If you are building something like a kiln, furnace, or oven that needs to stand up to extremely high temperatures, it is important to choose the right materials. Every item that you use in the building process needs to be designed specifically for high-heat applications. Not only is this important from a safety standpoint but it also makes a big difference when it comes to how your kiln, oven, or furnace performs.
The most common material used for these types of applications is fire brick. All you have to do is look at the name to understand why these bricks are so popular for situations where there is a lot of heat. After all, they have the word “fire” right in their name. This is because they are designed in a way that allows them to stand up under much higher temperatures than regular bricks.
It is important to understand, however, that not all fire bricks are the same. The two main types of fire bricks that are available are hard fire bricks and soft fire bricks. People usually use the hard version of the bricks for situations where they are building something that needs a lot of structural support. These bricks are strong and durable. However, they are somewhat lacking in terms of the insulation that they provide.
If you are focused on finding bricks that do a great job of insulating, you should consider buying soft fire bricks instead. Unlike hard fire bricks which are solid and non-porous, soft fire bricks are filled with a number of tiny pockets of air. As a result, they are extremely lightweight.
These little air chambers add to their insulative properties, helping them do a great job of holding in the heat. Their ability to insulate is one of the primary reasons why they are used in kilns and furnaces. They make it a lot easier to achieve extremely high temperatures since they don’t allow much of the heat that is being generated to escape.
When it comes time to choose the best insulating fire bricks for sale, there are some general guidelines that you should follow. If your primary objective is to insulate your kiln, oven, or furnace, soft fire bricks are usually the best way to go.
The bricks themselves should be made by a well-respected manufacturer. They should also be rated to handle the highest temperature that your kiln or furnace will reach. The manufacturer of the fire bricks should provide detailed information on the maximum temperature that they are designed for. Make sure not to use the bricks in your application if you are planning on exceeding this temperature. Otherwise, it could pose a safety hazard.
In most cases, it is best to go with bricks that have straight edges. That way, they will fit tightly next to one another, reducing the amount of heat that is lost between the bricks. When installing the bricks, use a small hacksaw or other basic hand tools to shape and form the bricks to whatever size you need.
