So I'm cleaning the ashes from the bottom of the woodstove and discover there is a bunch of firebrick in there. They don't cover the whole floor of the woodstove, but about 80% of it.

If it weren't there, I could get more wood in. So I'm guessing there is a good reason why it is there.

Why is it there?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), December 28, 2001

Answers

So you don not have a melt down into the floor of your home. It is your stove you can take it out if you want to. James

-- James (Jamesj1592@about.com), December 28, 2001.

Your kidding right?

-- jack (injack1@aol.com), December 28, 2001.

Our fireplace insert has firebrick in it to help hold heat. That may be why it is there.

-- dena (ddew1962@earthlink.net), December 28, 2001.

What name brand stove do you have ?

-- David R In TN. (srimmer@earthlink.net), December 28, 2001.

schrader brand woodstove.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), December 29, 2001.

Paul, James is right and James is a nut cake.

Fire brick in the stove? Well, that is probably the best mechanism for a heat sink for that stove. The heat sink is the best mechanism to harvest and retain heat energy and radiate it out into the home over a period of time.

To use it effectively build a fire bed of coals and add a stick or two of stove wood from time to time. Properly banked over night it will keep the chill off until the early morning hours when a few kindling sticks added will burn brightly and ignite the bigger stove wood which will replenish the slow burning hot coals and heat sink with the sun energy. (I bet you thought it was wood).

Place the firebrick about 1 to 1/2 inches apart. Rake the outer perimeter of ash to the outside. Remove ash when in excess and use in compost, sidewalk or drive way snow removal. (Will make a mess to track into home) and fertilize garden when the cool ashes.

Keep the brick! JR

-- JR (jr3star@earthlink.net), December 29, 2001.

In addition to the heat sink the brick protects the bottom of the stove from the corrosive aspects of the ashes. Personally I wouldn't burn it without the bricks because the stove will last longer with'em. In lieu of bricks I've used sand in the past.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), December 30, 2001.

Yes, keep the firebrick. It's essential to the longevity of your woodstove because heat is transferred outward from the brick, thus sending heat toward the people, not away and into the wall...or wherever. Now, please, does anyone know where I can get some replacement firebricks for a TREEMONT HC 3000, manufactured by Vansco Industries? It's an older critter, granted, but I NEED the bricks. Thanks, folks...Hale

-- Hale Keller (hbkeller@earthlink.net), February 20, 2002.

Hale, go buy standard 1 inch firebrick. Put a masonry blade on your circular saw and score them. Last step is to snap them to size. Most stove shops or places where you can by brick or cement block should carry standard firebrick..

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 21, 2002.

You don't even need to use a saw, take an old kitchen knife with big teeth, and cut away!!! fire brick is much softer than the fired clay bricks used in houses [and part of the way through it will snap off]

Put as many as you can in as whole blocks and then cut just the few needed to fill the gaps. If they almost go, and are just a touch too big rub them together or rub them on a cinder block or other cement surface to trim them down.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 21, 2002.