Changing firebricks stovax riva 40

Fian

I need to change teh firebricks on my riva 40. we bought it from buckleys in the dublin mountains but they no longer service them. I bought the replacements from stovax, they don't deliver to ireland but i was able to do it through addresspal.

I have looked at the manual and apparently I need to remove the bottom grate in order to replace the lower firebricks. There is a circular inset which i removed no problem. The problem is that there is not the slightest bit of movement in the firegrate even pulling at full strength. Is it possible that there are different versions of this? the Stovax website says it just lifts out after you remove the circular bit. I don't see any reason why it would need to be fixed in place tbh, gravity will keep it where is needs to be anyway.

It has been in place for over a decade and obviously subjected to frequent heating and cooling. Maybe it has bonded to the surrounds in some way or maybe the shape of the hole it sits into has changed. anyone have any tips on how to approach this? I am thinking about finding some kind of a car jack to try to just brute force it out.

The Continental Op

Have you looked at the parts list to see how the outer grate section is held in place.

Cast iron can move over time and the tolerances most stoves are made to are really slack but some grates do get stuck.

Be careful as old cast iron from a fire will shatter very easily.

Looking at the manual isn't the outer cast grate section just laying on the firebricks either side and against the rear firebricks and cast front stove section?

Try a running a thin grinding disk on an angle grinder around the edges particularly the back. If you are replacing all the firebricks then smash them up carefully rather than put a lot of pressure on the cast iron.

Fian

Thanks for your response.

I have removed all the old firebricks. The rear bricks just rest on the grate, so i can put them back in place, but the side ones will not slot into place until the grate comes out - they will then hold the rear bricks in place behind them and when the grate is put back in it will hold the side firebricks in place.

I think the guys who installed it may have used some sort of a glue or something to bond it. I can't move it a milimetre even with crowbars and blocks as a lever - the whole stove will move but the grate won't budge. I hadn't seen your warning about shattering, so I was giving it lots of welly. I didn't find a car jack to fit in, but in any case the crowbars are just moving the stove not the grate. According to the manual it is meant to just be sitting there not meant to be fixed in any way.

I guess my only solution is to cut the end off the side firebricks, slide the cut piece into the gap at the side of the firegrate and then i should be able to fit the rest into place to rest on top of it. won't be as secure as designed but at least I can light a fire! I can't see any possible way to fit the uncut side bricks without removing the firegrate first and I just can't see how I can do that.

I'm not confident about going at it with an angle grinder tbh and in any case there it not really any room to squeeze in around it.

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The Continental Op

Looking at your pictures I'd go as far as saying it doesn't look like its supposed to move that is really really tight.

By now I'd have run a bead of WD40 along that joint at the back not so much to lubricate it but to see if it disappeared. ie to see if there was a crack.

Is their a gap at the front. Looks like there is. I'd work on that and try and lift it just a fraction.

Forget the angle grinder idea, I thought the grate holder was butted against the fire brick. Against metal at the back I wouldn't try it.

The Continental Op

Another thought if you do mange to get it out think about putting a grinder over that back edge so its not so tight next time.

I'm not unconvinced that there isn't a lip there that the back of the grate holder goes under so I'm fairly sure the front edge is the one to work on.

You can also use some gentle persuasion in the opposite direction. Tap the edges downwards then try lifting/levering upwards rinse/repeat. Some lube like WD40 might help.

Fian

There is a visible crack at the back, harder to see it in a photo but it is visible in person. The manual said to lift from the front so that was what i was trying, but as i said the whole stove moves if I lever the grate from underneath, rather than the grate moving even a fraction. I have also tried moving it sideways using a crowbar into the gap, the stove will torque/twist if I do that but no movement at all from the grate. I think it is bonded in some fashion, though it was not meant to be.

anyway thanks very much for your help and suggestions.

The Continental Op

One final thing. If there is the slightest gap at the front then try tapping the grate holder forward. If it moves tap it back rinse/repeat till its looser.