Hope I've found this forum in time!

[labman]

Hi all,

I'm hoping to avert an oven disaster in the making! Just to put you guys in the picture - my name is Geoff, I'm from Wales in UK and I'm trying to build a pizza/bread oven. I have been reading "The Bread Builders" and have tried to follow the instructions as best I can but..... I have made a few changes that I thought wouldn't pose a problem but after reading just a little on this forum see that I may now be heading for trouble.

I my wisdom! I thought using 10 concrete lintels across the base of my oven would be a much better support than using the rebo bars (that I was having trouble getting anyway), on top of them I have used a vermuculite/concrete 3 inch slab for insulation. I need to know if this would be ok as a base, I'm going to try and post some pictures when I work out how (mabe best put them into my gallery)

My next bright spark was to listen to general information I have recieved from brickyards etc in relation to bricks, the problem being that I have had so many issues trying to get hold of proper fire bricks, that in the end I put grade B(more dence iI was told) red brick with three holes in them as the base for the fire and was intending to use them for the dome as well, I have set them into 1 part clay and 1 part ciln sand with the outer last ring of bricks set with more sand a little cement added to the mixture (10 sand:3 cement:1 1/2 fire clay)

Hope I'm making sence here?

I assume from what I have read on this forum that these red brick with holes in are no good for the base but I was hoping not to remove them but instead use them as another insulation layer which I could place proper fire bricks onto, does anyone know if this would be a reasonable thing to do?

I'm going to try a post some pictures to give a better idea of what I'm talking about!


Many thanks

Geoff

[melvynhoare]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Geoff,

If I was you I would not use hollow red bricks for the floor, they will get damaged and eventually need replacing, not an easy task with an oven built on top.

Bite the bullet and purchase some refactory bricks.

Best Wishes

Mel

[jammyweb]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

I'd say your red bricks will not hold enough heat - they'll be no good as the floor, or the insulation layer. Search around on here - there are plenty of suggestions where to get the correct bricks in the UK. It's worth it.

Good luck.

James

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Geoff,

Your timing is perfect for investigating oven materials and design. Take a look at the Pompeii oven plans contained on this site if you get the chance. Also, before you 'retrofit' your firebricks, you may want to add a little more (2"?) floor insulation. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

John

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Thank you Mel, James and John,

I don't know if you guys seen the pics in my gallery?

Could I use the red bricks as a bed layer for fire bricks, would it help insulation?, the reason I say this is the bed is now lovely and flat (took me ages as the red bricks wouldn't butt up well at all!) My oven isn't going to get used every week so if they lasted a few years I'll be happy. Question is if the oven will work better or worse with them or without - just trying to save myself stripping them all off as well if I'm honest as the vermiculite/cement bed wasn't that flat! If its bad I'll get rid of them.

Also, I smashed one of the bricks and it broke into 5 peices, not into loads of small bits, when I purchased them I explained it was for a pizza oven and she said they were grade "B" which were more dense than standard red brick.

Many thanks for all you help, I dearly need it! and I'll appologies in advance for quite a few more posts shortly! I'll look at the Pompeii oven as well, I always thought it was more dificult to build?


Regards

Geoff

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Geoff,

The firebrick sticky on this site will inform you of the standard size, weight and alumina content of refractory bricks here in the U.S. I understand there are firebricks that are used in electric heaters in the UK that might be better suited for an oven than what you have. A brick with holes in it is asking for trouble.

Yes, a Pompeii oven is a little more complex but many have built this kind of oven with a little more than a chop saw outfitted with a masonry blade and their oven works just as well as the highly engineered ones. I think once you get going on this project you'll get good at attacking challenges and there's always help from the folks here.

John

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Ok folks, I'm going to take the reds back off and add some more insulation then get fire bricks although they have been hard to find in Wales, any ideas?

Geoff

[melvynhoare]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Geoff,

I bought my bricks from Midland Refactories, they were ?1.05p a brick but that was in 2008. They also had everything required to build a pizza oven.

You could also try Vitcas based in Bristol.

Good luck

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Thanks for replies, found bricks at Victas.

Think I'm going to have to go with the arch type bread oven as the Pompeii will be tiny give the width of my base. I'm going to get 100 fire bricks for the base and just want to know if solid reds are ok for the dome?

Geoff

[melvynhoare]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

I would not use reds for the dome, they will not hold the heat and may well chip/break up with repeted use.

I did build a arch type but wish now I did a Pompeii.

Regards

Mel

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

Thanks Mel,

The footprint width of my slab would mean a pretty small pompeii oven, what are the disadvantages with an arch type v's pompeii? Also living in Wales, UK, I get a fair bit of rain to say the least, my idea was to build up the sides of the arch type oven once complete and infill with lots of vermiculite, then cap it off and roof it.

Many thanks


Geoff

[melvynhoare]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

That what I did with my oven, it works fine and holds heat for ages, the most pizza I have produced in one evening is 28 over 2 hours.

Regards

Mel

[dmun]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

what are the disadvantages with an arch type v's pompeii?

I'm afraid I don't understand the question.

As to the size of the slab, you can always cantelever the support slab over any base it's sitting on.

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

I'm afraid I don't understand the question.

As to the size of the slab, you can always cantelever the support slab over any base it's sitting on.

I just mean't that the Pompeii oven is round and therfore has a large diameter whereas the arch type (tunnel type etc) seems to be a better fit for me on the slab I have built. Hopefully by insulating well It will work as good as the Pompeii. If I built the Pompeii, from my reckoning, I would have less room at the side of my slab and wasted room at the back (this only because I have made it for the arch/tunnel type)


Thanks for reply

Geoff

[labman]

Re: Hope I've found this forum in time!

I double posted for some reason so have deleted