Expansion Joints in Masonry Heater Construction
Part of How-To Series: Describes how to install an expansion joint between the core and facing of a custom masonry heater.
Part of How-To Series: Describes how to install an expansion joint between the core and facing of a custom masonry heater.
This masonry heater features a “white†oven, ample wood-storage options, and a heated bench. The heater is faced with Idaho Bitter Root Ledge Stone, Sage Ledge Stone and the slab details are Pennsylvania Blue Stone. It serves as a visual focal point, as furniture, and as a resilient energy source for the home!
The world needs more masonry heaters and masonry heater builders! A shortage of viable plans as well as education opportunities means there are very few masonry heater builders in North America. This design work reflects an effort to simplify things in order to make the process easier for everybody involved.
For the masonry heater we are currently working on, we took a new approach to the design and construction of the core by casting the most complex parts. The goal of this is to simplify both the design and construction process so that we can streamline the process for our own projects as well as produce a viable strategy and parts for other masonry heater builders.
We believe that bypass dampers are an important part of masonry heater function. They provide an easy way to heat the main chimney in order to then pull heated gases through a much longer heat exchange pathway.
I was invited to examine a masonry heater that was built by another mason in a town one hour north of us. One of the wooden studs immediately behind the heater, in the wall adjoining their bedroom, had been heated to the point that it had at least reached a smoldering point inside the wall….
Designing a masonry heater into a home can be complex. Here is a design chronicle of incorporating a Tulikivi into a floor plan while navigating other important architectural elements such as a staircase, an important structural beam and circulation space on the second floor.
These are the kinds of drawings that I wish I had had more exposure/access to when I was starting out in masonry heater building. It still takes a somewhat trained eye to understand the overall flow of gases through these sections. Further refinement and artistry would render them more understandable still. Basically, wood is burned
Here are two heaters that we completed in 2018 which are now getting fired up (with early client feedback)!
This is an initial photo report of a recently completed masonry heater with inline wood-fired oven built in Grants Pass, OR. The heater uses Balmoral brick and tile details that the client provided, along with polished concrete details made in our shop. The core: The craftsman: Max Edleson of Firespeaking and Jeremiah Church of Boreal
North America Stone House Kachelofen – Hand Made Warmth L’Esprit Du Lieu Europe Firetube Matthias Jacob Lehmofenbau Ofenbau Kummer We are building a list of masonry heater builders worldwide who inspire us to serve as a design resource. Suggest a link for us to add!