Many years ago I was thinking about building a masonry heater. I found a guy in Maine who was building them, and went up and spend a few days working with him on one - masons are usually happy to have a free laborer! Excellent entertainment, and I learned a lot, the most important thing being that I DID NOT REALLY WANT TO BUILD A MASONRY HEATER and bought a good wood stove instead. OK such a mini-apprenticeship will not often be possible, but even a few hours spend observing the actual construction, or just visiting with someone who has built one and picking their brain will be well worth the time as there are subtleties that the plans alone do not always convey. Oh also make sure that the plans you use have actually been built and used many time, and are not some internet genius's bright idea!
Masonry heaters still intrigue me but heating a house with one is like steering a supertanker - you must plan ahead and can make no last minute changes in course!
Masonry heaters still intrigue me but heating a house with one is like steering a supertanker - you must plan ahead and can make no last minute changes in course!
