Wood Stove, any point in adding fire brick?

I just bought a wood stove. The woodstove has no firebrick. It's just a burn chamber and then it looks like there's an air chamber around that to trap heat. Will I get better performance out of this stove if I install fire brick to add some additional thermal mass?

Thermal mass? No.

BUT most stoves DO have a brick floor to keep from burning through. The heat of the coals right on the steel stove floor year after year degrades it; the bricks protect the floor.

Mike Cantrell wrote:Thermal mass? No.

BUT most stoves DO have a brick floor to keep from burning through. The heat of the coals right on the steel stove floor year after year degrades it; the bricks protect the floor.

This stove has no fire bricks on the floor. Should I add fire brick to the floor? And does it need some sort of metal grate like you have in a fireplace - to hold the wood? or do I just chunk the wood in there and set it on fire? It's been fifteen years since I've had a wood stove. I don't remember much

Yep, put firebrick on the floor. But no need for a grate. The stove should be designed so that air gets to the wood just fine.

I looked at at least 100 used stoves this year and finally found the one I could afford and wanted. I saw NONE that had firebrick only on the floor. Most all were just steel. (and the bricks were not removed).
My Wood Furnace has an air gap completely around the fire chamber. It has Firebricks on all sides. Even the back. But None on the Floor. That is where my fresh air comes in and also ashes fall thru the floor and go into my Ash Chamber. I pull out the ash drawer which is far below my floor grid. The top of my fire box has another protective welded panel and then two more walls. Hot air blows all around the second wall and out into duct work which is far above the furnace. I really see the need for the fire brick on the sides and back. Those coals get very hot and protect the steel walls.
I would put firebrick on all three sides just for protection, If you can. Just my opinion. Good Luck

Mike Cantrell wrote:Yep, put firebrick on the floor. But no need for a grate. The stove should be designed so that air gets to the wood just fine.

Well I reckon I'll be picking up some fire brick tomorrow.

any idea what to use to make the bricks stick to the metal? is there some sort of high temp mortar, or will it work just fine to use some of that red high temp silicone caulk to glue them on??

Can't wait to get this sucker fired up

Why glue the bricks to the floor? Aren't they contained by the sides of the firebox and held down by gravity? Even the firebricks on the sides of the firebox can probably be held in by proper fitting instead of trying to fasten them to the steel (which will expand very differently from the brick when heated, stressing any rigid connection). You might try putting side bricks in vertically and then fitting (and cutting if necessary) the floor bricks to wedge them in place.

Never seen them on the floor. You should always leave about an inch of ash on the floor. Firebrick on the sides not only protect the steel but make the stove run at a more constant temp and adds just a bit of thermal mass. Same fire in identical stoves, one with brick, one without and the sidewalls on the one without will be a lot hotter. Maybe dangerously so. The kind of hot that can melt or ignite things close by. All dependent on the thickness of the steel and the extremity of the fire of course.

Michael Young wrote:I just bought a wood stove. The woodstove has no firebrick. It's just a burn chamber and then it looks like there's an air chamber around that to trap heat. Will I get better performance out of this stove if I install fire brick to add some additional thermal mass?

I had to go look in our wood stove to be absolutely sure...no fire brick on the floor or anywhere except lining the door. If you have never used your stove before I think I would hesitate to modify it any before first trying it out. I wouldn't want our fire box any smaller...we put a big log in at night. I can only dream of a rocket mass heater and hint strongly to our sons

Thanks for all the input Permies

I've got to do a little chipping to make this sucker fit.

Another 1-1/2" fighting with it and this woodstove is installed (Callooh! Callay!). Can't wait to get it fired up

Whats the latest Michael? How is it going with Firebrick?

Thanks for asking Jeremy.

Wood stove is installed and running good. When I get a good fire in there, I'm getting temp readings of 200. But I need to buy a more accurate thermometer because this one only goes up to 200

I sometimes have a little problem with draft. When I'm first lighting it, and sometimes when I open the front to add more wood, I'll get some smoke inside the house. I was expecting, with good draw, there would be suction to pull smoke up and out. So not sure why I'm having the problem.

