When should one replace cracked firebricks?

[Jay H]

I have a piece of firebrick on the bottom floor of my Quad 3100 that has a single crack running width-wise, since it's on the floor it's not going to fall into the ashes or anything like that but should I replace it immediately?

(Oops, meant to post this in Gear and not this forum... Ummm....)

Jay

 

[Gooserider]

Actually I think the hearth room is the best place for it (unless it's a pellet stove in which case it needs to move again - I can't keep track of all the models...) and I've put it there...

As to the question, my recollection of other discussion on fire bricks is that cracks aren't a problem as long as all the parts are there, and the structure is intact - i.e. no holes or big gaps, etc... A crack in a floor brick is especially non-critical as it will simply get filled with ashes, which will lock the peices in place so nothing is going anywhere...

Gooserider

 

[bartlett7516]

If I was going to replace it I would wait till the fires out it saves alot of hollaring and blisters! :zip:

 

[Redox]

Jay, I wouldn't worry about the brick on the bottom of the stove. It's not going to fall apart and leave bare steel exposed. How are the two bricks in the back where the air holes are? If you r Quad is like the 4300, they will break very easily. My dealer suggested drilling holes in a regular firebrick for a replacement. I think a regular brick is about $3, if memory serves...

Chris

 

[ControlFreak]

I have a piece of firebrick on the bottom floor of my Quad 3100 that has a single crack running width-wise, since it's on the floor it's not going to fall into the ashes or anything like that but should I replace it immediately?

(Oops, meant to post this in Gear and not this forum... Ummm....)

Jay

If the brick's not falling out and if there's no exposed steel, then it's still doing its job. I have several cracked bricks in my stove, mostly on the sides. The cracks in the bricks are smaller than the cracks between the bricks. So I don't care about a cracked brick unless it falls out or something. Most of my bricks have gone through 10 or more winters.

Dan

 

[Jay H]

Yeah, there isn't any holes or deep chips in it, it's just a crack that's made its way across the entire width of the firebrick.... And it's on the floor and close to the front (the door) of the stove... Certainly filled with ashes already. I believe i read somewhere that one could use fireplace cement to seal it if I was inclined...

Jay

 

[Gooserider]

Yeah, there isn't any holes or deep chips in it, it's just a crack that's made its way across the entire width of the firebrick.... And it's on the floor and close to the front (the door) of the stove... Certainly filled with ashes already. I believe i read somewhere that one could use fireplace cement to seal it if I was inclined...

Jay

You could, but IMHO its better not to mess with it if there is no other reason... Adding cement into the crack just gives it more material to expand and contract during the thermal cycle, increasing the potential stress on the brick and it's neighbors - just let it fill with ash and don't bother it.

The only reason I'd try using the cement is if it was either missing peices and I was trying to fill in holes, or if it were falling out and I wanted to try to glue it back together to hold it in place (presumably while trying to find a replacement in either case) - given that you don't have either problem I'd just leave it be.

Gooserider

 

[DiscoInferno]

Just be glad it's regular cheap firebrick. Some stoves/fireplaces have expensive custom cast refractory panels. Mine were in bad shape after just two years, so I filled in the cracks and pits and coated the rest with furnace cement this summer. So far so good, we'll see how long that lasts.

 

[velvetfoot]

I've replaced all the firebricks on both the Quads I've had with regular, durable firebrick.
No problems since.