Home heating: Wood-burning Tulikivi

By the time we were partway through the search for our Oregon home, we had decided on our preferred heating source: wood, burned in a highly efficient masonry, stone, or ceramic heater. Wood is abundant in the Pacific Northwest, and capable of being used sustainably (if trees grow at least as fast as we fell them for wood products). We settled on a Tulikivi heater, which is crafted from soapstone (talc schist to geologists), a rock with marvelous heat-related properties that make it ideal for our plans. [Check out the Wikipedia page on soapstone for more information, or this link
for more information about Tulikivis specifically.] Another attraction for us: The Tulikivi's high-efficiency combustion greatly reduces emissions of all types compared to a typical stove or fireplace.

As we toured houses in our search, we made “fitting in a Tulikivi” a primary consideration. Once we had decided on Terribly Happy, I contacted Uwe Mirsch, who is Tulikivi’s representative in the Pacific Northwest. He could have lived in Seattle. Or Portland. Or Boise. Or a thousand other places. But he and his family live outside…Cottage Grove! ¡Que bueno!

The house at Terribly Happy came with a furnace/duct system powered by fuel oil, a non-renewable fossil fuel that had to be trucked in, with cost and availability completely out of the homeowner's control. After Uwe installed the Tulikivi by the end of August, we could regretlessly(?!) remove the existing furnace and fuel-oil tank (necessary to provide room for the rainwater catchment; see separate post) and duct system (necessary to provide access for the insulation installers….yes, this house had no insulation in the floors!).

Because the Tulikivi weighs so much, Uwe had to cut through the floor and install support piers. Here’s what that looked like before he covered it.

After covering, and before the heat shield on the wall went up:

The final installation, including the heat shield:

I missed the entire process because I had to return to San José, where I was still chair of the Department of Geology. When I came back in the fall, though, I got on very close terms with our Tulikivi heater.

A key step remained: insulation of the floor. Estevan Slaughter and crew installed R-30 (or so) insulation in late winter, and overnight (literally!) the amount of wood required for a given internal temperature was cut by 50%! Shazam! We love our Tulikivi—and Uwe and his family, who have become good friends of ours.

One final note that, though not related to the Tulikivi, fits in here because of physical proximity. Check out the wall to my left as I hug the Tulikivi in the above picture. Nothing there. Now check out our nifty bookcases and "home-theater" setup!

Thanks to Kerns Cabinets of Eugene for this. Staining it is another of our upcoming winter projects.