12-09-2015, 11:44 PM
It's always something. I started taking the furnace apart today and found a crack in the "hearth collar" at the front of the chamber that I hadn't noticed before. 
The "crack" actually turned out to be one of the fire bricks had broken in two. Of course I can't leave well enough alone, and decided to fix it. I got all the brick out and cemented the broken one back together. It's in a clamp now while the adhesive sets up. In every parts list I have been able to find it looks like the hearth collar is one single piece. This one is 4 separate pieces. (Now 5 actually...)
I'm wondering if I should just cement them all together as well?
Fewer joints = less heat loss? Or leave it "as is" for expansion/contraction during heating/cooling cycles?
The "crack" actually turned out to be one of the fire bricks had broken in two. Of course I can't leave well enough alone, and decided to fix it. I got all the brick out and cemented the broken one back together. It's in a clamp now while the adhesive sets up. In every parts list I have been able to find it looks like the hearth collar is one single piece. This one is 4 separate pieces. (Now 5 actually...)
I'm wondering if I should just cement them all together as well?
Fewer joints = less heat loss? Or leave it "as is" for expansion/contraction during heating/cooling cycles?
Willie