What is a Masonry Heater

[byQ]

Besides being the best, underutilized way to burn firewood in North America? (Begreen I decided to make a new thread instead of derailing the other one).

 

[Rickb]

Besides being the best, underutilized way to burn firewood in North America? (Begreen I decided to make a new thread instead of derailing the other one).

I don't really agree with this statement, but that said did you ever finish yours? I havent seen any updates in a while.

 

[Prof]

In my experience with my heater, I'd say that it is certainly on par with wood stoves that I have used. The heat is much more mild and in my opinion more enjoyable. I think something that isn't highlighted enough is how effective the oven is at cooking. I have had some of the best food of my life in the past 3 years--from lobster to the Thanksgiving turkey it all seems to come out a bit better than in more conventional cooking methods. Did have to buy $100 foundry gloves to handle the cookware coming out of a 700+ degree oven ;-)

 

[begreen]

700º is fast-cook pizza temp.

 

[byQ]

I don't really agree with this statement, but that said did you ever finish yours? I havent seen any updates in a while.

I built the masonry heater before I built the house. Now i'm building the house. My goal is to get the outside done this year and finish the rest in the spring. I'll post a few pictures in a few days.

 

[Prof]

700º is fast-cook pizza temp.

It is. Our most common food to cook in the heater is the $1.50 frozen pizzas. They come out tasting great. In fact my 11 year old, just said that she can't wait till fall, so "the cheap pizzas don't taste cheap."

 

[kennyp2339]

I think our house styles in North America don't 100% fit the model for efficient masonry heater usage. Its one of those things that needs to be planned with the home construction, usually extra deep footings need to be poured and a skilled mason is needed to build it, the home needs a open & convective floor plan. A closed off center hall colonial or bi-level home would be tough to heat with one of those, unless some serious planning was involved.
I do like those heaters, if I ever get to the point of redoing the joint (more open floor plan w/ high r-value insulation) I would def consider a masonry heater along with a kitchen cook stove to keep the house warm in the winter.

 

[SpaceBus]

In my experience with my heater, I'd say that it is certainly on par with wood stoves that I have used. The heat is much more mild and in my opinion more enjoyable. I think something that isn't highlighted enough is how effective the oven is at cooking. I have had some of the best food of my life in the past 3 years--from lobster to the Thanksgiving turkey it all seems to come out a bit better than in more conventional cooking methods. Did have to buy $100 foundry gloves to handle the cookware coming out of a 700+ degree oven ;-)

I've seen your avatar photo before and didn't realize your masonry heater also has an oven! Did you build it yourself? I'm planning a small cabin for the MIL and really like your design.

 

[webby3650]

So the heat is comparable to a free standing stove, costs tremendously more money, but cooks really good totino party pizzas?

 

[peakbagger]

I remember 30 plus years ago the craze in Maine for "Russian fireplaces" which were effectively masonry heaters. The design hasn't changed but the name and marketing has. There were several competent masons and plenty more incompetent masons that advertised they could build them and had plenty of folks lined up wanting to buy them. Unless the house and foundation was built to house them they could be a handful as the much of the development in Maine was coastal and that frequently meant poor soils with questionable loading characteristics. More than a few went in as retrofits. Not all of them were successful unless integrated well with the house design. They may have looked and worked well initially but differential settling was a problem leading to cracks that appeared in the structures. Various back to nature magazines made the construction sound simple and more than a few back to landers had plenty of rocks for free so DIY attempts were popular. One major downsize is some were built without adequate clean out ports on the downcomers and flow transitions. They eventually would get abandoned when the passages got plugged. There was one firm in Maine that sold special cast iron clean out ports that were designed to allow some access to the passages. I expect those ports were used by the competent masons.

The Temp Cast design looks like a nice option, they do the tough work on the interior passages and then a local mason or homeowner does the exterior.

They are fundamentally space heaters and do not do well in a house with a lot of closed rooms.

 

[Prof]

I've seen your avatar photo before and didn't realize your masonry heater also has an oven! Did you build it yourself? I'm planning a small cabin for the MIL and really like your design.

I didn't build it--I had Alex Chernov (stovemaster.com) design it and a local mason did the build. The oven is on the side, so you can't see it in my pic. I think the design cost about $400. I had about 4K into materials and another 5-6K in labor. The labor would have been way less had we not gone with the fieldstone facade. Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[SpaceBus]

I didn't build it--I had Alex Chernov (stovemaster.com) design it and a local mason did the build. The oven is on the side, so you can't see it in my pic. I think the design cost about $400. I had about 4K into materials and another 5-6K in labor. The labor would have been way less had we not gone with the fieldstone facade. Any questions, feel free to ask.

That's really not too bad if you could DIY. I imagine using red brick or another regular masonry material would greatly reduce price and complexity. I don't blame you for going with the fieldstone, it is beautiful.

 

[Bushels20]

I remember 30 plus years ago the craze in Maine for "Russian fireplaces" which were effectively masonry heaters. The design hasn't changed but the name and marketing has. There were several competent masons and plenty more incompetent masons that advertised they could build them and had plenty of folks lined up wanting to buy them. Unless the house and foundation was built to house them they could be a handful as the much of the development in Maine was coastal and that frequently meant poor soils with questionable loading characteristics. More than a few went in as retrofits. Not all of them were successful unless integrated well with the house design. They may have looked and worked well initially but differential settling was a problem leading to cracks that appeared in the structures. Various back to nature magazines made the construction sound simple and more than a few back to landers had plenty of rocks for free so DIY attempts were popular. One major downsize is some were built without adequate clean out ports on the downcomers and flow transitions. They eventually would get abandoned when the passages got plugged. There was one firm in Maine that sold special cast iron clean out ports that were designed to allow some access to the passages. I expect those ports were used by the competent masons.

