Stove Repair

Out of order

Stove reconditioning and repair

‘All happy owners of a faultlessly working stove are alike, but every unhappy owner of a faulty stove is unhappy in their own way’, even if they have been spared a fire… Is this not true?

When your stove stops burning fuel properly, emits smoke, requires large amounts of firewood or has cracks appearing in the surface, you are naturally plagued with a thousand questions. The first question to go through your mind is: "What on earth is happening?", shortly followed by: How dangerous is it? Who do I call? How much will the repairs cost? What should I be doing right now? In answer to the last question, if you are experiencing any of the issues listed above, we recommend that you stop using your stove temporarily. Then seek the advice of a specialist stove company. Aside from creating top end, authentic sauna, heating and cooking stoves, we also restore, update and rebuild masonry stoves constructed by sauna companies other than Furnace Art Engineering. We will always come to your aid and do our level best to get to you before it’s too late.


What causes a stove to fall into disrepair? There are several common reasons that could occur individually or all at once: defective design, inappropriate materials used, poor masonry technology or simply ignorance of certain technologies that increase a stove life cycle, as well as errors in exploitation. Whatever the cause, any operational failures must be eliminated as soon as possible, as they can pose a threat to human life and health. Take care of yourself!


Below is a list of typical signs of stove malfunction that might be noticed whilst the stove is in operation:

  • Firewood consumption is significantly increased.
  • Heat up is taking longer than usual (more than 5 hours).

  • The stove does not burn properly (soot on the surface of the core in a banya stove does not burn away properly).

  • The chimney draft is weakened and the stove begins to smoke. The firewood burns with a slow flame and the usual heat up time has become extended. There is a smell of resin and fumes in the stove room. The chimney has become damp and is leaking.

  • The stove smokes periodically or even constantly. There is a back draft. Smoke is output into the room rather than up the chimney.

  • The stove cools rapidly and has stopped storing heat.

  • Cracks have appeared in the brickwork. Bumps and holes are appearing in the hearth floor and other horizontal surfaces. The brickwork in the firebox is beginning to crumble.

  • Defects have appeared in the tiling (cracks in the plaster and tiles). The tiles are breaking and coming away from the rendering.

  • Excessive heating or even charring of other structural surfaces situated adjacent to the stove or chimney. Visible soot deposits in the fire-resistant separation wall (where the chimney passes through the ceiling and the roof).

  • Flames are escaping through the doors. Visible defects in the grate and furnishings. Loose fittings.

  • Cracks in the chimney head.

  • Feeling generally unwell with headaches and dizziness whilst using the stove. Signs of carbon monoxide in the air.

  • Explicit failures associated with the fuel supply (problems with the gas burner or electric heating elements, etc.).

Geography
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Spain
France
Italy

Stove diagnostics

Before starting any stove repair or reconstruction work, we produce a full diagnostics report. The report identifies the exact causes of malfunction and can be used to determine the most efficient recovery and repair strategy.

Initially, we will just chat with you and ask you the reason for your call. We will try to establish a picture of how your stove normally functions focusing on the processes of heat up, cleaning, control settings, and in the case of a german sauna or barrel sauna stove, any problems with its steam production facility and temperature regimes in the steam room and adjacent areas. We will listen to your requests and needs.


Then we will study your drawings, layouts, photographs and videos. This will help us put together an inspection plan.


During the initial inspection, we will pay particular attention to the position of the stove, doors and latches, the adjoining walls and any visible, unusual features in the floor and ceiling design. Next, we determine the condition of the tile lining, the chimney, heat protective design, stove interior construction, the effectiveness of the operating mode, condition of the fittings and other structural elements to pinpoint the visible reasons for the stove's faults and shortcomings. We will also strive to ascertain the degree to which the stove complies with safety regulations when operational.


An inspection finishes with measurements being taken of the stove and steam room, as well as checking the stove's hermetic state and draft factor. Once the inspection is complete, we will provide you with a diagnostics report which will draw conclusions on the feasibility of repair.  This will enable you to decide which step you wish to take next: stove repair, upgrade or complete rebuild.

Stove Repair

Diagnosis

283
Projects
189
Customers
5
Countries
3
Awards
6
Inventions
Stove Repair

Solutions

Problems and solutions

Scope of work

Routine repairs

Medium scale repair

Complete overhaul

Chimney

Eliminating flue blockages.

Repairing the chimney head. Additional insulation.

Relaying the brickwork in the chimney.

