Replace Firebricks with Soapstone Firebricks

[mminor]

I know it has been discussed briefly in the past, but it's been some time since the last postings.

Has anyone changed their regular firebricks that came with their stove or wood burning ZC fireplace and replaced them with soapstone firebricks? I see soapstone firebricks readily available for purchase online and it seems like an easy upgrade to the current wood burning stove. Does anyone have any experience with swapping out their firebricks - were there any noticeable differences / benefits to going with soapstone firebricks?

Thanks for your help.
Matt

 

[Babaganoosh]

Sort of interested in this too. I bought an IS from Woodstock last year and went with regular firebrick. I wonder if the soapstone will make that big of a difference .

 

[BrotherBart]

I have thought about it for years. Five years or so ago a guy in the stove business was gonna do it with stuff he had collected. And he vanished from the forum before he got back to us with results. The buzz kill for me has been the shipping cost on the bricks.

 

[yooper08]

Since soapstone is high density and really good at absorbing heat and releasing it over time, I'm not sure this would be an upgrade. Me thinks you'd lower firebox temps and reduce efficiency.

Firebrick on the other hand is low density and really good at reflecting heat back into the firebox, boosting efficiency.

 

[JA600L]

I'm thinking it would benefit. The Ideal Steel has secondaries just like any other stove and they get plenty hot.

If I compare the Ideal Steel to my Quadra Fire with pumice bricks, the biggest difference is leftover coals. The soapstone kind of nurses the coals along. This is even after a hot fire.

 

[beatlefan]

I'm thinking it would benefit. The Ideal Steel has secondaries just like any other stove and they get plenty hot.

If I compare the Ideal Steel to my Quadra Fire with pumice bricks, the biggest difference is leftover coals. The soapstone kind of nurses the coals along. This is even after a hot fire.

I don't follow you. Does soapstone leave you with less coal or more coal?

 

[Simonkenton]

I doubt it would make any difference.

 

[JA600L]

I don't follow you. Does soapstone leave you with less coal or more coal?

The soapstone definitely leaves more coals then the pumice IMO.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Well I might order the soapstone liner. I've only had the firebrick for one season but If i do the swap I'll do a write up.

 

[begreen]

The soapstone definitely leaves more coals then the pumice IMO.

Seems like that might happen. The insulative quality of the pumice brick keeps the firebox hotter.

 

[JA600L]

Seems like that might happen. The insulative quality of the pumice brick keeps the firebox hotter.

I bet if the Ideal steel was loaded with pumice bricks it would have more secondary activity.

I think the soapstone does a nice job of keeping the burn controlled, steady, and less peaked.

If you went from regular firebrick to soapstone your going to notice a difference. The question is will it affect your stove negatively if it wasn't designed for it.

 

[begreen]

I can speculate, but that is all it would be. We don't have the full lab instrumentation to test these variables, especially emissions. Another option if the desire is to keep the fire hot is putting a thin layer of insulation behind the soapstone bricks if there's room.

 

[7acres]

The soapstone definitely leaves more coals then the pumice IMO.

Meaning live coals continuing to burn, right?

 

[mass_burner]

My Morso has algae, I was told, liner. Very light, doesn't absorb any heat. I can open the door at mid burn and easily touch the lining.

Maybe the designers at morso have determined that deflecting heat is better.

 

[begreen]

My Morso has algae

Silly spell check or is it underwater?

 

[mass_burner]

Silly spell check or is it underwater?

The installer said it was algea mixed with other stuff. Weighs almost nothing.

 

[bholler]

The installer said it was algea mixed with other stuff. Weighs almost nothing.

I have no clue what he would be talking about

 

[begreen]

I'd expect the panels to be made of vermiculite or a refractory material, but who knows?

 

[Ashful]

... or pixie dust.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[7acres]

Sounds like that ceramic that space shuttle heat shield tiles are made from. But those definitely aren't made from algae.

 

[mass_burner]

Huh, I guess it is vermiculite. I saw a replacement online. I disntincly remember him mentioning algea. I wonder if its mixed in with the vermiculite?

 

[mminor]

I'm the original poster and want to thank everyone for their input.

Generally speaking, it sounds like most people agree adding soapstone bricks to their existing stove would be a good / interesting / fun thing to try. I also agree with others - the soapstones themselves are relatively affordable - it's the shipping that can get outrageous. It's great to hear others have contemplated swapping out their bricks for soapstone firebricks - it seems like a win-win to me with little to no downside.

I hope someone can give it a shot and let us know what they think.

Thanks again to everyone's posts - especially on a holiday weekend - I love America!

Matt

 

[bholler]

it seems like a win-win to me with little to no downside

The one downside I see is that it will void the warantee of your stove and by modifying it you will void the ul listing. I Honestly dont see any safety issue but your insurance may see a problem if anything happened

 

[Smoked]

Option for free soapstone is to go to a local granite yard ans ask if you can dig though their bone yard. It is easy to cut with a tile saw.

 

[tlhfirelion]

subscribed as I am curious about this as well.