Used Buck Model 81 - Maintenance

Hello,

I purchased a used Buck model 81 wood burning insert from a family friend. He used it for about 10 years. It's in pretty good shape overall. A few fire bricks need replaced, and I plan to redo the door gasket.

Right now the insert is sitting in the middle of my basement not hooked up. Now is the best time to do any type of maintenance on it before I install it. Besides the items mentioned above, what other items on the insert should I clean/maintain before installation? It is a non-cat.

Any guidance is appreciated.

I have a follow up to this. I pulled the cracked fire bricks out tonight. I noticed that the bricks were cemented in with some type of adhesive. When I replace the bricks, is it necessary to cement them in, or is it safe to just leave them in loose.

Furthermore, I noticed that the steel plate baffle has a curve to it. Does anyone know if the curve is part of the design or if this is due to warping?

I believe the bricks were all original. I am going to give Buck Stove a call tomorrow and see what their take is on these two items.

I just got off the phone with a woman at Buck. Here is a quick summary:

1) My baffle plate is curved. Is this by design or is it warped? Response: They are flat, so mine is warped. She said that if the warping is not bad and not blocking the flue, then I can continue using it. I'd say mine has about a 1/2 inch curve from the corner to the apex. I am just going to order a new one since the part is only around $30.

2) My baffle is made of plate steel. Are they still constructed of steel or has the design changed? Response: They are still made of steel. (smmm, you may want to call them about what they sent you)

3) The fire bricks are cemented to the walls of the stove. Is it necessary to cement in the replacement bricks? Response: The cement will eventually deteriorate because of the heat, so there is no need to cement in the new bricks.

4) There is a piece of insulation in the top of the stove. Should that insulation just sit on top of the baffle plate? Reponse: Yes.

It's worth noting that my Buck is over 10 years old. I'm sure they changed their manufacturing process along the way.

If I had to guess I would say the cement was used only to hold the bricks in place for shipping. Cementing the bottom bricks would allow them ship the unit on its back side without risk of the bricks falling.