Making a potbelly stove with your own hands. Do-it-yourself potbelly stove drawings the most effective

The potbelly stove always came to the rescue in emergency situations and was a reliable assistant for summer residents, motorists with a garage, as well as owners of small private houses.

Today, it often takes on a new look, developed by interior designers, so it fits well into the halls of elite mansions. Is it possible to make this useful, and sometimes simply necessary heating device do it yourself if you don’t have enough experience in welding and cutting metal?

Of course, yes, and yes again, in order to cook a potbelly stove you only need to understand general principles welding metals, even if you end up with a crooked seam, you can always clean it up with a grinder; look at the photo below to see what kind of stove was welded by a beginner who had only used a welding machine twice in his life:

Tools required for work

To manufacture any metal structures, you need a certain set of tools, which include:

Welding machine, at least 200A and electrodes, protective mask and welding suit;
Grinder (grinder), cutting and grinding wheels for metal. Some shaped parts can only be cut with a gas cutter.
Skimmer(hammer);
Metal brush;
An ordinary hammer, chisel, pliers;
Tape measure, folding meter and chalk for marks;
Drill and drill bits for metal.

Types of homemade potbelly stoves

For different rooms you can choose your own type of potbelly stove that suits your needs best technical specifications and in appearance. They are made from metal tanks, medium-diameter pipes, barrels, gas cylinders and sheets with a thickness of at least 3-5 mm.

For heating in a garage, any of the potbelly stove options is suitable, but for use in a residential area, it is better to avoid some models.

Therefore, you need to consider the most popular options for potbelly stoves in order to find out which one to choose and make yourself.

Potbelly stove for mining - simple and cheap

This is exactly the option that is not suitable for use in premises where people live. The explanation is simple: when burning, waste oil emits a specific smell, even if there is a good exhaust system.

For manufacturing you will need sheet metal thickness 4-5 mm, from which all the necessary parts will be cut. A pipe is also needed for the manufacture of some elements of the potbelly stove and chimney.

In the diagram presented, everything is clearly visible dimensions of parts that needs to be prepared.

All elements are accurately marked on a metal sheet and cut out using a grinder. All edges of the parts are carefully cleaned.
Round holes are drilled in a prepared pipe of the required height. It will connect the upper and lower containers of the potbelly stove.
In the upper plane of the upper tank, in the place indicated according to the diagram, a hole of the required diameter is cut. It is offset from the center to the left side and will be intended for the chimney pipe. On the bottom wall the hole is offset to the right side of the circle, and the connecting pipe will enter it.
Two circles are welded to a section of pipe that will determine the thickness of the upper tank.
The lower part of the stove is made in the same way. Only the hole for the pipe to enter is cut in the center of the circle. In addition, another one is cut out, which will serve as a neck for filling the stove. A sliding cover is attached to it.
Three or four legs are welded onto the lower solid plane.
For rigidity, the upper tank is connected to the lower one with metal brackets.
To ensure that the stove is beautiful and does not rust, all welds are thoroughly cleaned, and then all surfaces are painted with protective heat-resistant paint.
The last step in work in progress connecting the stove to the chimney.

Such a furnace works as follows: waste is poured into the lower tank, then using a splinter or rolled paper, it is ignited through the hole. The sliding cover on the hole is closed after the waste inside the tank ignites. Oxygen entering through the holes in the pipe that connects the two tanks promotes intense combustion. Hot air passing through the top of the stove heats it to a high temperature, so you can easily heat a kettle on its surface. Since there is always spent fuel in the garage, there will never be any problems refueling the potbelly stove.

Potbelly stove from an old barrel or pipe

This stove can be made from an ordinary metal barrel or pipe of a certain diameter. It is quite suitable for installation in a residential area of a summer house, and with a beautiful, neat design it can also be suitable for a residential building.

At the desired level of the future furnace, two rectangular holes are marked and cut out, which will be the entrances to the firebox and ash pan.
The cut out parts will be useful for making doors. They are framed with metal strips, bringing them to the required size, and a special handle with a latch is installed.
About ten centimeters below the firebox door, corner brackets are welded inside the barrel or pipe on which the grate will be laid.
You can weld the grate yourself from reinforcement.
If the stove is made of a pipe, its bottom and upper part are welded.
The legs are welded to the lower bottom part.
A hole for the chimney is cut in the top panel and a pipe is welded into it.
Then the doors are installed on the fixed hinges. According to their location, the hook for the lock is marked and secured.
In order for the stove to have an aesthetic appearance, all welding seams must be thoroughly cleaned. If the oven is then coated with heat-resistant paint, it will be impossible to distinguish it from the factory product.
Then, when the stove is completely ready, it is connected to a chimney leading outside.

In general, this is a good option for a potbelly stove if there is enough space for it in the room, since this model will take up a fairly large area. It should be noted that the top panel of the potbelly stove is large enough, and you can easily install a kettle or, for example, a frying pan on it.

Potbelly stove made from a bad gas cylinder

The gas cylinder has an almost ready-made shape for a good potbelly stove.

The top of the cylinder with the tap is cut off, and a plug is subsequently welded to this place.
In its bottom part it is cut out square hole, which will serve as the entrance to the firebox. The cut out part should also not be thrown away. It is scalded, and thus the door panel will be ready.
A handle lock is attached to it, and the door is installed on welded hinges.
Holes are made on the wall of the cylinder, which will be the bottom of the future stove - they themselves will act as a grate.
Under them, a box made of thinner metal is fixed by welding. This will be an ash pit for disposing of waste from burnt firewood, which will also act as an ash pit. The door must also be secured to the ash pan.
After this, the legs are welded - they can be made from a metal corner or pipes.
A round hole is cut out in the upper rear part of the potbelly stove and a chimney pipe is welded into it.
If necessary, you can also install a hob on top. To do this, it is enough to weld a frame made of steel reinforcement on the top of the cylinder. On such a hob it is quite possible to place two items - for example, for cooking and heating water.

A potbelly stove made from a gas cylinder is perfect for both a garage and a room in a country house.

One of the home craftsmen shares his experience on how to make a potbelly stove with your own hands from a cylinder with a vertical arrangement:

Video lesson on building a potbelly stove from a gas cylinder

Potbelly stove made of rectangular sheet steel

This is probably the most optimal, an aesthetic, compact option from all the potbelly stoves proposed above. It is best suited for heating residential premises. The design of this stove is clearly visible in the two diagrams presented.

Compact, easy-to-use “Gnome”

The first of them shows the “Gnome” stove. It has a simple structure: two chambers - a firebox and an ash pan, a chimney pipe and legs.

The second diagram shows a more complex internal design of the potbelly stove, which will help it retain heat for a longer period. This potbelly stove is worth considering.

