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.
Tools
You don't need a workshop to live comfortably with a stove. A few simple things kept in their place by the firebox will do, plus a couple of devices that warn you of danger or help in the first minute of trouble. We list them in general terms; choose and install them following the manufacturer's instructions and your stove-maker's advice.
Everything you need by the stove should be where you can find it without looking. On a quiet day that's a convenience; in an anxious moment, it's time saved.
How this section works: we name the things you need to look after a stove and explain why each one matters — without brands, models or comparisons. How to install a detector, how to use a fire extinguisher and how to check that they work is covered in the manufacturer's instructions. We don't cover tools for masonry or repairs: that's a specialist's job.
Simple things worth keeping by the stove at all times.
A fire iron lets you shift the wood in the firebox without putting your hands near the fire, and an ash shovel is for scooping out cold ash. Hang them on a hook by the stove rather than leaving them on the floor, where they're easy to trip over.
A noncombustible plate on the floor in front of the door catches stray sparks and embers. Make sure it lies flat, isn't covered by a rug and doesn't slide under the furniture.
A metal bucket with a tight-fitting lid for the ash you clear out of the firebox. Set it on a noncombustible surface, away from firewood, walls and furniture.
Handy for dusting a cold stove, its tiles and the hearth plate. Stiff brushes and abrasive sponges are no good for a stove: they scratch the glaze and the whitewash.
Carbon monoxide has no color or smell, so a household detector that sounds an alarm is worth having in a home with a stove. Install and test it as the manufacturer's instructions describe.
Keep a fire extinguisher where you can grab it quickly. Read its instructions ahead of time, not in the middle of a fire. If you can't put the fire out right away, get out of the house and call 112 (or your local emergency number).
How to light a stove calmly, when to close the damper and how to care for the outside of a stove.
Looking after a stove through the seasons, plus the safety essentials that apply all year round.
Answers about the journal, the history and workings of stoves, and safety in a home with a stove.
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.