Grate in firebox or not ?

[TerryEspo]

I tried Googling before posting here and found way to many different peoples answers,,,geesh !!

I am making my small arch and wonder what a grate deos for a firebox. Just easier to remove ashes?? My good woodstove in my garage does not have a grate at all. It is a Pacific Energy stove, high effeciancey, not homemade. That stove just burns on the bricks with no grate.

Is a grate just an option or do certain stoves need them ?

Input is welcome and appreciated.

Thank-you.

Terry

[RileySugarbush]

Terry,

You really need a grate. Bring combustion air in underneath and the air will move up through the wood and give you complete and hot combustion. If you don't, the coals will build up and you will end up with smoldering fire and slow boil. Your wood stove must have some kind of forced air to burn well without a grate.

[JAMIE]

I also have a Pacific Energy stove ..no grate! This stove will cook you out of the house.It must have a good draft.But the heat in a wood stove is minor compared to the heat needed in a evaporator,a grate is a must and AUF is a added bonus.Terry weather does not look like taping in Feb for us if you can believe the weather man!

[TapME]

Your wood stove is for heating the house and a controlled burn for max heat output over a period of time. With an evaporator you want as much heat as quick as possible to makeit pans boil hard. So grates alow air to come in unresricted and create max heat. Hope this helps

[TerryEspo]

Well, enough said, grate it is.

What does AUF mean ?

Hey Jamie,,,for sure no tapping for us for awhile, cold cold temps for as long as the forecast goes. Look like March probably for us Northerners.

Thanks.

Terry

[Mike R.]

TSC over the river had some nice grates that I had put in my old evaporator last year. They helped get the fire going real hot for a good boil. They were fairly inexpensive too. I did manage to warp one however.

[weekendboiler]

auf = air under fire

[Azitizz]

On the subject of grates, I made the mistake of building my evaporator without one last year, probably die to time constraints but after using it last year it was probably the first thing I told myself it would need to be added.

Im wondering now how much room you would suggest is needed for the airflow and the area for the ashes to drop. Im about to modify this boiler but i dont have too much room underneath the firebox, but perhaps its plenty. Im not in front of it now and I dont have a recent picture but here shows an idea, Its about 4 inches.

My concern was it being too close to the ground and being a heat danger. Also I thought the simplest would be a space without a drawer, and simply shovel out the ashes as needed. I may have to raise the whoe thing up an inch or two as well.

[Waynehere]

That's a nice looking rig Azitizz. The more space under the rig for clean out the better. You can always raise the arch as high want and still be able to see her boil. I guess the space required would depend on how much you would need to easily clean it out as well as how and what you make the grates out of. Plus if you have some noncombustible material under it, you shouldn't have to worry about it catching fire.

Is there a pan to sit on the front part of the firebox? Would hate to see wasted space where a pan could sit..... :)