To make this stove you will need sheet metal with a thickness of at least 3 mm, a corner 5 × 5 cm, a chimney pipe, and a burner cover.
Markings are made on metal sheets and all the necessary details are drawn: the walls of the stove, the bottom of the potbelly stove, the hob; grate, two internal metal plates that direct the flow of burnt gases, their afterburning, and delay the rapid release of heat.
Two rectangular holes for the firebox and ash pan are cut in the front wall of the stove. Here, doors with locks and latches for them will subsequently be attached to hinges.
A neat opening for the burner is cut out in the upper plane (depending on the size of the purchased part), as well as a hole for the chimney.
The legs are attached to the lower, bottom part.
The place where the grate will be placed is marked on the side panels. Corners are welded to these places, they will become brackets for the grate.
In order to make a grate, you can drill a large number of round holes in a sheet of metal, or weld a grate from reinforcement.
In the upper part of the potbelly stove, at a distance of 16 cm from the hob, a plate is welded, its length being 8 cm less than the depth of the potbelly stove, i.e. it should not reach the back wall of the oven body by 8 cm.
The same plate is welded to the rear wall, 8 cm higher than the first plate; it should not reach the front panel by 8 cm. Thus, after installing all the parts, a labyrinthine a corridor through which hot air will pass, heating these plates and preventing the heat from immediately escaping into the pipe.
Next, you need to assemble all the parts of the potbelly stove together by welding. All joints of parts must be reinforced with a metal corner.
Lastly, the chimney pipe is welded and all welding seams are cleaned.
To give the potbelly stove a spectacular look, it is painted with heat-resistant paint.

Rules for safe installation of a potbelly stove

In order for a homemade one to bring only comfort and warmth to the house, and not create problems, it is necessary to follow safety rules.

The stove is installed on a fire-resistant surface. It can be made of tiles or in the form of brickwork. The walls around the stove also need to be protected from overheating. This can be done using fire-resistant special drywall or other non-combustible material.
Flammable materials must not be placed near the firebox.
The room where the stove will be located must have a good ventilation system. This is important to ensure that there is no risk of carbon monoxide accumulation in the room.
To make any potbelly stove, you must use only high-quality material.

The potbelly stove will serve effectively and for a long time, will be a good helper in household chores and will warm you up on winter evenings. The main thing is to think through the model well, make it carefully, and comply with all the requirements for safe handling during operation.

To create this option, the following types of material are required:

metal sheet, several pieces, 5 mm thick. We will make all the parts and blanks from them.
Pipes for making some structural elements.
Pipe under the chimney.

Process of creation

The drawing below of the potbelly stove shows all the necessary parts, indicating their sizes.

So, we will divide all the work on creating a potbelly stove using waste as a raw material into successive steps:

We mark all the necessary parts on a sheet of metal, and then cut them out using a grinding machine. The edges of the resulting workpieces must be thoroughly cleaned.
We take a pipe of the required length and drill round holes in it. In the future, this pipe will be used to connect the upper and lower tanks of the stove.
We take the top tank and cut an opening of the required size on top. This opening will not be located in the center, but will shift to the left of it. We prepare this hole for the chimney pipe.
From the bottom side we cut out an opening, shifting it to the right. It will serve as an entrance for the connecting pipe.
We weld two circles to the part of the pipe that determines the thickness of the upper container.
We will do the same with the bottom of the stove. But now we will cut the opening for the incoming connecting pipe in the center of the container. In addition, we need to cut another hole - a neck through which we will fill the stove with fuel. We provide a sliding cover for this hole.
We weld 3-4 legs on the back side of the lower tank. This will ensure stability.
To give rigidity to the structure and strengthen it, we connect both tanks to each other using metal brackets.
The main work points are completed, it's time to think about beauty. We carefully clean the welds, and then paint the stove using heat-resistant paint. Painting the stove will also protect it from premature rusting.
The last step is installation of the chimney pipe.

Principle of operation

The operation of this type of potbelly stove can be described as follows: pour waste oil into the lower container through the neck. Next, using a torch or paper, ignite the fuel through the opening. As soon as the oil raw material flares up in the tank, close the hole with the sliding lid.

The combustion process is enhanced by air entering the connecting pipe through the holes made. The air is heated and rises through the pipe to the upper part of the structure, while heating the surface of the container so that the kettle can easily be warmed on it. The big advantage of this model of potbelly stove is that there will be no unpleasant situations with a lack of fuel, since motorists always have used oil in the garage.

Why you can’t extinguish boiling oil, fat, paraffin with water. If you use a stove during work, you must have a fire extinguisher and sand.

Model No. 2 – potbelly stove made from a metal barrel or pipe

For this design, a metal barrel or pipe with a certain diameter is taken. Great option for a house in the country, and if you assemble it beautifully and decorate it, then it will look quite good in a living room, while also providing excellent heating.

Step-by-step instruction execution:

Take a container for the stove and mark two rectangles. These will be the entrances for the firebox and ash pan. Cut out these holes.
We do not throw away the cut rectangles, as they will serve as material for the doors. To do this, each door is brought to the required size, for which it is framed with strips of metal. Next we install the latch handle.
Inside the container (barrels, pipes), moving 10 cm down from the firebox door, we attach corner brackets. Then we will place a grate on them.
You can buy a grate ready-made, or you can make it yourself by welding it from reinforcing bars.
If you took a pipe as a base, now you should weld its bottom and top.
To give stability and raise it above the floor, we weld several legs to the bottom of the container.
In the upper part of the tank we prepare an opening for the chimney pipe, where we then weld it.
We fix the hinges and hang the doors on them. We mark and secure the hook under the lock.
Appearance plays an important role, so the surface and seams should be cleaned. Coating the stove with heat-resistant paint will allow our design to compete with the factory model.
When the stove structure is completely assembled, it is necessary to connect it to the chimney pipe, which we take outside to the street.

This type of stove is a good option for heating a room, provided there is sufficient space, since the stove is quite big size. But another plus is the spacious top panel, on which you can install both a kettle and a frying pan.

Model No. 3 – potbelly stove made from a gas cylinder

The gas cylinder has an almost ideal, ready-made shape for the stove structure. A potbelly stove made from a cylinder is well suited for heating garages and country houses.

Let's look at how you can build a stove from a cylinder:

Let's start by cutting off the top part of the cylinder where the valve was located and welding a plug here.
Next, cut a square opening at the bottom of the cylinder. This will be the entrance to the firebox. We will not throw away the cut off part, as we will make a door out of it. You just need to scald this part, bringing it to the desired size.
We weld the hinges, install the door, and attach the handle-lock to it.
We make holes on the side of the cylinder that will become the bottom of the structure. They will take on the function of the grate.
We prepare the box, making it from metal of a smaller thickness, and secure it under the holes - with a grate. The box will play the role of an ash pan, into which the remains of combustion products fall, and at the same time acting as an ash pit. You need to attach a door to the ash pan.
All that remains to do for the stove structure is to make the legs. To do this, we will use a pipe or a metal corner. Using welding, we attach them to the bottom of the fuel tank.
In the upper part, on the opposite side of the firebox, we cut an opening in the ash pan and weld the chimney pipe.
If desired, you can build a cooking panel on the top surface of the stove. This is done simply - a frame made of steel reinforcement is welded. This panel turns out to be quite roomy; you can place two items at the same time.

Model No. 4 – rectangular stove

According to many experts, this type is considered the most optimal, aesthetic, and compact of all the previously listed models of potbelly stoves. This design is perfect for heating a living space.

