Protecting Ceramic Baffle Boards

[pen]

I just purchased an Englander 30 that was used. In my case I am fortunate that the original baffle boards are good and the original owner somehow got a free set out of Englander before his First Year anniversary with the stove. Regardless, at 60 bux a wack on the Englander website (120 for the pair) I want to make certain they last. My buddy has the exact same stove and did the typical "I put the damn poker through it" routine several times.

I've gone back through and read a lot of ranting about these boards, but no solutions. Other stoves use fire brick but I am afraid that wouldn't be a solution here as even custom cutting them that would be a lot of added weight to the top of these burn tubes.

How about boiler plate? Anyone try that?

Or perhaps how about a piece of sheet metal (or insert something light and thin that you know of there that could handle the stress at least for a while) that could be placed under the baffle boards but above the burn tubes to provide just a bit of protection from that slipped wood or poker mishap?

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Anything heavy up there is just going to wreck the secondary burn tubes that the baffle boards sit on. The first season I smacked the boards several times. As a test I put a piece of 20 gauge 304L stainless steel under them. It just warps and pushes the boards up.

Last year I just quit using a poker and always loaded N/S staying below or level with the top of the bricks as it says in the manual and didn't put a ding in them the whole season.

BTW: It isn't the only stove that uses ceramic fiber board for the baffle. A bunch of them do.

 

[Highbeam]

My hearthstone also uses a soft board and I load right up to the tubes. The falling wood can even pop up and ding the board. The good news is that they are tougher than you think and can take a good bit of abuse, and can even be repaired with furnace cement. The bad news is that they aren't as durable as firebricks.

I have filled in the dings and scratches on mine and burnt the stove a season without the furnace cement spalling out or failing. It works.

I never use a poker. On rare occasions I use a piece of kindling to readjust a piece but mostly I put on the welding gloves and load by hand.

 

[pen]

My hearthstone also uses a soft board and I load right up to the tubes. The falling wood can even pop up and ding the board. The good news is that they are tougher than you think and can take a good bit of abuse, and can even be repaired with furnace cement. The bad news is that they aren't as durable as firebricks.

I have filled in the dings and scratches on mine and burnt the stove a season without the furnace cement spalling out or failing. It works.

I never use a poker. On rare occasions I use a piece of kindling to readjust a piece but mostly I put on the welding gloves and load by hand.

I think avoiding the poker and use the good old hands also save the fire brick on the sides.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Next to the ash rake, my best wood burning tool is my pair of long handled tongs.

 

[firefighterjake]

One season down and no damage to my baffle board that I can see . . . but like others I rarely use the poker . . . mostly use the gloves and hand feed the stove. I will occasionally use the poker to reposition a split . . . but usually the only tool used in the stove is my shovel.

 

[summit]

man! i slam wood, poker, tongs and rake into my baffle all the time... oh wait, i don't have the cheesy board in there!! ;-)

 

[Highbeam]

man! i slam wood, poker, tongs and rake into my baffle all the time... oh wait, i don't have the cheesy board in there!! ;-)

I would gladly replace my cheezy soft one with a stout one like you describe. Just one less thing to worry about. I don't think there'll be any slamming but still, the added durability would be a benefit which is the purpose of this thread.

 

[BrotherBart]

For the difference between his 30-NC and a Summit Pen can buy 35 new baffle boards.

 

[pen]

For the difference between his 30-NC and a Summit Pen can buy 35 new baffle boards.

ha! I'm really not all that concerned as I am careful with my stove and loading procedures but I like many others prefer to look at a GOOD stove as being near bullet proof and other than cleanings, maintenance free. Many stoves are pretty but I'm not going to buy one that I am going to have to tear down in a few years and replace gaskets and worry about warped parts.

I've got an extra set of baffle boards around so I'm not at all concerned but if for nothing else, discussion can sometimes spawn an idea that could help save someone that 120 bucks for the replacement baffles.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

The baffle in my big Sierra insert was quarter inch plate steel with three flanges and I used to warp the crap out of it every four or five years and have to get the local iron works to punch out a new one for me. The baffle boards in the 30 have three seasons under their belt and look like they have another couple or more left in them. For the two cords of wood a year worth of work it is saving me I will contribute a hundred bucks to Mike Holton's profit sharing plan every few years. :lol:

 

[pen]

Good point BB. I am anxious to see if I reduce my wood consumption moving from that Fisher to the 30. I am afraid I won't save anything because I'll be starting the thing earlier than ever this year just because I can watch :bug: the fire burn!

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Good point BB. I am anxious to see if I reduce my wood consumption moving from that Fisher to the 30. I am afraid I won't save anything because I'll be starting the thing earlier than ever this year just because I can watch :bug: the fire burn!

pen

Everybody uses more wood the first year with a new stove. Watching the fire, overheating the joint until they get used to burning it etc.

You aren't burning stuff you cut this spring like I used to do are you? The forum taught me better than that and drying the stuff more than a year has also helped cut down on wood consumption. I didn't believe it but tried it and an old dog learned a new trick.

