Is this a "tulakivi" style? Does anyone own a similar one, and what do you burn in it? What do I need to do to make sure it's in order before using it, and what should I be looking forward to in terms of a daily operational schedule?
This isn't a Tulikivi. This one was site built from scratch by a mason or the homeowner 35 years ago. You burn firewood that is dry - just like you would in a woodstove. Your burning style will be different though. Whereas a wood stove burner wants their stove to burn most of the time (in winter), like already said, you want to burn a load of firewood at full burn once or twice a day.
Your firewood would probably be best if the same size and not too big. Whereas a wood stove burner wants some big pieces for overnight burns. You don't want your fire to have one piece that keeps burning when the rest are already burned.
You will open the damper at the start of building your fire, burn your fire (a couple of hours), and than close the damper (else you will be losing heat up the chimney).
To make sure it is in order, check the firebricks in the firebox. After 35 years some might be damaged. Check the grate, too. It might be toast after that long. You will need to clean the ash out of the side channels (hopefully there are little doors so you can stick a vacuum head in, but I can't see any in the pictures but their there somewhere). You need to have the chimney inspected/cleaned just like a wood stove. And you need dry firewood. And you can stick your wood vertically in the firebox if you want to get more in there (there is space).
Daily operation - this will depend on your families schedule. You will need a 2 to 3 hour block of time to do your daily burn. If you work an 8 am to 5 pm job probably best to do your burn after work. If retired or someone is home, maybe better in the morning. I would get a timer. Once you get a feel for how long your typical fires burn you could start setting your timer. It is easy to forget and leave the damper open.
Woody Stover, Ya in the picture that is an ash door and air door in one. It is opened when the fire is started. Air has to get into the burning fire somehow. There is a gap between the door and the firebox floor for air to go up and into the burning fire. Sometimes there are air louvers built into the doors but it doesn't look like it here. There is probably a grate in the firebox. The ashes usually fall into a pan unless there is a basement support structure below the mass heater.
Lastly, you could update your heater with a glass door if you wanted to. Nice thing about masonry heaters is that after 35 years they should still be in the prime of their useful burning lives.
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