Hi all from Aussie

[david s]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

You need to make the entry arch slightly bigger than the oven mouth otherwise you will have difficulty fitting the door in.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

sorry David, when i said my oven door was 19"x11.5", i meant the door entry, i haven't made the actual door yet. Thats just the size of the entry.
sorry for confusion

[david s]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

As a point of interest 62% happens to be the Golden Ratio or phi 1:1.618, used by artists and architects for centuries.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

yeh yeh...i know all about the ratio....i just need someone to help me work out the maths for the internal height of my dome, in relation to my door height.

can anyone help me find the thread that may explain the maths about it all??.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

ok...i think i have found the table outlining the measurements of dome height & door height/width.
i've put the table i found below.
My new question, whats the pro's & cons for a low or high vault dome?
the answer to this will obviously determine what i will be cooking, and i have mentioned previously what i want to do...(in short, everything ).
Also, the question about the flue/chimney exit, should it be lower or higher than the door height?. my guess it needs to be maybe a little higher than the entry arch...is this correct?
i'm a little confused, because i have seen lots that are about the same height as there entry arch.
Am i making sense??

[david s]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

Oven opening height divided by oven interior height = 1/1.618
Therefore oven interior height = oven opening height x 1.618

A low dome is apparently better for cooking pizza because the dome is closer to the food. In practice I don't think it matters much. I designed an oven with a high dome while all the other measurements and specs were the same. I couldn't see that it cooked any differently. It performs exactly the same as my original oven. If you have a low dome then your oven opening height will also be correspondingly lower which may create problems fitting large things in, although if you are planning a large oven this will not be a consideration. A higher dome will create a larger combustion volume which will mean an increase in fuel usage.

Regarding the flue gallery height it seems a bit daft to me to make it lower than the oven opening height because you won't be able to fit your oven door past it very easily. If the flue gallery height is larger then it makes it much easier to work the oven. Likewise a flue gallery wider and flared towards the outside mouth makes the oven easier to work as well. I also like an entry that is shallow so you don't have to reach in so far, or jab little kids in the head with rediculously long handled peels.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

thanks david, ok, i think my dome height will be about 18" high, i think that seems ok.

now for a silly question...when placing the door in place, does the door get placed in front of the flue entry or behind? i've seen pics of ovens with doors both ways...which is correct?

[david s]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

It depends on the design you want. The Pompeii design isolates the flue from the oven and therefore retains heat better. If the door is on the outside of the flue it does give you extra oven space, but you then need a flue damper or cap to prevent heat loss through the flue otherwise when you open the oven door you lose lots of heat straight up the flue. I've built a couple of ovens with the door on the outside and have found as many others have, that it is not as good as the door on the inside.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

ok....phewww, i thought that might have been a stupid question, It looks like my design & plans will be for the door on the outside of the flue entry, (never thought much about that idea), i'll just have to make a damper in my flue somehow.
any plans or pics of dampers that others have made?
thanks for your help David.
I strive for knowledge.....its just something i dont have at the moment.

[david s]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

Check my pics in "other oven types ". Pizza oven becomes a kiln. I've used a piece of kiln shelf wrapped in a couple of layers of thick plastic and formed over it with castable refractory. No doubt there are many other solutions. I still think you'd be better off with a Pompeii style design, it is better and you don't need the damper, unless you have other reasons for not doing it that way.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

I built my dome to suit the door height I wanted so I can get larger things in the oven.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

Door height is 63% of internal dome height.
The high dome will take more wood to heat up the oven, and use more wood. The higher domes are better for baking, the low domes better for pizzas.
18" sounds reasonable for a 1100mm diam. oven

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

thanks guys, much appreciated.
the reason i am not doing a pompeii style is because i was given the refractory mortar & blanket, i bought the floor bricks and will be getting the verm/perl mix to put on top of blanket.
I would like to build a full brick one day, but at the moment i'm not experienced enough to attempt it, this way just seems easier.
so 18" dome it is..
i think my next big task it to try and form my flue entry. Should i just make the flue entry a little bit bigger than the flue size, then pack it with some high temp tape or padding?...not sure on this one.
I was told by a manufacturer of high temp blanket, that i should place plastic wrap of some sort over the blanket before i lay my verm/perl mix down....is this true?. they said the blanket will obsorb the moisture from the mix and will affect the blankets performance.....any advice on this?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

and will affect the blankets performance.....any advice on this?

Yeah, bollocks....
The blanket will absorb the water which will then be driven off as you cure the oven leaving it as dry or prolly drier that before you put it in.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Hi all from Aussie

Yeah, bollocks....
The blanket will absorb the water which will then be driven off as you cure the oven leaving it as dry or prolly drier that before you put it in.

Yeh,i know, thats what i thought, but just thought i would run it past you all.
I suppose its inevitable the blanket may obsorb some water from the verm/perl mix.....but the question does seem creditable, 'should or could the blanket be covered to protect any moisture getting to it.
I hate to admit it....but it kinda make sense....what would the pro's & cons of covering the blanket with plastic before the insulating mix be?
it would allow the blanket to be kept as dry as possible....that has to be a good thing...."yes"???