The joys of buying an old stove

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

hydr0boy

New Member
Dec 17, 2017
4
New Mexico
Hello world of wood stove enthusiasts,
I recently bought a Glo King GK 400 HT-I (the insert model) on Craigslist. I’ve been struggling with a couple ‘new stove’ questions that I can’t seem to find straight enough answers too. Especially as my stove seems to be from a closed down company.

First: what kind of firebricks to replace some of the cracked/ crumbling ones with. They’re odd sizes: 12” x 4.5” and much lighter (pumice?) than the traditional ones you buy at Tractor Supply. Should I just cut the normal heavy ones down to size and stack them where needed?

Another question that I’ve been toying with: some of the insulation behind the bricks is a little worse for wear. Should I look into replacing this? In my evening search I found some ceramic insulation that seems to fit the bill though I have no idea how I would attach it if I did tare out the old stuff. Regardless it seems I should replace the ceramic blanket that rests above the firebricks above the wood box.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • CC5A31A4-D498-49FE-BFCB-2B9B2DF01B14.jpeg
    CC5A31A4-D498-49FE-BFCB-2B9B2DF01B14.jpeg
    178.2 KB · Views: 281
  • D066DD00-B017-463D-AF98-52E04D86DAE3.jpeg
    D066DD00-B017-463D-AF98-52E04D86DAE3.jpeg
    201.4 KB · Views: 273
  • 61A12448-802E-4182-9F62-FE95CF4B94AF.jpeg
    61A12448-802E-4182-9F62-FE95CF4B94AF.jpeg
    232 KB · Views: 275
  • 29E86FC9-945C-4D8E-8226-3F1BA81D8327.jpeg
    29E86FC9-945C-4D8E-8226-3F1BA81D8327.jpeg
    133 KB · Views: 313
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    166.2 KB · Views: 276
The only two major firebrick types are clay (heavy) and pumice (higher temperature rating).

If you have them, it is generally ok to replace clay with the more expensive pumice. If you got pumice, probably you should replace it with pumice. When I needed some I got with my local pottery guild. They buy pumice firebricks by the pallet for the kilns they fire ceramics in and had very reasonable prices.

Good luck.
 
Well thanks for your tips on the fire bricks! I'll reach out to Hitzer. I guess, I didn't see that name on the stove, but that manual sure looks right.

EDIT: Thanks for the tip contacting Hitzer! They were exceedingly helpful! Spoke with one of the guys that was still there from the 90s when they were building my old stoves. Told me not to worry about what kind of brick I put in it, they replace with clay bricks in their stoves. Sounds like the isolation problem wasn't worth the head ache, and just for note, isn't glued down, just held in place by the brick.
 
Last edited:
New Question: has anyone tried to retrofit an old stove with a blower? My insert has a vent and four 1" holes. As the terrible decorative fireplace I had previously had a fancy blower included, I was thinking about re-purposing this. Was thinking about welding small stand underneath my insert so I can suck air under it and force air though the holes/ vent, that would then vent along the sides and top of my stove.