The Temp Cast design looks like a nice option, they do the tough work on the interior passages and then a local mason or homeowner does the exterior.

They are fundamentally space heaters and do not do well in a house with a lot of closed rooms.

I watched the videos posted from the OP. The idea seems great. But only if the floor plan is an open concept which leads to your idea that they are space heaters.

If you have a 2 story home, can you carry the masonry up higher with a larger fire box and larger channels (for the heated air within the masonry) to then heat the upstairs? Again, on the premise that the second story has the appropriate airflow.

The whole thing is a neat idea.

 

[bholler]

That's really not too bad if you could DIY. I imagine using red brick or another regular masonry material would greatly reduce price and complexity. I don't blame you for going with the fieldstone, it is beautiful.

They are very complex and challenging masonry projects. Few people would be willing to take them on diy.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I've seen your avatar photo before and didn't realize your masonry heater also has an oven! Did you build it yourself? I'm planning a small cabin for the MIL and really like your design.

Hmmm, a MIL cabin way out in the woods. I like the idea!

 

[byQ]

I didn't build it--I had Alex Chernov (stovemaster.com) design it and a local mason did the build. The oven is on the side, so you can't see it in my pic. I think the design cost about $400. I had about 4K into materials and another 5-6K in labor. The labor would have been way less had we not gone with the fieldstone facade. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Prof, describe your house layout and how much wood you are burning. Is the masonry heater your main source of heat? Are you able to heat rooms that the MH isn't in. You said you've used wood stoves in the past, what are some of the differences you've noticed? thanks

 

[Prof]

Prof, describe your house layout and how much wood you are burning. Is the masonry heater your main source of heat? Are you able to heat rooms that the MH isn't in. You said you've used wood stoves in the past, what are some of the differences you've noticed? thanks

I uploaded a few pics. The house in a pretty open concept: One bedroom on the 1st floor along with a kitchen and living room, one big bedroom on the second floor and a loft. All areas of the house stay mostly uniform with respect to temperature, maybe a 2 degree difference at most. I have a PE Summit in the basement as well. I put about 2 cords through the heater and 2 through the summit. The reason I divide the heating load is because if I fire the heater in the morning without being around to close the damper (about 2 hours after the fire is lit), heat is lost up the flue after the fire is out. The heater can easily carry the load for the 1st and second floor, but during the colder months I'd have to fire it 2X per day. So by putting a fire in the stove and the heater, I am able to keep all floors, including the basement, about 70 degrees. If I am home in the AM, I prefer to fire the heater in the AM and PM. It provides an even heat that is most like hot water radiators. Coming in from the cold and backing up against the heater is an experience that is worth having. The heater is never too hot to touch. The heater has a cook top, which gets hot enough to make soup, but in all honesty doesn't get nearly as hot as the Summit downstairs. That being said, the oven is far more versatile than I was expecting. I can throw steaks right on the bricks and have them perfectly cooked, with a slightly smokey flavor, in a few minutes. Bacon wrapped scallops in the oven with a side of asparagus is simply the best meal I have ever had. To be able to cook dinner while heating the house just seems right. Once the heating season starts, we cook dinner every night in the heater. Just an FYI, I put a fire in the heater every evening from November through early April. It is far more efficient if fired daily.

 

[byQ]

Thanks, I hear so little about real world use - you know the day-to-day stuff. Wow your house looks really nice. It sounds like your masonry heater is working well for your needs.

 

[Prof]

Thanks, I hear so little about real world use - you know the day-to-day stuff. Wow your house looks really nice. It sounds like your masonry heater is working well for your needs.

Thanks! I should mention that the house, excluding the basement is about 1600 square foot. I don't think a heater would work well if the house was more traditional and had many rooms in segmented hallways. During the design process, Alex needed the layout for the house to put together a heater that would meet our needs. I have to give him credit, when either I or the mason had questions along the way, he was always available for a phone consultation. In fact, he wanted to see pics of the build along the way to make sure that we were staying true to his design.

 

[SpaceBus]

Hmmm, a MIL cabin way out in the woods. I like the idea!

Yes, it's cheaper than assisted living, we don't have to worry as much, and we can keep an eye on her. It's like administrated independence.

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm surprised to hear the cook top doesn't get that hot. After reading the website literature it seems that a masonry heater for every need can be built. How does your home owner insurance feel about it? I assume there aren't any UL or EPA listings.

 

[Prof]

I'm surprised to hear the cook top doesn't get that hot. After reading the website literature it seems that a masonry heater for every need can be built. How does your home owner insurance feel about it? I assume there aren't any UL or EPA listings.

My homeowner's insurance looks at it the same as a fireplace. The irony is that if you see how this thing is built and used, it is so much safer than an open fireplace. I pay far less for insurance now than when I owned a 100 y.o. house that was worth a fraction of what the new place is worth.

The bulk of the heat is drawn quickly into the oven and largely misses the cook top in its path. So the cook top will reach about 500F for about 40 min during a burn. So you can cook on it, but it is somewhat limited. I use my summit for cook top stuff a lot. I make a ton of soups, stocks, pan fry steaks, eggs, etc. Since the stove is in the basement, I care less about making messes.