Adding dome thermometer

[Andypar]

I'd like to add a chefs temp to the dome. A friend who has a pizzeria says knowing the air temp inside is a must for a wood fired only oven. Any issues with using a masonry bit to drill theu the stucco and concrete dome to insert the probe? Casa 80.

[SableSprings]

Welcome to the forum Andy! Personally, I would strongly recommend AGAINST drilling any holes in your Casa80. Invest in a good IR thermometer gun instead. Learning to get to (and maintain) pizza cooking temps involves practice and experience. Cooking floor temps are very important and keeping an active coal/fire off to one side is also important. Getting the floor and dome up to proper temps using visual clues (dome clearing) and the IR gun is much more reliable than getting a thermometer probe reading from one small area at your drilled hole. Dome and floor temps vary considerably during firing and need to equalize close to your temp goals before you start cooking. Please, do not drill into that beautiful oven! You not only are wasting your time & money but creating access for moisture.

There are several builders on this site who embedded/drilled thermoprobes in their oven and found them difficult to maintain or just not nearly as useful as the IR gun and experience. Relax, your oven is a tried and tested design used & perfected long before mechanical devices for reading temperature existed. We all have experienced "imperfect pizza" while learning how to use our ovens...and sometimes after we think we've got it figured out

Cooking is the combination of art, science, and experience with the goal of occasionally producing a magical bite. (IMHO ).

[UtahBeehiver]

I agree with Mike. I installed thermal couples in the floor and the dome and I never use them anymore, I just rely on the old cheapo IR gun and my previous experience with my oven. Perhaps if you were in major production of pies it might be a different story but for me I have no issue with cooking a dozen or two pies without a physical thermometer.