# A Hearthstone Heritage D.I.Y. Ceramic Baffle Modification Replacement



## Jamm (Nov 18, 2011)

I was a little dismayed when I realized my Heritage was not burning to specs this fall. The beginning of my third winter using this stove. Telling signs were the faster speed  at which logs were being consumed and difficulty getting the good, low recirculating burn from low settings.  I had been through this once before at the end of my first season with the Heritage.  I got a light and looked up at the baffle.  A one inch hole was visible in the ceramic plate.  

There ya go, thousands of dollars upgrading my stove to this real beauty and it broke down already, after one winter!  Oh sure, it was probably my fault.  I probably 'shanked' the baffle with my poker or 'rammed' in too much wood.  Maybe it was all those times I started the stove by leaving the ash door open that weakened the baffle?  So off to the hardware  to get a tub of furnace cement.  A temporary solution at best.  Don't bother is my advice, because this ceramic baffle is a 1/4 inch of, to put it politely, pith and nonsense.  To top it off, I found out that it costs $65+ to get a new baffle.  Typical, really great, expensive stove, that requires a replacement part every season or two.  The ridiculous thing is that Hearthstone would bother with a baffle made of this ceramic stuff because it is too delicate for service in a stove.  Of course you're going to 'prang' your stove baffle every so often.  I don't care for 'feline-footing' around delicate parts that I need to put to daily use.  I read about a fella that got three years out of his Heritage baffle.  When I remove mine, it fell apart like pie crust.  Oh! oh! Winters comin'!

It is obvious that the part makes sense for the service techs at the stove shop because sooner or later your gonna need baffle replacement and that means $$$$ for them.  Go look in your Hearthstone right now, I bet you got a hole in your stock baffle.  I wasn't going to roll over for these guys down at the shop so easily and they are probably wondering why I haven't been in yet to get a new baffle?  I tried a few materials such as heavy ceramic tiles and a piece of asbestos board.  Don't bother.  Then I found these fire bricks in my old stove that I hadn't taken in for the scrape money yet.  They are 4 1/2 x 9 x 1/2 inches and can be purchased at the Home Depot, inexpensively if you don't have any in an old stove.   They are durable to heat but a little brittle so careful not to ding or torsion them when handling.  The bricks form my old stove are 18 years old. 

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/buildi...rts-accessories/6-pack-firebrick-154421.htmlk 

For the modification I used a cannister filter mask, safety glasses, a pencil, square and a grinder with a small metal / diamond, cutting / grinding wheel for masonry work available, at the hardware store.  Just do a good job smoothing the sides of the bricks that you'll have to cut.  After you fit the bricks in, you get a nice row of 1 1/2 inch thick firebrick for a baffle that is much more durable then the 'wafer' that the Heritage comes with.  Stove works well again and I not so worried about paying for a stock, junk, baffle material that doesn't appear to be up to the job.

I'd be interested in details of other effective solutions to this Heritage baffle problem but, so far, the stove works well again.  Also be interested in reasons why I shouldn't do this type of mod.


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## begreen (Nov 18, 2011)

I'm not a big fan of baffle boards either. As long as there is sufficient clearance above the bricks for a good smoke path, I like the retrofit idea. One change I would make is to use pumice brick instead. They will be more costly but will insulate better for a cleaner, hotter fire. The cost about twice as much, but will last as long with a little care.

One suggestion for folks that have a baffle board. Be careful when cleaning the flue. Often that odd 1" hole is where the flue brush hit the baffle.


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## Jamm (Nov 18, 2011)

My first thought was, will I be impeding the functions of the stove but, apparently not, since I have observed the smoke leaving the burn box in orderly fashion from looking through the open side door on the Heritage.  Seems plenty of space in the re-circulation chamber to accommodate the thicker firebrick.  I'd be interested in a one piece firebrick or pumice brick 8 1/2 x 17 1/2 inch.


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## Todd (Nov 18, 2011)

Are these bricks resting on top of the burn tubes? I wonder if the extra weight would cause some warpage? What about Skamole or some harder vermiculite board?


