How do you move a fully bricked arch ??

[Maplesapper]

Just welded up a new 9' arch , must weigh 300 lbs.
213 bricks weigh quite a bit.
And they say that the mortar needs to dry slowly- so it sounds like I need to brick it up in the warmth of the garage.

So, how do I move it after its bricked and weighs 900 lbs ??
Solution needs to be low tech, no tractor here.
Thanks;

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Brick it in place. Build a cheap and easy tent around firebox of arch with plastic and heat before, while and after bricking. Will save your back, and/or tractor.

Ben

[Loch Muller]

My arch is no where near that big, but I bricked mine in place then put a piece of tight fitting 2" foamboard on top, stuffed the stack opening with insulation and placed my halogen work light inside it until the mortar dried. Kept it nice and warm inside, just be careful not to melt through the foamboard with the light.

[lpakiz]

Exactly what I did. I dry-fitted all the bricks in my warm shop, took a few pics, made some marks with a can of spray paint, then disassembled the bricks and moved the empty arch from my shop to the new syrup shed. I kept the bricks in separate piles when I disassembled. Left side, right side, floor, rear of box, etc. After I got done mortaring the bricks, I covered with a sheet of styrofoam and put a halogen light inside for couple days. I also stuffed the back of the firebox with some old fiberglass insulation to hold the heat inside the firebox. Worked just fine, every day during the season, the bricks were bright red hot while we cooked. Nary a problem.
And if you don't have too far to go, I bet you could move the empty arch with a couple of garage creepers and two sheets of plywood.

[Wood burn]

I put my arch on wheels so that I can move it around with the tractor .

[Maplesapper]

Thanks guys- seems unanimous to brick it in its final home....

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I had to move my 2x8 fully bricked arch with aprox 140 full size firebrick in it and it is an inferno arch back in 2005 aprox 6/10 of a mile. I used 2 of the 10,000 lb rated tow straps from Harbor Freight and a 65 HP John Deere Tractor and picked it up with the bucket and carried it to its new home in the new sugarhouse after my dad sold and moved. Had no problem and worked good. I put boards under the necked part of the arch.

[bushmoose]

I don't understand why you would need to mortar the bricks in the first place? The arch is, lets be politically correct here, a woodstove. There must be a million woodstoves out there heating homes and cabins and I've never heard of them needing the fire bricks mortared?

[eustis22]

woodstoves, etc, let heat OUT. You firebrick to keep heat IN.

[wishlist]

I moved mine from the barn to the attached sugar house using dollies I use from the drill press and band saw. Used a floor jack and put one under each end , then pushed . No problem.

Really there is no need to mortar the joints. Make tight fitting joints and save a bunch of work for yourself. 8988

[Sugarmaker]

I agree to move the arch to its home position prior to bricking. That will be heavy enough for you to carry just the arch with four guys. I had three guys move our 3 x 10 arch. then I bricked it in the sugarhouse. I mortared my bricks but agree that a good dry stack will work also. Unless your sides are straight up then maybe mortar is better.
Regards,
Chris

[CincySyrupPusher]

woodstoves, etc, let heat OUT. You firebrick to keep heat IN.

Not sure I agree with this... Firebrick are only there for protection. If we could, we would make the WHOLE thing out or arch board/ceramic insulation (which rejects all heat back in on itself).

Firebrick in a Evaporator is a necessary evil, makes it harder to shutdown, etc. Because they retain heat (and radiate that retained heat in all directions).

I don't get mortar either, especially on a custom straight side arch (I didn't even use it on my new Oil Tank Evap (curved sides)). Mortar will only make it more difficult to replace a brick (which you will at some point) and the time, headache and hassle of it all would be better spent on something else around the shack.

Brick in place and save the time & $$ for cool glass or nicer labels.

[Maplesapper]

I moved mine from the barn to the attached sugar house using dollies I use from the drill press and band saw. Used a floor jack and put one under each end , then pushed . No problem.

Really there is no need to mortar the joints. Make tight fitting joints and save a bunch of work for yourself. 8988


I was cutting my 2" firebrick with a 4 1/2" grinder. IN hindsight- YES- renting a proper saw for tighter joins might have been a better option

[johnallin]

Mortar helps keep everything in place when you're loading an armful of wood every 8 minutes while in a hurry to get the door closed-not dainty operation.

A wood stove on the other hand, is tended in a much gentler fashion...Brick it up in place and use mortar, you'll thank yourself later on.

[Maplesapper]

Thanks John-
I like the advice- we have lots of helpers, so dainty needs to be avoided.

Nice Sugar Shack btw