New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

[BruceBrigham]

In Mexico, we do our counters out of concrete, about 8 cm thick. The new oven will sitr on top of this counter, the base firebrick will be layed on top of the counter surface. Because the oven is quite large in diameter (36" inside, small for a pizza oven), half of the oven actually sits through the exterior wall (which is brick and concrete) and is outside of the house (but surrounded by a half-circle brick wall). If I build it this way, and insullate it then cover it in plaster, will the heat of the fire travel out through the concrete kitchen counter too much? Do I have to "isolate" the oven from the rest of the countrer on either side of it?

[cannyfradock]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Hello Bruce

Perhaps some of the wood-oven forum Masters can explain what's needed. But here is a link to a recent thread of an oven build similar to what are trying to create.

Hope this is of some use to you

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f21/...oven-3586.html

Terry (C.F)

[nissanneill]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Hi Bruce and welcome to the forum.
Have you downloaded the Pompeii plans from the FB store yet?
These are free to members and lay it out very plainly how you must insulate not only your dome bricks, but also your hearth (floor/cooking surface) bricks.
As you have explained, sitting your oven on the 8cm concrete benches is fine but you will then need EITHER 2" of insulation board OR 4" of insulating vermiculite cement and then lay your hearth bricks on that! If you don't, then much of the heat absorbed by tour hearth will escape through your benches, lowering your oven temperatures and heating up your kitchen.

Neill

[dmun]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Like you, I busted through a concrete wall, and my oven lies halfway inside and halfway outside the building. You are going to want to build a structure to support your oven on both sides of the wall, with a slab poured on top. Your brick oven is heavy and brittle, and needs complete support. If it's part of your house, it will have to be supplied with a proper chimney, and meet all building codes.

I think any plan to put your oven floor directly on your kitchen counters, whatever the material, is doomed to failure.

And as Neill says, Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!

[BruceBrigham]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Thanks for the reply, Neill. Yes, I have downloaded the 70-odd page PDF filoe, and while I have not read it all, I can see where the plans call for insullating the base prior to setting the floor firebricks. Should I build the dome on top of the floor bricks (run them out to the edge)? It seems that would keep the heat away from my counters more than having the dome sit on the counter, with the floor firebrick inside.

Thanks --

Bruce.

[BruceBrigham]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Yup, I agree. Everything down here in Mexico is brick and concrete, so the oven will be well-supported inside and outside the house wall. But I think I will depress the counter slab 2" at the oven location, for the FB Board insullation (Home Depot?). Then the firebrick would go on top of that.

Bruce.

[nissanneill]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

Bruce, I think that using the board is a good idea, but rethink your dropping it down 2"!
The floor of the oven should be at the correct height for you (or your preferred cook if she is a small person) so that you can see easily the whole oven floor without bending over and straining your back. Build it to suit the person(s) using it rather than at bench height which is usually only 900mm high.
My oven floor is 43" or 109cm. That is 19cm higher than the standard bench height.
Think about it as it is almost impossible to change once you have it built!!!!!

Neill

[BruceBrigham]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

I had not thought of that... that the cook would want to be able to see the ven floor. if it is built on top of the counter (950 mm), that will get the floor of the oven up to about 107 mm. That is getting closer to the height you are talking about. This willl mean I woiuld plaster over the 2" edge of the base insulation showing above the counter, so we don't see it. I assume we would cover it up with plaster just like the rest of the oven. We have a Home Depot about 2 hours drive away; would they have this FB insulation I need to form the base, and to use to insulate all around the oven? Bruce.

[dmun]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

The insulation board is a refractory product: They won't have it at home depot. Don't confuse it with the pink foam that they use in walls. That will burn, stink, and collapse.

If you can't get it locally, you can order it online: Forno Bravo sells it.

[BruceBrigham]

Re: New Oven in Kitchen Sitting on Countrer: Heat Spred

OK, a really good "heads-up" there. I will ask my Mexican contractor if he has ever seen this FB board, and could get it for me. Bruce.