The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Masonry Heater

Bobby's picture
Bobby

Masonry Heater

I am searching for a masonry heater for my home, and could use any and all experience and help choosing which one I will install. I could have it custom made or buy the core and finish it myself, but my question is concerning the bake oven. Does the bake oven get hot enough to do pizza and bread baking? Is there a brand that does not work as well as others, as far as the bake oven goes? I think if the bake oven option does not work so well I am still going to put the heater in our home, because of the efficiency of this type of fireplace.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Is this what you're thinking about? Try googling Kacheloven or Kachelofen also. Here is one site:

http://www.ceramicstoday.com/articles/kachelofen.htm

I have not seen any such heaters with baking oven attatchments although I have seen Italian flue inserts for baking pizzas designed to be built into masonrywork above fireplaces. 

I think the two concepts are in conflict.  The heating-oven designed to heat the house, would be massive and designed to retain the heat of a short burning fire for a long period of time.  The baking oven, by shear conception, creates a "hole" where heat can escape the  house-heating-oven.  A solution could be to design a massive or well insulated door and frame to the baking oven.  

Just a thought,  Mini O 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

I can picture my massive log house get-a-way with one of these ovens right smack in the middle of the cabin, with a baking oven attatchment (sourdough rye baking), water heating capabilities and a hidden hot tub at floor level (retractable floor doors of course) lit by glass-in-fireplace.  The mansonry running down the wall and into the tub.  Call me a romantic... Mini Oven

Bobby's picture
Bobby

That sounds great to me, and yes that is exactly what I want to put it in is a log cabin. This is what I am talking about as for the masonry heater with the oven over the main fire box.

http://mha-net.org/

I just need to know if they get up to temp. and maintain the heat necessary to bake pizza and bread,

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

into the system, make sure you install a safety pressure valve. A cabin blew up in Austria over the weekend killing at least two young people, others injured. First it was thought to be a gas explosion, investigation showed it was a water heater both the intake and exit valves were closed, so the water heated up when the main fire box was lit and then hours later exploded, the pressure had no safe way of escaping. --Mini Oven