dropped pan/ fire brick clearance

[Squid1230]

Hello Gentlemen,
Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a question regarding a dropped flue pan. I have read that the clearance between the bottom of a flat pan and the fire brick at the back of the Arch should be around 2" to extract as much heat from the gasses before they go up the stack. Does the same stand true for a dropped flue pan or should the bottom of the flues touch the brick such that all gasses must pass the flues before escaping?

Cheers,
Toby

[lpakiz]

You have it right. My drop-flue has a drain manifold across the rear (stack) end, and the bottom of the manifold just touches the ceramic blanket, forcing all the gases thru the flues. Even near the door end, there is probably only 4 inches between bottoms of flues and the blanket insulation. Forced air, tho, so I really am not concerned with draw.