repairing a fire brick with furnace cement

[michaelthomas]

Hello,
I have my VC resolute acclaim apart in preparation to replace the combustion package and have one of the rear bricks brokenthrough. There is no hole and it fits together tight. Can I use furnace cement to cover the crack? Would it hold if used like glue between the pieces? Would that make it not fit? Just looking for some help hoping I can fix it vs have to purchase a $120 brick from vc.

Thanks

 

[pen]

I am not familiar with the fire brick in a VC stove, are the an odd shape or something? Any square / rectangular shape can be made from firebrick purchased for about 3 dollars. A masonry blade from Lowes in any circular saw works great to cut them.

I just completely replace the firebrick in one of my stoves for about 70 dollars.

Otherwise, if the fit is tight, then it is fine to use the cement.

Really, if it would hold together well w/out the cement it would be OK.

pen

 

[Fsappo]

I havent had too much success using furnace cement to hold firebrick together. The cement tends to be brittle when it dries and the ends of the brick can be crumbly, not giving a secure surface to bond too.

 

[branchburner]

Don't know if it's the same material, but I put the shoe block of my stove back together with cement. It was a clean break, so I put a thin layer on both pieces and clamped for a few hours. Then, instead of just hoping it would cure okay back in the stove, I put it in the oven and brought it slowly to 500F as direction instructed. So far so good after 6-8 fires (not that it's taken any abuse yet).

 

[Brian VT]

I used furnace cement on my left brick. I'm on my 2nd season with it. I've removed it several times and it's fine.

 

[seadog2]

$120.00 for a firebrick is robbery, unless they are making you purchase ALL of the bricks as a set, which is still high. Anyway, How easily can you get the brick out and post a picture or give us measurements? Most stoves use firebrick "splits" as wall liners, which are available at a good masonry supply store. I just bought some, they were 1.50 a piece. You can also cut a standard size firebrick to anything you want with a masonry blade as mentioned above. If you end up re-cementing any bricks back together , furnace cement or fireclay is ideal.

 

[seadog2]

I was just reading the manual and found this:

"If a firebrick breaks, replace only with Vermont Castings’
custom firebricks, available from your local dealer.
MHSC custom firebricks contain metal reinforcements
that maintain the brick’s integrity if it cracks. A brick that
is cracked but still intact does not need to be replaced."

That said, sounds like a replacement is not needed

 

[savageactor7]

The price of those QF bricks will knock your socks off too. This repaired hole on the left was about the size of a golf ball we kept the door open and had a fan circulate the air for about a day. Pretty sure it was called 'refractory cement'.

 

[seadog2]

Yep, refractory cement is basically fireclay...