Delete comment from: Dark Roasted Blend
Unlike modern "starvation" stoves, where the oxygen is regulated to slow burning,the Russian stove in peasant application, was a small firebox, a maze-like slab of masonary through which the gasses were channeled to heat the brick, and a chimney, often with a small "booster" firebox to help with airflow.
The maze-like structure, frequently the height of a dinner table, ran the length of the house and was slept on in winter.
Holes over the main firebox were used for cooking (much like the American iron cookstove), and the small, chimney mounted firebox used for warming and light as well as keeping the exhaust gases moving.
The fuel was burnt at a very rapid rate, with a clean and complete combustion (generally during cooking) and the 'waste' heat was stored in the massive brick, releasing all night long for warmth.
May 22, 2012, 11:45:53 PM