masonry stoves who has one lets see some pics!!!!
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Martin Strand III
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Nick - I have pictures of almost every stage of the build. Let me see what I can find.
I could have, theoretically, imported a temp-cast core, but when I saw the plans for the core and found out that I could get the firebricks etc here, well, it just didn't seem that difficult. I wrote to a few master builders, and they told me what to be careful about - honestly, I think building the core was perhaps the easiest part of the project - but also, b/c i did it myself, I did not attempt a bake oven. I understand the principle, I looked over the plans again and again, and in the end, thought that it was simply beyond what I could do with confidence. No real regrets.
I know of no other MHs in Israel, and if it were not for the fact that I absolutely love my day job, I would consider doing this professionally - after, of course, going to Wildacres or signing myself out as an apprentice to a real MH builder - I don't know enough to do this professionally, and my skill level - well, if you examine the corners of my heater you'll see that the dimensions of the heater change a bit. It doesn't bother me but doing it for someone else..... I'd want to know I could do it better. One of my sons is studying engineering, and he has hinted about working together on a MH project. After you build one, as you can imagine, you're just hankering to build another!
I could have, theoretically, imported a temp-cast core, but when I saw the plans for the core and found out that I could get the firebricks etc here, well, it just didn't seem that difficult. I wrote to a few master builders, and they told me what to be careful about - honestly, I think building the core was perhaps the easiest part of the project - but also, b/c i did it myself, I did not attempt a bake oven. I understand the principle, I looked over the plans again and again, and in the end, thought that it was simply beyond what I could do with confidence. No real regrets.
I know of no other MHs in Israel, and if it were not for the fact that I absolutely love my day job, I would consider doing this professionally - after, of course, going to Wildacres or signing myself out as an apprentice to a real MH builder - I don't know enough to do this professionally, and my skill level - well, if you examine the corners of my heater you'll see that the dimensions of the heater change a bit. It doesn't bother me but doing it for someone else..... I'd want to know I could do it better. One of my sons is studying engineering, and he has hinted about working together on a MH project. After you build one, as you can imagine, you're just hankering to build another!
To Ketoret
Hi- I live in Israel and we are considering building a masonry heater. Any chance you can give us more details on how to do this and if it's worth where we live etc?
Hi- I live in Israel and we are considering building a masonry heater. Any chance you can give us more details on how to do this and if it's worth where we live etc?
Ashful
Minister of Fire
One freak snowstorm yesterday in Jerusalem... and you're ready to install a masonry heater! I wonder how'd they'd draft in your warmer environment. What are your average night/day temps in winter?
Hi . Where we live average winter temps are between a low of 8 degrees C and a high of 18 (46..4 -64.4), although we've had lows of 2 degrees C (35.6F) at night for 2 of the 4 winters we've lived here so far...)...So temp. wise, we're pretty similar to Jerusalem.
Winters are shorter than in the States, but we do have very hot summers (can go up to 40-43 C - 104-109 F!) in July- August).
I also have that concern that when we have sudden temp changes (this week is supposed to be 10 degrees C higher than last week !), the house will stay too warm..or have it too cold when I don't need to heat it and then we have a sudden drop. How does that work out with a masonry heater (because other than that, I love the idea of one...and with a baker oven too!)
Winters are shorter than in the States, but we do have very hot summers (can go up to 40-43 C - 104-109 F!) in July- August).
I also have that concern that when we have sudden temp changes (this week is supposed to be 10 degrees C higher than last week !), the house will stay too warm..or have it too cold when I don't need to heat it and then we have a sudden drop. How does that work out with a masonry heater (because other than that, I love the idea of one...and with a baker oven too!)
watch out who yer callin a freak, mister. the draw where I live is quite good, but i live on the side of a hill, windy as can be. i started burning i guess around the first week in December and will probably burn through March. True, down near the coast, a masonry heater would be silly. But up in the mountains (well, we call them mountains, but they're just hills - about 900 m. altitutde) it gets below freezing (don't laugh, it feels cold here) with high wind, very little in the way of effective insulation, and our masonry heater has made lots of friends in our neighborhood.
