Stendstroythe stove-maker's craft: a journal on the history and workings of stoves

An independent journal on the history and workings of stoves. We are not stove-makers or a workshop, we do not carry out any work or sell anything, and we have no connection to the previous website on this domain. Leave building, repairing and cleaning stoves to specialists.

Planning

Planning the work

An old stove in a house you've bought or inherited stirs up two feelings at once: the wish to keep it and the worry about whether it's safe to use. Only a specialist can answer the second question. And so you don't have to decide its fate in a rush when the first frost arrives, it helps to break the job into a few unhurried stages.

Don't light an unfamiliar stove “just to see.” A stove-maker should look at it first, even if it seems solid and has stood in the house longer than you can remember.

— From the editors

How this section works: we describe the general process of preparing for a stove inspection and repair — without estimates, timelines or technical specifications. The condition of the stove, the scope of work and the repair method are determined by a specialist after an inspection, in line with fire-safety rules.

If there's an old stove in your house

  1. Inspection

    Look the stove over in good light without lighting it. Note down and photograph any cracks, chipped tiles, soot on the walls and ceiling, and the condition of the doors and damper. Don't climb onto the roof yourself to check the chimney.

  2. The specialist

    Bring in a stove-maker and ask them to inspect the whole stove and chimney, from the base to the top of the chimney. Tell them what you've noticed and show them your photos: it will help them understand the stove's history.

  3. The decision

    After the inspection, you'll know what's in store for the stove: it can be kept as it is, repaired or rebuilt. If its appearance matters to you, tell the craftsman up front — sometimes the facing, or part of it, can be saved.

  4. Timing before the season

    Plan the inspection and any work for the warm months. After a repair or rebuild, a stove isn't ready for full use right away, and the stove-maker who did the work will tell you how to handle the first firings.

  5. Paperwork

    Ask the craftsman for a written description of the work: what was done, what materials were used and how to care for the stove from now on. If there are special requirements for heating in your home, find out in advance what paperwork you'll need.

  6. A check after the work

    When the job is done, ask the specialist to show you how to use the damper and doors, and make sure together that the smoke goes up the chimney. Agree on when they'll come back to check and sweep the chimney.

Signs it's time to call a stove-maker

  • Smoke comes into the room when you light the stove or while it's burning
  • New cracks have appeared in the masonry, plaster or facing
  • The stove draws poorly: the fire is sluggish and smoke lingers in the firebox
  • The house smells of smoke or burning while the stove is in use or cooling down
  • Soot is showing up on the walls and ceiling near the stove
  • The door or damper sticks, wobbles or doesn't close tightly
  • Materials

    Brick, clay, stove tiles, doors and dampers, insulation and finishes. Our catalog of articles is here too.

  • Care

    Looking after a stove through the seasons, plus the safety essentials that apply all year round.

  • FAQ

    Answers about the journal, the history and workings of stoves, and safety in a home with a stove.

Sources

  • Russia's Emergencies Ministry: fire-safety rules for using stoves

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.