Masonry Heater faced with terracotta

I grew up in Eastern Europe, in Romania, where masonry heaters are still common in most rural homes. One of the things I particularly liked about it is its multiple use, an element that in the old world applied to a wide range of things and which I am trying to implement in our design and work. The Masonry Stoves could be used for cooking as well as for heating and they would often become the very heart of the house.

Masonry heater counterflow cutaway diagram

We offer a wide range of masonry heaters, from the Scandinavian/Finnish counter-flow design, very well captured by the TempCast’s masonry heater core kits, to the more traditional European design. Please visit our Gallery. The Temp-Cast masonry core kits, thanks to their modular design, offers a very efficient, economical and yet versatile way of building masonry heaters.

Masonry Heaters can be built in so many ways that it can take a whole book to cover this subject. However complex they might sound, the article below, written by Norbert Senf, is a very good introduction to what masonry heaters represent.

Masonry Heaters are a great way to heat with wood

by Norbert Senf,  September 25th, 2008

Unknown in North America until about 20 years ago, masonry heaters have a long tradition in the colder parts of Europe. Notable exceptions are Britain and France, where our North American fireplace traditions came from. In a masonry heater, a big charge of wood is burned rapidly, usually 2 hours, and the heat is stored in the large thermal mass, often around 4 tons. Because the wood is burned rapidly, it burns clean and there is no creosote. Emissions are about the same as a pellet stove. Because the heat is stored in a large mass, you get a very steady and cozy radiant heat, with about 100 sq. ft. of vertical radiant panels that run in the 120 deg F – 160 deg F range for a 12 or 24 hour period from one fire. (read more)