Man, I’ve been dealing with this old wood burner for a while now, and it was finally time to do something about those busted fire bricks. Let me tell you, it was a bit of a journey, but I got it done, and I’m here to share how I did it.
First off, I had to figure out what kind of fire bricks I even needed. I did some digging around, asked some folks, and it seemed like the high or medium duty, low insulating kind were the way to go. Apparently, these hold up the best, although it’s not always what the stove manufacturers tell you. And let me tell you, finding good quality ones in a regular stove shop? Forget about it, nearly impossible.
So, I hopped online, started browsing a bunch of places. I found some on Amazon, they had all sorts of building materials. I saw a brand called US Stove Company, they had a 6-pack of these cream-colored fire bricks, and the reviews weren’t terrible. Then I stumbled on these Protalwell fire bricks, they were the right size, 9” x 4-1/2” x 1-1/4”, and they came in a 4-pack. Also found these insulating fire bricks rated for 2500F, sold in a set of 12, that seemed a little overkill for my needs, honestly.
After comparing prices and reading a bunch of reviews, I decided to go with the Rutland soapstone firebricks. Seemed like they were the best for cooking, food-safe and all that, so why not? They were a bit more expensive, but hey, I figured it was worth it for quality. The price was a bit steep, and I got to say, browsing through all these online stores was a real pain, I spent hours on this!
Once I finally got my hands on the new bricks, it was time to get to work. I pulled out all the old, cracked bricks from the stove. I used the old bricks as a template and measured out the new ones against them. Good thing I had a grinder handy because I needed to cut the new bricks to size. Luckily, they cut pretty easily.
I carefully placed the new bricks into the stove, making sure they fit nice and snug. It was a bit like putting together a puzzle, but I managed to get them all in there. And let me tell you, the difference was night and day. The stove looked so much better with those fresh, new bricks.
All in all, it was a bit of a process, but I’m glad I took the time to do it right. Now my wood burner is looking good and burning efficiently. Plus, I learned a thing or two about fire bricks along the way. If you’re thinking about replacing yours, just be prepared to do some research and maybe a little bit of cutting. It’s worth it in the end, trust me.
- Took out the old bricks.
- Compared the sizes of the old and new bricks.
- Cut the new bricks with a grinder to the right size.
- Placed the new bricks into the stove.
The Result?
A wood burner that’s as good as new! Hope this helps someone out there who’s dealing with the same thing.