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## Jamm (Nov 18, 2011)

So far I have been burning for a month this way,  every day, with no sign of gas pipe warp. The firebricks are up top the pipes resting on the back pipe.  The front of the firebricks rest on an iron insert ledge that can be removed to allow replacement of baffles. So, the firebricks don't actually put too much weight on the gas burner pipe.  The Hearthstone Heritage Non-Cat model seems pretty stout when one disregards the stock ceramic baffle plate.  But, I shall keep an eye out for pipe warp and anthing else that might come up.  All good for the month thus far. No worries mate!

The non-cat Hearthstone Heritage is now back in excellent working order and I have a big bed of coals each morning. I know I have less chance of rendering my stove less efficient from perforating the baffle by accident, and that was the goal.  The wood is too precious and baffles made of ceramic are too far away and  difficult to get. I think I burn almost double the wood when the baffle has a hole.  Mission accomplished.

I think Todd is right to be cautious about the weight of firebrick on gas re-burn tubes.  

After researching Skamol and Vermiculite it seems as though the stuff might make excellent baffle material too.  You can check it out at this interesting site :

http://www.matweb.com/search/GetMatlsByManufacturer.aspx?navletter=S&manID=270
http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?matguid=5bce4c0e9bff4e5c933f31fb15f567e3

Firebrick surpases Skamol for temperature resisitence by quite a bit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_brick

I have not found the data on pumice stone yet, but, remain interested.

My suggestion is, don't do anything to your stove that can't be undone to return it to stock should you be disatisfied with performance. 

Remeber, warping pipes offten happens due to eccessive burn temp. That is why the manual for the HH 8021 says not to exceed temps. of 500F.


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## Lawrence Click (Jul 2, 2013)

I just bought a used heritage 12 years old and like you say the baffle is junk flimsy and it seems like a good idea after reading your retro fit and replies , I did it with a few modifications myself 1st the full measurement is 17 1/2 x 8 1/2 .. home depot sells the 9 x 41/2 x 11/2 but like most things that home depot sells these were 27 dollars and they didn't carry them except in the warehouse . I went to my local hardware and picked up 4 at $2.50 a pc .. then cutting them .. most people can get hole of a tile saw some ones brothers friend well it works perfect .. Now its July 2 and I have to wait to see if it works .. which the good people who have already done it says it does .. btw the support bracket on the top and bottom and the tubes welded on the side holding that little weight will do nothing


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## Highbeam (Jul 2, 2013)

I always thought that the baflle board in my heritage was pretty stout. It is a healthy 1/2" thick and heavy. It won't be damaged unless YOU damage it. Mine lasted for the full 25 cords with the biggest damage being from me dinging it with splits. I would try and fill these dings with cement but then the cement would fall off and take baffle board material with it. How hard would it be to encapsulate the baffle board with a layer of SS sheet metal? The baffle would still provide function but be protected from abuse.


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## Lawrence Click (Jul 2, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> I always thought that the baflle board in my heritage was pretty stout. It is a healthy 1/2" thick and heavy. It won't be damaged unless YOU damage it. Mine lasted for the full 25 cords with the biggest damage being from me dinging it with splits. I would try and fill these dings with cement but then the cement would fall off and take baffle board material with it. How hard would it be to encapsulate the baffle board with a layer of SS sheet metal? The baffle would still provide function but be protected from abuse.



Like I said I just bought a used one and all that I see wrong was a 80 dollar ceramic board that I think I replaced for 10 dollars , the bricks are a lot more solid and from what I see it will do the same thing , but it will be much too hot here to prove it for some time here so I will have to get back to you on that .. the baffle I took out was junk and it was pretty easy to put the bricks in after I cut them with the tile cutter .. if I'm wrong I wasted 10 bucks if not I saved 60 this year and 70 the years I would have to replace  the baffle because I really don't see anything breaking the bricks and they are very tight because  the saw cut them so flat


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## begreen (Jul 2, 2013)

The smoke flow around the baffle will be different with the additional 1" thickness. How that will affect performance is unknown. Keep the bricks tightly together. Leakage between the bricks is undesirable.


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## Highbeam (Jul 2, 2013)

You can just dry fit the bricks. My EPA Lopi freedom insert used bricks for the baffle and they were just sitting up there.

