Wood Burning Masonry Heaters

Comparison between Masonry Heaters and a Metal Stoves.

There is a lot to consider and if based purely on initial financial terms then the Metal stove will win hands down, please look in depth at all the benefits and should you require any further information please do not hesitate in contacting us.

  • The masonry heater burns very hot (1200 - 1500 deg) which burns off all the useable fuel and volatile elements in the combustion chamber giving clean zero cool emissions out of the chimney therefore suitable for smoke control areas. Metal stoves in contrast burn at (400 -600 deg) well below the combustion temperature required to remove the volatile gases and therefore releases wasted heat and emissions to the atmosphere.

  • The Masonry stove external surfaces are safe and warm to the touch with even the glass door being cooler than the external surfaces of a metal stove which would burn the skin badly if touched.

  • The Masonry stove produces completely Radiant heat which heats the other surfaces of the building which in turn radiate further to subsequently warm the living beings in the rooms. This heat causes no convection circulation drafts which are themselves a cooling effect. Metal stoves do have some radiant heat but also cause convection currents in the rooms which cause drafts. Metal stoves therefore need to heat more to try and compensate for the cooling drafts.

  • The heat in the room where the Masonry heater is located is roughly the same as surrounding rooms when partition doors are left open whereas with metal stoves the heat is much higher near the Stove and much lower the further from the stove you are. Like an open fire the benefits are only felt if your near the heat source.

  • Masonry heaters produce up to 250,000btu 73Kw of output based on 22Kg of fuel which is given more or less evenly over an 18 - 24 hour period (3Kw/hr or 3.13Kw/Kg) whereas a metal stove with a rating of say 11kw Output is based on 12kg of fuel over a cycle of 11 hours (1Kw/hr average or 0.91Kw/Kg)and gives off its heat very unevenly with majority being produced at the start tapering off to nothing at the end unless continually attended too.

  • Masonry heaters require only one load / burn per day (maybe with a second small top up burn after 8 - 12 hours if ambient temperature is very cold, whereas a metal stove needs constant attention and additional fuel to maintain the heat.

  • Masonry heaters do not burn the dust in the air as with metal stoves therefore giving a much more pleasant and healthy atmosphere in the building. As Mark Twain wrote about a metal stove "It warms no part of the room but its own part; it breeds headaches and suffocation, and makes one's skin feel dry and feverish".

  • Masonry heaters are much more expensive to install but far cheaper to run, but must be seen as a long term investment with both long term financial and short term health and satisfaction


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