Maybe I'm being dense, but what are the advantages of a masonry heater for actual heating purposes over a Progress Hybrid by Woodstock? From the info quoted above, the PH will heat as big an area, it will heat to a comfortable temperture, it will achieve that temperature quickly, it maintains an even heat for a long time, it heats with a maximum of two full loads a day, it is if anything less fussy about exact moisture content of the wood, it is very efficient. It is a lot less expensive, easy and quick to install.
I ws interested i them when I had my Fireview, before I got the PH, but now that I have the PH I don't think I would even consider one, although they can be very attractive.
The masonry heater has pretty much disappeared from Woodstock's site...I have just assumed that when they saw how well the PH heated they lost interest in pursuing the masonry heater...they were doing it in conjunction with (perhaps the quarry) a group in Quebec, I believe. Perhaps that group is producing the heater?
Would seriously like comments about what the masonry heater does that the PH does not do.
Thanks.
I ws interested i them when I had my Fireview, before I got the PH, but now that I have the PH I don't think I would even consider one, although they can be very attractive.
The masonry heater has pretty much disappeared from Woodstock's site...I have just assumed that when they saw how well the PH heated they lost interest in pursuing the masonry heater...they were doing it in conjunction with (perhaps the quarry) a group in Quebec, I believe. Perhaps that group is producing the heater?
Would seriously like comments about what the masonry heater does that the PH does not do.
Thanks.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I wonder how much money Woodstock slips into rideau's pocket, every time he pitches a sale for them.
I wish. I could retire.I wonder how much money Woodstock slips into rideau's pocket, every time he pitches a sale for them.
As you can see, I really appreciate the stove, and the service from Woodstock. And hate paying for oil or electric heat. Just want others to have as good an experience as I am having...
And, I asked the question because I'd like an answer. I'm sure the Progress Hybrid isn't the only stove out there that can challenge a masonry heater.
If I'm missing something about functional comparison (I know the mass of a masonry heater will radiate heat longer, but does that mean anything in the real world if the same amount of wood is used, comfort levels are maintained, and firing schedules are similar?), then I'd like to know.
1. I can't buy a woodstock here, and and I can't build one. I could build a masonry heater. So I did.
2. for religious reasons, i don't fool with fire from friday towards sunset to saturday after dark. My masonry heater will keep radiating heat for the entire 25 hours and even more. can a woodstock do that?
3. except for the door, my grandkids can put their hands on the heater without me being afraid of burns. Wood stoves can be dangerous to wee ones.
4. although my owner-built heater is not exactly a work of art, i'd still wager it's more of an aesthetic addition to our home than a woodstock.
5. my masonry heater has a heated bench that is by far the best place in the country to sit on cold nights. sometimes i actually get to sit there. can you do the same with a woodstock?
6. there are just some real unusually cool things about this heater. like, when the outside has cooled to room temperature, when you walk close by it, you can still feel it radiating heat. i don't know how to describe it, but everybody feels it, not just me.
2. for religious reasons, i don't fool with fire from friday towards sunset to saturday after dark. My masonry heater will keep radiating heat for the entire 25 hours and even more. can a woodstock do that?
3. except for the door, my grandkids can put their hands on the heater without me being afraid of burns. Wood stoves can be dangerous to wee ones.
4. although my owner-built heater is not exactly a work of art, i'd still wager it's more of an aesthetic addition to our home than a woodstock.
5. my masonry heater has a heated bench that is by far the best place in the country to sit on cold nights. sometimes i actually get to sit there. can you do the same with a woodstock?
6. there are just some real unusually cool things about this heater. like, when the outside has cooled to room temperature, when you walk close by it, you can still feel it radiating heat. i don't know how to describe it, but everybody feels it, not just me.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Ditto with my large stone fireplaces. Spend a day heating them up, and they spend another day radiating it back. Very neat to walk close and feel heat coming off of the fireplace when I get home in the evening, even though I let the fire go out before work in the morning.
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
Here's a few pictures of the one that Woodstock Soapstone was showing at their open house in the fall of '11.
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
As I recall the Woodstock unit is manufactured by a Canadian company. It is built of stacked pieces.
Mackj
Member
A family friend in Pennsylvania has a beautiful masonary stove. I believe he had a guy from Maine come and build the core. He did the stonework himself, his entire wall is massive stones. I stopped in one morning after a frosty bowhunt and it was toasty. I commented it felt great, he said the heat was still radiating from a 4 hr fire the previous evening. That puts my insert to shame. He has a concrete floor which also holds the heat. Very cool!