My biggest problem with the brick solution is the weight. The weight is being supported by thin walled SS tubes that glow red when you are burning. They aren't easily replaced on a heritage if they were to sag from the weight. So saving money on a baffle might cost you in tubes.


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## firecracker_77 (Jul 2, 2013)

I need a new baffle as well. I ruined mine through scraping it with splits.  Not a design flaw, but it is delicate.


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## Lawrence Click (Jul 2, 2013)

begreen said:


> The smoke flow around the baffle will be different with the additional 1" thickness. How that will affect performance is unknown. Keep the bricks tightly together. Leakage between the bricks is undesirable.


well , the smoke flow  will be the same because it sits on the support bracket and the back pipe which makes the angle the same, this is  the same things the  baffle sits on and is tied to ( there is a video on youtube  ) showing how to change the baffle . the extra inch shows up on the back side where it is dead air space before it goes to your chimney and of course if there are spaces between the bricks you are doing things wrong  that's why you cut them with a tile cutting saw , mine looks like one pc 17 1/2 x 8 1/2  . like I said if I'm wrong I wasted 10 bucks , if it works I won't ever have this problem again , we will find out this winter . Reading some of your other comments if you look at the Heritage the choke point is in the front just above the door at the support bracket and it is internal . the bricks are well below that and  angle about 4 inches down to the back of the stove that is the dead air space


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## begreen (Jul 2, 2013)

Do the burn tubes have manifolds on the sides that create a ledge? If there are I was wondering if one could use 1" angle iron, resting on the side manifolds, to create supports for the bricks, taking the weight off the tubes.


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## webby3650 (Jul 2, 2013)

Jamm said:


> Typical, really great, expensive stove, that requires a replacement part every season or two. The ridiculous thing is that Hearthstone would bother with a baffle made of this ceramic stuff because it is too delicate for service in a stove.


Hearthstone isn't the problem here! Many, Many stove manufacturers use the same materiel for their baffle and offer years of faithful service. Unless you are constantly abusing it.


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## rudysmallfry (Jul 2, 2013)

My stove is 10 years old and I have no holes in my baffle. I do however suffer from fast burning wood. I thought it was due to draft and lack of damper, but maybe I have been looking in the wrong direction. Other than obvious wear, such as a hole, what would constitute a worn baffle?


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## webby3650 (Jul 2, 2013)

rudysmallfry said:


> obvious wear, such as a hole,


That's about it. They either just break down over many,many years, from constant overfiring, or knocking a hole it in with the end of a cleaning brush. The brush end being the most common reason for failure.

Have you checked all your gaskets? Especially the ashpan?


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## stovelark (Jul 2, 2013)

Guys-   there are thousands of Heritages out there-  the baffle is not the problem.  A little care will ensure it lasts.  The same can be said about the sec air tubes, treat them right and they will last.  Ceramic baffles have been used for years, and are durable.  Not many brick top baffles are left, I think Country when Lennox bought them even went to ceramic baffles.  Enviro is still using them in the 2100FS, but that stove is (hopefully) in re-design, the others use ceramic baffles (Kodiak and Boston, both with lifetime warranty on the cer baffle).  As a guy who has had to cut many bricks over the years (For the old Napoleon, Energy Kings, SeeFires, and the others) and notch them appropriately, I like the ceramic baffles.  Of course, the best design probably out there is the P/E "floating top baffle", nice design and patented too.  I have had to replace a few Hearthstone baffles, but nothing extreme.  The Phoenix is my favorite HS, great heater. Modifying your stove is officially never a good idea, but if it works...
Stay warm.


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## rudysmallfry (Jul 2, 2013)

Honestly, I don't think I have even opened the ash pan door in about 6 years. Front door too. I keep the grate shut, keep firebricks on the floor of the stove and just sweep it out from the side door. I figure, if I don't open doors, the gaskets won't wear out. Maybe I'll take a few pics and let you guys weigh in on it's condition.


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## stovelark (Jul 2, 2013)

Hi Rudy, like webby said, check all the gaskets. When you say short burn times, maybe its because of an air leak, or good draft. If too much draft, find the air leak or maybe add an in-line damper, altho most new generation stoves have ample air control with the stove air adjustment. Maybe a lighter test around the stove when its running and pulling hard will narrow down the leak, if there is one. Good luck.


