Older Large Fisher Woodburner Fire Brick Remove/Replace

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diamondjfarmwv

New Member
Jan 7, 2024
3
West Virginia, USA
Hello. I need ya'lls help. Me, the wife, and our special-needs adult son live here in west-central WV for 12 years. Have an older (house was built in 1978) Fisher 2-Dr Woodburner in the basement. Bout half the fire brick (mostly from the top down) is missing. Only use the stove a couple of times each winter when the power goes off. I've laid a few block and brick over the years. Would be grateful for any help on where/how to get started. I know. Shoulda done this last summer or early fall. My bad.
 
Brick replacement is generally easy. You will need to get some at a good brickyard or masonry supply store. These will be what are called "splits" that are 1.25" x 9" x 4.5". Some good lumber supply stores have them too. The local home depot or tractor supply store may also have them.

Brick fitting depends on the Fisher stove model. This is posting refers to the GrandMa Fisher:
 
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A picture of the stove with doors shut will tell us what you have.

The VA and W. VA fabricator made a lot of wider stoves than the standard size shown in drawings.

When you have bricks, remove the old, as well as bottoms. It is absolutely necessary to clean as well as possible. Wipe with damp cloth removing every trace of debris. The new ones will fit right when clean.

Place across rear first, up under retainers at top. Work left to right. Cut the last one at right if necessary. Place them on the sides, rear to front, cutting the last one.

A masonry blade in a circular saw can be used to score and snap. They cut easily.

Then lay bottoms to hold the sides tight at bottom.

Always burn on at least an inch of ash.
 
Brick replacement is generally easy. You will need to get some at a good brickyard or masonry supply store. These will be what are called "splits" that are 1.25" x 9" x 4.5". Some good lumber supply stores have them too. The local home depot or tractor supply store may also have them.

Brick fitting depends on the Fisher stove model. This is posting refers to the GrandMa Fisher:
I surely thank you for the information. We're pretty far back out on this ridge. 30 minutes to nearest interstate, but I can be at some hardware stores in just under an hour. Can I just use a small crow bar or block chisel to remove the remaining fire brick? I looked at that posting, and the three pictures look about like mine on the inside firebox. Probably more fire brick gone than remaining. Any need to mortar the joint or just dry stack on a clean surface and agin the steel walls? This thing I got down in the basement is a beast. I'd say one of them grandpa bear models. I can't find any tag on the stove, just the big FISHER on the front with some pine trees. Heavy built. I growed up in a coal camp where we heated bath water with a dinky (small, 3-piece pot belly) and heated the camp house with a big Warm Morning. Dad would bring home loads of big lump coal and I'd cut kindling wood for 25 cents a bushel box full. Never did go cold. Them was the days.
 
A picture of the stove with doors shut will tell us what you have.

The VA and W. VA fabricator made a lot of wider stoves than the standard size shown in drawings.

When you have bricks, remove the old, as well as bottoms. It is absolutely necessary to clean as well as possible. Wipe with damp cloth removing every trace of debris. The new ones will fit right when clean.

Place across rear first, up under retainers at top. Work left to right. Cut the last one at right if necessary. Place them on the sides, rear to front, cutting the last one.

A masonry blade in a circular saw can be used to score and snap. They cut easily.

Then lay bottoms to hold the sides tight at bottom.

Always burn on at least an inch of ash.
Now thems good instructions that I can follow. I thank you very much for your help. I may just wait til spring to do this job as I need to move the stove back further toward the old fireplace opening. Got about 3' of 8" pipe out the back and into the old fireplace. Any problem with shortening that up a foot or so, just to get it from being so far out in the basement floor? I'll take some pictures tomorrow and attach, if I can figure how to do that. Not real savvy with technology. That's why I have old diesel farm trucks and old tractors and a backhoe. Can't hardly work on the new stuff.
 
Firebrick goes in dry. Ash packs in joints making them tight over time. Once you remove one, they should pull right out.

I made the mistake using an air chisel. Thought hearing protection was good in the stove; The exhaust air that blasts out of the air tool in the confines of ash - don’t do that.

The shorter the horizontal run the better.

Make sure any horizontal run is pitched upward toward chimney at least 1/4 inch per foot.

Make sure there is no combustible mantel or trim. Stove requires 36 inches to any combustible material in any direction.

Inside of doors are probably marked with GP/L and GP/R if Grandpa and GM/L and GM/R if Grandma.

At the bottom of the message box you type in is a “Attach files” button. If on a phone, click that and chose “take photo or video”. It puts pic where your cursor is typing the message.