New Masonry Heater Education Program Available

By Richard Smith
Executive Director
Masonry Heater Association of North America

The Masonry Heater Association of North America has developed a new education program known as HMED (Heater Masons Education & Development) program. This program will:

• Provide an education program that starts with basic information and skills training.
• Provide a standard curriculum that will be delivered in facilities throughout North America.
• Provide opportunities to earn continued education credits for various certification programs.
• Promote safe building practices for everyone interested in building masonry heaters.
• Establish a training system that is specific to North America.

MHA’s education program provides an excellent opportunity to someone to learn the basic
theory and construction of a masonry heater. Classes are currently scheduled for:

September 17 – 20, 2011 in Perth, Ontario, Canada, level one, modules 1 &2

November 04 – 07, 2011 in Shaftesbury, Massachusetts, level one, modules 1 &2

Other locations to be announced. Costs vary according to location.

What are Masonry Heaters?

A masonry heater is a special type of fireplace made of stone, brick, stucco or tile which will  heat your home safely and comfortably.  Masonry heaters burn wood, which is North America's  cheapest and most abundant bio-fuel.  We currently use less than 10 percent of available  deadfall timber from our forests.  Masonry heaters burn efficiently and with very low emissions, which make them extremely “green”. 

Masonry heaters work on the principal of thermal storage due to the considerable thermal mass of the materials used in their construction (most of them are heavy, often weighing tons).   The best masonry heaters soak up most of the heat from the wood blaze within the firebox through a cleverly designed system of channels or chambers which "harvest" heat from the  hot  gases as they pass by.  This energy migrates through the masonry slowly until it reaches  the surface where it illuminates" the room with invisible rays of heat known as infrared radiation.  This way heat from a fire in the morning can still be warming a home in the evening.

For more information contact the MHA office:

 

Masonry Heater Association of North America

          Richard Smith, Executive Director

          2180 S. Flying Q Lane

          Tucson, AZ. 85713

           (520) 883-0191

          execdir@mha-net.org (email)

          www.mha-net.org (website)