winter cooking ?

[Acoma]

Re: winter cooking ?

I am going with an inch of cladding, then 2 inches of the blanket, then Matrilite18. True that heat up will be longer, but the goal is to maintain the heat so that I focus more on the fun then the fire.

[RCLake]

Re: winter cooking ?

Didn't you get your bricks at the same place Dusty did?

You could just hold off a bit and see how long Dusty's takes to get heated, then decide on the cladding issue. As you know, I put at least an inch on mine, and I can get the dome white in an hour +/-.
G.

What type and how much insulation do you have over your dome. I picked up mine yesterday, 50 sf of 2" and also of 1". So I'm hoping that will be plenty.

[gjbingham]

Re: winter cooking ?

Didn't you get your bricks at the same place Dusty did?

You could just hold off a bit and see how long Dusty's takes to get heated, then decide on the cladding issue. As you know, I put at least an inch on mine, and I can get the dome white in an hour +/-.
G.

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

Hey Rob.
I would stay away from cladding to much.
I had mortar on the outside of my dome.... Maybe a 1/2 inch or so on most of it. I just kind of added it as I built the dome.

My heat up times push 2 hours!, On the other hand, my oven does retain heat well. A trade off.. Longer heat up times... longer retention...
Just do what would fit best for you.

If you don't mind longer heat up times go for it!


As for cladding to avoid cracks, I've wondered if adding chicken wire over the dome(nice and tight) and then cladding over the wire and dome would help to prevent cracks.
Kind of a reinforced outer layer.

What do you think?

Your oven is looking great by the way~!

Dave

[Acoma]

Re: winter cooking ?

I was thinking of this because some of us apply, or plan to apply cladding of an inch around the outer dome. This has its own expansion rate too, right? If the cladding is not an issue, and the back side of the brick has thin or thick mortar, then I see no difference. I might even feel that thick mortar on the back helps to prevent the cracks, but I am sure argument will follow to this.

[gjbingham]

Re: winter cooking ?

That's an interesting idea Dave, but I'm not sure if that's the case regarding a dome. If the coefficient of expansion of the bricks and the mortar was exactly the same, you would still have thermal expansion of a rigid half-sphere as it heated. It seems to me that unless the whole thing is floating, something's going to give (crack), somewhere.

My thinking - probably way off too. Where's dmun?

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

Well .. my reasoning...


Less mortar = more bricks.
Which ,in my brain, means expansion and contraction would be more uniform. (I'm probably wrong here)
With lots of mortar and less bricks, less uniformity. The bricks expand and contract at one rate, while the mortar at another.
I think that would lead to more stress and more cracks.

But that is just what I was thinking. It sure doesn't make it true

Dave

[Frances]

Re: winter cooking ?

I remember a couple times at the end of a batch of mortar that seem to drying out and now I'm worried about that.

Half of the building process seems to be worrying that you've done something wrong somwhere - I know mine was... (and still is for that matter). So don't worry too much about worrying. I'm sure your oven will cook beautifully.

The longer I'm in this forum, the more ovens I see being built and the more I fire up my own oven, the more I admire these oven plans. Simple, flexible, functional, brilliant. These are really cool ovens, with or without cracks, and don't you doubt it!

Acoma, interesting you should say that. I can't really see why less mortar should equal less cracks either. I can appreciate the beauty of exactly measured bricks and the skill of building a near perfect, near mortarless dome - but does it actually cook better or crack less? ...from a gut feeling I'd say it might last longer, and be more stable. I dunno, maybe not. Its certainly an interesting subject to follow up.

[Acoma]

Re: winter cooking ?

Dave, I am not sure if less mortar gives less cracks. We need to have a tally on cracks with little and mass mortar applications. I have mass on the back so we will see with mine.

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

I think fireworks popping in the WFO sounds a lot better than bricks cracking. This thread is starting to get me worried since at row 5 I"m starting to tie into the arch. I guess I resolve myself that cracks will be there but I remember a couple times at the end of a batch of mortar that seem to drying out and now I'm worried about that. Oh well those spots will be probably ok and it will happen somewhere else. It just better be able to cook!!

Cracks are hard to avoid, just do your best.
I think the less mortar the better, but several of us have had bricks themselves crack.
As for cooking!
These baby's rule!
2 minute pizzas one night, bread and slow roasted meats the next day
All on one fire.
Just remember to insulate the heck out of your oven.!

Dave

[RCLake]

Re: winter cooking ?

I think fireworks popping in the WFO sounds a lot better than bricks cracking. This thread is starting to get me worried since at row 5 I"m starting to tie into the arch. I guess I resolve myself that cracks will be there but I remember a couple times at the end of a batch of mortar that seem to drying out and now I'm worried about that. Oh well those spots will be probably ok and it will happen somewhere else. It just better be able to cook!!

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

Sounds like you know what you are talking about.

Another example of how you texicans roll?

dusty

Haven't tried it yet.....

but sounds like fun

heheh

[dusty]

Re: winter cooking ?

Fireworks are pretty! Try tossing a handful of bottle rockets into the plasma fire!

Sounds like you know what you are talking about.

Another example of how you texicans roll?

dusty

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

W I plan on waving a big flag and possibly some fireworks.

dusty

Fireworks are pretty! Try tossing a handful of bottle rockets into the plasma fire!

That should start the evening off right!!

[asudavew]

Re: winter cooking ?

When I was firing my oven for the first few times... it popped and cracked and popped some more.

It's a different sort of sound than wood. A pinging tone. PIng ping pong pong After awhile I could tell when there was another crack, just by the sound.

During the build I kind of figured the mortar in the joints would crack, but it still amazes me that bricks can crack.

I never would of guessed that.

As James told me several months ago.
"Embrace your cracks.
And enjoy the pizza!!!"



These thing will stand tall! I have some severe cracks. A brick even fell out of my inner arch. Right where the dome ties in. But the dome still stands...(waiting for repair)

So don't worry too much. (frustrating... after all the hard work)

But I really don't think that there is much that can be done to prevent them!

Dave