First burn of the season

September 7, 2026    Rain, 48F with a high of 53F.
When I rebuilt the Shop Dragon last year, I only had one 12x12 slab.
I used it at the rear of the core, and I used insulated firebricks for the front.
In order to use the individual bricks, I needed angle iron T-bars to support them.
Initially, they were protected by Superwool; unfortunately, the wool was knocked off last winter, and by spring they were not sealing at all.
The rear T-bar was twisted badly from the heat, allowing the bricks to walk and knocking the mortar off.

Today, I removed the offending pieces, and replaced them with a 12 x12 slab.
After completion, I fired her off for the first time this season!
With the bypass open, I was able to get a nice fire burning with no difficulty.
By the time it burns down, my repair will be fully dry.

Color me temporarily jealous! As I swelter at 103°F heat index.

Yea, yesterday it cooled down to 85f.

Yup - it's been between 96° & 101° here, (not including the heat index), but it's *supposed* to drop into the upper 80°s, Thursday. I think it might be another month or two, before we really consider firing up the woodstove...

We had been hitting 103 actual temp regularly this year. But not on Thomas' first burn day though.