Removing Hearth Tiles

[Michael Klieman]

Hey everyone,
If you saw my previous thread, you know that there is a gap between the bottom of the oven mouth and the top of my oven cover. It seems that I did not put enough sand between the insulation and the hearth stones (even though it calls for 3/8 of an inch and I did 1/2 inch...). So, I will have to remove the hearth stones and add more sand, if I want the oven door to seal.

Does anyone have any advice or pointers on how to to this? Just pull them out and put in more sand, and then level everything again, I know. But maybe those who have done this before might have some advice.

Thanks!
m

[Toomulla]

Wouldn't it be easier to add a piece of steel to the bottom of the door?

[Michael Klieman]

Maybe to the top. If I did it to the bottom, it would not sit on the handle as it's supposed to.
And that presupposes that I can weld....
I think moving stones is closer to my skill set than welding.

[david s]

The difference between 3/8" and 1/2" is only 1/8". Will this be enough to close the gap? I still think your door may not be high enough because it needs to overlap the top of the oven mouth. Are you quite sure they supplied the correct door?

[JRPizza]

Can you post a picture of the door in place? It would certainly help us all visualize exactly what you are dealing with.

[Michael Klieman]

Thanks everyone, for the comments. I talked to Anthony at FB and we went back and forth for a while, trying to figure out the best solution. Finally we decided it would be easier to cut down a larger door to make it fit what I have. Anthony sent me one, no charge. Thanks!

It actually fits perfectly vertically. Horizontally it is about 3/4 inch too wide on both sides. I can get a grinder and cut that down and it should fit perfectly.

It's strange that I followed the manual closely and ended up with this problem. I was pretty frustrated about it, but am happy now the solution won't be too much work or too difficult.

Speaking of following the recommendations closely and it not working out, last week I completed curing the oven, and gave it one more day at 800 degrees. The next day I cooked pizza for the first time (it was pretty good--definitely room for improvement). The problem was that I cracked the interior of the oven. It seemed pretty bad. I'll post a photo here in a moment.

I talked to Anthony again and he told me to do a paper clip test. If I can't fit a paper clip in the crack, it is just a superficial crack and won't be a problem. I tried it and couldn't fit it in the crack (the first time I was happy about that ) . Anthony said I was good to go.

What do you think? Do you think I'll be able to hold heat as well as normal? Has anyone had experience with cracks like this?

Thanks. Photos coming.

Michael