is at the stage of redevelopment, repair or construction, the back wall can be brought to the next room by making an opening inside the partition.
- Near the outer wall to make a fireplace is impractical - part of the heat will go to the street.
- Think about convenience - do not place the building near the interior doors and do not place furniture back to back.
- Carefully study the design of the ceilings and the rafter system so that the chimney does not fall into the supporting beam or on the edge of the reinforced concrete floor slab. The minimum distance from the flue wall to the rafters is 10 cm (taking into account the fire furnace cutting).
Choosing a site under the fireplace, do not forget about the foundation. In the living room you will have to disassemble the floors, dismantle the screed and dig a foundation pit without affecting the existing base of the building. Remember, house engineering networks - sewerage, water supply or underfloor heating - are not laid in the chosen place. The basement under the room is also a problem; not every floor can withstand the weight of the masonry.
Construction technology
The procedure for preparing and laying a fireplace with your own hands is proposed to be divided into stages:
- Selection and purchase of building materials.
- Preparation of a tool kit.
- Foundation device.
- Brickwork of the body of the furnace and chimney.
- Drying and primary kindling.
We will consider each item in the list in detail, then we will present specific projects and arrangements available for execution by beginning stove-makers.
Choose a brick and mortar
Choose kiln brick taking into account the following requirements:
- for the main masonry, take a solid ceramic (red) brick of a standard size of 250 x 120 x 65 mm, hollow marks are not suitable;
- the walls of the firebox are laid out of fireclay (refractory) stones of grades Ш, ША or ШБ;
- instead of refractory it is allowed to use clay full-body brick, carefully selected in terms of quality - without cracks, chips or other defects;
- the body of the fireplace is allowed to be made of used ceramic bricks, provided that the stones have remained strong, not saturated with dampness and have not cracked;
- if the budget allows, buy a figured brick with rounded edges, shown in the photo.
Note. The brand of fireclay stones is precisely indicated in the design of the hearth. Specify the number and shape of hewn bricks in accordance with the schemes - orders.
The simplest way to make high-quality masonry mortar is to buy in the store a ready-made clay-sand mixture intended for stoves and fireplaces. A similar product is commercially available for refractory masonry - fireclay clay and mortar.
If you are on the path to total savings, make a solution yourself:
- From natural clay, remove soil impurities and foreign impurities - stones, roots and stems of plants.
- Pour material into a large container and fill with water. Soaking lasts for 2 days.
- Topping up the water, bring the composition to the consistency of cream and pass the clay through the sieve. The goal is to remove all extraneous inclusions.
- Add dry sand to the clay solution, passed through a sieve with a mesh size of 1.5 x 1.5 mm. By mixing the composition, achieve optimal fat content.
The solution is considered suitable for use if the “sausage” rolled up from it does not crack or crumble with a diameter of 10-15 mm when wrapped on a wooden stick Ø4-5 cm.
Reference. The prepared clay-sand mortar is stored indefinitely. If the composition has time to dry before use, it is enough to dilute it again with water.
Purely clay mortar for laying the foundation and chimney device is not suitable - you need to add lime or cement. Therefore, for the construction of the fireplace, prepare additional building materials:
- Portland cement M400;
- sand;
- roofing material for waterproofing;
- felt (can be used), roofing iron;
- broken stones of any origin;
- boards or panels for formwork;
- polyethylene film (second-hand allowed, but without holes);
- steel knitting wire;
- asbestos cord.
Tip. Instead of felt, basalt cardboard is successfully used.
Of course, the construction of a fireplace will require stove accessories - doors, bolts, and so on. The exact quantity and dimensions are listed in the project. To form the arch of the portal, metal corners or fittings will also be required. In order not to plaster and decorate the finished hearth, purchase a special fire-resistant enamel.
Cooking stove tools
The full set of tools used by the furnace masters is shown in the picture. But since the ordinary homeowner does not have all the devices shown, we will give a list of tools that can not be avoided when erecting a fireplace:
- pickaxe;
- a hammer (preferably rubber);
- building level, tape measure;
- square, cord and plumb line;
- wide brush;
- Master OK;
- pliers;
- ruler and scriber - a pointed metal rod.
A beginner, not trained in tricks and splitting bricks, will do a lot of marriage and mess up a lot of material while getting used to work. Hence the advice: cut stones with a grinder equipped with a circle on concrete. To get less dust, go outside or into another room.