A rectangular potbelly stove can be made in two variations:

Main purpose

The main task of a rectangular potbelly stove is to heat a room up to 15 square meters in size. m. An ordinary potbelly stove is characterized by rapid heat transfer, but at the same time it cools down very quickly as soon as the wood burns out. This disadvantage can be partially eliminated if you line the stove with bricks. But this is not an option, since bricks will significantly slow down the rate of heat transfer, and retain thermal energy only for a short time.

Modernization of the furnace device

Changes made to the design of the potbelly stove and a different method of supplying fuel made it possible to improve operational properties. At the same time, its main positive characteristics were preserved: fast heat transfer, small dimensions, ease of installation and arrangement, without additional construction of a foundation or creation of a capital pipe.

What did you do for this? In the fuel tank itself, its upper part, 2 plates were welded, which form a labyrinth. Thus, the path of gases has been increased, which means they leave more heat in the oven. Due to the expansion of metal surfaces, heat exchange between gases and the walls of the container has become more efficient.

The fire-fighting components of this model have also been improved: its chimney does not heat up, but remains hot. Proper placement of the pipe head will provide sufficient traction. In this case, the head is placed so as to exclude being in a high pressure zone, no matter what the wind is. Therefore, it would be better to install it higher than the roof ridge.

Since there is a draft reserve formed due to the temperature of the furnace gases, several additional plates - labyrinths - can be installed in the furnace. This will greatly improve the efficiency of the furnace device.
Another feature of such a stove is the tight placement of the doors on the fuel tank body. This is possible by performing high-quality straightening and sanding of doors. In this case, the door handles are made in the form of wedges. They are not just handles, but also latches that fit into the hooks.

Oven operation

The process of using and operating the stove is as follows: work begins by heating the stove with wood chips and splinters. When there is no draft, the lid is removed from the cooking opening, burning paper is placed under the pipe, and the lid is put back in place. The combustion process can be regulated by fully or partially opening the ash pan door.

When the required air temperature in the room is reached, you need to put four not very thick logs, 40 cm in length, into the stove on the coals and then close the doors well. Lack of oxygen leads to a decrease in the intensity of combustion, which turns into smoldering. Humidity, size, and type of wood affect the smoldering process, which can last several hours. And all this time the oven will give off heat to environment.

In an insulated house, without cracks, even on cold days with sub-zero temperatures, you can safely spend the night, having such a heating stove.

Regarding the danger of poisoning carbon monoxide, then this is excluded. The carbon formed during combustion is much lighter than air and furnace gases, so it is drawn out and floats out through chimney. Moreover, the combustion process is regulated using doors, not views. Even if the doors are left uncovered, you are only in danger of quickly burning out the fuel.

Preparation method

Let us immediately note that you can take your own sizes based on the available material. We used a steel sheet 200x450 mm. Moreover, its thickness was 3 mm.

You can assemble such a potbelly stove by performing the following operations:

Weld the walls of the structure together.
Weld the lid on top.
Set up the labyrinth plates and grate and attach them using welding. In order to maintain the distance between the plates and the grate, place wooden blocks between them. They do not need to be specially removed later - they will burn out on their own during the fire. Some recommend making the grate for the grate not from rods, but using a sheet with holes made in it, 20 mm in diameter.
Make a bottom for the stove.
Install the chimney pipe. It is better to take a steel pipe with thick walls. An important point: the pipe must be entirely welded throughout the entire location in the house. If the pipe is straight, then it's simple. When you need to bring a pipe outside through a wall, it is recommended to make a template from wire and weld the pipe and bends using it. Outside the house, outside, the pipe can be extended by simply putting one piece of pipe on top of another.

Why should the pipe be solid indoors, because bad-smelling condensate appears in the pipe under the influence of furnace gases. It is this that, seeping through loose joints, spreads a specific odor.

Fire safety rules

To improve operating safety the stove is installed on a fire-resistant material, for example, bricks, asbestos cement slab. To protect against falling embers and sparks, the floor near the doors is covered with a metal sheet or tiles are laid.

To protect walls, furniture and other things from ignition, protective screens made of asbestos cement sheets are attached to the walls of the potbelly stove. In this case, there is no need to line the surfaces of the boiler with heat-resistant material. The screens are mounted on threaded rods or bolts with bushings.

Although the pipe is not as hot as in other models, it is still worth passing through the wall using a cutter. It involves placing a pipe in it, maintaining a distance of 20 cm. In this case, the empty space is filled with a mixture of asbestos and liquid clay.

These are all the rules, the implementation of which will ensure safe operation.

Bottom line

We have reviewed the most effective potbelly stove that you can make with your own hands. Unfortunately, there is no clear leader among them. There is a different option for each condition.

But still, the most effective potbelly stove can be called a working furnace. It has the maximum efficiency, since there is a pyrolysis effect (after-burning of gases).

In second place is a rectangular potbelly stove with an internal labyrinth of gases. This also significantly helps increase efficiency.

I would like to note that each of the furnaces has great potential for modifications and improvements. There are a lot of different options on the Internet on how to increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove. From directing a fan at it to creating a water circuit. We will cover these points in a separate article.

Conclusion

Each stove has its own pros and cons. Each one fits certain conditions. But it can serve you for a long time, helping with many household chores, and not just heating the room. To do this, you just need to think carefully and choose the model that is suitable specifically for your room.

But if you do not have sufficient skills, then you can always buy a stove. On a local forum in your area there will always be a craftsman with ready-made products or ready to make a custom oven.

In few films about war you won’t see a potbelly stove with blazing wood, next to which soldiers are huddled and conferring about something.

A simple shape in the form of a barrel, a knee placed outside through a window and a couple of logs could quickly and efficiently heat even a large room. Why this design was called a potbelly stove remains in history, but even today this stove enjoys well-deserved popularity. Below we will tell you how to quickly make a potbelly stove with your own hands, show you the most effective models, and also see photos and videos of the most successful stove models.

Advantages and disadvantages of using potbelly stoves

By analogy with any other heating devices, potbelly stoves also have certain pros and cons in their operation.

Among the positive properties, the following can be noted:

use of an unlimited range of solid fuels - firewood, sawdust, coal, wood chips, briquettes, pellets, peat, etc. In some cases, even recycled motor oil is used as fuel;
the ability to make a potbelly stove with your own hands (see drawings below) practically from scrap materials;
compact size of the oven, which allows it to be placed even in a small room;
there is no need to install a chimney, foundation and platform.

TO negative characteristics applies:

the need to protect against combustion objects falling out of the firebox - embers, sparks, etc.;
strong and fast heating oven walls, which increases the risk of injury to others;
high fuel consumption - it is rational to use such a stove only for short-term heating.

Types of furnace designs

Structurally, a potbelly stove is a rectangular or oval container equipped with a firebox with a door, an ash pan and an elbow for removing smoke (similar to a chimney).

The preferred material is stainless steel or cast iron. Cast iron accepts any type of fuel, but is fragile - sudden cooling of the potbelly stove body is prohibited.

On an industrial scale, potbelly stoves are divided into the following categories:

oven with hob;
pyrolysis;
equipped with a heat transfer-increasing casing.

