Interview with Hans Rainer
Interview with Hans Rainer
Hans Rainer, the managing director of the company Hans Rainer, heating systems and stove design and new fire GmbH, has been working as a ceramist and stove builder since 1986 and continues to build individual tiled and wood-burning stoves.
He deals intensively with the technical processes during the combustion process and can constantly improve the efficiency of his own stoves with this knowledge.
Mr. Rainer built the drinking water basin with thermal water connection and our tiled stove for soma.
What points of contact are there with Ayurveda/soma/Dr. Schachinger?
Dr. Schachinger is our family doctor and we had our children in a school together. Our daughter Annamaria works at soma and I have also been there with my wife as a spa guest.
Have you done a Pancha Karma cure yet?
Yes. My wife and I were among the first guests at the soma in Geboltskirchen. It was very special for us.
As a spa guest, what treatment did you enjoy most at soma?
Abhyanga, the oil massage, thermal water baths and especially the accompaniment of Dr. Schachinger and the therapists.
Do you also practice Ayurveda at home? Diet/meditation/detox etc?
Yes, I meditate regularly, do herbal detox about twice a year and we like to cook with Ayurvedic spices or use dietary supplements from the Ayurveda shop such as vitamin D, ...
What materials did you use to build the drinking basin and tiled stove?
The drinking basin was made of porcelain and was fired at 1300°C. The difficulty with porcelain is the high level of shrinkage, more so than with most clays. The pool had to be made 18% larger to be the right size after the fire. But the material is of course particularly beautiful.
For the tiles I use a tile tone. The tiles were fired at 1000°C and glazed with a clay glaze.
What are the ideas and inspirations behind it?
The inspiration for the water basin is a wave, which represents the water and forms the basin in its abstract form. The result is a sweeping line that stretches across a monolithic block. This creates depressions and elevations that direct the water into the pool.
The stove tiles and the glaze are handmade. The furnace is also a monolithic block. Based on the traditional shape of a tiled stove, a new shape was created. The rounded corners relate to the architectural elements of the house. The stove was created in cooperation with the architect Schrattenecker.
It is a storage stove with a weight of approx. 1200kg and is characterized by its special combustion quality. The burn-off is optimally regulated by a burn-off controller.
What are the challenges when building a tiled stove?
The tiled stove is a craft tradition that has always been very efficient. Further development with the use of high-quality fireclay makes it even more efficient and sustainable. The combustion process is tailored to the chimney and the given situation.
How are tiles made?
The tiles are handcrafted and built up in an old craft tradition. They are made out of clay.
First you make clay slabs, these are cut freely into tiles and ridges are mounted on the back.
Then they are dried, and you have to keep realigning them, otherwise the tiles may warp during drying.
After a few days of drying time, the raw tiles are fired at 940°C.
Then they are glazed and fired again at 1000°C.
How do you associate warmth/fire with soma?
The stove is an efficient, healthy heater with radiant heat, which should give the house well-being. It has a particularly beneficial effect on health, because the heat is generated when the heat rays hit the body - like the sun's rays.
In addition, wood is stored solar energy that is stored over the life cycle of the tree and released when it is burned.
“Fire delights the senses. It is an element that always accompanies us in all aspects of life. It cleans and gives strength and confidence - which soma also achieves." - Hans Rainer
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