Wood fired arch fillers

[dano2840]

Im wondering if i can fill the back of my arch with sand, probably from the sand pile at our farm (which is kind of moist, its used for sanding drive ways), i know my dads rig has vermiculite? i think its called in it, but i am trying to cut costs and was wondering if i would be ok with just good old sand in the arch??????
i am planning to have a forced draft on it also

[jrthe3]

with the sand and forced draft you prob blow the sand up stack vermiculite anit the much when i got it it was 5 dollars for 3 cubic feet bag

sand will hold a lot of heat to witch makes for longer time to cool down the back pan

[Russell Lampron]

Sand will hold moisture which will will rot out the tin on your evaporator. Go with vermiculite and cover it with ceramic blanket or fire bricks.

[Grade "A"]

Your sand may not have salt but most winter-sand does and that will rot out your arch.

[tiggy-at-mac.com]

Whether it be sand, vermiculate or something else, where are you putting it? Between the initial raised wall in the back of the firebox and the other raised portion further down the flue pan? I'm not sure how much filling, or where I should put it (if any) in my newly acquired 3x10 woodfired rig. It was bricked up without any filler, just those two internal walls when we first took it apart to move over to my place.

-tig
tillinghastmaple.com

[jrthe3]

under the rear pan to bring it to just under your flues i keep my 1 to 1.5 inchs below my pan

[Russell Lampron]

Tiggy it is the area between the ramp and base stack. If it is a raised flue fill it to the rails and if it is a drop flue fill it to a 1/2" below the flues. This keeps all of the heat up into the flues. It sounds like your evaporator has a rear ramp too. If it doesn't and you have a raised flue, form a ramp out of filler and leave a space the size of your base stack opening at the end of your flues.

[WF MASON]

Tiggy , do you know Wes Clay who sugars in Thetford ? I met him about ten years ago.A native vermont who tells it like it is.

[802maple]

I use vermiculite and then I get a bag of sakrete mortar mix and sprinkle it over the insulation about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and sprinkle with water it will dry and hold the vermiculite in place.

[tiggy-at-mac.com]

WF, I don't know Wes. I wonder if he still sugars around here, as I thought I knew all the local sugarers. Will ask around.

I do know of a fellow who sugars over on Clay Road that I don't know personally. I know his son-in-law, who helps him out and lives near me, hunting my sugarbush for deer some years. Maybe that's the fellow.

And thanks to all of you for the advice on filling the spaces. -tig

[mapleman3]

802... that sounds like a great idea... cheaper than fire bricks.. it holds up to daily brushing of the flues too? how many seasons do you get out of that mortar??

[markcasper]

I just used barn lime. It was dry, cost less than vermiculite. It got rather hard after a few years. Its been in there for 13 seasons and no rusting yet.

[maple flats]

I bought my vermiculite from a wholesale greenhouse supplier by the name WH Milikowski, in Syracuse, NY. They have other branches around the northeast. I bought 4CF bags for $12.50 ea. My 3x8 raised flue needed 3 bags. I covered it with a flat layer of half brich and very lightly mortered with refractory cement to keep it from being sucked up the stack. I also saw a Griffin greenhouse supply with 6CF bags for about $19 ea. If you go to a garden retail center you will pay over $250 for the 12cf I got. My price was 2 years ago but another trader got some last year for the same price at Milikowski's.

[dano2840]

I use vermiculite and then I get a bag of sakrete mortar mix and sprinkle it over the insulation about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and sprinkle with water it will dry and hold the vermiculite in place.

Thats what im going to do, ithink i have to pour a slab for the arch from sack creet i will buy an extra bag, i think thats the way to go.

[peacemaker]

that will work well if there is some old house renovations going on around you they may have bags of it there getting rid of ... i have three bags i salvage out of a house this summer

[Brent]

On our 2 x 6 last year we just poured in mica and covered it with fibreboard.
Easy to adjust the height under the pan, not permanent. The bottom and sides of the arch were cool .. not even warm.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Out of stupidity, what is mica and where would you get it since I am curious??

[Brent]

the most common use these days seems to be for potting plants.
it lightens soil. We get it at TSC or nurseries. A big garbage bag full will weigh almost nothing, Like 2 lbs maybe. It's a great insulator and cost is very low per cubic foot.

[Russell Lampron]

It was and may still be used in toasters. It is what the heating wires are wrapped around.

[maple flats]

mica is another name for vermiculite.