I finally yanked out the Timberline, and have the BKK in place. While installing the firebrick (based off of the chart layout), I'm ending up with gaps- 1/4" to almost 1/2" on the sides. I've already re-cut one brick, and think I need to re-cut at least 2 more to tighten things up. Do I need to accomadate the cuts for expansion/contraction? Thanks, JB
Firebrick layout- BKK
- Thread starter Beetle-Kill
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Have a rager going in my stove right now otherwise I'd check. Maybe head over to the stove shop on Monday and compare your setup to a new stove?
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
A half inch seems like a lot, mine go in pretty snug. Probably 1/4 inch tops in a couple spots. Did you get the 2 layers right? My guess is that with 2 layers of brick and ash in the bottom of the stove, it probably doesn't matter. I only see the brick for a very brief period once every two to three weeks.
learnin to burn
Feeling the Heat
I have a gap in spots also. I just adjusted the bottom and top layers of brick so the gaps were not in the same place. After a few fires the ash fills in the gaps and acts as insulation.
The largest gaps are on the sides. I had one broken brick in the back which I replaced with a new brick. I'm recutting 2 more on either side at the front. I don't know about the double layer bottom, haven't got to them yet. I don't know if this is a factory condition 'cause when I got the stove home, my nephew yanked all the brick out before I got a chance to look inside. I've got a spare case of brick, and the tile saw cuts 'em like butter, so no worries.
Quick update, then this can die out. I re-cut some new brick on the front/sides, added about 1/2" and made it tighter but not too tight. The bottom layer I re-cut some, including a few 7/16" slabs for gap filling. The 2nd. bottom layer I also re-cut some, so the end result is nothing greater than a 1/8" gap anywhere. I don't know if this is the norm for this stove, but I feel much better knowing I have minimal clearance between the bricks now. Ash will fill the remaining spaces with no problems. I'm chalking up the excessive gaps to a hungover brick-cutter, not a big deal for me.
Since the stove have 2 layers of bricks and ash quickly fills the gaps, I'd say is of no concern. Once you get burning with this stove, you'll soon have a decent bed of ashes anyway. In fact, I'm amazed how cool the bottom of my BKK stays during operation.
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