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Sounds like Albie Barden and his "Albie Core."
https://mainewoodheat.com/masonry-heaters/
A school teacher I know showed me his masonry heater last year . . . it was quite impressive . . . in the winter he loads it morning and night and it provides the majority of heat in his home.
although I'd have to say that building the core was the easiest part of building the heater. fire bricks are easy to work with (tho a bit of a pain to cut), and the refractory "glue" was a breeze to use - just dip and tap the brick in, level and true, and on to the next one. with the brick by brick plans, it went fairly quickly. the facing brick, on the other hand, was painstaking work,
ketoret,
I am going to follow your path. I ordered the plans from the Masonry Heater Association (MHA) today. I am going to build a small house in the spring so I'll just build to support the masonry heater. I don't know which plan you built but I'm going with the small contraflow. I was concerned that a masonry heater would be overkill for a small well insulated passive solar house but it won't be. I'll just fire it less often if need be. The heat is different than a wood stove from what I am learning.
I live in southern Idaho. This year the temperatures have dipped to 20 degrees F below zero two weeks ago, and 10 below zero F last week. So a masonry heater will come in handy. I think I will face it with the green-blue stone in my avatar. I'm cheap, I mean thrift, so I will try to build this heater for less than $1500. I've already got some old face bricks that I can stick the aqua stones to. Firebrick for the core of the small heater will be about $400 and I bet if I can see the hardware I can figure out how to build it.
I am going to go watch professional masons build this small Norwegian designed contraflow at an exhibit. My masonry skills are latent at this point. So this should help. I wasn't going to build a bench or an oven, but from what you posted a bench sounds tempting. Was the bench hard to add on and build? And did the plans come with bench plans or did you engineer it yourself?
I am going to follow your path. I ordered the plans from the Masonry Heater Association (MHA) today. I am going to build a small house in the spring so I'll just build to support the masonry heater. I don't know which plan you built but I'm going with the small contraflow. I was concerned that a masonry heater would be overkill for a small well insulated passive solar house but it won't be. I'll just fire it less often if need be. The heat is different than a wood stove from what I am learning.
I live in southern Idaho. This year the temperatures have dipped to 20 degrees F below zero two weeks ago, and 10 below zero F last week. So a masonry heater will come in handy. I think I will face it with the green-blue stone in my avatar. I'm cheap, I mean thrift, so I will try to build this heater for less than $1500. I've already got some old face bricks that I can stick the aqua stones to. Firebrick for the core of the small heater will be about $400 and I bet if I can see the hardware I can figure out how to build it.
I am going to go watch professional masons build this small Norwegian designed contraflow at an exhibit. My masonry skills are latent at this point. So this should help. I wasn't going to build a bench or an oven, but from what you posted a bench sounds tempting. Was the bench hard to add on and build? And did the plans come with bench plans or did you engineer it yourself?
Qwee:
What part of southern Idaho? I live in Idaho Falls.
Ketoret and Nicholas: Gentlemen, I take my hat off to you both for what you have accomplished. It is amazing what the the mind can conceive and the body, spirit and soul can convert into reality. Your masonry stoves are wonderful...I congratulate you both on the results of your hard work.
Qwee:
Been through Burley, on my way to Twin Falls. Never been to Murtaugh though.
No, I'm not building a masonry heater. My wife and I have been looking at them for years. They are very impressive. I think that you have to design and build your house around them. We have looked at Tulikivi heaters for years. I think that it's difficult to retro fit one these heaters into an existing home because of the foundation requirements. So anyway my wife and I installed a Hearthstone Clydesdale insert into our existing superior Heatform fireplace. It works like a champ and it was something that we could do ourselves - with a little help from our welder.
You say that you are "going to go watch professional masons build this small Norwegian designed contraflow at an exhibit." When and where might this be? I like to continue learning about construction methods. Last year I attended the two day professional window/door installation course in Bend Oregon put on by Jeld-Wen. I wanted to learn how to do the job right as I install windows and doors in a 20 by 30 building that my wife and I built in the summer of 2011.
Good luck with your project. If you get to Idaho Falls - drop us a line and I can show you what we did with our structure.
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