Wood floor

[Rockwood]

Moving a W.F Mason 2 X 3 evaporator into a new sugar house with a wood floor, any thoughts on sitting it on the wood floor, will stove board be enough protection or should I place it on patio stones?

Thanks

[Bucket Head]

I would set it on something. Patio stones would at least keep the hot parts from touching any wood. What about hot coals falling out? I would get a big piece of sheet metal and put that down first, then do the blocks. For safety, you really need to isolate the wood floor from anything hot. Maybe you could put down some of the fireproof stuff that they put on a wall behind a woodstove?

Steve

[Flat47]

Search this forum for past discussion- this was covered not too long ago.

I had an early version of the Half Pint in a shed with a wood floor. I had a small piece of sheet metal on the floor right below the warped arch door. I thought this was good protection until one morning I returned to the shed to find a hole in the wood floor just off the end of the sheet metal. The night before I'd shoveled out most of the fire and flooded the pan before heading home. Either I dropped some coals or some rolled out of the warped door - the result being I nearly burned down the shed. I really surprised the whole thing didn't burn. I was really lucky. Just some hurt pride and a hole in the floor. I got a bigger piece of sheet metal after that.

Moral of the story: make sure you've got enough material between that fire and the floor.

[red maples]

there was alot of talk about this. but what I did was to put down hardie concrete backer and put a bottom in the firebox and then lift the evap up 4 inches or approx 2 full brick width. this will put enough air space under that the floor never even gets warm. them I keep an aluminum foil roasting pan under the draft door to catch ashes and coals that pop out!! and it works fine I actually like the height because I don't have to bend over as far to fire it. saves the back that much!!!!

[maple flats]

I did this the first 3 or 4 seasons, with my 2x6. I raised the arch up so the firebox was on 8" concrete blocks and on top of that I had a 1 piece 20ga hearth sheet that I made to cap the blocks. I extended the hearth about 30" in front of the fill doors. It worked well but the piece of mind when I went concrete was well worth the time and $. With the protected wood floor, I still never dared add a blower. The first year with cement I added under fire air which helped but over fire did far more a few years later. (see thread, Over fire combustion air.)

[Brent]

I had this problem on a 2x6. First year I put a sheet of fire rated cement board on the floor. At the end of the season I had to remove the rig and found the floor scorched black.

After replacing the plywood, the next season I put down a cement board, then put firebricks down in 2 rows where the sides of the arch would sit, then a second peice of cement board and put the arch on. This created an air gap and I put a small fan under the back of the arch to blow cool air in. I'm upgrading the rig this year and when I took out the 2x6 the lino floor was like new.

[Dennis H.]

This post comes up aleast once a year.

What I did was had concrete backer board, the kind with the mesh reinforcement, and lay that onto the plywood floor. Then I made up a batch of floor leveler and poured that on top of the backer board. You have to work fast with the leveler and make sure the backerboard is damp. That stuff sets up quick.

When I got the new evap I wanted to raise it alittle so it was a win-win thing.
I took some brick and built a platform under the firebox and a small platform under the legs at the rear of the arch. Then I poured a 2 1/2" concrete cap ontop of the bricks. I also left of some motar joints on the front box so as air can circulate thru it.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Nice picture of your raise arch base. Thanks for posting. I like the brick work, very nice touch.
Good looking new rig too. Love the Shiny Stainless:)

Chris

[Dennis H.]

Thanks, I just wish I didn't have the cement runs down the sides. I guess I could also wire brush them, never tried that yet.

Oh yeah just to let you know. I didn't fill the center with anything. I used a small piece of cement backerboard to cover the center of the brick box then poured the concrete ontop of that .

[jtthibodeau]

Dennis,
Try some muriatic acid, which should be available in a local hardware store. You will apply it to the masonry with a brush. Remember to wear gloves and eye Protection. This should remove most, if not all, of the mortar stains on the face of the brick.

[steve J]

I have used a Mason 2x3 up until this coming season. If yours is like mine was your ash pan sits about 8 inches off the floor I used the black stove mats under it and I was fine and I did that for 4 seasons. I just upgraded to his 2x4 with a blower same set up and will used stove mat under it also.

[40to1]

I assumed wood floors were verboten.

But if wood floors (with layers of protection) are OK, that sounds a lot less expensive than pouring a reinforced concrete pad 18" deep.
Suddenly my pie-in-the-sky plan for a sugarhouse, seems a little more doable.

Anyone want to talk me out of it? Anything I should be considering?

[Haynes Forest Products]

40to1 Why would you pour a 18" thick cement floor. Your not parking a Sherman tank on it. If you can put a car on a 4" garage floor I thing a evap would be OK.

[maple flats]

I poured mine 4.5" and have expansion joints. I went 4' deep under the evap. and poured a footing for the biggest evaporator I thought I would ever fit in there and laid up blocks, filled it with crushed stone and capped it with 4.5" concrete. Then I poured 4.5" with an expansion joint around the evaporator slab and poured the rest with a floating slab, also 4.5" thick. Both pours are rebared. This way, the evap will never move but if frost heaves the rest it will not take the evap with it. I have not had to adjust level on the arch for the 2.5 or 3.5 years the floor has been in, nor has any shifting happened either on the rest of the floor

[maplemark]

I had the same situation . I first screwed down that cement board then put 12 x 12 patio blocks over that. My thought was if I just used cement board too much heat could transfer though to the wood , so thats why the patio blocks on top of that. I also figured if I just used the patio blocks embers could migrate through the cracks . I hope I've got it covered , the place didn't burn down yet. Of course I haven't removed the evaporator to see what the floor looks like under all that

[Haynes Forest Products]

Better than the rest of the floor Im sure.