Newbie Building newbie arch & Evaporator... firebrick question

[Azitizz]

IM working on a "new" backyarding Evaporator. Im part of a group that's inherited a former boarding school that went out of buisness but at one time was a thriving 600 acre property with many buidings etc..

Im determined to build an evaporator with only the materials we have on hand. There are many, a large barn filled with decades of accumulated stuff, sinks, copper pipes windows wood etc..

I have a stainless sink that is just under 6 feet x 2feet and 4 1/2" deep. (Ends up being about 33 gallons to the brim) This is my only real option for an evaporating pan. its very thin. perhaps 1/32 thick. I have lots of angle (needs cleaning) and probably just enough sheet to enclose and build an arch. I plan to modify an small wood stove with a big square door as the firebox and weld the rest of the angle to it to make up the rest of the arch.

By reading in the forums I learned that firebrick has minimal insulating value, however its all I have here. Theres a few firplaces in some of the unused spaces and cabins that i plan on harvesting the brick out of, and I can probably acquire quite a bit of brick.

However Im wondering, it seems that its standard to put something under the brick for proper insulation. Does anyone have any suggestions for something commonly found in shop kicking around in a large junk yard, someone in a thread was asking about household pink fiberglass... we have lots of that, or yellow. if its under the brick would it be OK?

I cant spend any money on this except for the welding materials. (argon etc..) anyone have any suggestions how to better insulate an arch before i start welding it together? then I can adjust the dimensions accordingly. Or if anyone has any other comment or pointer for me i would love to hear them.

This will be my second season ever tapping. Last year I got hooked, used a finishing pan over a makeshift brick and roofing sheet metal firepit in the mud in a friends yard, took 12 hours to boil down the pan with semi-wet wood, and it only gave us about 2 L at a time. not much but enough to get to love it. ow I am taking it one step further....
Thanks in advance
Michael

[jmp]

Fiberglass insulation is not rated for high heat. Even behind a layer of bricks temps are super hot. If you have an ample supply of bricks just double them up. Good luck!

[C.Wilcox]

Search the barn for some old vermiculite. It's a common material used for both insulation in houses and potting plants. If you find some you can mortar your firebrick in and the fill the space behind it with the vermiculite. Even if you can't find a bag in the barn you should be able to buy some really cheap. Cheap as in a couple of days of lunch money, a bag or two of aluminum cans, or take a few sticks of that old copper pipe in for scrap and you'll have plenty.

[jmp]

Search the barn for some old vermiculite. It's a common material used for both insulation in houses and potting plants. If you find some you can mortar your firebrick in and the fill the space behind it with the vermiculite. Even if you can't find a bag in the barn you should be able to buy some really cheap. Cheap as in a couple of days of lunch money, a bag or two of aluminum cans, or take a few sticks of that old copper pipe in for scrap and you'll have plenty.

Good suggestion C. Wilcox. However, if you do find some vermiculite assume that it contains asbestos. Most of the old stuff does. You do not want to be inhaling any dust from this stuff.

[Azitizz]

I realize this should actually be posted in the homemade equpiment section...sory
Thanks for the tips. Vermiculite sounds hopeful. Ill have to look for a garden centre thats open for the season though. May be a little early in feb. I priced some small bags out at the local co-op and it was $5 for 5 litres. It didnt look like much. My guess is Ill be needing something like 50 litres? if I fill a space all arround of perhaps 2" thick behind firebrick. My firebrick is likely going to be varying sizes depending on what I can pull form some other old stoves and fireplaces around here.

Im wondering what advice anyone may have about the stove Im planning on modifying. Its pictured here simple cube like stove with a 6" stack opening. My plan is to cut off the back upper corner where the stack is and weld sheet and angle to raise it to about 3.5 feet off the ground without the pan. I notice most fireboxes have a grate with an ash drawer to empty out ash and allow air to go through and stoke the fire. I hadnt planned on modifying the door or front. The door has a simple damper knob as you can see in the other picture.

what is others experience. Without the grate and space for the air flow would this do the job? Or would others say its a must-do to put in a grate and flap or something to allow more air in?.

You can see the sink I plan on using too. The other scraps are what ive collected so far to use as material. the sheet metal thickness on teh sides and bottom will be varying but I thought with insulating brinck etc.. it should matter too much.

Ill post pictures of its progress.

[Azitizz]

A friend who has tapped for years and has a commercial setup suggested ashes. Apparetnly they have a very good insulating properties. Anyone tried that? he just lays a good layer of ashes all along the arch bed and they stay in place. now thats cheap..

[smokeyamber]

On the vermiculite suggestion, to avoid the asbestos issue use perlite instead it actually is better for insulation value and I think it will absorb less moisture. Just a cheap at a garden center too...

Have fun with the project !

[vikingHB]

A friend who has tapped for years and has a commercial setup suggested ashes. Apparetnly they have a very good insulating properties. Anyone tried that? he just lays a good layer of ashes all along the arch bed and they stay in place. now thats cheap..

The guy that I bought my evaporator from had been using ashes covered with ceramic blanket for years. The arch is still in great condition, so it has not affected it.