In addition to the listed devices, you will need a bucket and a dense cloth for wiping the brick walls. A small spatula or a metal scoop with a broom is also useful.
Laying a solid foundation
How to make the base of the fireplace is described in detail in another step-by-step instruction on the construction of the stove. Briefly indicate the stages of work:
- Digging and excavation from the pit, whose dimensions are 10 cm wider than the dimensions of the future outbreak. Depth depends on the location of stable soil layers, but not less than 0.5 m.
- Filling the pit with rubble stone, strengthening with liquid clay or lime mortar.
- Laying 2 waterproofing layers of roofing material.
- Installation of formwork, pouring reinforced concrete slabs with a thickness of 15-20 cm.
- After 4 weeks (complete solidification of concrete) - laying felt soaked with liquid clay and erection of 2 continuous rows of ceramic bricks.
Note. Instead of reinforced concrete slab, you can use brickwork on cement mortar, ending at the level of a clean floor. In this case, the rubble foundation can be loaded much earlier - in 7-10 days.
The foundation of the fireplace is a completely independent structure, not connected with the foundation of a private house. The minimum distance between them is 50 mm, but it is better to withstand 10 cm. Treat the accessible side surfaces of the foundation with bitumen for waterproofing.
Mantel Instructions
Before you lay out the fireplace, select the best brick on the firebox, clean the used stones from soot, dirt and adhering old mortar. When ready, proceed to the important stage - laying the first row. Step-by-step technology looks like this:
- Retreating 5 cm from the edge of the foundation, collect the first tier of bricks dry. First install the outdoor beautiful stones, then fill the middle.
- Using a square and a wooden plank, align the bricks in a line with a 90 ° angle.
- Measure the length of the diagonals with a tape measure. The maximum allowable discrepancy is 5 mm.
- Lay all the stones on the solution, controlling the horizontal level.
The following rows are laid out in the same way - the formation of a dry model, fitting and cutting of stones, setting for a solution. The vertical and horizontal masonry is constantly monitored using a plumb line and a building level.
Advice for beginners. There is a simple technique that allows you to ensure the verticality of the masonry. After forming the first two rows, project the corner points on the ceiling using a plumb line and hammer in nails or dowels. Tie cords with weights to them, which will serve as markers of the dimensions of the fireplace. Instead of twine, you can use vertically mounted iron corners, then leveling the masonry will become much easier.
When erecting the walls of the fireplace, be sure to observe the following rules:
- Before laying, submerge the red brick in a bucket of water for 2-3 minutes - air bubbles will come out of the pores. Refractory stones do not need to be soaked, only rinse with dust.
- The maximum thickness of the seam is 5 mm. Press the brick to the neighboring stones, while leveling and removing the excess mortar on the sides with a trowel.
- The walls of the gas channels should be smooth. Turn the bricks evenly into the flue, and every 3-4 rows, wipe the masonry from the inside with a wet rag.
- Before laying the smoke box with a chimney tooth and sloping walls, where you need to do a lot of clippings, lay the model of the element dry. This will clearly fit sawn bricks.
- Fireclay and ceramic masonry, having different coefficients of thermal expansion, do not bind to each other. Provide a gap of 3-5 mm, where sheets of basalt cardboard are inserted.
- Before installation, wrap the fireplace doors with asbestos cord at the points of contact with the wall. Fix the elements with knitting wire, aligning vertically and horizontally.
- Put the valve on the clay mortar - you need to open the valve and put it on the frame.
The ceiling is made of steel corners, supported by the walls of the portal. The upper row of stones is laid on the metal without solution, only the side seams are filled. Semicircular arched vaults are formed using special patterns of wood - circled, shown in the photo.
When installing a chimney, change the formulation of the solution - instead of clay, add cement. The ratio of binder to sand is 1: 4, and density is medium. Cutting is performed in the wooden floor of the house, providing a 38 cm fire spacing from the smoke channel to combustible structures (see diagram).
Over the roof surface, a thickening of the pipe is made - an otter that closes the junction of the roofing with brickwork. At the end, a closed type head is formed, protecting it from precipitation inside the fireplace.
Drying and first kindling
Sand and clay mortar does not harden, but dries. The drying process takes 10-14 days, during which observation is made. Small cracks that occur in the masonry of the fireplace are sealed with the same clay mortar. At the end of the specified period, make a test kindling:
- Having opened the valve, light a small armful of brushwood and slivers on the hearth.
