Ceramic wool insulation

[sweet willy]

Does anyone use ceramic wool insulation under the flue pans and or their syrup pans? How do you think it works. I use it and like it a lot, seems to seal up things very well!

[backyard sugaring]

My whole evaporator inside is wrapped with ceramic blanket. You can put your hands on the side of my evaporator it is warm not hot. Great stuff. Lee

[nymapleguy607]

Alot of people use ceramic blanket in there evaporators If it is wood fired you will need to lay brick over the blanket to keep the wood from tearing it up. The blanket is nice beacuse it cools alot faster than fire brick.

[not_for_sale]

Anybody concerned with carcinogenic nature of ceramic fiber blanket?

[Maplesapper]

wouldnt touch the stuff

[325abn]

Are you talking as a pan gasket or as arch insulation?

[WI Sugarpop]

I use it as pan gasket and I put a layer on top of the brick below the flues and increased gph by 4.

[not_for_sale]

It really doesn't matter. I bought lots of it and am insulating my arch with it but it irritates my nose and is itchy as h#%^.

When I read in the AOF PDF about trying to avoid it, I googled it. Seems its no better than asbestos. It breaks down and the dust is present all the time. Goes out he chimney and your smoke then is full of the dust.

So, I decided to completely brick the arch over it and leave as little of it exposed as possible.

[not_for_sale]

However, then ever taking the arch apart you are really really stupid if you area wearing a full blown respirator.

Should I add a third really stupid. Frankly, after reading the msds I could kick myself for not checking how bad it is.

[mathprofdk]

Does anyone have any links? I have a gas-fired evaporator that we lined with the fiber. I'd like to know if it's not safe, but I'm having a hard time finding anything.

Edit: Nevermind - here's one from the NIH: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/CeramicFibers.pdf. Crap. Guess I'll have to find some bricks for next year, but not sure how that'll work with my setup.

[sg5054]

I lined mine with 1" fireboard all cut and fitted, no gaps anywhere. The bricked over all of so nothings exposed. All gaps cemented. Amazing how well it insulates. Made a step at the back half that leave a 3" space to the pan.

[sg5054]

Tractor Supply has the bricks. That's where I got mine.

[not_for_sale]

Tractor Supply bricks are really expensive. A masonry supplier sells them for half what tractor supply sells them for.

[sg5054]

I only paid $1.20 ea.

[backyard sugaring]

I have no reason to touch it once it is inside the evaporator. My evaporator is oil fired so nothing is exposed. It not like a wod fired boiler that you are always opening the door. Lee

[mathprofdk]

I have no reason to touch it once it is inside the evaporator. My evaporator is oil fired so nothing is exposed. It not like a wod fired boiler that you are always opening the door. Lee

It looked like the literature was implying that the high temperature caused it to break down and become airborne through the stack.

[backyard sugaring]

Ceramic blanket is used in every oil fired boiler, oil fired hot water tanks, gas fired boiler, and kilns. I've seen it used in schools, hospital, and many factories. You can buy a hardner at pottery stores if some people are concerned about it.

[Mark]

I only use Superwool because it is body soluble and is safer.

[sweet willy]

It's expensive stuff though. Some of the blanket is 4.50 a ft and the strip stuff is 2.50 a ft...

[regor0]

Were do you get superwool?