Fire brick howto?

[EricG]

Hi guys,
Well, now that my patio pavers are set, I'm looking at other projects in the vicinity. I made a large raised structure out of retaining wall block that was going to be a raised planter/garden kind of thing. But now I'm thinking it would be cool to make at least part of it a fire pit/BBQ kind of thing.

I figure I need to line that part with fire brick, as the pavers won't take the heat. How do you work with those? Are they typically just dry stacked, or is there some kind of mortar you use? Any other tips/ideas?

 

[Pin_Head]

They are typically set with "refractory mortar", which should be available from the vendor you get the brick from.

 

[AJP]

Refractory mortar ... used for kilns .. and should be for fireplaces.....as a kid I used to stack (and clad) fire brick and we bagged something called Kaiser Permanante used as a mortar

 

[EricG]

Ok, sounds good. I founds a local supplier.
How about the bottom? I was going to put gravel down for drainage, and then dry-stack fire brick there to allow water to flow through, but provide a flat stable base for cleaning and setting a grill structure on. Or should I just leave it as gravel?

 

[AJP]

No nothing about the way bricks should be placed - and have always considered brick-layers to be "artists" (your work looks very good by the way!!) However for outdoor use of firebrick (and I believe in your locale you get freezing weather occasionally) you should use a glazed fire brick or at least avoid porous bricks ... and/or provide some overhead cover to keep moisture from getting into the bricks or you will get spalling when they freeze.

 

[EricG]

So this refractory mortar? Does it not cure until you actually get a fire in it?
I set most of the brick last weekend - one more row for tomorrow. So when I was out there tonight, I poked at some of the mortar that had slopped out between the bricks last weekend. It basically crumbled between my fingers?? The bricks seem solid, but I didn't really yank on them.

 

[EricG]

Well, it ended up as more of a simple fire pit then any sort of BBQ. And no, I won't be quitting my day job and going on tour as a brick layer - a few things didn't line up quite right. But I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[sirenmoses]

Looks nice. My only thought (now that you've already built it, sorry) is: how you gonna get the ashes out? You might go ahead & set some firebricks in the bottom to make for a smoother surface to scoop the ashes against (think the bottom of your woodstove).

Or plumb it for propane/natural gas, and use wood for nose flavor...

 

[EricG]

Looks nice. My only thought (now that you've already built it, sorry) is: how you gonna get the ashes out? You might go ahead & set some firebricks in the bottom to make for a smoother surface to scoop the ashes against (think the bottom of your woodstove).

Or plumb it for propane/natural gas, and use wood for nose flavor...

Yea, I've thought about the ashes thing as well. It's just gravel down there, so I could easily scoop some out and lay more brick in. I'm also thinking about making a tray out of perforated steel (so it doesn't collect water) that fits in there nicely with handles on the sides. So then you could just lift it out and dump it.

Also planning to make a grate out of rebar to set on that first row of bricks - maybe it burns better if it's not right down on the bottom.

 

[AJP]

maybe it burns better if it's not right down on the bottom

that would probably work well -- perhaps add - or rather - remove a brick on either side near the bottom to feed some air into the pit. A pipe feeding into the pit bottom and small bellows would sure get the embers going quickly ... and you could do a little blacksmithing while you are barbecuing

 

[EricG]

that would probably work well -- perhaps add - or rather - remove a brick on either side near the bottom to feed some air into the pit. A pipe feeding into the pit bottom and small bellows would sure get the embers going quickly ... and you could do a little blacksmithing while you are barbecuing

I did leave about a 1/4" gap between every other brick in the 2nd row in the hope that it can get some air into it. Not sure if it's enough to make a difference. Didn't think about piping a blower into it!

 

[beaufort-fj60]

very cool and nice work..... the fire hole looks kind of small, how wide is that opening? are you planning on burning coal in it?

 

[EricG]

very cool and nice work..... the fire hole looks kind of small, how wide is that opening? are you planning on burning coal in it?

It's 2' in diameter - I think it should be adequate, but we'll see how it burns. And it'll be wood, not coal.

I also got a cool copper lid to cover it: Corona Fire Pit - Plow & Hearth

 

[EricG]

I welded up a quick grate out of rebar tonight and fired it up. It burns great!

 

[AJP]

Looks great!! I'm impressed.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

nice.... where are the s'mores

 

[nspctr1]

good job....