1500 - 2000 degrees and hours of radiant heat

[firecracker_77]

These things while expensive seem to rule the jungle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b6d1v-2N9k&feature=related

 

[Todd]

Yep, I'd love to build a house around one.

 

[firecracker_77]

I'm 34 years old. If I made it a life goal, I could maybe have one someday especially if I was doing much of the labor. They are quite beautiful, but the only drawback is that you don't have a fire all day long like in a stove. That's sad!

 

[eclecticcottage]

I can't listen righ now, DH is already asleep and I know that would wake him...

I am wondering if it's basically what my grandfather built in my grandparents house. It was a HUGE central fireplace-actually, two, but they only used the one in the basement when they were building the house. It was massive-a whole wall in the living room and also the kitchen (on opposite sides)-basically the center of the house from the basement up was one huge stone mass (it was a ranch). The living room side had the fireplace, which was average sized. If you ran it all day, the stones would radiate heat until the next morning. I remember getting up and going in there, and touching them-they would still be warm, even in the kitchen. I wish I had pics on my computer.

 

[firecracker_77]

I can't listen righ now, DH is already asleep and I know that would wake him...

I am wondering if it's basically what my grandfather built in my grandparents house. It was a HUGE central fireplace-actually, two, but they only used the one in the basement when they were building the house. It was massive-a whole wall in the living room and also the kitchen (on opposite sides)-basically the center of the house from the basement up was one huge stone mass (it was a ranch). The living room side had the fireplace, which was average sized. If you ran it all day, the stones would radiate heat until the next morning. I remember getting up and going in there, and touching them-they would still be warm, even in the kitchen. I wish I had pics on my computer.

Sounds cool. I think the masonry is all based on having internal switchbacks to route the flue gases and trap the heat.

 

[jrcurto]

Some day. Looked at some of the other links on that youtube page, unreal. Just to have all of that stone work in the house would be cool never mind the heat potential.

 

[Todd]

Anyone know how hot all that mass gets to on the outside and how long it stays up to temp?

 

[Martin Strand III]

Anyone know how hot all that mass gets to on the outside and how long it stays up to temp?

A few exterior hot spots, directly outside the inner heat exchange channels,
I've never had over 170* F. Most of the masonry gets to 150 - 160* F range
peaking about 2 - 3 hours after the fire. It is about 90 - 100* F after 12 hours.
If it's below 20* F outside, then it's time for another fire. Below 0* F,
one fire every 8 hours.

This keeps my great room 68 - 72* F.

Aye,
Marty

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Anyone know how hot all that mass gets to on the outside and how long it stays up to temp?

Not only takes a long time to heat up but also a long time to cool. Seems someone said 12 hours to cool down.