Oh no - my oven is wet

[james]

Arthur,

Do you feel pretty certain that the water came in the front, then wicked its way around the insulation? It would be a shame to slowly but surely dry the oven out, only to find another way water is getting in.

Go slow, as you had real water.

James

[PizzaArthur]

Honeslty I'm not 100% sure. The oven is pretty enclosed in stone and mortar so I can't really see anyplace where the water can come in. The only thing that makes sense is the vermiculite that is exposed in the front got really wet and water accumulated under the hearth and made its way to the back of the hearth and walked up the back of the dome. It's supposed to rain in the next few days so I'll watch for signs of more wetness.

When you say "go slow" what advice do you have? I used the heater for two days (after probably a week of no rain) and now I'm starting with a newspaper. Should I be waiting longer?

[james]

Arthur,
Keep going. You should look out for any signs that you are getting hot enough to turn any visible moisture to steam.
James

[PizzaArthur]

Thanks James. It started to rain hard today. I covered the entire oven for now. I have the mason coming tomorrow who built the stone facade so he will hopefully have some more ideas on how the water is getting in.

[PizzaArthur]

It's been several days since it rained. A few updates. The mason strongly believes that it was the wet vermiculite that went under the oven (hearth) and up the back. It really looks like there is no other answer. After 2 days of using a space heater the back of the oven seemed to "look" ok. I lit a newspaper and then the next day some kindling. Today one 2x2x12 stick or so. The walls look fine (and very black of course). I did notice a hair line crack along the back wall (inside the oven dome), but very faint. It might have been there before but I never really looked this hard. I did not see any moisture or steam at all - just a lot of smoke since I used a newspaper the last two days. Hopefully I'm in the clear but I'm still quite worried about it since I can't fix any cracks since the oven is covered with stone.

[james]

Hair line cracks can happen, and are typically just on the surface and are not a problem. The instructions we get from the Artigiano builder roughly translate to "small hairline cracks can occur due to thermal expansion and contraction and are a normal part of a brick oven. They will not effect how well your oven cooks or how long it will last. Don't worry."

Relax and enjoy the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend. I think your oven will be great.

James

[PizzaArthur]

Finally, after several weeks of not using my oven I fired it up today and made some pizza. The oven seems to be in great condition. I believe I see a hairline crack in the oven but that might have been there before.

For anyone who finds water in/around their oven, these are the steps I followed:

- waited a few days after the rain (if rain was a cause)
- used a space heater on low with the door open partially (enough that the heater wont shut off) for 2-3 days straight.
- cured the oven (again) very slowly over 7-9 days.

The picture is of the neapolitan pizza I made today. I was going for the airy crust. Pizza made in 900 degree oven for 90 seconds.

Thanks to those who helped me get through my water troubles. My granite piece is on and I'm waiting for the next heavy rain to ensure no water is getting into/around the oven.

[james]

Welcome back on-line Arthur. You have earned it! I sure hope you are water tight from here on.

Great cornice on your PN. Looks perfect.

btw -- I have added a photo gallery to the Forum, which is divided into categories. You could have the honor of posting the first pizza photos.
James

[texassourdough]

Sealing Rock and Stuccco???

When I built my current house with a 4 inch thick limestone exterior the masons commented that limestone and cement can be very porous to water. For the house there is a nominal 1 inch gap between the rock and the real exterior wall of the house and weepholes in the wall to allow water that gets thorugh the rock to escape.

When I built my oven I sealed the chimney, cap and dome of the oven after I had the oven well dried out (about a year and after an extended dry spell). I have to suspect you have a thin spot or porous rock (or cement) that is allowing water through. I would suggest putting some tile/granite sealant on the flat part of the chimney (though I don't think that is where your leak is) and over the flat rocks and rear wall of the oven.

Good Luck!
Jay

[PizzaArthur]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

Well - my water problem is back - apparently it never left.
I had a mason over the house today to take a look. We believe (again) we know what the problem is.

When I built the oven I built it on a 2" high slab, but the patio was built higher than the slab - so my oven rests on (concrete blocks on-top) of a 2" inch slab, but the 20' x 20' patio is higher than the slab and the water is all coming off of the patio into the wood storage area. Even though it hasn't rained here in days the concrete slab is still wet and the bottom of my wood pile is wet. The mason believes that either the water is soaking up the concrete blocks or the water is getting to underneath the hearth by humidity (he speaks a different language so I'm not sure I understood correctly).
Anyways, I just put some concrete down at the entrance of the wood storage to make it higher than all points around it - in other words, so the water would go around the oven and not into the wood storage area.

Now, I'm not sure if this will fix my problem. I was 100% sure the last time that it was related to the lack of covering (granite) over my landing, but I was wrong then.

I am trying this. I think the limestone point may be valid but the mason says that there's no way that water is getting through the outside stone or concrete.

It's clear that in my oven - like the previous pictures I posted - the water is working it's way up from the bottom - as if the vermiculite is getting water from some location.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

Bummer! Is the water/dark spot in the oven in the same spot as last time?

[PizzaArthur]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

Yes, a bit smaller but the same spot - as in these pictures:
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/6268-post4.html

Again the floor of the oven is/was dry and just the back left part of the dome is wet.

You can see in the pictures that the outside of the oven is completely enclosed with stone. You can see in the picture the small use of limestone as a border. As I said the mason doesn't think that any water is getting through there - or soaking through the limestone.

[vitoduke]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

Hi Arthur---I had a problem with water causing some dampness inside the oven. I used a waterproofing product from Baer that is sold at Home Depot. I sprayed the entire igloo dome and the poured work area on both sides of the oven.I also sprayed the base and have not had any water problems since. You can actually see the water bead up on the stucco. It is supposed to last for 5 years. I'm going to spray it each fall to avoid the problem. This might work for you---Mel

[PizzaArthur]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

It's been raining all morning (and should be all day). My concrete "ramp" is holding back the water. I don't see any increase in the size of my wet spot in the oven at this point. I am very interested in the waterproofing product you mentioned. What exactly is the name? Is it clear? Do you think I can spray it on stone and limestone and concrete?

Hi Arthur---I had a problem with water causing some dampness inside the oven. I used a waterproofing product from Baer that is sold at Home Depot. I sprayed the entire igloo dome and the poured work area on both sides of the oven.I also sprayed the base and have not had any water problems since. You can actually see the water bead up on the stucco. It is supposed to last for 5 years. I'm going to spray it each fall to avoid the problem. This might work for you---Mel

[vitoduke]

Re: Oh no - my oven is wet

Hi Arthur--- The product is Behr Concrete and Masonry Waterproofer, Product # 980. It comes in a blue one gallon container. It says it works on concrete, brick, aggregate, Mexican tile, masonry, stucco. I applied it with a one gallon garden sprayer. It goes on looking like milk, and dries clear.