A lesson to learn is don't keep trying to keep it full and flaming all the time. Load it, let it get up to around five hundred on the center of the stove top then damp it down about three quarters of the way and let the big boy eat. Don't reload until the stove top temp is down around 200 and you have some coals left.

 

[pen]

That's actually exactly what I did with the old Fisher. Except 550-600 would be the norm for the hottest spot on the top center. About that time the chimney would be in the 450 - 500 range and I'd close her down to whatever draft setting was appropriate for the load size and time of day. I installed a baffle in that fisher made of 3/8 angle iron and fire brick and that really made the old girl much more consistent.

Again, as always, thanks for the advice. I'll have wood to burn for about 1/2 of the season that was cut over a year ago. The other was cut this spring but fortunately from trees that were felled 2 years ago and were shedding their bark nicely. As much as I have the energy and would love to get that extra 1/2 season so I could have 2 years on hand at all times, I simply do not have the firewood storage at this point. The last 2 years when I have gotten to the "yearling" wood in January or so, I really didn't notice a difference. Of course that was with the old smoke dragon. I burn a mixture of ash, cherry, maple and beech; beech having the largest percentage.

pen

 

[cmonSTART]

Actually, it's not my boards that take a beating, but that front secondary tube. I bash the snot out of that thing all the time loading large splits. I'm really surprised I haven't broken it right off yet.

The old 30 needs a good tune up this year!!

 

[pen]

Actually, it's not my boards that take a beating, but that front secondary tube. I bash the snot out of that thing all the time loading large splits. I'm really surprised I haven't broken it right off yet.

The old 30 needs a good tune up this year!!

How is it getting those screws out that secure the tubes in after several years of service? My stove's previous owner had the thing in a trailer and said he had the window's open all winter (that's why I bought it dirt cheap) and it is obvious that he ran it throttled back by the creosote build-up. The screw heads are hardly visible but I'm sure a quick hit w/ the dremel's wire wheel would get that off, just wondering how they actually respond to backing out after being in that environment for a few years.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

They are stainless steel sheet metal screws. Tiny ones. Man up and wrestle them things out of there. :coolsmirk:

If you can maintain a Fisher, you can maintain anything.

BB - Who got tired of the Fischer legend around 1989.

 

[cmonSTART]

I tweaked a couple last winter and they seemed to move OK. Hopefully I won't have any issues with that.

 

[pen]

They are stainless steel sheet metal screws. Tiny ones. Man up and wrestle them things out of there. :coolsmirk:

If you can maintain a Fisher, you can maintain anything.

BB - Who got tired of the Fischer legend around 1989.

I tell you though, I did (and still do) love that stove. My wife is really skeptical on the new one. I think she's only on board because of the glass viewing window and the price I purchased it for. She's made me promise that I won't sell the Fisher until the end of November, so that she can be sure she's had some time to get comfortable with this new stove and make sure it doesn't make us and the house smell like smoke.

I've been in another guys house with a 30 that reeks of smoke, Mama tolerates a lot, but that won't be one of the things.

This 30's got till Thanksgiving and if my house smells at all like smoke, it's going to have the fate of the turkey on the table.

(as an aside) My wife is very NON-Demanding, and VERY wood-fire friendly but, I can't blame her. We both have professional jobs and don't like smelling like smoke. (If I wanted to still smell like smoke I wouldn't have put the Winston's in the trash 1.5 years ago)

Fingers crossed as I'm rooting for the 30.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

I take'em out twice a season and remove the baffle boards to clean the liner. Not a problem.

I got over how great my old stove was a couple of years ago. It takes time. Like getting over old girlfriends. That never were as good in real life and they are in memories.

 

[BrotherBart]

If you don't like it. Put the Fisher back in. We ain't selling stoves here.

 

[begreen]

Or get a stove that doesn't rely on ceramic boards. :coolgrin:

 

[pen]

Or get a stove that doesn't rely on ceramic boards. :coolgrin:

that's out of the price range. This house is a "starter" house for us. If the "perfect" house in our area came for sale tomorrow I'd be willing to sell this place in a heartbeat. With that said, the stoves that use the ceramic board are just Peachy-Keen for me at this stage in my life As I'd be leaving the stove with the house for sale purposes.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Or get a stove that doesn't rely on ceramic boards. :coolgrin:

If ya have grand and half to waste that won't put more heat in your house. :coolgrin: And the stove won't fit in your fireplace.

 

[begreen]

Well, I respect being careful with retirement cash. Pay sooner or pay later. The way I figure it, get it over now before inflation eats away at your pocketbook, though the T6 is less than 1.5 times more expensive than many ceramic board stoves and the Summit, even less so. Pro-rate that over 20 years (and maybe 4 ceramic boards?) and it becomes a small number. As to the fit in the fireplace, well ya gotta make do with what you've got... (or 86 the fireplace ).