The main feature of a potbelly stove is that in most cases it is made in a makeshift way using metal boxes, cans and other suitable containers. Next, we will tell and show how to make potbelly stoves with your own hands - drawings, photos, videos

Furnaces differ from each other in the following categories:

manufacturing material - cast iron, steel, brick;
functionality - with a hob, heaters and gas generators;
type of fuel - solid and liquid.

Classic oven

A stove made of metal sheet is a traditional option that fully reveals the characteristics of a potbelly stove.

Manufacturing process

Necessary materials:

metal sheet 4 mm;
fittings with a diameter of 10-15 mm for the grate;
corners;
pipe (diameter according to the diagram);
Bulgarian;
welding.

Video 1 An example of making a beautiful potbelly stove with your own hands

Use a grinder to cut out all the body parts from a sheet of metal according to the drawing.

On the back and side walls, hot weld the corners, on which you will then lay the grate and another sheet (in the drawing), which will hold the bricks.

A properly made grate will help increase the burning time of firewood. If it is not a solid steel sheet, but a stacked grate made of reinforcement (up to 15 cm in diameter), the smoldering fuel itself will suck in the necessary air, making combustion more complete and lasting.

Next, cut out 2 doors (for the firebox and ash pan) and put them on the hinges. On the top part, cut a hole for the pipe, to which you weld a sleeve 200 mm high. After this, you weld or put on a pipe to the sleeve, the bending angle of which is 450.

The technology of the most efficient potbelly stove was presented by V. Loginov. The material used is a metal sheet, grate bars are reinforcement, hot welding is used to connect parts, and pneumatic scissors or a grinder are used for cutting.

To increase heat transfer, it is necessary to ensure a certain resistance coefficient of the chimney.

How to determine the diameter of a chimney pipe

Calculate the volume of the combustion chamber (liter) in relation to the pipe diameter (mm) in the ratio 1:2.7. For example, if the volume of the firebox is for furnace gas, resistance must be created. From thermal engineering calculations, the volume of the combustion chamber in liters should be 2.7 times smaller in digital terms than the pipe diameter in millimeters. For example, if the firebox volume is 70 liters, then the pipe diameter will be 182 mm.

Potbelly stove made from a milk can

The second most popular material for making a potbelly stove after metal sheet is a milk can. This is easily explained, since the airtight case is almost ready, and everything else can be done with your own hands literally within a couple of hours.

Manufacturing process

Punch through with a chisel or cut out a crescent-shaped slot under the neck. This future is blowing
At the bottom of the can, cut a hole for the pipe, where the sleeve will be inserted and the chimney pipe will be put on.
It is better to make the grate in such a potbelly stove serpentine or made of reinforcement, but it is necessary to carefully insert it into the can so that there is no need to cut additional holes.
The dimensions of the potbelly stove made from a can are in the drawing. The finished structure should be placed on legs or made of brick.

The longer the chimney, the less heat loss will be.

Potbelly stove from a gas cylinder

An excellent material is a gas cylinder, which also fully ensures the tightness of the structure and its safe use.

Materials and tools:

waste gas cylinder;
metal sheet 4 mm;
pipe (diameter see above);
fittings for a set of gratings;
corners;
combustion door;
Bulgarian
welding.

To begin, knock off the top rim with the tap and cut out a crescent-shaped hole for the blower on the bottom of the cylinder
Weld a pipe to the bottom of the cylinder where the sleeve will be inserted and the chimney pipe will be put on.
It is better to make the grate in such a potbelly stove made from fittings; in this case, there will be a natural intake of air and the fuel will burn almost completely.
The dimensions of the potbelly stove made from a cylinder are in the photo. The finished structure should be placed on legs or made of brick.

Video 2 An example of making a potbelly stove from a gas cylinder at home

The potbelly stove has survived the most different times and has proven that it is the most reliable and in a simple way heating small rooms. Despite the relative simplicity of the design, during its manufacture it is necessary to observe certain proportions in order to increase the burning time of the filling and, accordingly, the efficiency of the furnace.

Photos of the most effective potbelly stoves according to readers

Photo 11 Bubafonya type stove

Photo 12 Potbelly stove that works

Very often, a potbelly stove is used to heat a garage. Moreover, you can do it yourself, but you don’t need to spend money for it. It is enough to look in the bins for unnecessary metal parts.

Advantages and disadvantages of a potbelly stove for a garage

A potbelly stove is rightfully considered the most practical way to heat in winter. This is a small structure that is practically portable and can heat any room in size, regardless of the outside temperature and other climatic conditions. This is its main advantage. However, in modern conditions, a potbelly stove is used exclusively for heating outbuildings, for example, a garage. And this is connected with big amount disadvantages:

the stove cools down quickly, which means that in order to maintain a constant temperature in the room, it must always be burning;
uneconomical for the same reason;
is a fire hazard, so when installing it you need to take care to protect the nearby wall and floor.

However, its omnivorous nature allows you to save a little on the purchase of fuel, especially considering the almost 100% efficiency of such a device.

The potbelly stove has a special design, thanks to which it is possible to obtain high efficiency

Design and operating principle

The peculiarity of a potbelly stove is that it does not require the construction of a foundation or the installation of a major chimney. In most cases, this is precisely why it is chosen for use in the garage. This room does not always have electricity or a gas pipeline, which means that a potbelly stove is the only solution to the heating problem.

The potbelly stove does not require the construction of a foundation

This design is a metal box with a door and a pipe, which is located outside the heated room.

The pipe can also serve as a heating element if it is slightly modified. Make it stepped rather than straight, which will allow the hot air to linger in it a little.

Calculation of basic parameters (with drawings and dimensions)

High efficiency of a potbelly stove can only be achieved if all the main design parameters are correctly calculated.

Pipe

IN in this case The diameter of this element is very important. Bandwidth the chimney should be less than the productivity of the furnace firebox, which is the main distinguishing feature of a potbelly stove. This will allow warm air not to immediately leave the stove, but to linger in it and heat the surrounding air.

It is very important to make an accurate calculation for it. The diameter should be 2.7 times the volume of the firebox. In this case, the diameter is determined in millimeters, and the volume of the firebox in liters. For example, the volume of the combustion chamber is 40 liters, which means that the chimney diameter should be about 106 mm.

If the potbelly stove provides for the installation of grates, then the height of the firebox is calculated without taking into account the volume of this part, that is, from the top of the grate.

Screen

It is very important to force the hot gases not to cool, but to burn out completely. In addition, the fuel must burn through partial pyrolysis, which requires extremely high temperatures. A metal screen located on three sides of the stove will help to achieve a similar effect. It should be placed at a distance of 50–70 mm from the stove walls, due to which most of the heat will return to the stove. This air movement will give the necessary high temperature and protect against fire.

The screen of a potbelly stove made of red brick is capable of accumulating heat

Litter

It definitely has to be there. There are two reasons for this:

some of the heat is radiated downwards;
the floor on which the stove stands gets hot, which means there is a risk of fire.

The litter solves these two problems at once. As such, you can use a metal sheet with a projection of 350 mm (ideally 600 mm) beyond the contour of the furnace itself. There are more modern materials that do an excellent job of this task, for example, a sheet of asbestos or kaolin cardboard with a thickness of at least 6 mm.

