Masonry Heater Association Encourages Preparedness with Wood-Burning Heating and Cooking Appliances

Masonry heater and bake oven with heated bench by Max Edelson of Firespeaking

Press Release

Masonry Heater Association Encourages Preparedness with Wood-Burning Heating and Cooking Appliances

November 14, 2012

The Masonry Heater Association of North America encourages homeowners to be prepared for any type of disaster with an alternative source of heating and cooking. The recent flooding and lack of electricity in the Northeast United States during cold temperatures is a reminder that everyone should be prepared to be self-sufficient in a disaster or power outage.  

Masonry heaters are site-built wood-burning appliances constructed with natural materials that radiantly heat a home with the renewable resource of wood. Masonry heaters are efficient and use relatively small amounts of wood to heat without the use of electricity, gas, fans, or ducts. These appliances heat the home through burning wood in a firebox, which connects to channels inside a large thermal mass. After the fire is out the heater gradually radiates heat to the living space for many hours without causing large temperature fluctuations or drafts. Many homeowners prefer masonry heaters rather than gas, electric, or wood-stove heating methods for regular use, not just during power outages.

Outdoor oven by Martin Pearson

Masonry heaters can be built with an oven, which can be used anytime, but is especially important during times of disaster when electricity or gas may not be available.  Stand-alone outdoor brick ovens are another option. These are site-built using a pre-cast oven kit or built with firebrick.

Masonry heaters and bake ovens are appliances that masons should get specialized training in before building. The Masonry Heater Association of North America trains heater masons and oven builders.

For more information or for a list of builders in the U.S. and Canada contact Richard Smith, Executive Director, at 520-883-0191, e-mail execdir@mha-net.org or visit www.mha-net.org. 

Masonry Heater Workshop Oct. 26-31 or Oct 28-31, 2012

Masonry Heater Workshop Oct. 26-31 or Oct 28-31, 2012

  

Masonry Heaters are clean-burning heating appliances that use the renewable resource of wood for fuel. They are site built, with a core that is hand-built or pre-cast.  Masonry heaters use no electricity, gas, fans, or duct work, and work by storing heat in a thermal mass, then emitting radiant heat to the living space. Find out why Masonry Heaters are the best heating option today! Masons, skilled homeowners, and contractors interested in learning new skills will want to attend this intensive training session. 

  

The Heater Mason Development Program(HMED) has proven to be an excellent tool to learn more about masonry heaters. The curriculum is designed as an introductory course for masons or homeowners who want to know more about the heating appliance. This course may be used as a "professional credential" good towards the Certified Heater Mason program.

  

The workshop is being held October 26 - 31, 2012 near Sullivan Missouri, near St. Louis. Workshop participants will learn how masonry heaters work, and participate in the the basics of heater building,  hands-on heater core building, and hands-on oven core installation. A heated bench and wood-burning cook stove are also part of the program. This workshop is an approved HMED program for those wishing to become Certified Heater Masons.

  

The class schedule is as follows:

October 26-27: Intensive classroom training with HMED approved credit towards Certification (Certified Heater Mason). Heater builders who wish to be Certified Heater Masons can apply credits for this course. Other builders are encouraged to attend in order to learn the basics of Masonry Heaters which is extremely important! 

October 28-29: Hands-on workshop- build a contra-flow masonry heater with bake oven and heated bench.

October 30 -31: Hands-on workshop bonus- Build a wood-fired cook-stove!
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Those wishing to stay longer to assist with the exterior finishing work are welcome.

  

The project instructors are Jerry Frisch, owner of Lopez Quarries in Everett, Washington, Gary Hart, owner of Aaron's Ltd. Alternative Energy in High Ridge, Missouri, and Gene Padgitt, Vice President of HearthMasters, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. All three are Certified Heater Masons. Jerry Frisch is a master heater builder.

  

Cost for the four-day HMED workshop is $795 for MHA Members and $900 for non-members, plus bonus two-day cook stove workshop.  ALL 6 days!

Or 

$400 for non-HMED participants: attend any four days from Oct 28 - 31!

  

CEU's have been approved for CSIA and NFI. 

Visit www.mha-net.org or call Richard Smith, Executive Director, at   520-883-0191 for more information or to register for the workshops. Get your motel reservations in now! E-mail mha.association@yahoo.com  

High-Tech Old World Technology Latest Trend in Heating

By Marge Padgitt
HearthMasters, Inc.

Sometimes old things are better than new, like old houses, historic buildings, and castles. The latest trend in home heating fits into that category. Masonry heaters have been around for hundreds of years in Europe, but are just recently catching on in the U.S. And the great thing about heaters is that they are GREEN. People needed to heat their homes in an efficient manner in olden times just as today in order to save their forests. Inefficient open fireplaces took too much of their valuable resources, so another method had to be developed. No one knows who the first mason was who came up with the idea of devising something that would retain heat for long periods of time, then radiate it into the home while using less wood, but whoever he was he was a genius.

