Harbison Walker has a new line of Pizza-oven specific products

[deejayoh]

This is a few months old, so I am surprised I haven't seen a post about it (maybe I just missed it) - but they launched "Ovenzz", a line of oven-specific bricks, castables, and mortars back in June.

http://thinkhwi.com/harbisonwalker-f...-market-pizza/
http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201608100001
http://thinkhwi.com/products/


Seems like a great new resource for builders. They should be buying up ad space on the forum!

[cnegrelli]

I did contact them and while they don't have a division near me, they are pushing a new line called OVENZZ.

"Our OVENZZ line of products brings you refractory castable and firebrick options. All of our OVENZZ products are certified for use in food equipment by NSF International."

Which then begs the question, is normal castable and firebrick options a concern for "food equipment"? Or is this just a way to jack up the prices?

[cnegrelli]

Furthermore, the OVENZZ lineup of both firebrick and castable is the same chemistry as their normal lineup, and actually the same price. Way beyond my range.

[dakzaag]

So are you saying the label is just a label and nothing is different? What is your source, I saw the literature a while back, but haven't really looked into it. The dealers don't know much about it, I asked several.

On a similar note, Belden has started making Firebrick now and I'm just wondering if anyone has tried them out yet. The first batch at my local yard were wacked, but the second shipment looked pretty decent. Priced to be competitive in my humble opinion.

[dakzaag]

Is there add space available?

[cnegrelli]

They sent me a quote and the spec sheets for both. Exactly the same.

[dakzaag]

Hmm. surely they must have some reason behind the food grade label besides marketing. Never mind, I just read what I typed...

[dakzaag]

I did further research and actually contacted the person in charge of the product development for HW. Ben said that it was a matter of having the refractory products tested and the process of production evaluated for hazardous materials that might be left behind or possibly exposed in the normal oven operation. Of course he did not say if they had to make any changes to process or formulation, but the fact still remains that FDA(I think he said FDA was involved,I might be mistaken) has evaluated the products in the Ovenzz line and approved them for use in food cooking and handling. The certificate is specific to the products listed and assures the customer that these materials will not contain or create a harmful effect on food prepared in contact with the listed items. This is my language, I'm sure the fine print is much more lawyer speak.

My basic read on the whole thing is that Ovenzz is the same basic firebrick and mortar that has been tested and approved by FDA to be safe for use in a cooking environment. HW is charging about 15% more for Ovenzz brick then their standard brick with the same performance specs. Certainly there are a number of folks who claim that these Refractory products are Carcinogenic and harmful to come anywhere near food products or the cooking process. By using these Ovenzz products, the builder can specifically state that the material has been tested and approved for use in food cooking and consumption. The oven owner can proceed to use the oven without fear that some toxic or hazardous element is going to be ingested by eating food prepared in the oven.

Although it seems a bit over zealous, I think it helps anyone building an oven to be assured that the food coming out of the oven is not going to kill their family. (other than being fattening and loaded with cholesterol) The literature does not say other products are threatening, or dangerous. Certainly when dealing with used refractory such as firebrick, unless the user knows exactly how the brick were used, it is probably wise to use caution when including used firebrick in the build. Most industrial applications for firebrick involve industry not related to food consumption or at least the the actual making of food, so used firebrick could contain many substances that would not be a good idea to consume.

One point that I think is easy to confuse is the silica aspect of this combination. So of course silica is present in most refractory materials and it is also classified as a serious health concern. The main difference is the harmful silica is air born and inhaled into the lungs causing silicosis. As any 3 year old can attest, ingesting silica (sand) is mostly harmless unless accompanied by organic matter such as cat scat. The same concern can be inferred from the ceramic blanket that is used as the dome insulation or Vermiculite which has been shown to have asbestos naturally present in the raw material used to make Vermiculite. Again ingesting these products, while not necessarily appetizing, is not particularly harmful, but breathing in the fibers during the construction phase can result in serious health complications. I am not suggesting that we put Vermiculite in a salt shaker and add it as a pizza topping, but it is good to know that the use of these materials for cooking food is safe. It is also a good reminder to enclose the insulating blanket with a structure or cementitious stucco not only to keep it dry but to also contain the fibers that could become air born if left exposed.

So HW is just attempting to have a marketing advantage, but to their credit, they have tested and passed whatever protocol is used to approve a material as safe for food contact. If a customer or family member is concerned with this aspect of a wood fired oven, then a remedy is now readily available to pacify these concerns.

[JHaiar]

I used the ovenzz firebrick for my floor and the ovenzz cast mortar and both were high quality products that worked well. The ovenzz firebrick were the same price as the regular non FDA approved brick

[Tallyrc]

I used the ovenzz firebrick for my floor and the ovenzz cast mortar and both were high quality products that worked well. The ovenzz firebrick were the same price as the regular non FDA approved brick

Did you use the ovenzz cast as mortar? Or separate product? My local distributor doesn't list mortar.. thanks

[JHaiar]

Yes, I used the Ovenns cast for the mortar. Still holding up well.