You get a number of benefits, described in more detail below. In other words, woodburning and energy efficient houses don’t really suit each other very well, unless you have some way to store heat so that your stove can operate in the “clean” range all of the time.
Masonry heaters fill the bill perfectly. Firstly, it is important to choose a type of heater that fits your needs, and then you can tweak several of the latter aspects to turn it into a more efficient heating system.
Therefore it is most suitable for unsteady climates or for rooms that need only a short period of heating.
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This means that you can rapidly burn a large charge of wood without overheating your house. If you burn wood fairly rapidly, it is a clean fuel. This is important if you are planning an energy-efficient house. The large surface is never too hot to touch. We exchange heat with our surroundings through two main mechanisms: radiation and convection. Similarly, even a slight breeze at these temperatures would change your convective environment. An important concept for heaters is “thermal mass”. However, low mass heaters are less energy efficient. The gases that leave the chimney are very hot, so a part of the heat escapes without being used, making the stove not very energy efficient.
This addon is not rare on high standard market iron stoves. Generally easy to make if you have some metalworking skills.
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Radiant heating gives you more mileage from a given amount of heat output by targeting it better to where it is needed: in the living space where the radiant panels are located.
It feels invigorating and allows you to be more alert. This means that you want the heater located where your family spends most of its time.
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Also consider the location of the firebox loading door and its convenience to your firewood supply. Many heaters often do double duty as fireplaces, so this function should be considered as well. Masonry heating is an ancient technology. Every time that we fill our car with gas we add the equivalent of a hundred pound sack of carbon to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide emissions from our tailpipe.
Hydrocarbons have been sequestered in the earth for millions of years by the actions of plant life on the atmosphere. Our transportation choices are limited – we can drive less, or get a more efficient vehicle. Plants use photosynthesis to store solar energy. When you burn wood, your are heating your house with stored solar energy and simply using a speeded up version of this cycle. Proper use of wood as a heating fuel requires that it be harvested sustainably. As opposed to clearcutting, proper forestry practice requires thinning and culling to improve the stand. Woodsmoke is very similar to cigarette smoke from a health standpoint. With a heater, your investment in bricks and mortar is working for you every day of the heating season as active thermal mass storage and radiant heating panels.
This severe thermal cycling places tremendous stresses on refractory materials, with which the stovemason must be intimately familiar. Firebrick are unsurpassed, in our opinion, for taking the heavy abuse of thermal cycling. For example, we have developed the first all-masonry white bakeoven (i.e., the flames do not pass through the oven) and believe that it is the best oven in the business.
The masonry facing has a minimum thickness of 4″ and is part of the active thermal mass. All required hardware such as clean outs and dampers is included. Some of this hardware is installed into the facing, i.e., it will be done by the local mason. From there the cooled exhaust gases enter the chimney at floor level. These are related to thermal cycling of the firebox refractories. The firebox upgrade is a low cost option. With a partial load, the slightly lower surface temperature and larger surface area are desirable from a radiant heating point of view. As heater walls get thicker, the surface temperature drops and the storage time and the thermal lag time increase. Our precast refractory heat exchangers use special 1¼ inch thinwall construction, allowing you to build up to the ideal 5½ to 6 inch final thickness in the heater sidewalls using standard 4 inch masonry units.
Or, if the back surface of the heater is against a wall, we can modify it into a warm air source. Tile or plaster facings are approximately the same dimensions, since they are installed over a 4″ backing. Heater core dimensions (without facing). An 8″x8″ liner will also work in most applications, for an outside chimney dimension of 16″x16″. We provide your mason with support to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly. Since we have been in the masonry business ourselves for 30 years, we talk the same language. Normally we quote both standard and custom cores on a delivered and installed basis. It will already have all of the necessary expansion joints, so that the air gap between your facing and the core is simply slushed full with mortar as the job progresses.
The firebox doors and the cleanouts are installed in the facing by your mason. Also, you can arrange for your mason to visit during the core assembly, we will go over the instructions with him verbally to make sure that everything is clear and to let him know that he can telephone us at any time if any questions do crop up.
We find that most masons are top notch craftsmen and are eager to learn about new applications for their skills. The heater core requires some skill to assemble. Firebricks are laid up with thin joints by dipping them in a special clay mortar, and this process is much easier to learn than actual bricklaying.
However, there are certain simple procedures that must be carried out exactly to ensure a trouble free-heater with a long life. The slab is reinforced on 6″ centers with 1/2″ reinforcing rod. Where your local code requires it, this is hooked up to the outside by means of a 6″ insulated flex duct at basement ceiling level.
Other tests have shown that outside air in fact provides no benefit at alliii. Your mason simply fills the gap between the core and the facing with mortar. Firebox doors and cleanouts need to be installed in the facing by your mason. This approach has proven to be very successful. If you plan to use wood as your main heating fuel, you can offset some of the capital cost of a masonry heater against a simpler backup system.
Options such as heated benches are quoted on an individual basis because of the large number of possible variations.
Ecco Stove Build A Masonry Heater In Less Than Hour
Assembling a masonry heater or slow heat release stove can be a lengthy process with multiple sections and channels.