Masonry heaters have been redesigned and altered over the years by different masons in Finland, Russia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. But heaters all have the same characteristics with complex channels to slow down and trap heat from flue gasses, and a mass of masonry to retain that heat, then radiate it to the living space over a period of up to 20 hours. By the time the products of combustion get to the exit of the flue, the smoke is white, and the particulate emissions are very low. One load of wood can usually provide heating for the average size home for 8-12 hours. Compared to even the best high-efficiency wood–burning stoves on the market today, gas and oil-fired furnaces, and certainly inefficient open fireplaces, masonry heaters can’t be beat.

Custom granite masonry heater
Courtesy of HearthMasters, Inc.

Another benefit masonry heaters offer is that they don’t require electricity, gas, or ductwork to distribute the heat. In a properly designed home with an open floor plan and the heater in the center of the home, the heat will radiate evenly throughout. Ideally, heaters are built in new home construction, but they can be added to existing homes if the layout is right. Heaters require a suitable foundation to support the massive masonry, which weighs three to six tons by the time all of the firebrick, block, cast iron doors, dampers, and exterior masonry facing is installed.

Heaters can be enhanced with heated benches to sit on, mantels, wood storage bins, and even bake ovens. Pizza and bread from a wood-fired bake oven has an incredible and unique taste that is not to be missed, and entire meals can be cooked in the oven if desired. An experienced heater mason can not only design and build the right size and type of heater for a home but make it beautiful to look at as well. An exterior finish of soapstone, tile, sandstone, or brick can make a dramatic statement. Heater masons will work with the homeowner to come up with a custom design that suits the home or use one of many masonry heater kits that are available from several manufacturers (usually incorporating soapstone) in a variety of designs.

Use of natural non-toxic materials and the renewable resource of wood make masonry heaters the perfect solution for a green home.

The trade is very specialized, with only a few heater masons scattered across the U.S. Fortunately, most of these masons will travel to do installations. Some have even traveled to Japan, China, and South America to build heaters. Often several heater masons will help each other out since these are big projects. In days of old, the heater masons kept their trade secret, even to the point of not leaving the room until the heater was completely finished so no one else could see how the interior was built. At that time, the livelihood of the masons was dependent on this secrecy. The trade is so skilled that the only way to learn is to do hands-on assistance with an experienced heater mason, and that is part of the reason the Masonry Heater Association was formed. The older masons do not want this to become a lost art, so they help train others. The Certified Heater Mason program was developed by the experienced MHA members in order to assure that the knowledge is not lost.

In the U.S. many people are not yet aware of masonry heaters, so it is a challenge for a heater mason to make a living out of just building heaters. Most heater masons also build other types of projects such as fireplaces, chimneys, outdoor bake ovens. Some are timber frame or log home builders or own brickyards. Most are very aware of the green building trend and are interested in sustainable living. Many heater masons will travel to build a heater because they love doing it and love the satisfaction they get out of building something that is very specialized.

Pricing for heaters is what most would consider being on the high end, and a long-term investment. The average cost a homeowner may expect to pay is from $15,000 to $30,000, with price depending on the complexity of the heater, material costs, and labor. The expected time to get a return on your money is approximately 10 years. The time to build a completed heater may be up to four weeks or more, depending on how many skilled craftspeople are working. Many homeowners will elect to be an assistant on the job in order to lower their costs. In some cases, if a heater mason is traveling the homeowner will put him up at their house or a local hotel. When traveling the masons usually work long hours in order to get the project done sooner.

Mark Twain discovered masonry heaters while traveling through Europe and wrote about them: "All day long and until past midnight all parts of the room will be delightfully warm and comfortable … Its surface is not hot: you can put your hand on it anywhere and not get burnt. Consider these things. One firing is enough for the day: the cost is next to nothing: the heat produced is the same all day, instead of too hot and too cold by turns… America could adopt this stove, but does America do it? No, she sticks placidly to her own fearful and wonderful inventions in the stove line. The American wood stove, of whatever breed, is a terror. It requires more attention that a baby. It has to be fed every little while, it has to be watched all the time: and for all reward you are roasted half your time and frozen the other half... and when your wood bill comes in you think you have been supporting a volcano. It is certainly strange that useful customs and devices do not spread from country to country with more facility and promptness than they do."

Find out more about masonry heaters, including technical specifications and testing results, photos of heaters, manufacturers, and a list of heater masons, contact the Masonry Heater Association of North America through www.mha-net.org. There is a chat list set up for anyone interested in masonry heaters at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MasonryHeaters.

Marge Padgitt is a past board member for the MHA.  She is president of HearthMasters, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. Her husband, Gene Padgitt, is a Certified Heater Mason.