Hello, I have a Drolet Escape 1800 going into the third year of use. I had a few burns this year but the super cold air is coming so I plan on kicking it into high gear. I was cleaning it up and i inspected the firebricks. The bricks around the side look fine. The bricks on the bottom look pretty rough. All of them near the center are starting to fail, they look like they have disintegrated on the surface about a 1/4 inch. The two rear corner bricks are cracked. My question is does it matter what brand of firebrick I use to replace them? Is firebrick firebrick, or do I specifically need Drolet or sbi brand? The main reason being the local stores, Menards and Tractor Supply carry Vogelzang and US Stove Co bricks respectively, and for a much cheaper price than ordering online. Thank you.
Firebricks... Does brand matter?
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I'm building a masonry heater and I've did some research on firebrick. What I learned is firebrick generally comes in 3 or 4 duty statuses. The higher the duty status the more metal (alumina, up to 99%) and less sand (silica). The lower status firebricks will have like 20% metal in them and 80% sand. The more metal in the brick the better, right?
Not necessarily. The super duty/high metal bricks don't expand and contract very well - they form little fractures within the bricks. Wood stoves heat up and cool down so these bricks may not like this. They do better if they get very hot and stay hot (like in an incinerator). However these super duty bricks won't pit out like some of your bricks are doing. Your bricks are low duty firebricks and probably contain about 20 to 25% metal in them. They aren't very tough but with the higher sand content they expand and contract well so they won't form little fractures within them.
The best firebrick? Probably a medium/high duty firebrick - which contains about 35-55% alumina (metal). This brick will not get the little internal fractures and it won't pit out as fast from friction. Generally, the higher the duty status of the brick the higher the cost. If you are in the midwest Whitacre Greer (20% metal brick) and Alsey refractories (the smithfield a medium/high duty firebrick) are the go to firebricks for many masons.
Not necessarily. The super duty/high metal bricks don't expand and contract very well - they form little fractures within the bricks. Wood stoves heat up and cool down so these bricks may not like this. They do better if they get very hot and stay hot (like in an incinerator). However these super duty bricks won't pit out like some of your bricks are doing. Your bricks are low duty firebricks and probably contain about 20 to 25% metal in them. They aren't very tough but with the higher sand content they expand and contract well so they won't form little fractures within them.
The best firebrick? Probably a medium/high duty firebrick - which contains about 35-55% alumina (metal). This brick will not get the little internal fractures and it won't pit out as fast from friction. Generally, the higher the duty status of the brick the higher the cost. If you are in the midwest Whitacre Greer (20% metal brick) and Alsey refractories (the smithfield a medium/high duty firebrick) are the go to firebricks for many masons.
If you are on planet Earth, the Drolet firebrick is the same ones as sold at TSC and Menards.
Now, quit reading and get that masonry heater done byQ and let us know how it works.
Now, quit reading and get that masonry heater done byQ and let us know how it works.
Thank you both for taking the time to reply to me. BrotherBart, any time I am reading in this forum, I find myself looking to see what BrotherBart has to say about the topic. ByQ, I had no idea what the difference was with different firebrick and that is very interesting info. Good luck with that masonry heater! They look awesome!
I am assuming my original firebrick is on the very low end, but equivalent to the quality of the firebrick sold at Menards, I'll probably end up going with a that and replacing every 2-3 years for the convenience of local accessibility, and low cost.
I am assuming my original firebrick is on the very low end, but equivalent to the quality of the firebrick sold at Menards, I'll probably end up going with a that and replacing every 2-3 years for the convenience of local accessibility, and low cost.
Hey Brotherbart, I picked up a couple packs of the Vogelzang bricks. Once home I noticed the new ones are much heavier, and smooth, where the old ones (even on the back sides) are more porous and light. Still assuming they're ok to use in my stove?
Looks like a Woodstock Palladian stove there. Is this stove the one that will be installed? If so, why worry about the Drolet?
Hi Begreen, it's my Drolet, I'm the op, byQ was just helping out with my original question and we took interest in his masonry heater he mentioned.
Sorry kipp, I'll remove that post. The heavier firebricks will be less insulating. I'm guessing that the lighter bricks will force the wood stove to hold it's heat better which will increase the internal temperature of the stove and make for a better burn(?).
The light pumice bricks are fine on the sides for insulating value but useless on the bottom of the firebox where the splits will beat them to pieces in no time.
Well I used the new bricks last evening on the bottom of the stove and I didn't notice any difference in the burn at all. So that's good. Yes those original lighter ones were getting pretty chewed up from use.
After looking around online, it looks like the ones I see for sale most places are the heavier dense ones. I suppose I'll have to go to a stove shop to get the lighter ones if I have a problem with the side bricks?
After looking around online, it looks like the ones I see for sale most places are the heavier dense ones. I suppose I'll have to go to a stove shop to get the lighter ones if I have a problem with the side bricks?
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