Cracks in my cast dome

[Vincent G]

Wondering how concerned I should be about cracks in my dome? I have had five curing fires...thoughts?

[SableSprings]

Some pictures would be good here. I think we all have had cracks develop to some extent in our ovens. They are the norm. That said, it would be good to be able to see your dome to confirm "normal" or "yikes"... The classic French bakers used to gauge the temperature of their ovens by the size of various cracks. As the temperature goes down the cracks generally close back up and as we've often seen & said, the dome design is inherently stable and resistant to structural failure. Relax...but do continue to go VERY slowly on the curing fires!

[Vincent G]

Inside of dome insde of dome

[SableSprings]

Vincent, I think those are fairly common cracks for a cast oven. It's possible you went a little too fast/hot in your curing fires...but they certainly don't appear to be problem in the functionality or structural integrity. Do you have your dome insulation in place? Having the dome insulated during the curing fires helps to moderate the stress of uneven heating with wood fires. Relax, go slow & low on the rest of the curing fires.

[Vincent G]

Thank you for your comments Yes I have my dome insulated. I put 3 1/2 inches of insulation over the arch opening and about 5 inches around the the dome and perimeter.