Masonry heater almost finished

[Wisconsin Ann]

I've set a slideshow of 9 pictures from our building of a Masonry heater out at the farm. It's on the second floor of our polebarn, which we built last year. We enclosed the southern 24foot section to make an apartment, and it will be heated by this masonry heater. The enclosed area is 24' x 40'.

The heater isn't quite done, and I managed to NOT put the final pictures of it from last weekend on my computer. But I just can't stand NOT sharing anymore! So, you have to imagine it with the chimney finished on the backside, and completely ready to fire (which we're hoping to do this Sunday) Artificer is working on the doors today, and will mount them tomorrow. probably. maybe. Unless something happens AGAIN. (Life just keeps getting in the way of this project)

Here is a link to the Album called "the land" with the heater shots, if you don't like slideshow thingies and want to just click thu images http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u...ns/The%20Land/

and here is the link to the photobucket slideshow. http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u...view=slideshow

[Aohtee]

Very nice Ann.

How did you reinforce the floor under the stove? Did the doors and fittings come in a kit or did talented husband make them?

[gone-a-milkin]

Ann, that is going to be awesome! Artificer totally rocks. (hopefully he already knows this...)

It looks like a concrete slab that it is all sitting on, right?

[Wisconsin Ann]

The base for the whole thing is a concrete slab on 1st floor. I'm told I was wrong..it's not 6inches, but 12 inches thick, lots of rebar in it. Then there are the concrete block walls up to just under the 2nd floor. He made a concrete floorjoist next to the steel one (yah, overkill) to hold the 6" slab (steel reinforced) on 2nd floor. 1 ash dump hole and 2 chimney holes in the slab down to the 1st floor (ash, what there is of it, will have an automatic dump into a big barrel)

The doors on there at the moment (8" squares on the cleanout openings) are purchased. The oven doors and the firebox doors Artificer is making. Oven doors will be steel with enameled tiles (we'll make the tiles) and the firebox doors are going to have glass in them!! :banana02: Originally he was going to make them solid but I already gave up my fireplace and I just want to SEE the flames...you know?

We found a couple of places in Hungary that have amazing doors for this type of heater, but the shipping is horrendous.

[PrairieOaks]

Wisconsin Ann
You will love it, we have been using a masonry heater for 13 years to heat the house. The only comment is that you need to split the wood into smaller pieces for the fast, hot and short fire. We do two fires a day in the winter, they burn about 2 hours then the stone continues to give off heat.

[cab]

Mine is nearing completion as well....Been waiting two months for the chase cover, but that is another story (don't order from Copperfield's). Should be here next weekend, then we can finish the chimney as start burning. Will be plastering ours with earth plaster around the stonework...Can't wait...

[7thswan]

Very nice. My Mom (from Russia) tells me stories of these. She was a preemie and was kept in a nook area, maybe a place for wood or ??? I guess some were Massive. P.S. How long will it take something like this to "cure"? Do you have to build a small fire for awhile?

[SolarGary]

Hi,
Very nice!

Just wondering where you guys got the plans for your heaters?

Gary

[cab]

Mine was designed for my space by a Russian stove builder in Canada named Alex Chernov. His website is:

stovemaster.com

It was built by a local mason who has built masonry heaters before, along with myself, according to Alex's plans. It took a month and weights about 28,000 lbs between the firebrick and concrete block facing....There is a wood waiter which brings wood up from the basement in the left end so the actual heater core is asymmetrical. There is an extra damper on the front used to balance the flow between the two sides....

[artificer]

Originally Posted by SolarGary

Hi,
Very nice!

Just wondering where you guys got the plans for your heaters?

Gary

Ours is built using the Masonry Heater Associations plan portfolio. Plan #2:

You can see what the core building looks like, mostly, by taking a look at one of their workshop heaters. A very well spent $75 for the portfolio.

Michael

[Wisconsin Ann]

Nice looking heater, Cab I love seeing pictures of these things...they're ALL different.

7thswan: the curing time depends on what you're using to build it. The central core of ours is made of firebrick put together with ..oh crud.cant' remember what it's called but it's a highfire cement type thing that can expand as it gets hot. Almost like a glue not a mortar. That needs a couple of weeks or more I think it was. The mortar on the brick just needs a few days.

Originally Posted by artificer

Ours is built using the Masonry Heater Associations plan portfolio. Plan #2:

You can see what the core building looks like, mostly, by taking a look at one of their workshop heaters. A very well spent $75 for the portfolio.

Michael

Hey! You!! Get back to work! None of this slacking off. You can eat lunch while you work on those doors!

[meanwhile]

Amazing -- Wish I had room for one here. Thanks for sharing the photos.

[Wisconsin Ann]

In Europe and Eastern Europe they've used this type of design for centuries. Smaller tho...single room heaters. It's the mass of concrete/stone/brick that gives you the "fire it fast and short...keep the heat all day" thing.

Oh, and because of the design to the flu, and the hot fast fire, there is so little gas/flyash in the stuff that goes out of the chimney that masonry heaters are exempt from carbon/pollution testing.