Insulation Efficiency

[Gulf]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

Thanks Tinaloven,
I'm starting tomorrow on the floor. I hope, that between the 4" of vermicrete and the 2" of "calsil", I have the floor insulation covered.

PS: The muticolored red firebrick look great. I have to settle for yellow "clones".

[tinaloven]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

here are some pics of our oven with bricks laid on top in herringbone fashion.

[tinaloven]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

yep thats the stuff, it's almost made for it! Have a great time building it.

[Gulf]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

I have poured a 4" (5 to1 ) vemiculite and portland insulation layer on my hearth. Since then, I have been given enough 2" calcium silicate board to cover the oven floor area. Is this material (which seems to be every bit as substantial as the vermicrete and has a rating of 1280 degrees) suitable for the floor of a WFO?

[Kyle Dillehay]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

Sorry about the missing "t's" in that last post.

[Kyle Dillehay]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

Thanks! Tha is what I was thinking but just waned to check before I go to he next step of laying down the floor.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

It will never have the MPa that normal concrete gets, iit is an insulative material so it will be softish/crumbly. but, will be fine for building upon.

[Kyle Dillehay]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

Hi, I mixed my insulating hearth layer 5 parts vermi to 1 part portland with just enough water to allow it to hold together as a clump in your hand when squeezed.
The problem is that after 3 days it is still slightly spongy, is this normal?
Will it ever become hard?
Thanks , Kyle

[eprante]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

The ceramic blanket that James sells rocks as an insulator. I don't know what the R value is but my oven ( igloo style) is never more than 5 degrees above ambient temp on the outside. I used 4" on the top and 3" on the sides. It is definitely worth the money.
Eric

[dmun]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

I think various concrete backer boards have next to no insulation value. They're concrete with some sort of fiber.

[scottschmidt]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

Thanks...googling the hardie backer board. Curious...any info on its insulation qualities? I don't know much about "R" values...but the 1/4" backer board has an R value of 0.13. What does that give me?

S

[scottschmidt]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

A question for the insulation gurus...

I'm building a 36" pompeii, corner installation against existing frame/stucco walls of my home...on an outdoor patio.

My current design calls for exterior walls of oven (pre-insulation) to be 5" from existing stucco. So...I have 5" to insulate.

Question 1: From what I've read, 4" of insulation blanket should be sufficient to keep heat off of existing stucco wall, which would in turn keep my house from burning down. Sound right?

Question 2: Assuming question 1 is correct, is there some sort of board that I should tack on the existing stucco to provide an extra layer of protection?

Bonus question! Is there some other way to crack this nut that I'm not thinking of??

Thanks, all.

S

[smallyfish]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

heavy-weight coating do tend to compress the blanket,in my opinion.

[Lill Dave]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

I found this company and they have everything you will ever need for building your oven,
E.J. BARTELLS Insulation .Refractories. HVAV
Primarely in the northwest but they have a presence in Salt Lake City also.
I know this is a random post but saving heat is what it's all about.

[Spunkoid]

Re: Insulation Efficiency

My thoughts....
- Cooking with wood fired ovens is pretty close to being as old as civilization itself.
- the down load instructions are really good, many ovens have been built to improve them
- make sure you put down an insulative layer of cement then the fire brick floor. When you light a fire to heat the oven, the firebrick floor gets red hot. Scrape the coals over to the side after the oven is hot, and let the floor "cool" for about 15 minutes or so before you put a pizza on it. The floor will still be very, very hot, just not red hot.
- keep your dome low. If you build it a meter inside diameter, there is no need to add a soldier course at the beginning.
- insulating the dome keeps the heat in. With a standard build, you have some pretty good heat retention due to the thickness of the build. But heat does radiate out. Insulate the dome and it holds the heat longer. This is more important for cooking roasts or bread as the dome will be very hot for pizza.
- insulating the dome also keeps you and anyone else from the remote chance of burning yourself.
Build a good insulated door, it keeps the heat in for roasts or bread later.

In my frosty little world, it gets down to -30C or even colder in the winter. I have fired up the forno in -20C, cooked pizzas, then a roast the next day using the residual heat.

I love the forno for the social aspects. In the summer, I have at least two or three cul-de-sac parties to get the neighbors out and meet with each other. The forno is a hit because it is something most of them have never seen or used before. Considering my first note above, that is sort of sad....
In the winter, everyone tends to hibernate and we never see each other, so having a winter solstice party or something else is a hit..
I also love the way the oven cooks meat, it is always so moist.