This year’s Masonry Heater Association (MHA) Annual Meeting held in April in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, continued the tradition of bringing heater builders together from North America and around the world to share in the techniques and processes of masonry heater and wood-fired oven construction. Here are some highlights of the innovative work and great […]
MHA 2023 Annual Meeting Workshops Read More »
Conceptual Plans The basic pattern of this heater is called a Contraflow which sees the combustion gases leaving the firebox and splitting into two symmetric downdraft channels before joining in a manifold in the bottom courses and making there way to the chimney. We made a custom 4″x8″ pivoting damper to allow for an operable
Compact Contraflow Masonry Heater Read More »
Here is an email that I recently received from a client that explains a situation that other new masonry heater owners may experience: Hi Max This thing happens that I want your advice on. Occasionally when we fire the stove, we get a lot of smoke in the room during the first 10-15 minutes of
Troubleshooting a Smokey Masonry Heater Read More »
Although a bit outdated, here is a comprehensive firing guide for masonry heaters put out by the Masonry Heater Association of North America:
Masonry Heater Firing Instructions Read More »
A synopsis of codes and standards for masonry heater construction, including information regarding their efficiency for home owners and building officials.
Codes & Standards for Masonry Heater Construction Read More »
The impetus of this project is to create a single unit that combines a functional cookstove with immediate heat production with an efficient firebox for prolonged masonry heat storage. We will draw from medium-sized “batch-box†development and use bypass dampers as switches to significantly alter the flow through the heater depending on the output desired. An important part of the project will be to experiment with an open-source flow for project development. This project is being developed in the context of a hands-on workshop that will be realized at the Masonry Heater Association’s 2022 Annual Meeting.
Cookstove + Masonry Heater Hybrid Read More »
Progress is made painfully slowly by isolated individuals and small artesan companies each having to invent and build the wheel themselves. To the extent that each can make contributions to the overall body of knowledge and benefit from the shared resources that result, it might be possible to gather more momentum for this interesting and resilient technology. This article explores the potential for an open-source approach in masonry heater design and construction.
Open Source Heater Building Read More »
A design review of corner masonry heater designs.
Corner Masonry Heater Designs Read More »
An in-depth article including detailed drawings of a basic foundation strategy for masonry heaters including footing, stem wall, base slab, insulation, and rough opening specifications.
Masonry Heater Foundation Details Read More »
Here is a summary of recent design work showing the core of a versatile masonry heater design. We offer pre-project design assistance, full course-by-course drawings, parts, and hardware for projects like this. If you have questions or want to provide feedback, use the comments section below.
Core for Masonry Heater with Oven, 3-Side Heated Bench & Hot Water Heat Exchanger Read More »
A beautiful masonry heater, built by Noel Adams, with heated benches and finished with natural plaster. Firespeaking provided design, training, a core kit and hardware for this project.
Masonry Heater in Meditation Space Read More »
These are some common variations for basic masonry heater design. These heaters are symmetrical and show how you can choose to include an oven and benches around the main volume. Additional options include the see-through firebox which includes a door on both sides and choosing to have the oven face the opposite direction as the firebox.
Basic Masonry Heater Design Read More »
