Hello all!
Some of you may recall I did an insert install earlier this year. It's been fantastic, but the firebox is incredibly small. Only 1.5 cu ft I believe.
Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any adverse effect if I were to remove only the rear 4 or 5 fire bricks in order to free up some space and create a larger fire box. By my rough calcs, this could add another 300 cu in or .2 cu ft of space in the box. It sounds stupid, but I think it would actually make the box quite a bit "larger" because I really have trouble stacking more than 2 regular sized logs in there and being able to add a 3rd would really be nice.
Now, I know that the EPA rating and the efficiency of the burn may be reduced a bit because some heat will want to escape through the rear, but is that really such a bad thing? There is a blower on the bottom that draws air in and moves it along the bottom, up the back and then across the top of the firebox before it exits all nice and hot into the room. So, if the back of the firebox were to get a little hotter due to the removal of the fire brick, I would think that the air being blown across would heat up more as well.
Also, the back of the fireplace that the insert sits in is padded with about 6 inches deep of roxul batt. I don't think much energy will be wasted going to the wall at the back of my fireplace.
I'd love it if I could get a bit more room, and shoot some hotter air into the living space. You guys are the experts, so please me know how this little mod sounds to you!
Some of you may recall I did an insert install earlier this year. It's been fantastic, but the firebox is incredibly small. Only 1.5 cu ft I believe.
Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any adverse effect if I were to remove only the rear 4 or 5 fire bricks in order to free up some space and create a larger fire box. By my rough calcs, this could add another 300 cu in or .2 cu ft of space in the box. It sounds stupid, but I think it would actually make the box quite a bit "larger" because I really have trouble stacking more than 2 regular sized logs in there and being able to add a 3rd would really be nice.
Now, I know that the EPA rating and the efficiency of the burn may be reduced a bit because some heat will want to escape through the rear, but is that really such a bad thing? There is a blower on the bottom that draws air in and moves it along the bottom, up the back and then across the top of the firebox before it exits all nice and hot into the room. So, if the back of the firebox were to get a little hotter due to the removal of the fire brick, I would think that the air being blown across would heat up more as well.
Also, the back of the fireplace that the insert sits in is padded with about 6 inches deep of roxul batt. I don't think much energy will be wasted going to the wall at the back of my fireplace.
I'd love it if I could get a bit more room, and shoot some hotter air into the living space. You guys are the experts, so please me know how this little mod sounds to you!