You can use an asbestos sheet for bedding under a potbelly stove.

Chimney

Despite all the calculations, gases sometimes escape into the chimney not completely burned out. Therefore, it must be done in a special way. The chimney consists of:

the vertical part (1–1.2 m), which is recommended to be wrapped in thermal insulation material;
hog (slightly inclined part or completely horizontal), 2.5–4.5 m long, which should be 1.2 m from the ceiling, which is not protected with heat-resistant materials (1.5 m from the wooden surface), from the floor - by 2.2 m.

The chimney must be vented to the street

Photo gallery: diagrams of a potbelly stove for a garage

The diagram must indicate all the exact measurements. The chimney must be directed to the street The potbelly stove can be round or square The volume of the firebox depends on the presence of grates The design of the potbelly stove depends on the material used

Required materials and tools

To make a potbelly stove with your own hands you will need:

welding tool (or any other welding machine if you have relevant experience);
chisel;
soft cloth (you can use rags);
hammer;
sandpaper (fine-grained).

The list of materials depends on the container from which the potbelly stove will be made. This could be a gas cylinder or a milk flask. If you have some experience working with metal, then a potbelly stove can be made from sheet material. However, you definitely need to take care of the availability of:

refractory bricks;
steel pipes;
metal wire;
grate bars (in some cases you can do without them);
pipe with weather vane;
door hinges.

Preparatory work before assembling the furnace: choosing a location

Using a potbelly stove in a garage, like any other heating device, requires compliance with safety rules. First of all, this concerns the installation location of the device. The corner of the garage, which is located near the walls opposite the door of the room, is ideal for this.

Remember that you cannot place the stove in close proximity to the car. The distance between them should be at least 1.5 m. A similar distance should be from objects that are easily flammable, for example, from barrels of gasoline.

The walls near the stove must be protected with fireproof material

The distance from the stove to the wall depends on what material the garage is built from. If it is wood, then there should be at least 1 m from the stove to the wall. Additionally, it is recommended to protect them with asbestos boards.

Step-by-step instructions for making a potbelly stove for your garage with your own hands

The method of making a potbelly stove depends on its shape and the material used.

Classic stove-stove

To manufacture such a design, you must have certain skills in working with welding machine. All work consists of several steps:

Make from sheet metal 5 blanks.
Blanks need to be cut from sheet metal
Weld side surfaces to the bottom. Make sure that they are positioned strictly vertically relative to each other, which will be helped by using a level or a building square.
Weld the back wall.
The internal space is conditionally divided into three parts: smoke circulation, combustion part and ash pit. In the last two, install a grate. To do this, at a height of 10–15 cm, you need to weld the corners along the entire length. For the grill itself, it is recommended to use thick sheet steel 25–30 mm wide, from which strips must be cut. The distance between the plates should be 5 cm. The rods themselves must be welded to two rods, which give the grille rigidity.
It is necessary to weld two metal rods on top, which are needed to position the reflector (the sheet that separates the firebox and the smoke circulation); the reflector must be positioned in such a way that a channel for smoke is formed.
Grate bars and a potbelly stove are optional elements
Weld the lid of the potbelly stove, not forgetting the hole for the pipe. Cut and weld the top bridge. Do the same with the narrower part.
Make a door. It is recommended to do it across the entire width of the stove, so that the grate bars and reflector can be removed without problems during cleaning and repairs. Don't forget that the door should be equipped with a handle, latch and curtains.
Install the structure on legs, which can be made from metal pipe with a diameter of 2–3 cm. You should not make them too high. 8–10 cm will be enough. If desired, you can equip them with bolts, which will allow you to adjust the height.
Make a chimney from a pipe with a diameter of 15–18 cm. To remove it, you need to make a hole in the wall of the appropriate size. The pipe consists of three parts, which are connected to each other at an angle of 45°.
The pipe must not have horizontal parts
A rotating damper must be made at the lower end of the chimney pipe. It can also be made from sheet metal, but the diameter should be slightly smaller than the hole in the pipe. It is also necessary to provide a handle that would move this damper.
The pipe must be fixed on a sleeve measuring 15–20 cm, which is welded along the hole to the top cover.
Install the stove and adjust its height.
When using sheet metal, you can make a potbelly stove of any size

Video: original potbelly stove for the garage with your own hands

Milk can oven

Making such a stove is quite easy, you just need to follow the step-by-step instructions:

Video: potbelly stove for a garage from a gas cylinder

Features of operation

When operating a homemade potbelly stove, it is very important to observe certain rules. This is necessary not only for the safety of its use, but also for a long service life. These rules are:

it is necessary to maintain a safe distance between the walls of the stove itself and the walls of the room (a distance of 50 cm is considered ideal);
the chimney must be routed directly to the street; in no case should it be connected to the ventilation system of the garage (very often this desire arises when the stove is installed in the basement of the garage), since this is the only way to guarantee sufficient draft for proper combustion;
places where the pipe is exposed to the street must be insulated with asbestos or other non-combustible material;
You can increase the efficiency of a potbelly stove by insulating the room itself;
It is necessary to install a box of sand and a fire extinguisher next to the potbelly stove, as this is required by fire safety regulations.

How to improve oven performance

This stove has one significant drawback - it cools down very quickly. However, this is very easy to fix with the help of a brick screen, which is installed on three sides of the structure. This will allow you to accumulate heat and release it to the room even after the stove stops burning.

It should be placed at a distance of 5–7 cm from the walls of the stove, in no case end-to-end. In this case, you need to take care of the presence of ventilation holes.

The screen should not be close to the walls of the stove

A structure with a brick screen will weigh much more than a conventional metal stove, so it is recommended to first build an individual foundation.

In some cases, it may be necessary to install a custom foundation. It's very easy to do:

Dig a hole about 50 cm deep. All other dimensions depend on the size of the stove itself and the screen.
Fill the bottom of the hole with sand (usually this takes about 3-4 buckets), after which it needs to be compacted. Cover the sand with a 10–15 cm layer of crushed stone and compact it as well.
Level the backfill and fill it with prepared cement mortar. Leave it for a day (you can do it for several days, the foundation will only benefit from this).
Cover the base with several layers of roofing material.
Now you can start laying out the screen in the brick floor. In this case, the first two rows should be laid out in continuous masonry directly on the roofing material. In rows 3–4 it is necessary to make ventilation gaps. Continue with continuous laying.
It is recommended to make the screen without a top cover.

How to properly clean a potbelly stove

The design features of this stove allow it to be cleaned quite rarely.

This is one of the advantages of a potbelly stove. However, periodically the chimney must be cleaned of soot residues. You can use a special brush for this. You can do it yourself. Attach a cylindrical brush to the rope. It is recommended to use a brush with plastic or iron bristles. In this case, you need to select it in such a way that it can easily squeeze into the narrow chimney pipe.

The cleaning process itself occurs in the following sequence:

Close the firebox opening and plug it with a rag.
Make several movements with the brush (you need to stop when the brush begins to move without resistance). Wait.
Remove any food that has flowed down to the cesspool.

