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Re: 28" Pompeii
Gene 
When I read the account of your 'cracks', it was like Yogi Berra said, 'It's D?j? vu all over again'.
I understand your feelings completely. My cracks were/are significantly larger than yours. I could see light through the cracks.
I removed the additional mortar where my cracks were located on the outside of the dome and found a couple loose bricks. I patched the cracks with wet mortar.....It cracked again, and turned black with smoke.
After encouragement from experienced builders here, I concluded it was a natural expansion joint and I needed to move on and enjoy the oven. My bricks are tapered, so they won't fall out. However, I did use some mortar, applied with a caulking gun and cured with heat, to secure the loose bricks one last time -not to fill the the cracks as much as to bind the loose bricks -it worked, and I felt much better.
Then, I covered it with two layers of one inch ceramic insulation and then poured my enclosure full of vermiculite. No worries now, the oven performs as it should. :happy camper:
This is a long way to say you appear to be within normal limits with your cracks. Move on, and finish curing your oven.
Originally posted by ggoose
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When I read the account of your 'cracks', it was like Yogi Berra said, 'It's D?j? vu all over again'.
I understand your feelings completely. My cracks were/are significantly larger than yours. I could see light through the cracks.
I removed the additional mortar where my cracks were located on the outside of the dome and found a couple loose bricks. I patched the cracks with wet mortar.....It cracked again, and turned black with smoke.
After encouragement from experienced builders here, I concluded it was a natural expansion joint and I needed to move on and enjoy the oven. My bricks are tapered, so they won't fall out. However, I did use some mortar, applied with a caulking gun and cured with heat, to secure the loose bricks one last time -not to fill the the cracks as much as to bind the loose bricks -it worked, and I felt much better.
Then, I covered it with two layers of one inch ceramic insulation and then poured my enclosure full of vermiculite. No worries now, the oven performs as it should. :happy camper:
This is a long way to say you appear to be within normal limits with your cracks. Move on, and finish curing your oven.
...or perhaps "been there; done that!" and you survived. My plan is to grind the cracks a bit and shoot in some mortar from the caulikng gun and forget it (best part). My bricks are also tapered so no fear of collapse. Still on schedule for September pizza.
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