Masonry

Sealing cracks in the stove surface.

Replacing up to 15% of brickwork in the outer layer.

Eliminating structural defects in the stove, upgrade.

Firebox

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Partial replacement of the firebox lining. Replacing the base of a Russian stove.

Alterations to adapt to other fuel types (gas, electricity). Complete replacement of the firebox, replacing the arch.

Tile finish

Eliminating cosmetic defects, from 1-2 tiles.

Replacing broken tiles with possible re-rendering of the stove wall. Plastering

Recreating the stove's tile finish.

Heat protective design

Repair of minor defects.

Strengthening the thermal insulation walls and repairing fire resistant separation walls.

Installing thermal insulation walls and fire resistant separation walls.

Fittings

Strengthening doors, replacing grates, valves, and hot plates in cooking stoves.

Replacing doors and re-laying the bricks above the door.

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Sauna stove

Reconditioning and optimising the stove core. Laying new stones.

New cast iron core installation.

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Timescale

1-2 days

3-5 days

6-20 days

Cost in % of a new stove

Up to 10%

10-30%

30-60%


Reconditioning a stove only becomes a necessity if further repairs are not considered viable.  Reconditioning includes dismantling the old stove which might be a Swedish or German sauna stove and/or chimney and creating a new stove and heat protective design from scratch. Often, reconditioning is the only reasonable solution if the old stove has either come to the end of its life cycle or is inoperable due to design faults. Sometimes a customer will have originally entrusted their stove build to a less than professional stove maker who may not have fully understood how a stove is supposed to work and / or is unfamiliar with the technologies of a comprehensive stove design. 

All the technologies we use are tried, tested and one hundred percent reliable. We understand the workings of a stove inside out and back to front and are happy to place our skills and services in the hands of our valued customers. 

Getting to know
the customer and brief
Digital
modelling, design and costing
Preparations
pre-assembly and production schedule
Manufacturing
creating and lining the stove, finishing the steam room interior
Customisation
delivery and instruction
Support
and care throughout the stove life cycle
Starry Night
In a certain countryside home there was a sauna stove that had worked beautifully for ten years although it had no tile lining. The owner's friends often criticised the poor thing because of its nondescript appearance and advised the owner to have it lined with a tile finish, to bring it up to 'the level'. One day, the owner was finally convinced and so they invited a company to give the stove a makeover.. They finished the stove with a tile lining, added paneling to create a proper cedar wood sauna room and even added special "starry night" lighting. After that, they said goodbye and they left. When the owner lit the stove, there was a sudden loud crack in the ceiling followed by billowing flames. The fire was put out. A week later, they lit the fire again. This time there was a loud bang followed by another fire which was put out also. The house itself was a large, two-storey building made of larch. It would have been such a pity if it had burned to the ground. The owner called out an endless list of experts to try and work out what was happening. Eventually it was our turn. On inspection, it turned out that whilst the stove and steam room had been made to look beautiful, the joint between the new wooden paneling and the stove had not been properly thought out and hot air from the stove was feeding into the ceiling void. When the stove was finally dismantled, all the interior was covered in melted plastic. It took a huge amount of reconstruction work to put it right. We parted friends, and now the stove owner can once again take pleasure and pride in the stove's soft heat and exquisite light steam.
A Descendant of Ryurik
They had just installed a home sauna kit in one of the countryside villages. They spent days trying to bring the stove up to temperature but it remained cold and cracks started appearing everywhere. It was quite obviously falling apart. The stove owner turned to us for help and so we went out to have a look and could see that the whole stove was covered in cracks from top to bottom on all sides. We telephoned the individual who made the stove and asked whether he had ever made a stove in the past. He replied: "Of course! I've been in the business for 60 years." "So why the cracks?", we asked. "Don't you read the internet? All stoves have cracks these days. It's the norm. And anyway, I'm a descendant of Ryurik!". After hearing these words we realised that there would be very little left that would respond to repair. The whole thing had to be rebuilt but at least now the customer is happy.
New Year
It's doubly upsetting when your sauna stove goes down at New Year. What will you tell your friends and family when they come to have a special Christmas steam session with you? In this case, the stove owner turned to us. There was very little time left before New Year and so we agreed that we would do what we could in time for New Year and put off any reconditioning work until the summer. We dismantled the stove from the stoker end and could see that inside everything that could possibly be made a mess of, had been. The entire stove was a hotbed of shortcomings and defects. We repaired the stove. Some of the tiles also had to be removed and replaced. We worked day and night but managed to accomplish the impossible, just in time for New Year. The customer, a famous hockey player, together with his entire team were very grateful. Eight years have passed since that New Year. We never did get round to the rebuild... Everything has worked perfectly ever since!
The evacuation
A group of citizens managed to ingratiate themselves to one very distinguished individual and persuaded him to let them build him a sauna stove. The customer particularly values cleanliness and tidiness and so insisted that the stove not emit any soot or ash. The group of stove-makers produced a barrel sauna with a stove that, as if deliberately, did just the opposite. When the stove was lit, it gave out so much smoke that the nearby kindergarten had to be evacuated. We partially dismantled the stove and discovered that inside there was a hidden zone about a metre in length where ash was accumulating. Ash and steam were gushing into the steam room with the efficiency of a locomotive! After that occasion, the sauna had to be cleaned for about a week before they could light it again. We adapted the stove to gas fuel and installed a ventilation system. The customer was very grateful and we have had no complaints since the work was done six years ago. Cleanliness, tidiness and light steam!
Take eight
There was a person whose sauna stove crumbled year after year and sometimes even set fire to the steam room. Who could be expected to put up with that kind of thing? Finally, they arranged for a supposedly respectable sauna company to come and sort it out. The company installed a gas stove with a tile finish and charged handsomely for their work. The stove came with a one-year warranty. Exactly one year and one day later, the stove started to crumble and fall apart. The customer came to us and asked us to make the stove as beautiful as it was before but so that it would not fall apart. We did our best. Twelve years later, the stove we installed is still working perfectly and has not even begun to think about falling apart.
Stove Repair