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## Lawrence Click (Jul 3, 2013)

begreen said:


> Do the burn tubes have manifolds on the sides that create a ledge? If there are I was wondering if one could use 1" angle iron, resting on the side manifolds, to create supports for the bricks, taking the weight off the tubes.


go to
http://www.hearthstoneparts.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=8021
the baffle sits on 28 29 30 and 32 you could probably support 200lbs with this your supporting maybe 10 . do you have a heritage  ? if so it sounds like your going to spend much more money and time . You should just  watch the  video   replace the baffle with the original part and set your mind at ease


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## rudysmallfry (Jul 3, 2013)

Thanks for posting that video. My baffle doesn't have any pins holding it in place. I guess is should, huh?


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## Lawrence Click (Jul 4, 2013)

it probably should have something holding it down its really light , the fire probably lifts it up and defeats the purpose


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## rudysmallfry (Jul 4, 2013)

Well that solves my short burn time mystery. Figures, I check seals, draft, wood moisture, type and age, and it comes down to a single $1 pin. Yep, that's my luck alright.


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## Highbeam (Jul 9, 2013)

Lawrence Click said:


> it probably should have something holding it down its really light , the fire probably lifts it up and defeats the purpose


 
No, it is not that light. The fire will not lift it. The pins are there more for transport than for holding the baffle down but I always replaced them when I had the baffle out for sweeping. The new baffles do not have pins but use a little loop of SS safety wire to hold them down. Probably too many people poking holes in the baffle while trying to unbend the cotter pins with needlenose pliers, I know I did.


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## Audio1 (Sep 30, 2014)

Hi Jamm,

I have followed your advice.  I have replaced my broken baffle board in my Hearthstone Heritage 8021 stove with fire bricks (refracting bricks).  I bought mine at Rona for about 4$/each and needed four of them. I assume they are the same than the ones at Home Depot.  They fit perfectly in length (I used the longer ones as there were two sizes [short and long]).  The bricks rest on the lip edge of the stove at the back and on the tube part for the front.  They cover the same space than the baffle board did.  One of the bricks needed a short trim to adjust the final width. I am excited to fire my stove now.  Just waiting for the cold weather to start.

Thanks!! !


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## relaxrn (Nov 25, 2014)

My heritage stove is 5 years old. Im tired of replacing baffles but Im nervous about the 500 degree rating.


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## relaxrn (Nov 25, 2014)

My dealer told me that there is a problem with the handle on the front door and they gave me a new one for free-they charged labor to install it.


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## WV Homestead (Mar 30, 2015)

guys how did the modification work out? did the bricks work ? any problems?


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## relaxrn (Mar 30, 2015)

I have a hearthstone heritage stove, with porcelain and soap-stones on the exterior.

My concern is, will the soap-stones on the exterior of the stones handle the increased heat if I replace the baffle with either firebrick or more porous stone ? If you have tried this and have soap-stones, please let me know.


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## webby3650 (Mar 30, 2015)

I really don't think using anything but the factory baffle is a good idea. First of all, there isn't much room above the baffle, so the bricks will take up too much room reducing draft. The weight will also cause the tubes to sag over time.
And why are you going through baffles? They last for many many years. Is the chimney sweep damaging it?


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## Handsonautotech (Oct 17, 2016)

I would like to hear an update on this, I just ordered the firebricks myself. I am thinking of cementing what is left of my ceramic baffle to the bottom of the bricks to keep the reflectiveness the same.  Anyone who tried this still around? Baffle is $116 from hearthstone and we are way to reckless to not be breaking it every 30 days. Heck we positioned the pieces together to seal it up temporarily and we still hit it and knock it out of place, so being more careful is not an option for us clumsy folks. It breaks for us when we try to do a full-on load at night and one piece of wood is not in all the way and we close the side door and it shoves that wood into the baffle.  Or when trying to fit that last piece of wood on the top of the load. Again, you can tell me not to do these things till you are blue in the face, I am going to continue to try to stuff that box before bed... Would I be better to try to glue the broken ceramic baffle pieces to a flat piece of thick steel? Looking for strengthening baffle solutions, not "be more careful" or "my stove did not break so your should not either" solutions.