All this must be done extremely carefully, since the chimney pipe of potbelly stoves is not very strong.

A homemade stove-stove in the garage can become a reliable and effective assistant in the fight against winter frosts. And if you do it yourself, the efficiency of the device can be increased many times.

Workshops and other household premises are forced to look for simple and cheap ways to heat them. In the era of inexpensive electricity, there were no problems with this - you could use a basic heater assembled from a piece of asbestos pipe and nichrome spiral. Today, the operation of even an economical IR heater will cost a pretty penny, and it’s better not to think about power-hungry homemade equipment at all.

The way out of this situation lies on the surface - just make a potbelly stove with your own hands. Craftsmen have developed dozens of simple and effective designs designed for the use of liquid or solid fuel. If your choice is a heating device that runs on wood or wood waste, then better design You won't find anything better than a long-burning potbelly stove.

Secrets of long-term operation of solid fuel units

The whole secret of long-term burning of a potbelly stove is hidden in the way of putting fuel into it. The firewood in such a stove is ignited from above, so there is no danger of all the logs placed in the fuel chamber catching fire at the same time.

Despite its unassuming appearance, a homemade long-burning potbelly stove successfully competes with many factory-made wood stoves

Additionally, this is facilitated by the method of air supply. The oxygen necessary for combustion reaches only the top layer of fuel. Such solutions make it possible to increase the size of the filling as much as the dimensions of the furnace allow. Of course, the continuous operation time of such units increases tens of times.

The secret of long-burning stoves is an efficient way of burning fuel

The duration of one heating cycle can be further increased by the pyrolytic decomposition of solid fuel, which occurs at high temperatures and lack of oxygen. In this case, firewood does not burn, but smolders, simultaneously forming a large amount of volatile hydrocarbon compounds. Pyrolysis gases burn under the roof of the furnace, releasing large quantity heat. Thus, smoldering helps to lengthen the continuous combustion period, and pyrolysis makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the heat generator many times over.

Another option for long-burning stoves is Bubafonya. You can make it yourself at home. Our next article provides a diagram and step-by-step installation instructions:.

Design and principle of operation of a long-burning potbelly stove

The methods described above to increase the time of continuous operation of the furnace have been successfully implemented in the design of the potbelly stove, which we offer for production. The unit consists of only a few parts and is distinguished by its extraordinary simplicity, which, however, does not prevent it from successfully competing with more complex heating devices.

Firewood is placed in a housing, which is most often made in the form of a cylinder. The fuel is pressed from above by an air distribution device in the form of a hollow rod with a piston (a heavy metal disk with a hole in the center for air supply). Support blades (blades) are welded to the bottom of the steel pancake, the width of which determines the height of the gap between the fuel and the piston. In other words, the volume of the combustion chamber depends on the size of the blades. A pipe is welded to the back of the disk, through which air enters the furnace. To regulate its quantity, the channel can be completely or partially blocked using a sliding valve.

Design and principle of operation of a long-burning potbelly stove

A pipe for connecting the chimney is cut into the upper part of the potbelly stove body. To ensure normal traction, the height of the pipe must be at least 4 m. The unit is closed on top with a lid that has a hole for the air distribution device.

Primary air is supplied directly under the piston, which divides the working space into two chambers. Precise dosing of oxygen makes it possible to reduce the intensity of the flame, facilitating the transition to gas generation mode. In this case, thermal energy is released not only by burning fuel, but also by pyrolysis gases, which are actively burned under the lid. Secondary oxygen for their oxidation is supplied through a special window in the upper part of the furnace, and in the simplest case, through the gap between the air supply pipe and the top cover. After the top layer of firewood burns out, the metal disk under own weight descends, providing oxygen access to the new fuel horizon.

Combustion products are removed from the stove through a chimney cut into the upper part of the body. In order to further increase heat transfer, the chimney is connected to the heating device through a small horizontal transition, which plays the role of an air heat exchanger.

What you will need for work: tools and materials

This model of a “long-lasting” stove can be made in just a few hours. All you need for this is a great desire and proper organization of the work process. You will also need to thoroughly understand the design of the unit and prepare everything you need in advance.

Tools you will need:

welding machine - a small, lightweight inverter with the ability to adjust the current up to 200 A is best suited for these purposes;
angle grinder (colloquially a grinder or “grinder”);
cutting and grinding discs intended for metal work;
drill press or electric drill;
set of drills;
medium-sized hammer;
blowtorch;
chisel;
sledgehammer;
tape measure and metal ruler;
core (a device designed for applying marks to facilitate drilling);
scriber for marking metal surfaces.

As for materials, there is no need to follow the list exactly. All the beauty homemade designs The exact point is that they will use any iron that can be found in the backyard or in the corners of the garage (workshop).

Any large container, for example, an unnecessary metal barrel, is suitable for making the furnace body.

So, the list of necessary materials:

steel pipes with a diameter of 80 to 250 mm, which will be needed for the manufacture of an air supply riser and a chimney;
a suitable metal container with a diameter of 300 to 600 mm with a wall thickness of at least 2.5 mm (you can use a used gas cylinder, a fuel barrel or a piece of pipe at least 120 cm long);
a metal sheet with a thickness of at least 4–5 mm from which the air distribution piston will be made;
durable metal hinges, which will be needed to secure the firebox and ash door;
asbestos cord (it is needed to seal the loading window and other operational openings);
corners with a flange from 50 mm, channels and profile pipes - for the manufacture of air distributor blades, support legs and other structural elements;
a round metal pancake with a thickness of at least 5 mm and a diameter of 120–150 mm (you can take any suitable gear or sprocket from a motor vehicle);

If you plan to equip the heating device with a water jacket, then you should additionally prepare sheet steel with a thickness of at least 2 mm and pipes for connecting the liquid circuit to the heating main (hot water supply).

The pipes are also used when assembling a potbelly stove with a water circuit. Step-by-step instructions are given in our article:

How to properly design a long-burning potbelly stove: diagrams and drawings

You can take any suitable container as the outer casing of a pyrolysis combustion potbelly stove. The use of waste materials will make it possible to obtain a heating device with almost zero cost. The only thing you need to do is to design all other structural elements in accordance with the dimensions of the selected case. This will make it possible to build not only a cheap, but also a productive, economical furnace.

To determine the dimensions and parameters that affect the performance and thermal efficiency of a potbelly stove, you can use a special diagram. To make a calculation based on the dimensions of the found container, you need to measure its diameter (D) and height (H). These will be the external parameters of the heating device.

