Cast iron has been used to create solid fuel heating systems in the US since 1642. Essentially these were boxes, made from flat sheets of cast iron pinned or bolted together. In the 1740′s Benjamin Franklin improved on the idea for a cast iron wood burning stove creating the Pennsylvania Stove. Over the next 60 years, several redesigns and improvements led to the kind of cast iron wood burners we use today. Incorporating a slanted fire-back and adjustable damper giving efficient heat and control to the householder.
During the 200 years since then, the basic concept of the cast iron wood burner has remained the same. But, with worries about pollution from wood-burning in the 1980s new models are much more efficient at cleanly burning wood.
Cast Iron Wood Burners
Cast iron has been viewed as a perfect material for wood burning stoves for a number of reasons:
- It is able to withstand the stresses and strains of changing temperatures.
- It quickly dissipates heat, so if one part of the fire is hot, the heat is spread so the whole fire is evenly warm.
- Although strong, cast iron is extremely easy to drill allowing for simple fixings.
- It is simple to incorporate decoration when pouring the cast iron and it will accept enamel easily. This is probably part of it’s charm, cast iron personifies the Victorian era.
- Being made up in sections, it is simple to replace any damaged cast iron panel.
- Cast iron radiates heat well, and for a significant amount of time after the fire is finished.
Cast iron wood burning stoves are available in both antique and modernist designs. Cheaper fires will often incorporate some sheet steel in their construction. This is not a particularly bad thing, as welding makes sheet steel extremely easy to fit tightly together. The sealed wood burning stove is an efficient wood burner.
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