[Stoves] Wood-fired masonry heaters - training

[Andrew Heggie]

On 20 August 2017 at 16:12, alex english <aenglish444 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Andrew,
> Norbert Snef, who used to read this list, is the guy to answer your
> question. I would just point out that he and others involved took a
> technical approach. All ideas had to be tested and produce data that proved
> the improvement was valid. From what I understood few did. However  I seem
> to recall that this approach did generate an evolution of the designs that
> had lowest emissions, over what must be close to three decades of testing.

Thanks Alex, I remember Norbert Senf and his involvement with Masonry
heaters, what lessons can we learn from them?


>
> One of the tricks was to flatten the start up burn rate with careful
> attention to air flow.  No surprise, but needed proof.

Can you expand on this, do you mean the burn was contriolled so it did
not go into a runaway pyrolysis mode?


>
> What I haven't seen, and may be one of their problem in the trade is the
> quantification of standby (no fire) losses.

Crispin has mentioned one way this is done. Incidently I have the
opposite problem during the non-heating season with the flue of my
pellet heater, I have to leave the ash pan open a bit to allow enough
convection to prevent the chimney becoming damp from rain.


>
> Already said to much:)

Never, we don't hear enough from you or other practical and technical
contributors amid the welter of "political" posts.

Andrew