Exposed steel in the arch

[berkshires]

I'm looking to put a layer of insulation held in place and protected with sheet metal in a few places in my arch. For example, on the door. This means the sheet metal will be directly exposed to the hottest part of the fire.

I was wondering - it seems quite hard to find stainless, especially thin cheap stainless, anywhere around me. Can I use plain steel, or will it get eaten up immediately?

Thanks!

Gabe

[wmick]

Stainless is better but mild steel will likely last a long time too.... (maybe go a little thicker with it?) Could also make it bolt-in or easily removable, in case you want to replace it...

Either way - you can expect it to warp like crazy when it gets hot for the first time.

[berkshires]

Yeah, some warping is no biggie. And I do plan to bolt it in using stainless bolts. Do you think 22 or 26 gauge would be thick enough to last for at least a few seasons? And zinc plated/galvanized seems to be cheap and plentiful - would that work?

[tcross]

I'm not real sure galvanized steel would be a great solution. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it omits gasses that are not good for you to inhale/be around. I have 3/16" plate steel sandwiching insulation for my arch door and it hasn't really warped much that I can notice. just my .02

[wmick]

Galvanizing (Zinc) melts at under 800 degrees F... so it will just burn off and be of no benefit to you... ... plain steel should be cheaper anyway... 22/26 ga seems awful thin to me, for this application...?? Not sure how long it will last?? I'd be going a little thicker if you can.

PS - just as a reference 3/16" (such as tcross used)... is exactly 10X thicker than 26 gauge....

[wiam]

On my Mason the door had 2" insulation held in place by a special rod/retainer set up. Not sheet metal protection. Worked great while I had it. My current oil fired has 5/16" stainless bolts with fender washers holding the insulation. Works fine.

[wmick]

On my Mason the door had 2" insulation held in place by a special rod/retainer set up. Not sheet metal protection. Worked great while I had it. My current oil fired has 5/16" stainless bolts with fender washers holding the insulation. Works fine.

This had crossed my mind, but I didn't want to confuse the issue with my ideas... I'd agree that if it isn't susceptible to too much mechanical damage... why not leave refractory material exposed, but supported??

[supersapper]

I have a friend that works at a gravel pit and he brought me a piece of stainless sand screen. Cut to size and used 2stainless bolts to secure and it has lasted 3 years so far. Rock wool 2 years, ceramic this year.

[TedA]

The problem with exposed steel is that they soon become red hot and are a hazard to your arms/elbows while fueling. The steel door on my arch came uninsulated and after burning my jacket and gloves a few times, I decided to put some insulation on the inside. First I used that fibrous ceramic blanket material. To hold it in place I drilled some hole through the door and bolted the ceramic blanket to the door with standard bolts and oversized flat washers. That lasted a year and then the bolts and washers were fried down to the point of being brittle and useless. I took that off and had a friend weld angle iron on three sides (inside) and so I could slide in a piece of insulation board. That worked well except that the angle iron was about 1 inch wide and the insulation board slightly less - about an 1/8 inch less. The insulation board slid around some so I wedged a couple of flat iron pieces (about 1/8 inch) in to keep the insulation board in place. However, the flat iron pieces turned red hot after a couple of fire-ups and were a serious hazard thereafter while fueling. Also, I tend to load my fire box very full and then squeeze the door shut. The insulation board doesn't hold up well when you are pushing it again chunks of wood. I'd like to go back to the ceramic blanket insulation but am at a loss on how to hold it in place. My last resort is to just stick with the insulation board and plan to replace it whenever it gets cracked or broken by the wood. Any other ideas on how to insulate the arch door?

[johnallin]

My last resort is to just stick with the insulation board and plan to replace it whenever it gets cracked or broken by the wood. Any other ideas on how to insulate the arch door?

I used ceramic blanket surrounded with stove gasket, sandwiched between the door and a stainless plate I had laying around. The plate is 1/4" and held in place with 1/4 -20 SS bolts. Four years ago, on my first attempt, I used some green ceramic board behind mild steel, but it eventually broke down and I had ceramic "dust?" flying around. Didn't think that was too good, so I went with the blanket and gasket to try and contain any particles.

So far after 2 seasons, other than some warping on the lower edge, it's holding up just fine. Hope this is helpful.

door5.jpgdoor4.jpgdoor3.jpgdoor2.jpgdoor1.jpg