Your Environment and Masonry Heaters

There is continuous debate around the world about the significance and substance behind the issue of global warming.  And although most scientists around the world who study climate agree that global warming is occurring, I am not going to enter that debate here.

Rather, it is wise to look at the overall bigger picture.  I can remember as a grade-school student learning about various kinds of pollution.  We looked at everything from noise pollution (loud, disturbing sounds) to visual pollution (too many, or obnoxious blinking signs, etc.) to the more common air pollution and litter.

Pollution of any kind is a disturbance to most healthy people.  Really, who wants to walk down a sidewalk and see trash lying around everywhere?  Who would enjoy loud boisterous music when she is wanting a quiet stroll in the park?  And who would think the smell and appearance of smog is one of the benefits of living in a big city?

A disturbance like excess noise or smog doesn’t have to cause a specific illness in order to be unhealthy.  The mere fact that it is a disturbance makes it unhealthy for a given individual.  Indeed, loud, blasting music might be a pure pleasure for the one who turned on the radio, but it could raise the blood pressure of someone who was looking forward to a quiet day or who just doesn’t like that kind of music.

Of course, it can again become debatable as to just how harmful blinking lights or loud noises can be.  But there is pretty uniform acceptance that air pollution is a threat to everyone’s health.  Recent elections resulted in widespread prohibitions on smoking in public places all over Ohio.  It doesn’t take a scientist to realize that breathing all kinds of chemicals and particles not normally part of the natural atmosphere is going to have unhealthy results.

Regardless of your overall feelings about the various kinds of pollution and their impact on health and well-being, you should be aware that a masonry heater is one of the lowest impact ways of heating in the world when it comes to any kind of pollution.

Consider sound. A masonry heater burns for a few hours a day at a time of your choosing.  The resulting “noise” is the crackling of a real wood fire.  There are no motors, fans, or blowers vibrating and running on and off all day long.

Consider the materials.  A soapstone heater is just that – thousands of pounds of soapstone, an all-natural stone simply cut to the right shapes to make a heater.  Or a kachelofen is simply fired clay - hardened earth. This means waste is an all-natural bunch of minerals.  It also means that the product has low embodied energy – the amount of energy needed to produce the stove.

Consider air pollution and CO₂ emissions.  Masonry heaters are the cleanest-burning woodburners in the world, burning its fuel at combustion efficiency approaching 100%.  This means that the exhaust of a masonry heater is mainly CO₂ and water.  What’s more, the quantity of CO₂ emitted is no more than what results from wood rotting in the forest.

                In short, masonry heaters are low-impact ways of heating that don’t depend on foreign oil or expensive electricity.  Masonry heaters are an intelligent choice for a cleaner, healthier, energy independent America.

Current Projects/Better Photos

As noted in my post below, better pictures were in order.  My client thankfully has a better camera than I and graciously provided these shots - and with a fire burning no less!  As you can see, this heater is unique from all perspectives.  The upper photo shows a chaise lounge styled sitting area, two different shelving units and decorative soapstone pieces.  There is no shortage of warm places to sit on this one-of-a-kind masonry heater.

Masonry Heaters are the Healthy Heating System

One of the many reasons a masonry heater is so good for you is that infrared radiant heat – that which comes from a masonry heater - is basically the same heat with which the human body has evolved over thousands of years. In our modern age, it is easy to forget that electronically controlled central heating systems are only about 50 years old. Meanwhile, for thousands of years, mankind has lived as part of the natural world. As such, the heat to which he is most accustomed is radiant heat. This radiant heat always came from either the sun or a fire.

The human skin and circulation system is profoundly affected by radiant heat. Anyone who has lived with a masonry heater can attest to this. And we get the resulting reaction all the time when someone walks into our showroom and feels the heat.

What you can literally feel is the penetrating warmth of this kind of heat. The air temperature can be surprisingly low to some people’s standards, yet they report that the feeling of comfortable warmth goes deep. I personally have lived with a masonry heater as my primary heat source for over ten years now. What I find is that I am much more comfortable in my home with an air temperature of 65 degrees F. than I am in someone else’s home with forced air heating at 72 degrees F.

The difference, of course, is the radiant heat and how our bodies react to it as opposed to moving warm air. The human skin is very sensitive to moving air. And the automatic physical reaction the body has to moving air is to constrict blood flow. Recall that moving air is the natural way that our bodies cool off, not warm up. So when the body senses moving air and the body is right on the borderline temperature between warm and not-warm, its reaction is to constrict blood flow to minimize the chances of cooling the blood, and thus, the rest of the body. So the natural reaction of your body to a forced air heating system is for it to reduce circulation. This not only makes you feel colder, but it also means the other health oriented tasks of blood circulation are reduced, making you more susceptible to colds, flu, and other illness.

On the contrary, a low-level radiant heat source provides just the bodily reaction we need when we want to be warm and comfortable. Gentle infrared radiant heat actually penetrates deep into the skin and warms every cell. The natural bodily reaction then is to open blood vessels wider, increasing blood flow to every part of your body.

Increased circulation, of course, enhances the function of the blood and all the systems of your body, resulting in a stronger constitution and lower susceptibility to illness. Increased blood circulation increases respiration and overall makes you feel more alive. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys being illness-free (um, and who isn’t?), then perhaps you should consider having a masonry heater in your home. Look for this column in future issues to find out other reasons masonry heat is healthy heat.