Baffle Firebrick both cracked Regency i2400

[chazcarr]

Hi guys,

Just had my chimney sweeped, and when the guy was vacuuming out the stove he removed the firebrick baffle from my Regency and they were both in two pieces.

He mentioned that he sees that a lot and that the bricks are not crumbling yet and are only 3 years old and that I should get at least another 2-3 years out of it before I have to replace them.

He has been a good chimney sweep for the last three years, but I somehow doubt this logic. The baffles are cracked in half, and they do fit snuggley together without any noticeable gaps.

Should I replace them anyways, or is this guy correct? They seem pretty expensive to buy and difficult to find. Can baffles be made from regular firebrick when I need to replace them?

 

[pen]

If they fit back together soundly, then perhaps try a little furnace cement in the seam on each side of the break then push them back together?

Also, i'd be saving for the spare set of baffles. Once purchased (hopefully before this burning season if possible) just store them safely until you really need them.

As far as replacing the baffle with another firebrick, it may be possible but I'm not sure what the dimensions are in this case or exactly what the originals were made of. About 5 years ago I helped a friend who purchased an EPA EarthStove that had broken baffle bricks and I replaced them with regular bricks (after a lot of cutting) and they have worked fine. With different burn tubes in different stoves, not all would support the weight of standard brick and I'm not sure how workable the light weight bricks are

pen

 

[Regency139]

My top baffles broke this past February. I went to my local dealer and they had to special order the baffles and I was told it would take two weeks. A month later they arrived. That's one month in the middle of the heating season without the stove. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper. I emailed regency and their response was that non stock parts take 2-4 weeks to deliver and sometimes longer. They also stated that they apoligise that appropriate expectations were not set from the beginning from my dealer. I would order a set now so your not stuck like I was.

With a part that has a life span and or the possibility of breaking I'm still suprised that it's not something that would be easier to obtain in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Dieselbreath]

I had the same thing happen to my baffles. I was shocked to see how much Regency wanted for a set so I bought some material from Ebay and cut my own. I was initially concerned because the material seemed so lite but its held up for 2 seasons so far. Don't remember the name of the manufacturer but I learned about them from this site. You might want to do a search.

 

[Jags]

The baffles will continue to work if they are not crumbling apart. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't have a spare set on hand, however.

 

[chazcarr]

Thanks, I feel better about it now. I will look for the cement, any brands in particular that are recommended? I guess I will go order another set. I don't have the tools to cut my own I think.

 

[begreen]

For a replacement you can use a good high-density, ceramic fiberboard of the correct thickness. It cuts easily with a utility knife. Use the old one as a pattern.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...ensity+ceramic+fiber+board&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

What's the warranty, 1 year? How much do they cost to replace? Unfortunately I would bite the bullet and order them ASAP. Get it replaced before heating season starts and be done with it. But I'm curious about how much these things cost if you can post what you found out that be great...Thanks

 

[STOVEGUY11]

The baffle has a life time warranty. But they usually want a picture to prove they have failed. To purchase a set for back up, I believe they are around $60

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Thanks, I say you try to get a 1 time replacement on the fire wall due to only being 2-3 years old, it doesn't hurt to try. If they will replace the baffle, you don't need any backups..... Do it now, don't delay