Ravelli FireX insulator repair

[Manly]

My Francesca internal insulator panels, which if memory serves me they called FireX or some such name, seems like a version of pressed vermiculite; very fragile and crumbly. I replaced the original panels after a few years. The new back panel cracked in half horizontal after a month or so. It still functions fine but looks broken, since it is. I am going to take the original set of panels, clean them up, and try coating them with a high temp ceramic coating called ITC-100 HT. It’s supposed to be stable to 5000 F. Supposed to reflect heat back to the oven. Reviewers say they cut down fuel cost significantly in their forge furnaces. I’m mainly looking to prolong the life of these flimsy panels but always open to experimenting to increase potential out of this small stove. Replacing the flimsy ash pan with a local made heavy stainless steel pan actually made a performance difference I suspect is due to the higher mass and it’s holding more heat inside the stove. Ditto for replacing the cheesy cast burn pot with a heavy SS aftermarket. Next I need to have my local shop fab a SS flame trap.

 

[Rascus]

Please end updates if this works out for you.. I cannot source replacement panels for my Elena and fear that they will eventually give out, leaving me in a bad spot..

Where did you get the SS pot? Local shop make it for you? I am also needing a new firepot, but don't know the right route to take. Did it change the burn or anything for you? Better/worse?

Thanks for your input, I am also curious how to increase performance, while providing long term usability of my two Ecoteck/Ravelli stoves.

 

[Manly]

Please end updates if this works out for you.. I cannot source replacement panels for my Elena and fear that they will eventually give out, leaving me in a bad spot..

Where did you get the SS pot? Local shop make it for you? I am also needing a new firepot, but don't know the right route to take. Did it change the burn or anything for you? Better/worse?

Thanks for your input, I am also curious how to increase performance, while providing long term usability of my two Ecoteck/Ravelli stoves.

The burn pot is from Pellet Stove Parts for Less. It hasn’t corroded and cracked like the original cast pot. It cleans out much easier, stays cleaner much longer and keeps good air flow much longer than the stock pot. My stainless steel heavy ash pan was made locally by a serious metal fab shop. Cheaper than any available replacement but I used to do business with them. Without actually measuring or any scientific data collection, my perception is the stove takes longer to reach internal set temperature due to the heavier and denser steel added inside the stove. By this same conclusion believe the internal run and discharges may be higher. Not sure if the ceramic coating is a good idea or not, but it’s on the way and I do have the used fireX. The test panels won’t get installed until the end of the season. I will update and post some pictures when the panels are repaired.