Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

[kelly55]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Hi UK_Exile
We've just bought the Fozmex kitset - due to arrive in the next day or two. Am interested in the thread you started re thermal mass across whole floor or based centrally with the cooking tile. Am keen to hear where you are up to in your thinking on this one and whether you did go for a Fozmex kitset in the end.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Les,

I was in Beijing earlier this year and yes the smog is awful in the "City" but outside the metro area it was not as bad, Shanghai was not bad. Xian, pretty bad. There is a reason why many people where masks in China and it is not due to having a cold. Word of caution, I have to China several times and each time I seem to come home with some type of respiratory illness which takes me a month or so to shake off. Maybe its me but I have a sneaking suspicion its the PM10 levels. Have fun great sights to see.

[Lburou]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Hi Lburou,

Why sweep them to one side rather than spread across the entire floor to equalize?

It probably doesn't make much difference, but I don't like burned pizza bottoms -depends on how soon you are going to be cooking. Perhaps I could have labeled my process as 'technique' instead of 'procedure'.

[Les]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Damn right. When you see the news coming out of China, where the smog is so bad they have major pile ups on the freeways due to zero visibility, you can't help but think that anything the cousins across the ditch do is just a single drop of rain in a very big ocean.

The wife and I are going there in April - I've heard the smog was bad, is it that way all over the country? I've seen some pic's from Beijing and it is UGLY!

[Laurentius]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Hi Lburou,

Why sweep them to one side rather than spread across the entire floor to equalize?

[Lburou]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

ATK406, I assume the middle of your floor is getting hotter than remainder of floor due to dome heat reflection. Does that hint toward it being better for me to add more heat retention in the middle rather than making the whole floor heat retaining ?

No. As a practical matter, it is important to fire your oven to temperature, sweep the fire to one side and close the door to let the heat equalize for 30 minutes or so. That sequence pretty well equalizes most of the variables you are concerned about. That is the way I do it anyway. When I don't equalize the oven for that 30 minutes, oven performance suffers and (for me) it usually means burned or uneven cooking of the pizza. HTH

[brickie in oz]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

is all include a rule allowing fires for 'food preparation' hence simple BBQ, pizza ovens and oven a simple drum with grill over top is acceptable.

Pit a spit in your outdoor fireplace and tell them to go jump..

I cant see a small population like what is in NZ killing the planet with pollution.....

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

UK,

"Bookemdanno" did a nice build in the UK using solid reds. Take a look at his thread.

[uk_exile]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Didn't expect I'd feel a significant EQ either but there were unknown fault lines right under the city that caused highest vertical accelerations recorded anywhere in world (peaked at 2.5G !!) and are now considered a 1 in 2500yr event. Modern building codes only designed for 1 in 500 or 750 year events so many sturcutres, even modern ones where broken beyond econmic repair. Result was 180+ people dead, over 10000 aftershocks, 6000+ houses needed knocked down (some old, some only a few months old), majority of CBD gone, displaced businesses, ete. Not good. Feels strange that I used to work in 20 storey 15yr old modern high rise office building with 1500 others, it's now completely gone & I now work in a two storey box box with just 50 people.

However we now have a stronger community & in a decade or so will have a modern well integrated & well designed central city. Looking forward to how it will be !

[Gulf]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

I understand a little more now about your area. We have a little more cold and wet weather than you. I also live in the "country" where houses are not very close together. Hardwood trees are abundant. I am sure glad that we haven't had an eartquake in the Mississippi Valley in my lifetime .

[uk_exile]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Wouldn't most indoor fireplaces be built with insulating firebricks, not heat retaining ?

Christchurch were I live has had a clean air policy for many years. It's because of landscape the fire pollutants tended to settle in a natural thermocline, trapping them & causing issues for some children, elderly, asmatics, etc. Inserts became common about 30yrs ago & about 15yrs retro fits or new installations would have had to be an approved efficient clean type that means certain emmission rules. Use of traditonal open fires was completely banned a few years ago. A couple of years ago no new fires were allowed, even with approved inserts & recently use of non approved inserts was also banned. Within next 10-20yrs will probably be zero solid fuel burners in use.
The large earthquakes we expereinced in last 2yrs have knocked down the many old chimneys (& houses, new & old) so it has naturally accelerated the process. No new houses are allowed burners of any form.
I consider it a good thing (if the electricity supply can support it) as the air & views are definitely much clearer now than they were a few years ago. Occassional fire use the enviroment can cope with but full time primary household heating use it simply can't. Also we don't have vast area of firewood trees so fuel is not super abundant anymore.

[Gulf]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Installing or using outdoor fireplaces will become more difficult as many councils are bringing in 'clean air' regulations. Basically they allow only certain high efficiency fully enclosed burners for house heating & certainly do not allow old style open fires. The work around for WFOs is all include a rule allowing fires for 'food preparation' hence simple BBQ, pizza ovens and oven a simple drum with grill over top is acceptable.

I was thinking about indoor fireplaces. They are very common where I live. Many people have gone to the insert for their fireplaces. Not because of regulations, just because they heat better with less fuel. Mine is just the "old style fireplace". For many years, in our cold wet winters, I would cook in it. I used a "tuscan grill" over the hardwood coals. I did not know what it was called then . I wonder if that would be a way around the regulations handed down by the "Greenies" who want to live for ever? .

[uk_exile]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

May want to include those who want to build a fireplace. I understand that it gets cold in yall's "summer" .

Being a relatively small island in a large ocean certainly causes our summer to vary day to day. Been plenty of 22 - 30 degC days recently. A cold day could be 15 degC. Evenings can be cool.

Installing or using outdoor fireplaces will become more difficult as many councils are bringing in 'clean air' regulations. Basically they allow only certain high efficiency fully enclosed burners for house heating & certainly do not allow old style open fires. The work around for WFOs is all include a rule allowing fires for 'food preparation' hence simple BBQ, pizza ovens and oven a simple drum with grill over top is acceptable.

[Gulf]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

May want to include those who want to build a fireplace. I understand that it gets cold in yall's "summer" .

[uk_exile]

Re: Thermal mass across whole floor or biased centrally ?

Certainly arranging a group buy & importing a few ovens worth of firebricks from USA would save heaps of $$$$ for a group of WFO constructors. Not so sure just importing a lot then trying to sell would work as suspect most kiwis keen on a pizza oven will just buy the steel box glorified hood BBQs, or will stump up $3k - $7k for premade.