FAQ
Questions and answers
Here you'll find answers to the questions people ask most often about stoves and about the journal itself. The answers are short and general: they help you get your bearings, but they don't replace an inspection by a specialist or fire-safety rules.
If you're not sure whether it's safe to light your stove, don't light it until a specialist has seen it. A cold evening is easier to get through than a fire or carbon monoxide in the house.
About the journal
Are you connected to the previous website on this domain?
No. The domain used to host a different website and later unrelated spam pages. None of that material has survived, and we don't reproduce it. The journal got its name along with the domain.
Do you build or repair stoves?
No. We're not stove-makers, a workshop, a shop or a school. We don't carry out any work, we don't sell stoves or materials, and we don't teach masonry classes.
Why don't you name craftspeople or brands?
The journal is about how stoves work and their history, not about particular people or products. A craftsman is best chosen on the strength of experience, recommendations from people you know and a conversation during the stove inspection.
Where does your information come from?
From encyclopedic and ethnographic dictionaries, materials from museums of wooden architecture and the fire-safety rules of Russia's Emergencies Ministry. We don't make up dates, names or stories that aren't in these sources.
History and how stoves work
How is a Russian stove different from a Dutch stove?
A Russian stove is large and massive: people cooked and baked bread in it and slept on it, and it was the center of daily life in a peasant cottage. A Dutch stove is more compact, warms a room quickly and is used mainly for heating.
What are stove tiles?
Ceramic tiles used to face stoves. They protect the masonry and decorate the stove, and they can be smooth or in relief, plain or painted.
What is a damper for?
The damper closes off the flue. While the stove is burning, it stays open so the smoke can go up the chimney. It is closed only after the wood has fully burned out and no blue flames remain.
Why does a chimney need sweeping?
Over time, soot builds up in the chimney and it gets harder for smoke to escape. A specialist checks and sweeps the stove and chimney regularly: they can see what you can't from inside the room.
Safety
Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous?
It has no color or smell, so without a detector you won't notice it. Your best protection is a stove in good repair that has been checked on time, a damper closed only once the wood has fully burned out, and a household carbon monoxide detector.
Can I step out for a bit while the stove is burning?
No. Never leave a burning stove unattended, even briefly. Wait until the wood has fully burned out, and close the damper once no blue flames remain.
What should I do if there's a fire or signs of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Get out into fresh air, get your family out of the house and call 112 (or your local emergency number). We don't give any other medical advice: wait for help to arrive.
Can I patch a crack in my stove myself?
We don't recommend it. A crack on the outside can point to a problem inside the masonry or chimney that you can't see from the room. Don't use the stove, and have a specialist look at the crack.
Related sections
- Home
The stove-maker's craft: an independent journal on the history and workings of stoves and on living safely with one.
- How-to
How to light a stove calmly, when to close the damper and how to care for the outside of a stove.
- Care
Looking after a stove through the seasons, plus the safety essentials that apply all year round.
Sources
- Russia's Emergencies Ministry: fire-safety rules for using stoves
- Encyclopedic and ethnographic dictionaries
- Museums of wooden architecture
Information about stoves is given in general terms, based on encyclopedic and ethnographic dictionaries, materials from museums of wooden architecture and the fire-safety rules of Russia's Emergencies Ministry; fire-safety rules differ by country, so check the ones that apply where you live. Only a specialist who has inspected your stove and chimney in person can tell you what condition they are in and whether they are safe to use.