So my Quadra Fire takes pumice bricks. ..

[JA600L]

I had a lot of cracked and broken fire bricks so I let the stove die down and removed them. Upon contacting my dealer I found out that all of the side and back bricks need to be pumice. So I spent a small fortune and replaced them all. I put regular brick in the bottom. My question is will I notice any difference after replacing these? The stove is about 8 years old and had the original bricks. They were much thinner and cracked with lots of gaps before. Maybe I'm just trying to justify the money I spent.

 

[DAKSY]

IMHO, you will probably notice more complete combustion as the firebricks tend to allow less heat to get thru the sides where they're located & force the heat to stay in the combustion chamber. Whether or not you'll be able to justify the costs, I can't say. I will say that I think your dealer sold you a line of crap. A firebrick, whether clay or pumice, will do the same thing & work the same way. If they are a standard "split" brick, they are the same size & the only differences are the weight & the price. Clay split bricks are about 2 bucks (+/-) each. You probably paid more for pumice...

 

[begreen]

Note that you can get pumice brick for a better price if the dealer is charging a lot. Pumice firebrick has a higher insulation value which should keep the firebox hotter, ensuring more complete combustion. Like Bob said though, regular firebrick is going to work too.

http://www.stoveworld.com/Pumice-Firebrick-Splits-6-Pack-p/2rpala999.htm

 

[JA600L]

The biggest thing that I noticed is a more efficient complete burn. I load the stove full and it burns all night. I have plenty of coals for a relight and almost no ash. Before it was big chunks of coals and lots of ash.

 

[mstoelton]

I know that hearthstone and others use soapstone fire brick and I like the gentle heating cycle that they provide. I have also seen that soapstone bricks can be purchased and are the same size as other firebrick. Could one substitute soapstone for conventional fire brick in a non-hearthstone stove?

When I went to the local quadrafire store I noticed the insert they had running was hot as hates and unpleasant to be around. Not so with the hearthstone. I attributed this to the firebrick differences. I could be wrong.

 

[ArsenalDon]

So in my Quad 2 of the back bricks have a hole in them for start-up air tubes....can I just drill out holes in regular pumice bricks? The link Green gave has a price a fraction of what Quadrafire charges

 

[velvetfoot]

I drilled in hole in a standard firebrick when I had my Quad. I can't believe the pumice brick would be that much harder.

 

[Jags]

So in my Quad 2 of the back bricks have a whole in them for start-up air tubes....can I just drill out holes in regular pumice bricks? The link Green gave has a price a fraction of what Quadrafire charges

I would suggest more of a hole saw, than a drill bit (yes I have bits that size). A hole saw will have less chance of cracking the bricks. Not all hole saws are created equal. You will want one designed to go through brick. One example:
(broken link removed to http://www.zorotools.com/g/00095214/k-G3962393?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA)

 

[lexybird]

You'd think Pumice bricks are inferior to heavy refractory ceramic bricks but the truth is they absorb more heat and are superior in many ways

 

[velvetfoot]

The standard pumice bricks fell apart in my Quads.