Real Stories

Stove Repair

Все обладатели исправных печей счастливы одинаково, каждый владелец неисправной печи несчастлив по-своему, не так ли? Хорошо, если обошлось без пожара (а оно могло!). Когда печь не вытапливается, дымит, потребляет много топлива или на ее поверхности появились видимые глазу трещины, возникает масса вопросов: "Что происходит? Насколько это опасно? К кому обращаться? Сколько будет стоить ремонт? Что нужно сделать прямо сейчас?". Отвечаем на последний вопрос. Для начала рекомендуем временно прекратить пользоваться печью. Затем обратиться за советом в специализированную печную компанию. Кроме создания настоящих банных, отопительных и кулинарных печей высшего класса, мы восстанавливаем, модернизируем и переделываем кирпичные печи других производителей. Когда успеваем придти на помощь, конечно.Отчего печи приходят в негодность? Причин несколько, проявиться могла одна или все сразу: дефектная конструкция, неподходящие материалы, нарушение технологии кладки или просто незнание определенных технологий увеличения ресурса печи. Встречаются и ошибки эксплуатации. В любом случае, неисправности в работе печи должны быть устранены без промедления, поскольку они могут создать угрозу для жизни и здоровья людей. Берегите себя! Перечислим несколько типичных признаков неисправностей печи, которые Вы могли отметить в ходе ее эксплуатации. Значительный расход дров. Длительное время протопки (более 5 часов). Печь не вытапливается должным образом (не выгорает сажа на поверхности заряда банной печи и над ним). Ослабление тяги в трубе и дымление печи. Дрова горят медленным огнем, обычное время растопки увеличено. Запах смолы и гари в помещении. Отсыревание дымовой трубы и течь из нее. Дымление - постоянное или периодическое. Обратная тяга - выход дыма в помещение вместо дымохода. Быстрое остывание печи. Печь не держит тепло. Трещины в кирпичной кладке. Неровности и выбоины пода и других горизонтальных поверхностей. Разрушение кладки топливника. Дефекты облицовки (трещины в штукатурке, изразцах). Лопнувшие, отвалившиеся изразцы. Чрезмерный нагрев или даже обугливание прилегающих к печи или трубе дымохода конструкций. Видимое отложение сажи в разделках (местах прохождения трубы дымохода через перекрытия). Выкидывание пламени через дверцы. Видимые дефекты фурнитуры, колосника. Расшатавшаяся фурнитура. Разрушение оголовка дымовой трубы. Плохое самочувствие, головная боль, головокружение во время эксплуатации печи. Признаки попадания в воздух угарного газа. Явные поломки, связанные с применяемым топливом (отказ газовой горелки или электрических нагревательных элементов и т.п.).

natopil.co.uk
Moscow
+ 44 203 318-44-54