Brickwork re-radiating heat

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Adios Pantalones

Adios Pantalones

Minister of Fire
May 20, 2008
6,569
S.NH- Mass's smoking section
wileyhillmudworks.etsy.com
Without going to a soapstone or masonry heater- does anyone here have close brickwork that they find to store heat well? I have been planning out a new shop and a brick arch over the stove might make for a good heat retention system (maybe even with a couple of channels through it)
 
Definitely. I have a stove mounted into a fireplace and the bricks stay warm for hours after the fire dies down and help even out the house temperature. The bigger the mass of bricks you heat up the better.
 
When we used to have a fireplace insert, you could feel the warmth gently radiating from the brick for a few hours after the stove was out.
 
My BIL built a woodfired pizza oven into their kitchen wall. It had a masonry backing that they left rough for a future planned, attached greenhouse. He didn't think he got much warmth in the masonry either. That is until he installed the greenhouse a few years back. As soon as that masonry was enclosed and now interior, they noticed a huge amount of gentle heat that kept the greenhouse nice and warm throughout the night.
 
We have a stove installed into a old brick fireplace. After burning 24/7 for a few days, it takes noticeably longer for the house to cool down than if we just had used the furnace or a quick fire to get up to temp. I can only assume that heat is being stored in the massive brick structure in the center of the house then slowly radiating out.
 
I'm sure there is some in my current setup, but the insert is set into an old steel heatilator and I have the insert blower kicking out the heat as well, so the stone is somewhat insulated from the insert.

Anyway- this would be new construction. I'd build a free standing alcove for a small to medium stove to stand in, with a caternary arch over it.
 
My wife wants me to install a cabin stove in a corner of the cabin and leave the fireplace open. I was wondering if I could create a surround made of stone from the river. I wonder if there is any particular stone that gets too hot?
 
My masonry fireplace with the 30-NC stuffed in it radiates heat for hours after the fire is gone. And it is one of those evil outside chimney thingies.
 
When I pulled out my old heatform fireplace and installed my Keystone I made sure the new brick had plenty of insulation behind it to keep the brick radiating the heat back into the room. It worked out pretty slick, the heat rolls off that brick block off plate and holds the heat just about as long as the soapstone.
 

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Prior to installing insert, the brick hearth just around the lintel would get warm buring in the fireplace. Now with an insert and blockoff, about 5 brick rows up, it’s extremely hot when the stove is cranking. The bricks above the first 5 rows are warm. These stay hot to warm long after stove is throwing useful heat.
 
Sure..bricks..rocks ..whatever will absorb some heat from the stove to give off later.
Buffer if you will...there is no end gain though.
Unless you picked up some from the flue..which could be good or bad.
 
Ours is set into an existing fireplace - and the masonry around it undoubtedly "banks" a considerable amount of heat. Keeps me from having to do a "midnight" load as the masonry will stay warm enough to keep the basement heat where the stove is installed from kicking on even after the stove has pretty much burned all the way down.
 
I remember when it was the talk of the town when people were putting in floor heating in cement or whatever.

Oh it puts out heat for hours after the heat is off!

Yeah..it took the same hours if not more to get it there in the first place.
 
HotCoals said:
I remember when it was the talk of the town when people were putting in floor heating in cement or whatever.

Oh it puts out heat for hours after the heat is off!

Yeah..it took the same hours if not more to get it there in the first place.
Click to expand...

I'm fine with that. This is to extend heating times, so a bigger stove that heats up a mass will be a lot better time-wise than a smaller stove in the open. I want to heat the shop and have it stay above freezing for several hours when I'm not there (I have stuff I don't want frozen).
 
Adios Pantalones said:
HotCoals said:
I remember when it was the talk of the town when people were putting in floor heating in cement or whatever.

Oh it puts out heat for hours after the heat is off!

Yeah..it took the same hours if not more to get it there in the first place.
Click to expand...

I'm fine with that. This is to extend heating times, so a bigger stove that heats up a mass will be a lot better time-wise than a smaller stove in the open. I want to heat the shop and have it stay above freezing for several hours when I'm not there (I have stuff I don't want frozen).
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how the specific heat of water compares to the type of masonry you want to use, but you may be able to test your theory by filling some drums with water and placing them near the stove. They can soak up the heat and then release it after the fire is gone.

Someone smarter than me might be able to tell you how many gallons of water you would need if you knew how much rock you'd be using.
 
Yes.

The brick hearth you can see behind our stove gets almost too hot to touch when its cranking. Still warm after a long overnight burn.

183710_1828547323100_1522838115_31952154_7505742_n.jpg
 
We put our PE Alderlea T5 in this alcove and the stone retains heat for hours very nice
 

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Whoa Grinnell that is some serious looking medievel stuff there! I love it.

Sure, bricks, or anything with sufficient thermal mass is going to radiate for a long while once you get it hot enough. My folks have just an open fireplace, the back of which is exposed in the kitchen behind it. It is a great place to hang your wet clothes and they'll be dry in the morning, even warm.
 
Ploughboy,

The old potbelly stove is removed and the T5 installed with a real insulated SS liner not the two stove slammer setup they had before. I now sleep better at night. lol

i cant find the pics i took of the new install
 
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