Traditional Finnish fireplace

[Hulpio]

Traditionally houses here in Finland are/were heated with heavyweight fireplaces made of bricks or soapstone. Weight range from 4000-6000lbs. Fire, burning gas and hot fumes are forced to release energy as much as possible. See the principle of fume circulation in picture. Fumes exiting to the chimney are normally around 400℉ or less.
If outside temperature is below - 20℉ you burn 40-50lb of wood daily. The whole process takes a couple of hours before you can close chimney "valve" and stop airflow through the fireplace.
That heavy hot mass releases heat typically 24hrs or more, depending how cold it is outside. If your bricklayer knows his profession the outer layer of bricks is not burning hot and your home temperature is quite stabil.
Is this type of heating used in US or Canada? These differences in ways and habits are very interesting.

 

[user 188535]

Traditionally houses here in Finland are/were heated with heavyweight fireplaces made of bricks or soapstone. Weight range from 4000-6000lbs. Fire, burning gas and hot fumes are forced to release energy as much as possible. See the principle of fume circulation in picture. Fumes exiting to the chimney are normally around 400℉ or less.
If outside temperature is below - 20℉ you burn 40-50lb of wood daily. The whole process takes a couple of hours before you can close chimney "valve" and stop airflow through the fireplace.
That heavy hot mass releases heat typically 24hrs or more, depending how cold it is outside. If your bricklayer knows his profession the outer layer of bricks is not burning hot and your home temperature is quite stabil.
Is this type of heating used in US or Canada? These differences in ways and habits are very interesting.

Not sure if I have seen that here. But seems cool otherwise.

 

[Mad Professor]

Howdo you clean the passages in the stove

 

[Hulpio]

Howdo you clean the passages in the stove

If you use good dry firewood the amount of ash etc in the passages is really minimal. There will not be total buildup blocking the whole passage. Internal passages which lead from the top of the chamber down to chimney connection are not even cleanable. Well if you really like you could clean them with a steel brush attached to a wire. The lifetime of this kind of fireplace is easily 50 years and there is plenty of even older in daily use. Those passages newer cleaned.
Hot fumes have large volume and the speed they travel is high. When fumes release their heat to bricks their volume goes down and speed too.
Probably that is why ash and stuff has tendency to get collected to the last ft or 2 before chimney where the speed of fumes has gone down. That passage is in the floor level of your house. There is a small door for cleaning purposes. Attached is a picture of that passage after 3 years use. During winter months 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 fireplace is more or less heated daily.
Thank you for your question. It led me to think some things for the first time.

 

[user 188535]

If you use good dry firewood the amount of ash etc in the passages is really minimal. There will not be total buildup blocking the whole passage. Internal passages which lead from the top of the chamber down to chimney connection are not even cleanable. Well if you really like you could clean them with a steel brush attached to a wire. The lifetime of this kind of fireplace is easily 50 years and there is plenty of even older in daily use. Those passages newer cleaned.
Hot fumes have large volume and the speed they travel is high. When fumes release their heat to bricks their volume goes down and speed too.
Probably that is why ash and stuff has tendency to get collected to the last ft or 2 before chimney where the speed of fumes has gone down. That passage is in the floor level of your house. There is a small door for cleaning purposes. Attached is a picture of that passage after 3 years use. During winter months 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 fireplace is more or less heated daily.
Thank you for your question. It led me to think some things for the first time.

This is what most American chimneys are like in my area on some of the bigger old homes.



How do you clean the creosote out of the chimney?

 

[Hulpio]

This is what most American chimneys are like in my area on some of the bigger old homes.

View attachment 1118430

How do you clean the creosote out of the chimney?

Oh my. Doesn't most of the heat go straight to the sky. It is heat radiation which heat your house in device like that.
If you burn dry wood and burning itself is supplied enough air excess - like primary and especially secondary - there wont be much creosote etc. It is mainly light ash. You just open the cap, drop in a ball shaped steel brush attached to a wire and with that you can drop all ash down. There you take it out using vacum cleaner. It is build for that and basic models are like 50$.
Do you guys use anything to close chimney? Here we close the airflow 95-100% so heat can not escape that way.

 

[Mad Professor]

Oh my. Doesn't most of the heat go straight to the sky. It is heat radiation which heat your house in device like that.
If you burn dry wood and burning itself is supplied enough air excess - like primary and especially secondary - there wont be much creosote etc. It is mainly light ash. You just open the cap, drop in a ball shaped steel brush attached to a wire and with that you can drop all ash down. There you take it out using vacum cleaner. It is build for that and basic models are like 50$.
Do you guys use anything to close chimney? Here we close the airflow 95-100% so heat can not escape that way.

My computer is broken right now can't pos t pictures. Using a tablet

 

[Hulpio]

First pic. Valve 100% closed, second pic valve about 50% open. Chimney starts from floor level and this valve is in the beginning of that chimney.
I made my chimney myself. It is 316 steel, OD is close to 7" and wall thickness is about 1/8".