P-68 Firebrick!?

[Irish916]

So I just had my new P-68 installed this week. As you can imagine, she throws some heat. My wife had some aesthetic concerns about the firebox on that unit, as it's nowhere near as ornate as the P-52i we have upstairs. I think the off white firebricks look pretty ugly. I wanted to ask folks if these bricks serve any purpose as it relates to the overall heating effectiveness of the unit? I noticed that the log set they sell for this unit requires you to remove these bricks as the logs sit behind burn pot and stack up on the back of the stove. Before I went this route, I wanted to check with folks on what they think about the bricks. There has to be a reason why Harman put them in there, right?

 

[Bioburner]

To help reflect some heat forward away from the back of the stove and not get the hopper hot. Fair amount of heat comes up when the room fan does not run.

 

[Luv2burnPellets]

The logs are a big pain in the a**. They collect a lot of fly ash which increases cleaning effort. Do not operate the stove "naked"

 

[Bioburner]

Suppose one could cut some brick like mortar lines on the cheap fire brick. You didn't spring for the mirrored glass I take it?

 

[rona]

So I just had my new P-68 installed this week. As you can imagine, she throws some heat. My wife had some aesthetic concerns about the firebox on that unit, as it's nowhere near as ornate as the P-52i we have upstairs. I think the off white firebricks look pretty ugly. I wanted to ask folks if these bricks serve any purpose as it relates to the overall heating effectiveness of the unit? I noticed that the log set they sell for this unit requires you to remove these bricks as the logs sit behind burn pot and stack up on the back of the stove. Before I went this route, I wanted to check with folks on what they think about the bricks. There has to be a reason why Harman put them in there, right?

Those brick are to reflect heat away from the hopper. if you leave them alone they will get covered with ash and probably not be so offensive to the eyes. The fake logs will soon fall apart from the heat and after removing them for cleaning a few times you will probably say good riddance.
Menards sells brick that fit in a PC45 and I assume they will be the same as your 68. You could try using a high temp flat black paint on the brick. If it doesn't work turn the bricks around and you will have the original look and only be out the price of the paint.

 

[Irish916]

Suppose one could cut some brick like mortar lines on the cheap fire brick. You didn't spring for the mirrored glass I take it?

Yes, the mirrored glass is standard now on the P-68, but the glass doesn't matter when there is a fire going!

 

[Bioburner]

Yes, the mirrored glass is standard now on the P-68, but the glass doesn't matter when there is a fire going!

I didn't know how much the glass masks the fire box when burning.

 

[Irish916]

Those brick are to reflect heat away from the hopper. if you leave them alone they will get covered with ash and probably not be so offensive to the eyes. The fake logs will soon fall apart from the heat and after removing them for cleaning a few times you will probably say good riddance.
Menards sells brick that fit in a PC45 and I assume they will be the same as your 68. You could try using a high temp flat black paint on the brick. If it doesn't work turn the bricks around and you will have the original look and only be out the price of the paint.

Great tips. We have the log set on the 52i insert, and it does make cleaning more tedious because they rest in front of the burn pot. Anytime you go to scrape the burn pot, you're dropping fly ash everywhere. On the P-68, the log set is in the back of the stove, so it wouldn't seem like routine scraping would be as problematic. I might just hit them with black stove paint if they don't eventually ash-up. Harman could have made the inside of this one a little easier on the eyes. Oh well.

 

[Bioburner]

Great tips. We have the log set on the 52i insert, and it does make cleaning more tedious because they rest in front of the burn pot. Anytime you go to scrape the burn pot, you're dropping fly ash everywhere. On the P-68, the log set is in the back of the stove, so it wouldn't seem like routine scraping would be as problematic. I might just hit them with black stove paint if they don't eventually ash-up. Harman could have made the inside of this one a little easier on the eyes. Oh well.

You still can spend a couple hundred on door trim, louvers and shelf trim. I would like to put on a rosewood handle or antler.

 

[tiger]

We have the log set on the 52i insert, and it does make cleaning more tedious because they rest in front of the burn pot. Anytime you go to scrape the burn pot, you're dropping fly ash everywhere.

+1 although I'm getting somewhat more adept at slipping the tool between the logs without making too much mess.

Still much less mess in the house than with the old wood stove!

 

[SXIPro]

The fake logs break down eventually and look like an old dog turd. You'll get used to the fire brick as it will dullen with age.

 

[Tonyray]

Great tips. We have the log set on the 52i insert, and it does make cleaning more tedious because they rest in front of the burn pot. Anytime you go to scrape the burn pot, you're dropping fly ash everywhere. On the P-68, the log set is in the back of the stove, so it wouldn't seem like routine scraping would be as problematic. I might just hit them with black stove paint if they don't eventually ash-up. Harman could have made the inside of this one a little easier on the eyes. Oh well.

We went for the trim package on the P61A..[Actually was her]....
the bricks deff serve a purpose of defelecting heat from the back...
The also get a good coating of ash on the all the time and truthfully,
I never really paid much attention to them as far as color and if they are any different than 2 yrs ago.
I assume the are somewhat darker than when brand new...
read many posts about the fake wood thing losing it's appeal after a while due to cleaning and whatnot..

 

[Irish916]

The fake logs break down eventually and look like an old dog turd. You'll get used to the fire brick as it will dullen with age.

Thanks! Certainly don't want any dog turds, old or new, in my P-68!

 

[TonyVideo]

Fake logs look like fake logs in a pellet stove. The flame is not the same. I was lucky in that my wife liked the all black and no logs look. Cheaper purchase on an already expensive stove.