The blower is position poorly. So at the end of the season I'll be taking it to a welder and having the blower port moved so I can fit a bigger blower. I found one of those old cast iron tea/coffee pot looking things at a garage sale for $5-bucks. I recycle citrus peels by dropping them into water in that cast iron kettle thing. So I get a light orange aroma which is kinda nice.

Years ago. I had a regular chimney in the house . It always worked great. Now Chimney was removed in this house. I set up my furnace going out the window area, until I get it fine tuned. I had to make several changes to get good draft in mine. Now it works too good. But I am still not happy, I use black stove pipe noninsulated. I feel that is my shortfall. But the draw is great. No More smoke back into the house.. No buildup in the stove either. After this season. I will replace some of the firebrick. Some of it is original and has cracked pretty well. But I will repair and reinstall to get it right for next season.

RE： smoke, what kind of wood and kindling are you using?

I've had and used several stoves over the last 30 years.  Serious use, too.  3-5 cords a year.  Two came with firebrick.  I removed it to get larger chunks of wood in.  While I can see the argument for firebrick on the floor where hot coals are in contact with the steel, most of the time there is a thick layer of ash in the bottom of the stove.  I noticed no difference in performance on any of them.

Sheet metal stoves -- the kind you use to heat a wall tent hunting -- often had a sacrificial liner pan you used in the stove.  Every couple of years you replaced it.  But generally these were fired up without ashes in them a lot more often than a stove that is permanently in place.

I had a barrel stove made from a kit.  They cautioned that you should keep a couple inches of ash in it for longer barrel life.

On a few of the steel bodied stoves we have, I've replaced the steel plate 'fireplates' with insulating vermiculite firebricks.

This inevitably reduces the size of the inside of the firebox but the stoves performance is improved immensely. Burns are now much hotter and cleaner.

We used to have insulating firebricks on the base of our ESSE woodfired cookstove firebox but they also supplied you with a steel plate to protect these from abrasion from the logs. All other woodstoves we've ever owned relied on a bed of wood ash on the floor of the firebox to act as insulation and protection.

Michael Young wrote:Thanks for asking Jeremy.


I sometimes have a little problem with draft. When I'm first lighting it, and sometimes when I open the front to add more wood, I'll get some smoke inside the house. I was expecting, with good draw, there would be suction to pull smoke up and out. So not sure why I'm having the problem.

.

Remember that your whole house has a 'stack effect'  In our house, the wood stove is in the 1 story part.  If someone has a window cracked open in 2 story part, that draft wins. Try cracking a window open near the stove while you are starting it up.  

One simple solution for stove lighting problems is to install an outside air kit. It allows the stove to draw combustion air from outside the house so you don't have to open windows to get it going.



Ours draws air from the basement which is passively vented to the outside.


Greg

We've never had a stove that had firebrick on the firebox floor because we bought stoves rated to burn coal which use thick robust cast iron grates that don't burn out. This is the firebox on our Morso Squirrel.




Greg

I have a small woodstove installed with firebrick on all 4 sides It isn't getting hot enough to keep a 200 sq ft insulated tiny house with 2 lofts warm. If I remove the firebricks will it burn hotter? Its been in low thirties to high twenties at night and I'm freezing

k moore wrote:I have a small woodstove installed with firebrick on all 4 sides It isn't getting hot enough to keep a 200 sq ft insulated tiny house with 2 lofts warm. If I remove the firebricks will it burn hotter? Its been in low thirties to high twenties at night and I'm freezing

Hi k moore. Welcome to Permies!

I doubt that firebricks are the issue -- in fact, they help in many ways. Any wood stove should be able to heat 200 sq.ft. to the point where the occupants are opening doors and windows to let heat out!

The problem has to be elsewhere. What is your wood supply? Can you post some pictures of your stove and your chimney setup?

I agree that the stove should be able to run you out of a 200 sq ft house.
What are you burning for wood?

Where are you located?  You commented your house is insulated …how well?   What are the temps outside and inside?

Hello  I have a wood stove with no bricks.   We just recently got a bunch of red chimney bricks can I use them in the wood stove instead of fire bricks

Hi Kevin;
They will crack.
You really need a firebrick inside a stove.