masonry stoves who has one lets see some pics!!!!

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Good thread! Nice to see people learning and others sharing. I did some web based research on masonry heaters a couple years ago. There was one team of two guys who built them custom, the head guy was a multi trade master. A really impressive resume he had. Sorry for sounding like Yoda! I remember finding lots of pictures on the web search, including builder's portfolios being used for advertising purposes. I did stumble across some videos of some of the kits being put together. Can't remember where it was though. I find the rocket stoves interesting too but mot nearly as attractive.
 
VCBurner said:
Good thread! Nice to see people learning and others sharing. I did some web based research on masonry heaters a couple years ago. There was one team of two guys who built them custom, the head guy was a multi trade master. A really impressive resume he had. Sorry for sounding like Yoda! I remember finding lots of pictures on the web search, including builder's portfolios being used for advertising purposes. I did stumble across some videos of some of the kits being put together. Can't remember where it was though. I find the rocket stoves interesting too but mot nearly as attractive.

The complexity of the construction and cost probably keep most people away. Wood stoves are relatively cheap and easy to install.
 
2 pages on a thread asking for pics and there is only one of a burning door???? Do these stoves really exist?
 
rwhite said:
2 pages on a thread asking for pics and there is only one of a burning door???? Do these stoves really exist?

There are some nice examples here too:

http://www.diymasonryheater.blogspot.com/

Use advanced search - search on masonry heater or masonry stove and you will get pages of posts. Here's some examples:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/12045/

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/9540/

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/5703/
 
Here's my TempCast

Go to Hearth.com Picture Gallery
Go to Fireplaces
Second page, second row, far right.

Aye,
Marty
 

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just saw this thread.

i'm a teacher, so i have vacations from time to time. over the last two years. on vacations, i built me a masonry stove. got the plans from MHA. never had laid a brick in my life. maybe not the most professional job in the world, but i love it, and it heats like a dream. if i can figure out how, i'll upload a picture or two. but it really wasn't all that hard to build (i ain't no rocket scientist), and if you put in as much time thinking about what you're about to do as actually building, you can avoid a lot of mistakes. plus, there's a whole mess a folk over at the MHA site with tons of experience and patience to help you out of most any jam you find yourself in. for lack of money i did not do the bake-oven option, but in the end i don't know how much i would have used it anyways. i do love the fact that when the thing gets really cookin, you have a blazing campfire in the middle of your house, and the heat generated keeps my house warm for 24 hours - more when i really load her up. the heated bench is by far the most popular spot in the house, and neighbors drop by just to sit there for a while. of course, best to have nice neighbors, if that happens to you.
 
ok, i give up. how do i post a picture.
 
ok, let's see if this works
 

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here's the back
 

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firebrick on the inside and faced with 200 year old handmade european bricks (sounds fancy, but although israel at one time had a thriving brick industry, there are no locally made bricks anymore, except for concrete bricks. and the irregularity of these handmade bricks made working with them a royal p-i-t-a. plus they had to be cleaned in an acid bath, then neutralized in soda. I also integrated local stone and ancient pottery sherds and interesting rocks my kids picked up on hikes. even put in an old brick from the old jewish quarter of krakow, poland, (they were doing some kind of restoration project and i asked for and got an old brick. don't know what the airport security guys thought, but they let it pass). as you can see, i got a bit more creative on the chimney. the bench and the surrounding hearth are of slate, for a smoother sitting surface. i would estimate that 70% of my work time - maybe more - certainly more - was cutting brick, washing brick, washing brick, mixing mortar, washing brick... and so on. i think i brought the project in for about $5000, but i haven't totaled up the receipts yet. still, with free firewood and the price of electricity or kerosene (the most popular heating fuel here), it will have paid for itself after 2-3 winters.
 

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Bravo for taking on such a project.

But they say, "The Devil is in the details."

Like, what refractory cement did you use
for the fire brick liner vs the brick veneer?

Did you build a "floating core" to compensate
for expansion/contraction during thermal cycling?
If not, how does your heater compensate for this?

Does your design meet the MHA standard
for the definition of a masonry heater?

How many seasons have you fired it to
determine its reliability and not forming
serious cracks (a serious problem with
DIY'ers)?

Also, I'm curious about your foundation.
Can you describe it?

Aye,
Marty
 
OK these stove are real nice. Are these EPA certified and do they come with a UL label?
 
That's a lot of questions!

My heater is resting on the foundation slab of 35 cm reinforced concrete. I cut a rectangle in my living room (i think my wife should get some kind of recognition for letting me do this!) larger than the footprint of the stove, got down to the concrete subfloor, and poured a steel reinforced slab of vermiculite concrete larger that the heater to distribute the weight more. On further thought, the vermiculite was probably unnecessary as the heat travels up more than down in the heater - the bottom courses don't heat that much. I made friends with the refactory people and used the proper mortar for the job. I have an expansion joint of cardboard all around the heater which turned out to be insufficient - i do get cracking but not that bad - i plan to patch it when it's hot (plans, plans, plans). I put a layer of ceramic wool as both an expansion joint and a way to moderate the thermal transfer in places where I learned the heater gets hottest - no cracking there! I also had a friend construct a heat exchanger and built a self enclosed box on top of the heater for DHW. I have not been able to entice a plumber out yet to hook it up, but I hope to take care of that soon. But measuring how hot the heat exchanger gets, I should have plenty of hot water.