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## begreen (Oct 17, 2016)

There is no glue to that I know of for that application, but maybe Hearthstone's stove cement would work? I too think that the bricks will restrict airflow, and what supports them?

Sounds like a stove with a larger firebox and a near bulletproof baffle might be a better long term solution.


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## Handsonautotech (Oct 17, 2016)

begreen said:


> There is no glue to that I know of for that application, but maybe Hearthstone's stove cement would work? I too think that the bricks will restrict airflow, and what supports them?
> 
> Sounds like a stove with a larger firebox and a near bulletproof baffle might be a better long term solution.



I would think the stove cement would do the trick, it doesnt have to be structural, just hold the old baffle to the firebrick long enough to set the entire assembly in.

I think a larger stove would just encourage me to stuff even more wood in. So far it has been p[erfect for our house, I just like to shove as much in there as I can sometimes. 

I did break down and order another factory baffle, But I also ordered the fire brick. If I break the new baffle I will see what I can mnake of the fire brick. Would still like to hear from someone who has made a baffle before, even if it was for a different model stove.

The new baffle is no longer $60, I paid 126 after shipping


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## begreen (Oct 17, 2016)

The firebrick would be 1" thicker than the baffle board. That could be too restrictive. Also, what would support the firebrick?


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## Handsonautotech (Oct 17, 2016)

begreen said:


> The firebrick would be 1" thicker than the baffle board. That could be too restrictive. Also, what would support the firebrick?



I think it was mentioned before, but the brick weighs very little, and it rests on cast iron front and back, same as the baffle. It is misleading looking at the baffle you think it rests on the pipes, but it does not, it rests on lips front and rear.

I wish the OP would show up and let us know how it worked out.

Someone else in a different thread added a flue control to their heritage and said it helped to keep some of the lost heat. I am nervous to try this as I would screw it up and over do it not watching temps close enough, but I think the way the brick/baffle sits inside the stove it does not interfere with the air flow out.


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## Smoked (Oct 17, 2016)

My 2005 model did not have pins but my 2011 model did.  I got 10 seasons out of one baffle and am pretty sure I jacked it up moving the stove.  I am sure the fire can't lift the baffle but I do think in high draft situations, it may lift when you crack the door if not secured by pins or wire.

If I break another one, I will likely look at the bricks though. 

I have some soapstone I picked up at a granite shop scrap yard....hmmm wonder how much heavier that is than bricks?  Never mind, I am sure that is way heavier.

I kind of like the SS sandwich idea.


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## Handsonautotech (Oct 17, 2016)

Smoked said:


> My 2005 model did not have pins but my 2011 model did.  I got 10 seasons out of one baffle and am pretty sure I jacked it up moving the stove.  I am sure the fire can't lift the baffle but I do think in high draft situations, it may lift when you crack the door if not secured by pins or wire.
> 
> If I break another one, I will likely look at the bricks though.
> 
> ...



My wife thought of using soap stone but would it not crack? Can it withstand direct firebox top temps?

On our stove the front most tube has a support bracket, maybe something new? I do not see  weight being an issue for us.

My concern is will the firebrick or soap stone not reflect enough heat? That is why I am thinking of attaching the old broken baffle onto the firebrick maybe with glue just to get it set in place.

We also chatted about being more carefull with it but I am sure someone will eventually say "Oops... oh sh!*" and I would rather that not be during negative temp days.


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## Handsonautotech (Oct 26, 2016)

My wife did a good job at installing the new baffle.





I am disappointed in the new baffle, see the big gap on the left.




This is as bad as the gap we had from our damage, not great for something I spent $100 or more.

I used a broken piece of the old plate on top of the new plate to seal the gap.




Here is a picture of the bracket that the firebrick mod would rest on in the front.




Maybe this was not on earlier models?

I still hope to hear from someone who has done a baffle mod.

Anyone put a flue damper on this stove?

Has anyone done any mods to this stove at all I would love to hear your experience.