- Gradually add small wood while maintaining a small fire. This will allow the solution to dry completely.
- If after 3-4 hours cracks do not form in the fireplace body, you can increase the portion of firewood. Take your time and first make sure that the walls of the hearth are warm.
Tip. Due to air congestion in the chimney, there may initially be no draft. The pipe must be heated using a torch or a small bonfire, kindled on a view.
Project No. 1 - compact mini-fireplace
This hearth is suitable for heating a room of 16-20 m² in the country or in a small country house. Another application of the design is as a street brazier built in a garden gazebo. The fireplace features lateral convection channels that heat the air in the room. The size of the building is 102 x 51 cm.
To lay out a mini-fireplace, you will need the following materials:
- corpulent ceramic brick - 240 pcs. (chimney is not taken into account);
- revision door 24 x 14 cm - 1 pc.;
- cast-iron grate 18 x 14 cm;
- gate valve 25 x 14 cm;
- stainless steel sheet, 1 mm thick, 500 x 1000 mm in size;
- a sheet of black or galvanized metal, laid in front of the firebox, dimensions - 70 x 50 cm.
Note. The stainless steel sheet serves as the rear screen of the firebox. It is allowed not to set it, but then it will be necessary to form an inclined wall of cropped bricks.
The mini-fireplace shown in the drawing is laid out in this order:
- The first tier is continuous. On the second, 3 air channels are laid - 2 lateral and one in the middle, located under the grates.
- On the III row, the hearth and nest of the grate are formed (made 5 mm wider than the product). Then the grill itself is placed.
- From the 4th to the 10th tiers a fireplace insert is being built. On the V row, 2 metal rods Ø5 mm are laid for mounting a stainless sheet.
- In the 10th row, the rear brick protrudes by a quarter into the furnace, side stones move outward by 40 mm. The width of the firebox in this place is 49 cm.
- The ends of the side stones of the 11th tier are filed at an angle of 28 ° to the vertical line. It will turn out the supporting platforms of the arch vault. 2 stones in the depth of the furnace are laid on the edge.
- The vault is built of 9 stones, cut in the form of a trapezoid with a base size of 65 and 52 mm, as indicated in the order. The circle's radius is 51 cm.
- On the 12th tier, the formation of the arch is completed, the upper steel rods are placed and a stainless screen is installed.
- Tier 13-14 forms the outlet openings of convection channels. An inspection door is installed here.
- 15th row - overlap is being built, 16-18 - the beginning of the chimney.
Project No. 2 - a simple heating fireplace
Dimensions of this building - 112 x 65 cm, height - 2020 mm. The internal size of the portal is 52 x 49 cm. There is accelerated room heating due to the convective air channel. A set of building materials looks like this:
- full clay brick - 345 pcs.;
- the valve used in the chimney - 250 x 130 mm;
- 2 steel equal-angle corners with a width of 45 mm and a length of 70 cm;
- metal sheet 500 x 700 mm.
A feature of the masonry of the fireplace depicted in the diagram is the setting of a large number of bricks in the base on the edge. Above, a narrow long channel is arranged where the heated room air moves. Let's move on to the construction algorithm:
- The first tier is solid, consisting of bricks placed “on the bottom”. A calorifer channel with a cross section of 65 mm is formed on the second tier, the base of the firebox is laid on the third.
- From the 4th to the 9th rows the walls of the portal are being erected. The duct moves inside the rear wall of the fireplace. On the 9th tier, angles are placed - support floors.
- Tier No. 10 - overlapping firebox. On the 11th row, the front stones extend 130 mm, the 12th tier is a mantelpiece. The convective channel is divided into 2 narrow mines.
- Rows 13-25 make up the smoke collector. The heating channel ends in the 14th tier.
- Row number 26 covers the flue, tapering to a chimney. The valve is installed on the 27th tier.
- The remaining rows 28–31 form the beginning of the chimney.
The method of trial kindling of a fireplace is demonstrated in the last video:
Conclusion
We warn you that making a fireplace with your own hands from a brick is a difficult task for a beginner. Aspects of construction, understandable in theory, in practice turn into a problem. Hence the recommendation: practice on simpler objects - make a street grill, barbecue or barbecue. Hold a brick and mortar in your hands, feel the nuances of masonry. It would be useful to consult a master - a stove maker.