Exterior oven temp

[joel p]

What is considered a reasonable exterior top of dome oven temp when the oven is fully hot for pizza? I am curing my casa 2g 90 which has three layers of insulation. The inner top dome is now 450 but the exterior top dome is 120F. Seems a bit high. Worst case scenario I could add more insulation and restucco but that would be painful.

[joel p]

Here is a quick recap of my Casa 2g 90 build. Please contact me with any questions.
1) Bottom slab of stand is 6 ft by 6ft. Slab base is 8 inches compacted drain rock. I went with 8 inches as the soil is very organic.
2) Bottom slab is 6 inch quicrete 4000 psi with rebar per forno bravo diagram. I put 6 mil plastic under the slab. Also had wire mesh. Water cured for one week with slab covered in plastic and watetered every few hours. Better to have drip system but it was foggy so ok.
3)Stand is made with 8x16 CMU dry stacked five high and five wide. Concrete in every hole and rebar in every other hole. Concrete only filled to 2 inches from top so top slab could integrate with CMU. 3/8 inch angle iron for door jam on top cut into CMU with masonry saw so it was flush. No other securing of the angle iron. Cut some CMU to plug the holes in the blocks above the door so the concrete wouldnt fall out.
4) Built top slab form so slab would overhang CMU base by 1.5 inches. Top slab is 4 inches thick with 8 inch rebar grid. No mesh. 4000 psi quicrete in mixer with my son helping (both slabs 2 people). Uses 2x4 as joists across the gap and 1/2 inch plywood over that. Supported the joists with 2x4 screwed into cmu with upright supports at each corner screwed in to support the 2x4 on top. Wet cured for a week the same as bottom slab.
5) Took forms off at one week and started on redwood siding. I had already prepared the siding this winter. Siding is 3/4 inch thick. Screwed pressure treated 2x4 cut to 1/2 inch thickness as stringers top and bottom to screw siding into. Pretty easy.
6) Wrapped plastic around my siding and used concrete polisher to polish exposed top slab to 800 grit. Messy as it uses water but super easy. Beveled edges of top slab and stained with "espresso" stain from Chen concrete. Easy.
7) I placed the ceramic insulation making sure to start at the front edge of the CMU stand. The arch part is not meant to carry a heavy load.
8)I cut a 2x4 in 3/8 thickness and screeded sand over top of slab. I measured the center point of the stand and marked a 2x4 such that when the sand was screeded I could reinstall thge 2x4 at the correct location to identify the center point where the fire brick would start. Then I dropped the fire bricks in one by one onto the smooth sand. I managed to screw this up and had to fuss to get the bricks all even again.
9)With the bricks in the right place my son and I pushed the front dome up a ramp and set it in place. We then lifted the other two dome pieces without a ramp.
10) I mortared up thge joints per the video. In the video they say "dont push the mortar into the joint". That is incorrect. Push the mortar into the joint as the joint is built in such a way that mortar cannot access the inner part of the joint which is an empty space.
11) I cut the excess ceramic insulation off with a saws all. In so doing I toed it in a bit so when I wrapped the wire around the insulation the washers wouldnt stick out as much.
12) I wrapped three layers of insulation after I drilled holes around the base to secure the wire per the video. A lot of fussing around to get the desired shape.
13) I wrapped the whole thing in 1/4 mesh hardware cloth because that what I had. Would have been easier to use self furring wire mesh made for stucco as the stuff sticks better to that especially on flat surfaces like the front of the stove. Used a lot of wire ties to get it tight.
14)The wire went straight across the stove opening per the video so got my gringer and cut the from opeing out. I cut it 1/4 inch in from the edge so you wouldnt see the wire.
15)Oops, I forgot to mention that I also placed the chimney per video prior to the wire and taped it per video
16) Wire now tied tight and screwed to the base I applied three coats of stucco scratch coat per day for three days. I used a notched trowel on each coat for better adhesion. and kept is wet most of the day. All good with no problems. I used my cement mixer. One person job.
17) After three scratch coats I used refractory mortar to place the arch and the bricks in front. First I did the bottom bricks which I had cut shorter. When the mortar was drier there the same day I buttered up the arch and stuck it on. I used 1 inch metal washers under the arch contact points to the bricks I had placed just for support so it wouldnt squish the mortar flat. Overall easy but I had to buy more refractory mortar for this part.
18) The I added color to the top coat, mixed it in the mixer and smoothed it out as best I could. It aint perfect!.
19) I am now sitting here a week later beginning the cure so I figured I would write this post while I am sitting around.

[JRPizza]

120 seems a bit high if that is only a result of interior heat. Did you take the measurements at night or in the full sun? I can get 120+ off of many exterior surfaces if I measure them in the direct sun. If it is heat bleeding through your insulation, the worse case is it will cool off a little faster which would only effect your ability to do extended retained heat baking.