Smoked something else I though about, if you used soapstone as a baffle would you have to wait 30 minutes to heat the soapstone before the secondaries would light?



begreen said:


> The firebrick would be 1" thicker than the baffle board. That could be too restrictive. Also, what would support the firebrick?



The bracket pictured above is almost an inch tall and there is a tone of space above it. I almost with the firebrick would be tall enough to restrict the flue a bit but it would do nothing to the Flue.


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## Handsonautotech (Nov 1, 2016)

I am bumping this post in hopes that someone who has done a baffle mod will see it.


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## Handsonautotech (Nov 9, 2016)

Well, I think I messed my stove up some more tonight. I got it pretty hot not watching it during start up. Ee were watching the election when I smelled something bad. I was running some big flames, do not have a temp gauge yet unfortunately so do not know how hot. It looks like the entire baffle and secondary tube system slid back. The flue whole in front of the baffle looks bigger then I remember. I will try to remember to get picks tomorrow.  If I had known this yhing was so easy to break I would have looked at something more resilient.


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## Handsonautotech (Nov 14, 2016)

Could someone else with a heritage give me some pictures of their air tube system please, I really think our entire air tube system is out of place but I am not sure now exaclty how it should be. I was able to actually pick up the entire tube assembly tonight with my ash shovel but it was way too hot for me to do anything meaningful. My wife has been burning before I get home so I do not get a chance to mess with it. I asked her to run the heatr tomorrow so I can play with it but I am not sure how much I need to do.

Specifically i am looking for pictures of the gap between the front most tube and the door. A measuring tape or some other object to give a relative size idea would be awesome.



	

		
			
		

		
	
 I will get better pictures myself tomorrow.


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## GTA MS (Dec 4, 2016)

Handsonautotech said:


> My wife did a good job at installing the new baffle.
> 
> View attachment 186681
> 
> ...



============

You are not alone in having trouble with the very expensive, flimsy baffle, on an otherwise wonderful stove. 

After digging around on various forums, I've concluded that Hearthstone used to make the baffles WAY thicker. They were just sturdier back then, as far as I can tell. Now, they're expensive garbage, in my opinion. Despite my best efforts, I broke 2 of them. And, as you surmised, quality control on the new baffles is poor (as evidenced by the gap in your picture).

The fire brick modification works perfectly. I measured the area (and checked the dimensions of the old baffle). I used several fire bricks and had to cut a bit off the last one with a wet saw. Put them in place (they rest on front & back ledges). Make sure there are no gaps at all. My first effort left a gap on the edge. My second was a perfect fit. 

The bricks do sit a little higher than the baffle, but I've detected no drop in performance. In fact, my stove operates BETTER than before because the fire bricks actually fit snugly, and the poorly-cut baffles always left a small gap on the edge. 

In theory, the slightly smaller airway would slow down airflow, but, practically speaking, the hot air slips right up the chimney, like it's supposed to. 

If you have any questions, I'll answer them if I can.


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## begreen (Dec 4, 2016)

I'm wondering if this change will make cleaning easier. Can you move a brick aside for cleaning and then replace without opening the stove top?


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## GTA MS (Dec 4, 2016)

The bricks are very easy to remove without disassembly. They work so well I haven't tried anything else.

If it ain't broke. . . .


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## Newburnerwisconsin (Dec 4, 2016)

Jamm said:


> I was a little dismayed when I realized my Heritage was not burning to specs this fall. The beginning of my third winter using this stove. Telling signs were the faster speed  at which logs were being consumed and difficulty getting the good, low recirculating burn from low settings.  I had been through this once before at the end of my first season with the Heritage.  I got a light and looked up at the baffle.  A one inch hole was visible in the ceramic plate.
> 
> There ya go, thousands of dollars upgrading my stove to this real beauty and it broke down already, after one winter!  Oh sure, it was probably my fault.  I probably 'shanked' the baffle with my poker or 'rammed' in too much wood.  Maybe it was all those times I started the stove by leaving the ash door open that weakened the baffle?  So off to the hardware  to get a tub of furnace cement.  A temporary solution at best.  Don't bother is my advice, because this ceramic baffle is a 1/4 inch of, to put it politely, pith and nonsense.  To top it off, I found out that it costs $65+ to get a new baffle.  Typical, really great, expensive stove, that requires a replacement part every season or two.  The ridiculous thing is that Hearthstone would bother with a baffle made of this ceramic stuff because it is too delicate for service in a stove.  Of course you're going to 'prang' your stove baffle every so often.  I don't care for 'feline-footing' around delicate parts that I need to put to daily use.  I read about a fella that got three years out of his Heritage baffle.  When I remove mine, it fell apart like pie crust.  Oh! oh! Winters comin'!
> 
> ...




