SUCCESS !!!

[obsessed penguin]

I am burning the best fires that I have in years ! No smoke, starts quickly burns hot. Years ago my installer told me that it would be ok to use heavy smooth bricks in the stove because he was temporarily out of the light weight pumice. The fires burned but smoked and were of low quality even with the best of seasoned wood. Decided to actually read my manual the other day and decided to replace the whole top 2 layers with pumice.. When I removed top there was lots ash that came crashing down. I had a few extra bricks so I replaced some of the walls too. I started a fire and holy crap ! It was amazing. I used the exact same wood that I've been using. The door was wide open and no smoke. Until now I have never heard of this being an important part of the process..
Comments ?

 

[begreen]

Good to hear you're getting some heat now. Just in time!

Folks talk down pumice bricks and about replacing them with cheaper firebrick. Personally I like 'em and they're staying in the stove. When/if they need replacing it will be with the same material.

 

[bholler]

I would say it probably had allot more to do with all of the ash on top of the baffle that was hurting your draft. Using the right brick will keep the firebox temps up wich will help some but i doubt it would be that dramatic.The baffle should be cleaned off every time you clean the chimney. And ys i agree with begeen totally if the stove came with them it should have pumice brick always

 

[obsessed penguin]

You think that improving the draft would enable the stove to become that much hotter ? interesting....What do you think about pumice bricks ?

 

[bholler]

You think that improving the draft would enable the stove to become that much hotter ? interesting....What do you think about pumice bricks ?

The stove manufacturer put pumice brick in for a reason Both to reduce clearances and to keep the fire box temps up. If that was what was there to start then that is what should be there. And yes improving draft will make the fire get hot quicker make it more intense and give you more heat output (to a certain point over drafting can give you a different set of problems)

 

[obsessed penguin]

Also, there are one or two small gaps between a couple of bricks. It's so damn difficult to fit the bricks perfectly. How concerned should I be ?

 

[bholler]

Where are the gaps? on the sides or bottom it is no big deal they will soon be filled with ash. I am by no means saying you did not do the right thing by replacing the bricks with the right ones i just dont think you would have seen that dramatic of a change just by doing that. But that is just my opinion i could be wrong just glad things are working better for you now and make sure you clean off that baffle regularly

 

[pma1123]

Can somebody explain the difference between the standard (heavier) bricks, and the pumice variety? I have a T5 with the pumice bricks, and the old stove in my avatar which I just replaced all the bricks with new standard bricks after years of service. I would think the looser/lighter pumice bricks would provide better insulation to the firebox? Or is it more about heat transfer? I know the pumice bricks crack much easier than the heavier ones.

 

[Swedishchef]

I am burning the best fires that I have in years ! No smoke, starts quickly burns hot. Years ago my installer told me that it would be ok to use heavy smooth bricks in the stove because he was temporarily out of the light weight pumice. The fires burned but smoked and were of low quality even with the best of seasoned wood. Decided to actually read my manual the other day and decided to replace the whole top 2 layers with pumice.. When I removed top there was lots ash that came crashing down. I had a few extra bricks so I replaced some of the walls too. I started a fire and holy crap ! It was amazing. I used the exact same wood that I've been using. The door was wide open and no smoke. Until now I have never heard of this being an important part of the process..
Comments ?

Personally I find that like anything else, humans tend not to read/listen to owner manuals. For example a car manual explains that you should check your engine oil every 3-4 fillups on gas and keep the tire pressure at XX psi. We tend to forget it: never check the oil and run tires at 3-4 psi off optimal tire pressure. Then our engine's performance and fuel economy goes down. It's all about efficiency. Stoves are no different: we sometimes modify them (change the stones, insulation, baffles partially block intakes, etc.). The stove designs are engineered for optimal performance based on specific guidelines. Modifying these settings/guidelines can reduce efficiency just like the example above.

I am glad to hear you got things figured out before the real winter arrives!

Andrew

 

[bholler]

The pumice brick insulate much better which keeps the outside temps down in where the manufacturer wants them lower and it also keeps up the temps in the firebox better. I actually think the regular brick crack easier but the pumice ones disintegrate much quicker than regular