The pros and cons of masonry fireplaces

Masonry fireplaces, or masonry heaters, are a lesser known, but efficient way to to provide heat for homes and other buildings. They're capable of burning conventional fuels with much less waste, allowing you to mind masonry heaters less frequently and use less fuel to provide the same amount of heat. These stoves are designed to burn a very hot fire, with the chimney damper open and lots of air available. This results in a very clean burning process that produces little visible smoke.

The heat from the fire then passes through a series of passages within a heavy masonry thermal mass. The masonry absorbs this heat, and radiates it into the room over time. As the room cools, more heat is pulled out of the masonry. Most masonry heaters, if built with adequate thermal mass, only need to have fires lit in them once a day, or at most in the morning and at night. The rest of the time, built up heat from the fire warms the air of your home. This is a significant advantage over normal wood burning stoves, which require regular attention.

Masonry heaters are based on traditional designs from cold climates in Europe and Russia. They're also sometimes called Russian heaters. In addition to Russia, versions of this stove have also been found in Germany, Finland, and Sweden, where they are a traditional design. They're often used in fuel-poor locations, since masonry heaters are able to burn materials other than the heavy logs we associate with wood heat. These heaters can use sticks, kindling, and other dry vegetable matter to provide heat just as effectively as they use wood.

Unfortunately, masonry fireplaces are heavy and expensive to build, in addition to being efficient. Because building one of these massive heaters requires a lot of skill, even pre-manufactured types can cost as much as five thousand dollars. A traditional type masonry fireplace, built one stone at a time, can run as much as ten thousand. People who want to have these stoves installed will also have to make sure that their homes can support the weight of the stone. If your fireplace is to be located on the ground floor with no basement, this isn't as much of a problem. Most floors, however, will have to be reinforced before building can begin, to reduce the risk of damage to the house due to the fireplace's weight. It's also necessary to build each fire from scratch, since the previous one will have burnt down long ago. Some people find this annoying, but most masonry fireplace owners don't mind.

If you're willing to put up with the cost of having a masonry fireplace installed, or you can do the work yourself, these heaters are worth it. They burn very little fuel, and can handle wood that most people would have thrown away. They can radiate heat for hours, and even days after being lit, without a problem. If you're thinking about building a new home, or making a major change to your old one, and want to include an attractive, efficient heater that's environmentally friendly, a masonry fireplace could be the solution.

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