Alright, folks, let’s talk about something that’s been on my to-do list for way too long: replacing those busted fire bricks in my wood stove. I put it off for a while, ’cause who wants to mess with that, right? But with the cold season coming, I figured it was time to tackle this project head-on.
First things first, I let that stove cool down. And I mean really cool down. Like, overnight cool down. No way was I gonna burn myself. I waited about 12 hours. Safety first, always. While that was happening, I cleared out the area around the stove. Moved the rug, the wood basket, everything. Gave myself some room to work.
Next, I gotta get the old bricks out. They were pretty cracked up, some even broken in half. I used my small shovel to scoop them out and into a metal bucket. I mean the old bricks are really broken. So I just did it. Made a bit of a mess, but hey, that’s DIY for ya. I found out that there were about 10 broken bricks. I felt sad.
Choosing the right bricks
- I did some research, you know, Googled around a bit. Turns out, you can’t just use any old brick. They gotta be fire bricks, the kind that can handle the heat.
- Some folks online said ceramic tiles might work, but I wasn’t too sure about that. I stuck with the fire bricks. Found them at my local hardware store, thankfully. But I don’t know why the old staff told me that ceramic tiles would be better. What a joke!
- I tried to get the new bricks same as the old ones in size. But failed, it was really hard to find the exactly same size.
Then came the fun part – putting the new bricks in. It was like a puzzle, figuring out where each one went. They were a little different from the original bricks, so it took some finagling. The original bricks are irregular in shape, and some are even trapezoidal.I was just trying to make them fit. Luckily, I had measured the inside of the stove before I went to the store, so I knew roughly what size bricks I needed. The sizes of the new bricks I bought are similar, but they were not the same as the old ones. I tried my best to put them in, and it finally worked.
Once they were all in, I stepped back and admired my work. Not bad, if I do say so myself. The stove looked a whole lot better, and I felt pretty good about finally getting it done. It was like a weight off my shoulders, you know?
So, there you have it. My little adventure in replacing fire bricks. Not the most exciting project, but definitely a necessary one. And hey, I learned a thing or two along the way. Like, always wear gloves when you’re dealing with ash and soot. Trust me on that one. I will use this stove next time and see what will happen.