A diagram for calculating a long-burning potbelly stove will help you adjust the parameters of parts depending on the size of the base

Full calculation method:

The ratio of the diameter (D) and height (H) of the potbelly stove should be within 1:3(5). In a stove that is too narrow and high, the afterburning zone of combustion products will be stretched in height, which means that some of the gases will not be able to ignite in time and will simply go down the chimney. If you build a low and wide unit, then the surface combustion will be too uneven. Air is supplied to the middle part of the bookmark, so the fuel will burn out there much faster than at the edges. This will lead to the formation of a depression in the center of the fill and the piston hanging on the unburned residues at the walls. At the same time, there can be no talk of any normal operation, much less pyrolysis combustion.
The durability of the heating device depends on the thickness of the metal (Δ) required for the manufacture of the body. A container with walls of 4–5 mm is best suited for these purposes.
When calculating the air distributor, it is important to correctly determine not only the diameter, but also the thickness of the piston. The massive part will heat up and actively heat the air entering the combustion zone, which will have a positive effect on the performance of the stove. In addition, the thin disk will not be pressed tightly against the upper plane of the fill, and this will lead to an increase in the air gap and uneconomical fuel consumption. A piston that is too heavy, on the contrary, will tend to reduce the clearance. Excessive compaction of the fuel can lead to the complete extinguishing of the potbelly stove. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the weight of a metal pancake depends not only on its thickness, but also on its diameter. Consequently, the larger the piston, the thinner the metal used for its manufacture.
A table for calculating piston thickness will help you find optimal ratio diameter and thickness of the piston block
The gap between the fuel filler and the air distribution disk is determined by the height of the piston ribs (blades). There are also ready-made tables for their calculation. If the dimensions of the structure do not fit into their framework, then the calculation of the blades is carried out using the method of proportions.
The table for determining the parameters of the blades is suitable for standard furnaces
The efficiency of air supply to the combustion zone depends on the configuration of the ribs of the air distribution pancake.
You should not take the simplest route, welding straight sections of corners or profile pipes to the piston. It is better to bend the blades in a semicircle and weld them in the form of a turbine. The air flow in this case will not be laminar, but turbulent, so the smoldering of the fuel, and therefore the release of gases, will be more intense. The advantage of shaped blades also lies in the fact that the flow of pyrolysis gases will be more actively pushed to the periphery, accelerating gas circulation. When calculating the chimney, use the formula S = 1.75P, where P is the thermal power of the heating device in kW/hour. The resulting value is rounded to big side
, adjusting the numbers to the diameter of the pipes that are available.
At the entrance to the chimney, a rotary damper, called a damper, is installed. It will be needed to regulate the traction force.
A gap δ must be left between the hole in the loading hatch and the air supply pipe, which should be no more than 2.5 mm.
It is needed to supply secondary oxygen to the afterburning zone. Here you need to be especially careful and not exceed the recommended values, otherwise excess air will “siphon” towards the chimney, simultaneously drawing pyrolysis gases into the pipe. For the same purposes, there is no need to refuse to install a collar. Its size L is taken equal to 80×δ, but not higher than 200 mm.

The length of the air supply pipe is calculated based on the fact that when the disk is completely lowered, it should rise above the collar to a height of q=L+150. Of course, there is no need to observe the dimensions of all parts of the oven. They can be rounded in any direction without consequences. As for the gaps and vias, their size depends

correct work

heating device. These parameters must fully correspond to the calculated values.

There is no need to install a combustion door for a potbelly stove with a diameter of 450 mm or more, since the unit can be easily loaded with firewood through the top. If a gas cylinder is used as a housing, then difficulties during its operation will await you not so much when adding fuel, but when cleaning the potbelly stove from ash. To prevent a long, narrow container from causing inconvenience during operation, you will need to install an ash pan door. In order not to create an opening for cleaning the oven, you can use a disk with sides that is lowered to the bottom. A steel rod welded to its center will allow you to easily pull out the container with ash. The metal rod does not interfere with the operation of the potbelly stove at all - after installing the ash pan on the bottom, it is passed through a pipe to supply air. Diagrams and drawings allow you to accurately determine all the design parameters of the heating device and build a productive potbelly stove from any suitable container. There is no need to adhere to the exact dimensions - it is enough to observe the relationships between all

components

designs. Photo gallery: diagrams and drawings of a long-burning potbelly stove Drawing of a pyrolysis stove with a water circuit Drawing of a stove with a convection casing

Simple stove

It can be built in just a few hours, and the material for the work will be a used metal barrel from fuel and lubricants, a thick metal sheet and various pieces of pipes, angles and channels. Of course, so cheap option has certain disadvantages associated with the small thickness of the walls - both the heat capacity of the structure and its service life suffer from this. Nevertheless, using such a large body also has its advantages:

the volume will allow the stove to work for up to 12 hours on one tab;
even if over time the walls of the barrel burn out, the body of the potbelly stove can be quickly replaced;
The cross-section of the loading opening will make it easy to heat and maintain the stove, so you can do without installing a loading and ash window.

Carrying out the work step by step will avoid mistakes and make it easier to manufacture a heating unit, which can be useful for both beginners and experienced home handyman with experience.

Preparatory work

To build a simple wood-burning heat generator, any steel barrel used for chemicals, fuels and lubricants, etc. is suitable. If there are small dents on its surface, they must be leveled using a hammer and a sledgehammer, which is placed on the reverse side. This work must be done carefully and carefully, otherwise during operation the air distribution piston will hang over the firewood, which will lead to disruption of the normal operation of the unit.

If the walls of the barrel are covered with residues of petroleum products, glue or paint, then they are burned using gas burner or a blowtorch. After this, all surfaces are cleaned with a stiff wire brush. Of course, with full confidence in the integrity of the walls, you can do without burning and scraping the walls, but if the container long time was stored under open air

, then there is no better way to prepare it.

It is best to cut blanks from a thick metal sheet using a plasma cutter

The next stage of preparatory work is the selection and proper arrangement of the place for installing the potbelly stove. When installing it, it is necessary to ensure that several prerequisites are met:

The base of the floor must be a flat, horizontal surface. Regardless of how the stove will rest on the floor - with the legs or the lower part of the body, the base of the platform is protected with non-combustible materials. It is best if it is fireclay brick, but you can also use asbestos fiber boards or metal sheets. Of course, the last two options are only suitable for installation on non-combustible surfaces.
The potbelly stove should be installed away from storage areas for fuels, lubricants and flammable materials. Installation of a wood-burning heat generator under attachments
, shelves, etc.
When choosing a location, be sure to take into account how the chimney will be constructed. If its entire vertical part runs outside the building, then part of the chimney pipe is laid horizontally. Otherwise, the lion's share of the heat will simply be thrown into the air. If the pipe runs indoors, then the potbelly stove is installed in any way.

It should be understood that lengthening the horizontal section of the stove pipe by more than 400–500 mm is fraught with a decrease in draft, which will ultimately lead to a drop in the efficiency of the potbelly stove. Like any other wood-burning heat generator with an open flame, a long-burning potbelly stove burns a considerable amount of oxygen during operation. At the initial stage, you should consider how the air flow will be carried out. Without quality system

ventilation, operation of the oven may be unsafe.

