Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

[breakn]

So I read a bunch of threads on cracks and everyone says its okay and that it still cooks great. But in the limited pictures that I see they are always small and usually in the arch. I just finished curing and have hit 900 degrees after 9 days
I have one that is small but goes from one side of the arch to the other side of the arch all the way around in row 5 horizontally.--Im not to worried about that one.
I have a large one that goes from the 2nd row vertically to the keystone and half way around the keystone. I can see the fire inside through this one. -- This one worries me.
Im not worried about it falling apart or caving in but I am worried that for some reason the homebrew mortar wasnt right or anything else that you guys might bring up. I just need reassurance that this is indeed common or at least it wont be a problem
all the cracks get bigger as it heats up.
I have a few other small ones throughout.
I did 1/8 mortar joints throughout. Let me know what you think

[Les]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

The fact that the cracks are going 2-3 bricks up in a straight line implies you you didn't alternate the bond. Ideally, the end of a joint ends in the middle of the adjoining brick - that is the strongest scenario. I don't think it is caused by using the home brew. I use the same, and I am very pleased with the results. With that said, I have seen far worse cracks - up to 5/8 of an inch. I suggest you wrap it with a blanket and call it good. As you mentioned, it will not fall apart or cave in. It will serve the purpose - enjoy the food.

Les...

[Mike D]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

should you put a layer of mortar on top of it when it is cold? What about some type of bonding cement layer?

- just trying to brain storm.

Mike

[brickie in oz]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

In the first pic where your finger is it looks like a brick has cracked.
If this is right Id make a guess that you have foundation failure, could be you concrete slab has failed?

[breakn]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

Yah i staggered the bricks there are 2 on that crack that are within 1/2 inch of each other. I am going to use 3 layers of blankets on it.

Where my finger is only the small corner of it cracked. the foundation hasn't moved and the first 2 rows dont have cracks in them

[brickie in oz]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

Where my finger is only the small corner of it cracked. the foundation hasn't moved and the first 2 rows dont have cracks in them

The higher up you go the more pronounced it will become.

[breakn]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

where my finger is is the worst gap the crack gets smaller as it goes up from there.

[Laurentius]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

I think the key word, that Brickie used was (become), not (is).

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

I like the crack thread - I'm still curing and have some hairlines outside on the mortar, nothing visible inside (but it is coverered with soot because I haven't got that hot yet).

I like the thread because I've really had to dig for detailed crack talk. sorry I don't have any specific advice - but I appreciate you starting the thread.

[cvcrash]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

what was the ratio you used for the home brew mortar?

[breakn]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

1:1:3:1-lime, fireclay, portland, 3 parts sand

[Neil2]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

Soak the crack area, patch up with very wet mortar, and carry on.

[DaveW]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

This baby goes up one side and down the other. It happened after I insulated the oven so I left it alone. The smoking gun in my case is is the off bond brick pattern.
Dave

[Mike D]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

What about putting a layer of Wellbond (construction adhesive) over the whole thing like peterlyn did in the Pompeii in Nanoose Bay build (post #9) .http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/p...bay-14633.html

I know nothing about this at all, I just saw it in the thread and was thinking about it.

Mike

[Ken524]

Re: Cracks!! Are yours this bad??

If you patch it from the outside (or inside) it'll likely just crack again during the next heating/cooling cycle. What you have there is a naturally occurring expansion joint

Insulate and start making pizza! You are good to go.