Does anyone realize that this thread has over 10,000 views? Wow! That a lot of burners. Hearthstone must have sold a lot of these stoves. I have wrecked a baffle too. I repaired it with stove cement. Seems to be fine now. I learned to just be more careful with my hearthstone.


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## Handsonautotech (Dec 7, 2016)

Newburnerwisconsin said:


> Does anyone realize that this thread has over 10,000 views? Wow! That a lot of burners. Hearthstone must have sold a lot of these stoves. I have wrecked a baffle too. I repaired it with stove cement. Seems to be fine now.





GTA MS said:


> ============
> 
> You are not alone in having trouble with the very expensive, flimsy baffle, on an otherwise wonderful stove.
> 
> ...



I am glad to hear the bricks work. I have a box of them in the basement just need to make the time to install them. 

For now we have the replacement baffle installed from Hearthstone. I did not tie it down so when I hit it with wood or a tool it just moves out of place and I have to reposition it when the stove is cold. This seems to have prevented it from breaking so far.

Do you do anything to hold the stones in place or just gravity amd friction?


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## GTA MS (Dec 7, 2016)

Just gravity & friction. My first attempt left a tiny gap in one side, which leaked too much heat. When I cut a slightly wider brick, there was no leak, and the bricks were quite snug across the width of the stove. They've held in place ever since.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## VirginiaIron (Jan 12, 2017)

My baffle looked like this prior to installing it. If the throat of the baffle opening is large enough to accommodate a 1/2 inch ceramic blanket, why cant the blanket be installed above these baffles?


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## GTA MS (Jan 12, 2017)

VirginiaIron said:


> My baffle looked like this prior to installing it. If the throat of the baffle opening is large enough to accommodate a 1/2 inch ceramic blanket, why cant the blanket be installed above these baffles?


I don't see why it couldn't. The bricks I installed fit together flush (no gap), so I didn't need a blanket.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## VirginiaIron (Jan 12, 2017)

VirginiaIron said:


> My baffle looked like this prior to installing it. If the throat of the baffle opening is large enough to accommodate a 1/2 inch ceramic blanket, why cant the blanket be installed above these baffles?



When I say large enough, I mean equal to or greater square inches than the square inch diameter of the vent pipe.


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## rudysmallfry (Jan 12, 2017)

I forgot all about this thread. I've been having the lower stove temps this year and was wondering what was wrong. My stove is 12 years old. I'm still on the original baffle. I read a few posts back, that the older baffles were thicker. Is a 2004 stove considered older and the better baffle? I might try this brick thing just for kicks so see if it changes the performance.


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## Handsonautotech (Feb 7, 2017)

rudysmallfry said:


> I forgot all about this thread. I've been having the lower stove temps this year and was wondering what was wrong. My stove is 12 years old. I'm still on the original baffle. I read a few posts back, that the older baffles were thicker. Is a 2004 stove considered older and the better baffle? I might try this brick thing just for kicks so see if it changes the performance.



Did you take a look to see if it is broken, or if the whole assembly slid back? Mine slides back making the front gap bigger.  If it is secure, not slid back, and not broken, it should not matter how thick it is. It is supposed to reflect heat, not insulate form it.


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## VirginiaIron (Feb 7, 2017)

Can expanded metal be used in stainless steel with a half-inch three-quarter or 1 inch ceramic blanket on top of the air tubes?

Maybe $150 total for one or two decades?

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchan...320000014690&gclid=CKv_w7Sv_9ECFctMDQod-SsOQQ


http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281251...7290-0%26rvr_id%3D1164875498697&ul_noapp=true


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## mstoelton (Feb 8, 2017)

What about a stainless plate similar to what PE uses in their stoves.  Wouldn't this work?

