Archive for January, 2010
West Chester, PA: Fieldstone Finnish Contraflow Masonry Heater
January 30, 2010 by admin, under Fire Works Masonry News.
This project is a large stone masonry heater in a West Chester, PA home. The family’s old natural gas boiler was due for an expensive repair and servicing or complete replacement. The family decided to go for clean burning masonry heater instead for the home’s primary heat source.
After several design consultations the location and layout of the heater and chimney are determined. The first design was for a basic stone heater with a short bench.
After some deliberation, the family opted for a large stone heater with long bench runs. This heater would aesthetically and functionally better suit the space available.
The heater layout is finalized in the space. The heater’s rear wall will replace a load bearing beam so special design attention is placed on structural considerations as well as meeting or exceeding building codes.
The job begins with some demolition. A non-load bearing framed wall and flooring are removed to prepare for the heater installation.
A load bearing, steel reinforced concrete pad is tied into the existing concrete floor. This will be the base for the new heater construction. The heater starts with a load bearing block wall behind the heater. This will serve as the rear wall of the heater as well as support the floor above.
The heater’s core begins next. The construction goes quickly with the use of a Heat Kit core.
The core is completed as well as the base of the chimney up to the chimney shut-off damper. The chimney is lined with firebrick splits.
Next the internal masonry for the long heated benches are constructed. The benches are built using 8×12″ clay flue tile liners as well as firebrick channels for the more intricate bench turns. The multiple ash clean-out doors are visible.
With the core and heat exchange channels completed, the stone veneer starts.
The pictures below show the completed side stone panel as well as the bake-oven arch and large bluestone door lintel.
The heated benches are faced and capped in stone.
The heater doors are mounted to the stonework.
The colorful completed stone chimney.
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Valley Forge, PA Finnish Contraflow Masonry Heater: Heat Kit Core, Chimney & Bench Installation
January 27, 2010 by admin, under Fire Works Masonry News.
The owners of this great room addition designed the new space with energy efficiency in mind. This includes high R value wall insulation and windows, maximizing the solar gain from the southern windows and a clean burning masonry heater fireplace.
The client’s researched wood burning fireplaces online and decided to build a masonry heater. For the core, they were impressed by Masonry Stove Builders’ Heat Kit contraflow core.
From the loft, the high temperature concrete capping slabs are visible as well the masonry chimney to the rear. This is a “corner” unit with 45 degree downdraft channels on either side of the loading doors. The clay flue liners in front will be a warming bench. The rectangular holes in the flue tiles are “clean outs” providing seasonal access to clean fly ash out of the heater channels. the masonry chimney is visible behind the heater core.
The flue tiles provide additional heat transfer from the fire’s hot exhaust gases to the masonry stone veneer. The block chimney is located behind the heater. The masonry chimney will transition to a class “A”, double wall metal pipe above the top of the heater.
The Heat Kit’s white bake-oven is located directly above the firebox loading doors. The oven is warmed as the hot combustion gases pass over and under the pre-fabricated oven floor and arched top.
The heater will be faced with 4-6″ native Pennsylvania ledgerock.
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Pipersville, PA: Natural Fieldstone Retaining Wall
January 6, 2010 by admin, under Fire Works Masonry News.
This long, decorative natural fieldstone retaining wall surrounds the large greenhouse above. The wall replicates the many fieldstone walls on the property, some dating back to the 1700’s.
