History

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For hundreds of years, tile and stucco stoves or Kachelofens have been heating the castles of Kings and peasants alike. Elegant handmade tiles adorn Kachelofens in castles of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Russia, and many other countries. As practical as they are beautiful, people have used Kachelofens to heat the house and keep things warm and dry. Peasants would build beds over their Kachelofens to stay warm on cold nights. They would also create special racks to dry towels, coats, hats and gloves.

Kachelofens became popular when wood resources close to home became scarce. People would have to wander farther to find burnable wood. The energy efficient Kachelofens only required a small fire, allowing people to stay closer to home because they didn’t need to gather as much wood. Kachelofens saved people precious time since they didn’t need to gather as much wood and they didn’t need to spend all day feeding a fire. They could build one small fire that would provide heat for as long as 12 hours. In 1891, Mark Twain wrote about Kachelofens in his book "Europe and Elsewhere". As he traveled around Europe, he admired the efficiency and warmth they produced. He said: “One firing is enough for the day; the cost is next to nothing; the heat produced is the same all day, instead of too hot and too cold by turns”

Early contests were held that challenged people to create designs that minimized wood consumption while providing ample heat. Over the years more efficient designs were developed. Striving for maximum efficiency still drives the design of the Biofire today. Modern Biofire Kachelofens produce a combustion efficiency of 90%, which means that almost all of the energy created from a fire in a Biofire Kachelofens turns into heat for your home.

Biofires produce wonderful radiant heat, which is similar to the heat from the sun. Radiant heat, like the heat from the sun's rays, warms objects, not just air. Biofire Kachelofens provide sustained warmth that comfortably heats your entire house without getting too hot. Mark Twain had this to say about the type of heat that Biofire Kachelofen provides: "All day long and until past midnight, all parts of the room will be delightfully warm and comfortable, and there will be no headaches and no sense of closeness or oppression...his whole day is a realized dream of bodily comfort.".

For over 23 years, we have been helping to bring the beauty and wonderful warmth of the Original Biofire Kachelofens into American homes. Biofire Kachelofens give you superior warmth and comfort for many years. Call us today and let us design one for you. You'll be glad you did.

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History

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