Other Types of Masonry Heaters
Besides our real soapstone stoves, there are other types of stoves on the market that accumulate heat well. Known types are so-called ‘Grundofen’ stoves, including clay stoves and ceramic stoves. These types of stoves are built on-site. Therefore, if the interior is designed accordingly, they can be beautifully integrated into the space. Below are some typical examples.
These stoves often weigh over 1500 kilograms in total. Some are meant to heat the whole house, and some come also with a baking oven function. Therefore, the entire house construction should be adapted to this. It is important to check this in advance to avoid unpleasant and very costly surprises. The stoves use materials with a thermal coefficient that is approximately six times lower than good soapstone. This has several consequences, the most important of which is that the path for the smoke gases must be much longer than in a soapstone stove to be able to give off its heat. Hence, the stove must be very large. Additionally, it takes several hours for the stove to start radiating heat.
On the other hand, if properly heated with sufficient wood, it can do so for a day and night. ‘Sufficient wood’ typically means about 20 kilograms. The outer walls of the stove actually never get very warm, not more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit, enabling the use of tiles with colors and glues. Warmer walls could lead to problems with those materials used for decorating the walls. Given the low temperature difference between the stove wall and the room, these stoves are suitable for well-insulated spaces. They provide the same comfortable warmth as our soapstone stoves! The benches that are a part of the stove can be safely used.
The tradition is centuries old. In southern Germany, hundreds of this type of stoves are still built every year.