I'm not sure what you mean when you ask if is conforms to standards that would qualify it as a masonry stove. I built it right out of the MHA portfolio, and the design is that of a finnish contra-flow. I received much good and needed advice from three of the top builders out there. Has it been inspected by the authorities and conform to local building standards, is that what you mean? I live at the end of the world, and it is highly unlikely that any local standards apply. You're right, I've only used it a couple of winters, and only time will tell if the materials were correct, if my workmanship sufficient for a worthy piece of work. And perhaps I'm too stupid to be cautious - quite possible, but i do have two CO monitors in the house and I'm careful not to overfire it. Time will tell.
 
Actually Marty, with your expertise in this field (I've read many of your posts, and you obviously know of what you speak), I surprised you didn't design and build your own. Or is your heater of your own design around a cast-temp core?
 
Been working on mine for a year or 2,
The foundation was as much work as the heater itself.
Currently I am laying up the stone. The black bench is a plywood mockup, the benchtop, heatertop and chimney top will be 3" cast "stone"
The 2nd flue from the basement is for a future heater down there.
I will get a full album up in the future.


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Ehouse said:
Marty S; is a cold start difficult? I assume there is a damper to keep heat in the stove after the fire is out that must be opened for a new load to catch.

Ehouse

A cold start is simple.
Stack the wood.
Open the damper.
Start the fire.
Enjoy.....
Close the damper.
Repeat every 12 hours
(every 8 hrs if <10* F,
every 24 hrs if >40* F).

Aye,
Marty
Grandpa used to say,
"Don't work harder.
Work smarter."
 
ketoret said:
That's a lot of questions!

My heater is resting on the foundation slab of 35 cm reinforced concrete. I cut a rectangle in my living room (i think my wife should get some kind of recognition for letting me do this!) larger than the footprint of the stove, got down to the concrete subfloor, and poured a steel reinforced slab of vermiculite concrete larger that the heater to distribute the weight more. On further thought, the vermiculite was probably unnecessary as the heat travels up more than down in the heater - the bottom courses don't heat that much. I made friends with the refactory people and used the proper mortar for the job. I have an expansion joint of cardboard all around the heater which turned out to be insufficient - i do get cracking but not that bad - i plan to patch it when it's hot (plans, plans, plans). I put a layer of ceramic wool as both an expansion joint and a way to moderate the thermal transfer in places where I learned the heater gets hottest - no cracking there! I also had a friend construct a heat exchanger and built a self enclosed box on top of the heater for DHW. I have not been able to entice a plumber out yet to hook it up, but I hope to take care of that soon. But measuring how hot the heat exchanger gets, I should have plenty of hot water.

I'm not sure what you mean when you ask if is conforms to standards that would qualify it as a masonry stove. I built it right out of the MHA portfolio, and the design is that of a finnish contra-flow. I received much good and needed advice from three of the top builders out there. Has it been inspected by the authorities and conform to local building standards, is that what you mean? I live at the end of the world, and it is highly unlikely that any local standards apply. You're right, I've only used it a couple of winters, and only time will tell if the materials were correct, if my workmanship sufficient for a worthy piece of work. And perhaps I'm too stupid to be cautious - quite possible, but i do have two CO monitors in the house and I'm careful not to overfire it. Time will tell.

Nice job!
And, good luck.

Aye,
Marty
 
ketoret said:
Actually Marty, with your expertise in this field (I've read many of your posts, and you obviously know of what you speak), I surprised you didn't design and build your own. Or is your heater of your own design around a cast-temp core?

My TempCast core consists of factory "lego" pieces, some weighing 175 lbs, that can be done as a DIY project. I didn't want to tackle those heavy pieces. My local dealer built my core. Local mason did the foundation and facade. I wrote the check...
I designed the tile-over-brick facade, about 4" thick, which is working well into my 8th heating season without cracks.
The interior heat exchange channels create minor "hot spots" on the exterior facade which does not detract from the unit being an excellent heater.
I have a bake oven option which is pure joy once I got the timing down.

Aye,
Marty
 
Nick, that is one remarkably beautiful heater you have going there!
 
I'd like to know more about these masonry heaters.
Is there a comprehensive website anyone can suggest?
 
Ketoret,
Thanks. Did you have any access to any of the kit cores? Do you know of any other MH's in Israel?
Your unit looks good, and you have a few seasons with no cracks, thats succes :)
So you had to import the bricks?? Have you had any request to build for others?
do you go masonry through the roof or convert to steel pipe at some point?
do you have any pics of the core build?


I prob have about 2-3 months left to go, the stone is taking foreever, I just picked up a 14" wet saw, the 10" was not cutting it (no pun intended).

Nick

ketoret said:
Nick, that is one remarkably beautiful heater you have going there!
 
Looks good marty (I have seen pics of yours when I was core shopping)
I went with Heat-Kit core, because the owner of Temp cast would not condone a heated bench, and would not help in the design of one.

Nick

Marty S said:
Here's my TempCast

Go to Hearth.com Picture Gallery
Go to Fireplaces
Second page, second row, far right.

Aye,
Marty
 
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