insulating help

[asknupp]

Started putting in ceramic blanket tonight and I can see I'm going to run into some problems.
After putting blanket on ramp I see that in my firebox I'm not going to have enough of a base to lay brick on. Is brick enough? Or do I need to add more base for both.
10019

My imagination is having trouble incorporating grates as well.
Any suggestions would be appreciated and thank you in advance.

[psparr]

You're going to need both. The thin guage steel will warp badly without it. Maybe even causing the evaporator to twist and not sit level.

[11-Nick]

I'm getting ready to build an evaporator out of a 275 gal tank. Thinking ahead, I've been wondering how I'm going to work with the insulation and brick as they get installed. I also thought about how the grates are going to go in. Welding grates, ramp, etc in place before installing insulation and brick would make the finished build more sturdy. But finding a way to install the grates last would save a lot of hassle cutting bricks and insulation.
Maybe some folks could talk about how they put their own projects together.....

[psparr]

100201002110022

Here's a couple during the build. If I would have done it again, I probably would have used angle for the grates. My bricks are dry stacked so I can remove them if I need to change the grates. What would be nice is an angle welded on the sides to hold the grates, and another angle above those to carry the bricks. That way you could replace the angle grates if they ever need it. The insulation will wedge in place without fasteners. The only place I used self tapping screws to hold it in place was the front of the arch and the door where I don't have fire brick. There I just put a fender washer on the screw to give some support. On the ramp, the insulation is just laid in, and wedged in the sides.

[psparr]

10023 Here's a really bad online sketch I made. you could lay the blanket and brick then just lay in a fully welded grate.