Ceramic blanket, needed or not?

[jinxy]

Hello,

I have a new insert, but I am questioning the necessity of the ceramic blanket. There are two ceramic baffle plates with the blanket on top. After cleaning the flue earlier in the season, I was not impressed by all the little ceramic fibers which act as an irritant to skin and lungs. My question regards the necessity of the blanket and whether the ceramic plates are good enough for efficiency and safety. The blanket is a real p.i.t.a when it comes to cleaning the unit.

Your thoughts, please. Thank you......................Jinxy

 

[Nick Mystic]

I can't give a definitive answer, but it seems to me that the manufacturer wouldn't have gone to the expense and effort to include the blanket if it wasn't a necessary component.
When I clean the top section of my stove I fold my blanket over on itself, then carefully lift it out of the stove. Once outside i gently open it up and hold it vertically while I softly tap the bottom with my gloved hand to knock loose as much ash as I can. I then put it back in place on top of the baffle in the stove. You definitely don't want to try using a vacuum cleaner on it since it is delicate and would quickly be sucked into the vacuum tube (at least part of it will). Perhaps someone with more knowledge will give a response based on hard fact and not just speculation on whether or not it's necessary. I would be concerned with warping the top of my stove from over firing if it didn't have that blanket in place.

 

[firefighterjake]

Blanket is an integral part of the baffle system . . . it acts as additional insulation to help with the temps.

 

[Huntindog1]

I agree with firefighterjake. You will loose performance of your stove if you remove that blanket. Its all about keeping the heat up in the firebox at the lowest input air settings for the all night burn cycle.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I agree with firefighterjake. You will loose performance of your stove if you remove that blanket. Its all about keeping the heat up in the firebox at the lowest input air settings for the all night burn cycle.

It definitely helps keep the heat in. I replaced a pretty thin, tore up one this fall. HUGE difference in heat output of the stove. I can run the air control nearly closed now vs a quarter or more open. And it also helps seal up the seam in the baffle boards.

 

[Hatrackr]

Are all inserts supposed to have a blanket? My kodiak 1700 does not have one should it?

 

[velvetfoot]

Neither does mine.

 

[Hatrackr]

Ok thanks was wondering if it didn't get shipped with my insert was hoping I didn't miss something like that!

 

[mellow]

Some come with it, some don't, just depends on the testing the manufacturer went through. My Jotul didn't have one either. Usually you will see them on top of a baffle that is more than 1 part to help fill the cracks between the pieces.

 

[rwhite]

My Osburn listed a baffle and blanket from the mfg. Neither came with it when I bought it used. I installed both and could never tell a difference with or with the blanket. It was such a pain. To clean I just left it out.

 

[jinxy]

The verdict is in.......................Use the blanket.
For a week I burned without the blanket and just had the ceramic baffles in. Yesterday, I reinstalled the ceramic blanket. BIG difference in performance. Higher temperatures and a more efficient burn to the point that I had to reduce the air input significantly. Guess I'll have to learn to love the blanket.

Thanks to all for your input. It has been an interesting experiment........Jinxy