Grate to it hard this year

[Shawn]

Our arch was made by one of the guys that sugars with us, he is a welder and made us this arch that looks and works like the new ones you can buy. We fully insulated it this year and lined it with bricks. We have a blower installed in the front. Question I have is for our grate system we used what we thought was cast iron, but let me tell you after the season that grated had twisted and broke off in the middle from the high heat inside. I am wondering if for next year we would just be better off to line the bottom of the firebox with bricks and let it go at that, or come up with a high heat grate that wont cost us an arm and leg. I thought the cast iron would have stood the high heat inside, and maybe the grate we had was not cast iron but metal?

[maple flats]

It may have been cast iron, but if not shaped in a V for each section and the V up to fill with ash and insulate the grate may well break. I suggest you look at the idea of pouring a floor. Use castable refractory, brace it up with holes every 3 inches in all directions. Pour it 4 " thick. Then run your under fire air under and it will blow thru the holes. For the holes, use inverted cones, with the large end down. When this is done the holes will not fill with ash. You will have a good grate then.

[Shawn]

Thanks will give it a try