Sand arch question

[Kacey small scale maple]

If I have a sand arch under my back pan. Do I need to put wood on it or will the heat from the main firebox be enough to boil the back pan on its own?:confused:thanks

[lisound]

your back pan may be the hottest if your flue is right after it. That's the way it is in most cases. hot gas and fire exit out the flue...the hottest part of the evap. the sand ramp forces that hot gas and air up under your last pan and out the flue.

[Ausable]

Kacey - My Arch is homemade and contained in a 250 gallon fuel tank - approx 2'x5'. My fire box is approx 30 inches and my arch is a steel plate on an angle toward the stack opening. I use sand under the firebox grate. Like lisound says - the hot gasses - on their way to the stack will give you all the heat you need. That is what the original designers of the commercial arch had in mind - try to make the exhaust gases do as much work as possible before they go up the stack. You should be just fine. -----Mike-----

[Kacey small scale maple]

Thanks for the response guys I was a little blurry on that subject.:D:)