"Matthew L. Martin" wrote:
>
> phyteach wrote:
> > Greetings all,
> >
> > I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
> > CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
> > and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
> > regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
> > putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
> > above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?
> >
>
> Well, anytime you take something porous like a brick and heat it above
> the boiling point of water it is possible to get an explosion. It is
> unlikely, though. One way to sort this out is to heat some bricks over
> 300 in the cooker for a few hours. Any that are going to break will and
> the rest will have all the moisture driven out of them. Wrap the whole
> ones in foil after they cool and they should last for quite a while.
>
> Refractory brick are formulated to take very high temperatures and wide
> temperature swings. Regular bricks are fired at very high temperatures,
> but are not happy with wide temperatures swings. They will break down
> and crumble where a refractory brick will not. If all you are using them
> for is thermal mass, you probably don't care if they turn, slowly, back
> into clay.
>
> Matthew
>
> --
> Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
> You can't win
> You can't break even
> You can't get out of the game

Depending on where you are try Tractor Supply Co, or a place that sells
wood stoves, both should carry them. Also check "real" building /
masonry supply companies, they should have them as well.

Pete C.