Cracked stove bottom plate in log burner

[MisterBoy]

Had our new flue swept for the first time after installing a log burner last winter. The Vermiculite plates were very snug so the chap had to pull the bottom plate to get wiggle room to remove the top (metal plate) and he pointed out it had a hairline crack, obviously pulling it out and replacing it it's now fully cracked in two pieces.

He said it's fine to use though replacing is preferable. I wondered is there any product we can use to patch up the crack in the meantime, we haven't started using it yet so this is the one time it's guaranteed to be nice and clean!?

 

[SFK]

Where is the Crack - in the Stove metal plate, or the Vermiculite plate?

If the Vermiculite sheet, buy a new one from eBay based on the brand name of your stove.

Or buy a slightly larger one and cut it to be the same size and shape as the one you have. They are relatively cheap and easy to cut.

Search for "Stove_Band_Name brick"

or

Search for "stove brick cut"
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=stove+brick

SFK

 

[MisterBoy]

Yeah the 'firebrick'. Think ours is about 1" thick. Is it obvious how to pull the plates out? It came with them fitted and the sweep says they were a bit too tight, he wouldn't normally have to remove the bottom one but in our case there was no room to get the metal plate out at the top otherwise (to access the flue with the brush, I forget what this is called).

If I'd known, I'd have watched him take it all apart. How do you cut this stuff, any special tools needed?

 

[SFK]

On mine, one of which had cracked, tehy were all relatively loosely fitted.
No attachments or fixings. So Simply removed them.

Sweep has to remove all my bricks too to remove metal plate to sweep it.
(also cleans behind them).

Sounds like yours is more sealed than mine.

Do you know brand and stove name?
SFK

 

[Mr Chibs]

Just buy a sheet of vermiculite (ebay) use your old firebricks as a template and cut the new sheet to match your old bricks... it cuts with a hand saw.

You might be able to fill cracks with fire cement (cheap at toolstation), but would be better to renew them.

 

[MisterBoy]

I think he was hoping for enough wiggle room to get the top out... I was just looking and the bottom simply slides out, so looks easy enough. The issue he had was that since there was a hairline crack, having to pull the plate inevitably left it in two pieces so it looks a mess now. I think he mainly wanted me to be aware so I didn't accuse him of causing damage, as much as anything else.

I might just patch for now, depends on time really but sounds/looks fairly easy - thanks!

 

[lostinthelight]

If the crack piece that forms the bottom of the firebox then theres no need to replace and once a bed of ash has built up as it should, it would not look a mess.
Some stoves, the bottom is covered by 9x4 vermiculite bricks so there would be quite a few “cracks” by design. Ive had a crack in the middle of the rear plate on my Clearview Vision 500 for over 4 years and that wont be be getting replaced any time soon