Rusted firepot bolts

[KipL]

Hi, the firepot on our very old Quadrafire Mt. Vernon AE appears to be quite rusted, as are at least the caps of the two machine bolts holding it in place.

I was considering replacing the firepot, but even using a breaker bar I could not budge either of those two bolts, and that's after letting them soak in PB Blaster for almost a week. I was reluctant to apply too much force with the breaker bar as I feared the bolt heads would snap off; I can't imagine getting in there to drill them out if that happened...there's not enough vertical space in there for a drill because of the heat exchanger plate.

Does anyone know of a technique for getting those puppies out?

 

[tlc1976]

Heat. Either a heat gun or a torch. Opens up the clearances and often makes a big difference. Try to get more heat to the part that the bolt screws into.

I suppose you could even run the stove and try and turn them before the stove cools down.

 

[NickW]

JB80 is way better than PB Blaster. I've had it loosen rusted bolts that I would have laid money would never break loose... Just seems to penetrate and dissolve rust better.

 

[KipL]

Thanks for the tips!