Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Gas arch brick oven lots of questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Gas arch brick oven lots of questions

    Hello! im working on creating a pizza delivery place. In my region ugly steel ovens are used which only generate about 300 degrees celcius and take a ton of time to heat up while wasting a lot of gas, so ive been wanting to purchase a steel oven (one of the three or four brands who make very quick steel gas ovens you know which they are), since i live in south america i cant really get hold of one with ease so ive decided to build my own brick oven, while also trying to recreate the shape that flat steel gas ovens have, YES, im planning on creating a brick oven which operates on GAS, i have a limited amount of bricks and money (50 bricks which are 270mm x 115mm x 48mm)

    To simplify the whole process, i didnt choose to build a classic pompei oven, first of all they are too big(i cant afford that many bricks) , i wont use wood and it seems to me they take some time to heat up (which is why im going for a gas option), and im looking for that flat look and size, thats why i decided to build its whole structure as masonry arches, like the ones pompeii ovens have on their entrances, the whole roof would be made of these and the height would be reduced, (below 250mm) , since i only need a floor of 400 x 400 mm i can achieve these dimentions with little brick usage and my sanity intact,

    heres the picture of my plans, and i will detail below it my many questions!
    pizza oven plan
    first of all, i want to ask if that segmental arch structure is strong, solid, from an architectonic perspective, will it last, will it sustain heat, does heat affect arches ? the pictures shows bricks layed on header position, this for me is optimal for saving time since more than half the roof will be done on the first arch ( 270mm length), but is this position the best for an arch ?, is it too thin for heat preservation ? roof width without insulator : 48mm is this plus the ceramic fiber and some other insulation enough to preserve the heat the gas flame will produce , or should i go for another thicker type of brick laying?

    i also want to know what goes below the refractory brick oven floor, heat proof cement ? gravel ? more fiber ?

    what about the thickness of the mortar ? should it be little or THICK? (picture is about 2-3mm)

    please do tell me what you see wrong and correct me in any way possible, i want to achieve an oven that can heat up in less than 10 minutes and produce a pizza in about 2. thank you a lot ive learned a lot from american brick layers and workers.

  • #2
    Hi and welcome.

    Firstly, with regard to barrel ovens versus dome ovens:

    Dome ovens, such as the tried and proven FornoBravo design, are self supporting. Barrel ovens require buttressing as the flat arch shape, as per your drawing, will attempt to flatten - push the sides out. So, as long as you understand the forces you're dealing with, you can build a barrel oven but, structurally, they are very different to domes. Dome ovens are more easily self supporting.

    Dome ovens have a clever design relationship between the top of the dome and the height of the door arch. What this means is that the dome radiates heat and the space between the top of the door and the underside of the dome allows a cushion of hot air to form which helps cook the top side of the pizza.

    The whole idea of a brick oven is to allow the bricks to slowly soak up heat and then radiate that heat back onto the food. That's one of the reasons brick ovens are usually well insulated. As there's a cost to heat the bricks, it makes sense to insulate and prevent that heat from escaping into the surrounding structure and air.

    The Pompeii oven design considers and provides solutions for all those issues.

    Wood is the preferred heat source as it's both controllable and safe. Gas can be used, but you require a gas burner and attendant hardware that will allow for fail-safes so that the gas supply is swiftly cut off if the flame goes out. The right sort of safe gas burner is not usually cheap and as you're dealing with some sort of commercial enterprise you would do well to consider safety.

    Lastly, with regard to heating a brick oven in 10 minutes: It can't be done.

    I'd suggest that you take the time to learn how brick ovens work and consider changing your design and consider the safe use of gas. Best of luck!
    My 42" build: https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ld-new-zealand
    My oven drawings: My oven drawings - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

    Comment


    • #3

      Thank you a lot for your time mark! you gave me a lot to think about, is there a chance we could connect and share ideas ?

      Comment


      • #4
        You're welcome.
        I'm relatively easy to find, but time zone differences may make this forum the easiest way to connect.
        Kind regards,
        Mark
        My 42" build: https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ld-new-zealand
        My oven drawings: My oven drawings - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

        Comment

        Working...
        X