Replacing fire bricks in stove

DocQuincy

The fire bricks in my stove have crumbled (approx. 10 years old). I have found exact replacements online and have a couple of questions about replacing them:

1. I have removed what I can but some of the bricks are stuck to the side of the stove. How can I best remove them? I didn't want to use too much force and damage the connection to the flue.

2. When you put the new bricks in are they actually meant to stick to the sides or are they just held in place as they're a tight fit?

Thanks.

FreeBear

A paint scraper and/or wire brush should shift any stuck on fire brick.

On my stove, the rear fire brick is held in place by the two side ones - The baffle plate, in turn, holds the sides in place. The user manual should tell you what order to fit the bricks plus any retaining clips/plates.

DocQuincy

Thanks, I'll give the paint scraper idea a go. Some of it is quite thick in places so it will require something substantial.

The manual doesn't seem to mention how to replace them (it has everything else such as door replacement). However, in the cleaning section it does say “remove the firebrick lining and throat plate”. So they are obviously not meant to stick. I think you are right that the baffle plate probably holds them together. In the many times I've cleaned out that stove I have never seen the firebricks move. I always thought they were built into the stove!