Types of fire bricks

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Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 11:28 pm

Was wondering if there’s a fire brick guru on here that could pass along some info.

All I am aware of is:

1. High density bricks from TSC from US Stove.

2. Pumice bricks. Some say these are highly insulating, but that the binders break down quickly as well. I don’t know. They are also much lighter in physical weight.

3. Soapstone

Am I missing anything?
I’ve heard of ceramic insulating bricks, but not familiar with who or where they come from.


Obviously, the Hitzer uses some sort of heavy high density brick. I believe 1 1/4” thick.

I have a Lopi Liberty stove that uses their bricks, supposedly a heavy high density brick as well.

I have an even older pre-EPA stove that appears to have some really thick bricks in it. Haven’t taken them out yet, but they appear to be 2” to 2 1/4” thick. In this old stove, those bricks have been in there a long time, my cousin used the stove, I used the stove, and these bricks are in really good shape last I checked.

The Lopi stove needs some new bricks. I thought about using soapstone or some sort of “high tech, high insulating” bricks if there is such a thing. Not sure you can beat soapstone, so I thought I’d ask this crew.

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 11:52 pm

Insulating firebrick is far superior to hard brick, but cannot take any abrasion. It is soft and easily cut with a rough saw. It is ideal for oil burner combustion chambers.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 2:23 am

franco b wrote:
Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 11:52 pm
Insulating firebrick is far superior to hard brick, but cannot take any abrasion. It is soft and easily cut with a rough saw. It is ideal for oil burner combustion chambers.
They are also used for clay pottery kilns...
Cone 10...

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:22 am

The old stove has one layer of fire brick on the floor of the stove and one on the side walls, but the side bricks are turned in their side and are only about 4 inches tall, but thicker than typical 1 1/4” bricks.

Was just doing some reading. Soapstone obviously absorbs and radiates heat. It insulated and radiates heat.

It seems some of these “high tech” insulating brick materials I just read about this morning can withstand super high temp. Upwards of 2500F, yet don’t absorb so much heat.

I can see either of these increasing fire box temperatures. I’m just wanting to totally encase a fire box to:

-protect the steel of the stove

-use less energy to reach a certain temperature

-also radiate some heat

-help increase internal temps to help with secondary and tertiary burn of smoke (fuel)


Over the winter out in the shop I’m going to be playing around with an old pre-EPA wood stove by building a retro-fit secondary air tube system for this old wood stove. I’m thinking it might help maintaining internal temperatures by fully insulating the fire box, complete side walls and above the fire box. It may be advantageous to use insulating baffle board material or insulating blanket material above the fire, although bricks have been proven to be more durable above the fire.


 
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Post by franco b » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:47 am

The Lopi stove I mentioned in a previous post used a ceramic hollow baffle to supply secondary air above the fire just at the point the flue gas had to reverse to exit the stove.

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 11:46 am

The Lopi Liberty I just bought has a brick baffle, super durable and well insulating.

The new 2020 Lopi Liberty has an insulating baffle board AND an insulating blanket. They apparently gained some height in the fire box by switching away from the brick baffle and gained more room for wood as well as a larger viewing door. The Liberty was an E/W loader only unless you cut wood much shorter for n/s loading, but now the box is almost square. A plus in my book. It also has 5 air tubes now, versus my stoves 3, and gained 100 pounds in weight over my stove.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Aug. 24, 2020 11:24 am

Hoytman wrote:
Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:22 am
The old stove has one layer of fire brick on the floor of the stove and one on the side walls, but the side bricks are turned in their side and are only about 4 inches tall, but thicker than typical 1 1/4” bricks.

Was just doing some reading. Soapstone obviously absorbs and radiates heat. It insulated and radiates heat.

It seems some of these “high tech” insulating brick materials I just read about this morning can withstand super high temp. Upwards of 2500F, yet don’t absorb so much heat.

I can see either of these increasing fire box temperatures. I’m just wanting to totally encase a fire box to:

-protect the steel of the stove

-use less energy to reach a certain temperature

-also radiate some heat

-help increase internal temps to help with secondary and tertiary burn of smoke (fuel)


Over the winter out in the shop I’m going to be playing around with an old pre-EPA wood stove by building a retro-fit secondary air tube system for this old wood stove. I’m thinking it might help maintaining internal temperatures by fully insulating the fire box, complete side walls and above the fire box. It may be advantageous to use insulating baffle board material or insulating blanket material above the fire, although bricks have been proven to be more durable above the fire.
==========================================================================================

When I filled my hand fed wood and coal boilers firebox volume half full of full firebrick up to the flue breech I reduced the firebox volume by half and also made the boiler more efficient by creating a huge thermal mass that absorbed heat, burned smoke and reduced my coal and wood consumption.

Go to Lowes to buy your firebrick, I found the TSC firebrick to be of poor quality.

If you fill the firebox volume half full of firebrick up to the flue breech you will have a huge heat sink that will do the following:

1. absorb heat
2. hold the heat from the fire to reduce smoke loss and burn up the smoke
3. slowly radiate heat back into the firebox aid in burning smoke before it exits the firebox

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