What do all types of brick ovens have in common?
Despite the external differences, all types of brick "old ladies" are equipped with several identical elements, which are the "core" of their internal design:
- Plate foundation. This is a solid support( with a 5-centimeter projection from under the bottom of the brazier), which is not connected with the "sole" of the main building. The foundation for the furnace is made either monolithic or prefabricated( reinforced concrete blocks, brick), and its depth depends on the result of geological surveys at the construction site.
- Firing chamber. This is a closed box where the combustion of fuel produces heat energy. The size of the furnace is strictly limited to a certain type of furnace: an unauthorized increase or decrease in the chamber leads to an uneven distribution of air, a significant weakening of the flame and, as a consequence, a decrease in the "heat capacity" of the unit.
- Ashtray( ash pit). This is a small camera, located directly under the furnace. Serves to supply fresh air to the "fiery" compartment of the furnace and to collect the ash. The dimensions of the ash pan are proportional to the furnace, and its height does not exceed 13-14 cm. This is the dirtiest place in the furnace, which requires timely and regular cleaning.
- Grate guard. This is a massive cast-iron part, on which solid fuel is loaded in the combustion chamber. It connects two sections of the furnace: a ash pan and a firebox - fresh air coming through the grate inflates the flame, and the ash that forms is falling down into the collection.
- Chimney channels. This is an outlet tunnel for smoke and carbon monoxide generated during the combustion of fuel. The hot wind blows upwards and pulls heat to the walls of the furnace along the way. Depending on the design features of the unit, the chimney can be operated using a bell-shaped( channelless) or duct system.
The brickwork of the furnace body must be impeccable. Masters achieve absolute smoothness of the inner walls of the chambers( without jags, cracks and slits), and the thickness of the seams does not exceed 3-5 mm( the narrower the better).
Popular and beloved "in the people": classic types of furnaces made of bricks
According to their purpose, there are several types of bricks from :
- Heating .The units are used only for heating the house. Alas, these models have outlived themselves with the advent of a water heating system. There remained only a small percentage of the buildings still equipped "in the old manner".
- Cooking. These massive braziers are the "ancestor" of the modern elegant gas( electric) plate. It was with their help that once "conjured" over their dishes hostesses in peasant huts.
- Cooking and heating. This is combined oven from brick, which heated the house and served for cooking. We can say that this is an improved model of the two previous types of braziers.
- Special. This includes "thematic" stoves designed for heating a sauna, heating the technical rooms and drying clothes.
Among the listed types of brick kilns there are special models that have won widespread recognition among the people. Some of them even got their own names, which are consonant with the nationality of their developers.
The best representatives of the "caste" of brick furnaces
The Russian oven is an indispensable attribute of a village hut in Russia. This is a combined model with a chimney duct system, where a reclining deck is provided, and below it is a cooking compartment. Ready meals take on a special unique aroma of haze. Even now, some fans of antiquity equip their country cottages with Russian brick "beauty."Of course, there it plays a decorative role and is only occasionally used for its intended purpose.
Swedish oven( Swedish). Compared to the massive Russian brazier, this model is a slender and high "house", which is also designed for heating and cooking food. Features of the unit are: one- or two-plate cooker, separate oven, compartments for drying berries and mushrooms. For the arrangement of the chimney, a hood exhaust system is used. An improved model of Swede is still used to equip modern "eco-houses" from the timber, where it is built into the wall between the kitchen and the living room.
Dutch oven( Dutch) - this fryer is only used for heating the house. According to the design, it is even "slimmer" than the Swedes, maybe one- or two-tiered. The chimney system is channel, non-channel, or combined.
Furnace-heater - designed for heating the steam room and heating adjacent rooms of the bath. Its feature is the presence of a stone embankment in chimney channels or in an open cast-iron bowl placed above the furnace. Accumulated heat energy in the stones is gradually spent on heating the hot bath zone.
Tandoor is an eastern, spherical-shaped furnace, above which a funnel-shaped chimney hangs. It is made of brick and clay. It is in the tandoor that the famous dishes are prepared: lavash and flat cakes. Until now, these stove models are actively used in restaurants of Oriental cuisine. Not every samodelkin will be able to properly fold the tandoor, but a brick repair of this type can be repaired only by a professional.