Masonry fireplaces, also called Russian Stoves.
From the description in the blurb for a book they sell on how and why to construct a masonry stove.
The type of fireplace we built is traditionally called a “masonry stove” or “masonry heater”. It is also called a “Russian fireplace”, but the idea came from eastern Europe more than Russia. The original designs had solid doors like stoves. The type I advocate are made to look like fireplaces yet function as masonry stoves, so they are best described as “masonry fireplaces”. I use the terms stove or heater interchangeably, and fireplace to specify stoves with a visible fire.
Masonry stoves are designed to burn a hot fire, with the air supply and chimney damper wide open. This results in a clean burn, with little visible smoke. The distinctive feature of the heaters is a series of baffles to pull the heat out of the exhaust. The masonry absorbs the heat of the fire, then radiates it gradually back into the room.
The Masonry Stoves of Europe gain a Strong Foothold in North America
Technology as old as the hills brings us the safest, most environmentally friendly heating system in the world.
Want a superb way to heat your house that does not depend on electricity, fossil fuel or a HUGE woodpile out back? Look into masonry heaters - the generic name for tile stoves, kachelofens, heat-storing fireplaces, ceramic stoves, grundofens, Russian or Finnish fireplaces, and fireplace furnaces. Non-polluting, safe and cost-effective, they use less fuel wood per heating season than your ordinary stove or fireplace. The surface is never too hot to touch, the warmth they radiate has been likened to sunshine, and they originated in “the old country.”
For many centuries, the peasants and princes of Europe warmed up hut and palace alike with massive masonry and tile stoves. These ranged from the simplest of whitewashed clay stoves to the ornate, tile-clad masterpieces of the wealthy.
The basic designs for most of the masonry heaters in use today were developed during Europe’s “Little Ice Age” from 1500 to 1800, when wood was in extremely short supply and fossil fuel not yet widely available.
The Masonry Heater Association of North America
This is the hub for masonry heater resources/masons.
The fire in a Russian fireplace heats the secondary combustion chamber to a high enough temperature to ignite all resins in the smoke. The temperature in the secondary combustion chamber can reach 1800 degrees or more.
The combustion of all resins means not only will the maximum amount of heat be released from the wood burned, but also that there is very little pollution.
The other major feature of a Russian fireplace design is that the exhaust from the fire passes through a maze-like series of baffles before exiting the chimney. This allows transfer of all the heat produced by the complete burn to pass to the masonry mass.
Why am I suddenly interested in masonry stoves? Because it seems to be a time-tested, European designed, way of heating and cooking (masonry ovens make great bread and pizza) that is very efficient and has little environmental impact. It would seem useful to those of us who live in or wish to relocate to areas of the country where it’s not always balmy and 70 degrees year round. If one can fire up one of these stoves once, and have it radiate heat for two-three days, that seems like an efficient use of time and resources to me.
God bless,
Laurel