It may need a blanket on top, but that would be near bullet-proof!  

How thick are the PE stainless steel baffles?


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## begreen (Feb 8, 2017)

mstoelton said:


> How thick are the PE stainless steel baffles?


It's pretty heavy gauge metal and strengthened by being bent into a box shape. Maybe 16 ga?


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## Handsonautotech (Feb 13, 2017)

mstoelton said:


> What about a stainless plate similar to what PE uses in their stoves.  Wouldn't this work?
> 
> It may need a blanket on top, but that would be near bullet-proof!
> 
> How thick are the PE stainless steel baffles?



Keep in mind the ceramic is designed to reflect the heat down into the firebox and air tubes. If you put metal that can absorb and radiate the heat you might over heat the cast frame holding the soapstone on top.


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## jwveysey (Nov 23, 2018)

Hi, folks -

I was inspired by this thread to replace the baffle in my Hearthstone Homestead (2007 vintage) with concrete firebricks from Lowes.  I'd gotten really tired of the fragility and expense of the stock baffle, plus the replacements I'd purchased always left gaps at the top of the firebox, reducing the stove's efficiency.

It took four bricks to make a new baffle, and I had to make an angled cut on each to allow the baffle support (the small steel plate on top of the secondary air manifold) to lie down on the bricks without unduly occluding the passage of exhaust above the baffle.  I took the small pieces of brick I cut off and put them behind the bricks to prevent them from sliding toward the rear of the stove (i.e., keeping them exactly where needed to cover the top of the firebox).

I'm about 10 days into the experiment, and the stove is running better than it ever has before.  Very clean burns and good secondary combustion even soon after lighting a fire.

I don't yet know how durable the bricks will be through many heating and cooling cycles, but they show no sign of wear right now.  I'll try to remember to come back here and update this post when I have more data.

Thanks to all of the contributors here for good thoughts and advice!


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## Highbeam (Nov 23, 2018)

jwveysey said:


> Hi, folks -
> 
> I was inspired by this thread to replace the baffle in my Hearthstone Homestead (2007 vintage) with concrete firebricks from Lowes.  I'd gotten really tired of the fragility and expense of the stock baffle, plus the replacements I'd purchased always left gaps at the top of the firebox, reducing the stove's efficiency.
> 
> ...



Cool! Pictures?!


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## Newburnerwisconsin (Nov 23, 2018)

I went to online metals.com and ordered a cut piece of 304 stainless perforated steel. It is cut slightly smaller than my baffle. The holes are .093 in diameter and it is .093 thick. I then grond a slot in the steel sheet to accommodate the stainless stell plate that comes with the factory baffle. Now I simply put the stainless steel on the burn tubes the the ceramic baffle on top of it. This protects the baffle from damage from logs. The burn tubes and perforated steel are both 304 stainless. Seems to work fine for me. It protects that expensive, brittle, baffle.


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## ispinwool (Dec 19, 2018)

**Thanks for bumping this thread!  
Excellent reading.  
My baffle is currently patched (by the very helpful chimney sweep)
so I'm here looking for ideas.   I tried to order a baffle from the store where we 
bought our woodburner and it was $200!!  I'm really glad they couldn't seem to
get one for me.  I'm going with the fire bricks as an earlier poster suggested.


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## Jersey Woodsman (Nov 28, 2020)

Hello All,  I'm new here, but was happy to find this thread and thought I might share what I used to replace the problematic ceramic baffle (more like a piece of fiberboard/cardboard to me).. I cut out the 8 1/2" x 17 1/2" piece I needed from a 12" terra cotta flue liner I had laying around. Its one piece, very durable, and works like  a charm... Used a diamond blade on a high speed mini grinder to cut it out. This was on my Hearthstone Heritage 8023


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## VirginiaIron (Dec 1, 2020)

Pictures?


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## chanda (Feb 14, 2022)

i'm thinking of making my own baffle out of stoneware clay fired to cone 10 (2345 F) in my kiln. anyone have any thoughts on why this wouldn't work?


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## bundy150 (Feb 14, 2022)

There are companies like Lynn Manufacturing making ceramic  baffles for less than $100. Check out Amazon  etc.


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