Step-by-step instructions for making a potbelly stove with your own hands

All the main work on the manufacture of this type of furnace consists of several stages:
The barrel is placed on a hard, flat surface and the lid is cut off. To do this, it is best to use a grinder, cutting through the weld at the point where it joins the body. This will allow you to carefully separate the top, creating a cylindrical body with a factory sealed edge. There is no need to throw away the cut-off part - after a little modification it will serve as the top hatch of the potbelly stove.
The lid from the barrel should be cut off as carefully as possible The upper cut of the barrel must be slightly bent inward, reducing its diameter by 2–3 cm. To do this, it is convenient to use a sledgehammer and a hammer, the striker of which is placed with inside
, below the bend line.
The blank intended for making the lid is placed on a metal plate, after which its side is bent outward with powerful blows of a sledgehammer. Such flaring is needed to ensure that the part fits tightly to the body. This method is not ideal from an aesthetic point of view. Perfectionists may be advised to cut off the edging of the lid so that the part fits tightly inside the cylindrical body. After this, a metal disk of the same diameter as the barrel itself must be welded onto the workpiece. A smooth, flat surface will subsequently serve as a stove for heating water or food. Instead of the plug that most fuel storage barrels are equipped with, you can install a sliding flap. It will allow you to accurately regulate the amount of secondary air supplied to the afterburning zone.
A hole is cut in the center of the lid for the air supply pipe. Its diameter should be 1–2.5 mm larger, otherwise there will not be enough air in the secondary combustion zone. Of course, if the upper part of the potbelly stove is equipped with an additional damper, then the mating of the parts can be made as tight as possible.
Before cutting the hole, the lid must be prepared
Mount the collar. To do this, a strip 50–100 mm wide is cut out of a metal sheet, and the hole is welded along the contour.
To make the piston, take a steel sheet with a thickness that corresponds to the calculated values. If you want to get the cheapest possible heating device, but the necessary material is not at hand, then you can cut off the bottom from another barrel. Since the thickness of the resulting workpiece will not provide the required rigidity and sufficient mass of the piston, minor transformations must be made to the part. Firstly, the metal edging that runs along its perimeter is bent inward until the metal pancake fits freely into the oven casing. Under no circumstances should the side be cut off - it will serve as an external stiffener. Secondly, to increase the mass of the piston, an additional weight is welded onto its upper plane. It can be any flat parts - gears, sprockets, pulleys, etc. The main thing is that they can provide the calculated weight of the air distribution device. An additional advantage in this case will be the increased heat capacity of the piston.
The production of the pressure circle depends on what material was taken as a basis
A hole is cut in the pressing disk equal to the outer diameter of the air supply pipe. After this, it is necessary to weld the blades onto the lower part of the piston, which are necessary to distribute oxygen over the entire surface of the fuel fill. The width of these parts will determine the height of the working area, and this has a huge impact on both the performance of the potbelly stove and its efficiency. When making a piston, it is best not to deviate from design parameters not even a millimeter.
A pipe for supplying air is welded to the pressure plate. To do this, the metal disk is laid with its blades down on a flat surface, and the accuracy of installation is controlled by level or plumb line - the parts must be connected in strictly perpendicular planes.
The air supply pipe must be mounted level
On the air duct side, a divider must be welded in the center of the piston. If this part is cut from a metal sheet, then drilling with a diameter of up to 20 mm is performed in the center of the workpiece.
The upper section of the air supply pipe is equipped with a damper to regulate the amount of primary air. It would be better if this unit is equipped with some kind of lock.
An opening is cut in the upper quarter of the cylindrical body for mounting the outlet pipe. This part is installed in place and welded with a continuous seam.
WITH outside the bottoms are mounted with a support frame with legs made from suitable sections of pipes or angles.
Installation of the pipe for connecting the chimney occurs in the upper part of the barrel
To make a chimney, pipes with a length of 0.4–0.5 m and 4–5 m are used, which are connected through an angular transition of increased diameter. A ball valve is installed at the bottom of the chimney to remove condensate. The interfaces are carefully sealed using asbestos or basalt sealant.
To eliminate temperature changes that lead to condensation, the chimney is equipped with an external casing, and the resulting space between its walls is filled with mineral insulation. In addition, the top of the chimney is protected from precipitation using a metal cap.

After installation on permanent place the stove is connected to the chimney and filled with fuel. Testing of long-burning potbelly stoves begins after the piston and top cover are installed.

Long-burning potbelly stove is ready for use

How to use the stove correctly

Only dry wood is suitable for use in pyrolysis heating stoves. This is due to the fact that when wet fuel is burned, a lot of water vapor is released, which reduces the temperature in work area. Of course, in this case, there can be no question of effective combustion of pyrolysis gases. In addition, there are other unpleasant aspects associated with incomplete combustion of volatile components. Firstly, when cooling in the chimney, they fall out on its walls in the form of tar, creosote and other difficult-to-remove substances. Secondly, the content of hazardous chemical compounds at the outlet of the chimney exceeds all permissible standards, which negatively affects the environment and human health. And, on the contrary, when burning well-dried wood, the exhaust gases consist mainly of carbon dioxide and water vapor, and the operation of a potbelly stove from the outside can only be judged by the slight movement of heated air at the upper end of the chimney.

Before adding fuel, the piston is removed and put aside, and the space inside the stove is filled with firewood. It should be remembered that the thermal power and duration of operation of the heating device depend on the density of the stacking, therefore all gaps between the logs must be filled with shavings, chips, wood husks, etc. Place a rag soaked in kerosene or diesel fuel on top, install the air distribution piston and close the unit lid.

For ignition, you can use a rag dampened with a flammable liquid.

The stove is ignited with the damper of the air supply pipe fully open by throwing burning rags into it, which have been previously soaked in barbecue liquid or the like. After the wood burns, reduce the air supply.

In order to make the operation of a potbelly stove safe, follow a few simple rules:

If flammable substances are used to ignite wood (gasoline, kerosene, solvent, special products for wood-burning stoves), then it is necessary to install the piston and close the stove with a lid before throwing a lit match.
It is not recommended to use plastic, rubber, foam and other household waste as fuel for two reasons. Firstly, this is due to the release of extremely toxic substances that cannot burn even during the process of pyrolytic decomposition. Secondly, during the high-temperature oxidation of such materials, a huge amount of soot is released, which means that the chimney will have to be cleaned several times a month.

Often, in order to make a potbelly stove more presentable, its body is primed and painted in the desired color. It should be understood that the paint will fade when using the stove, so it is better to use only protective compounds, designed to operate at high temperatures.

Despite the fact that pyrolysis decomposition promotes the most complete combustion of fuel, a small amount of soot and ash is still formed during operation of the furnace. To remove carbon deposits, you can use a metal scraper and brush. As for ash, the most convenient way to clean a potbelly stove from a barrel is with an iron scoop with a short handle. There is no need to remove all the ashes. A layer of ash 2–3 cm thick will act as thermal insulation, preventing the bottom of the heating device from burning out.

Video: how a homemade long-burning potbelly stove works

Such a productive and economical heating device as a long-burning potbelly stove will allow you to successfully heat any technical and domestic premises. Thanks to its simple, undemanding design, you can build a stove yourself, spending only a few hours on it. Accurate calculation, accuracy in work and attention during operation - these are all the components necessary to obtain comfortable, cozy, and most importantly, safe heat.

Thanks to my varied hobbies, I write on various topics, but my favorites are engineering, technology and construction. Perhaps because I know many nuances in these areas, not only theoretically, due to my studies in technical university and graduate school, but also from the practical side, since I try to do everything with my own hands.