how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

[shimpiphany]

i poured my foundation with a very slight grade to run water off, and when i dry-stack the blocks for the front and back walls of my stand they are slightly off plumb, about 1/2" for 39" in height, correlating with the slope of the slab.

is this a serious enough issue that i should level the first course with mortar? the rest of the stand is level.

[SCChris]

Re: how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

Level the first course, but avoid setting up a water way in toward the oven. remember that water will find a way.. Are you building an igloo or oven house? An oven house is, in my opinion, better at keeping water away.

Chris

[PizzaIdiot]

Re: how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

My 2 cents:
It really doesn't matter. Any slope in the blocks can be fixed when you set up the forms for the base of the oven floor. Just make sure your forms are level and you'll be all set.
Is the slope of the slab going to drain into the storage area under the oven? If so, I'd add some leveling cement in the storage area to ensure water does not pool under the oven. You don't want the humidity affecting whatever you are storing there.
Jeff

[OzOvenBuilder]

Re: how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

My 2 cents:
It really doesn't matter. Any slope in the blocks can be fixed when you set up the forms for the base of the oven floor. Just make sure your forms are level and you'll be all set.
Is the slope of the slab going to drain into the storage area under the oven? If so, I'd add some leveling cement in the storage area to ensure water does not pool under the oven. You don't want the humidity affecting whatever you are storing there.
Jeff

Agree with Jeff here, just keep in mind that any sort of face brickwork would need to be within a smaller tolerance than 1/2" over such a short vertical distance, only about 1/8" max would be close, and that's a generous tolerance. Being face work it would be noticable.

[shimpiphany]

Re: how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

thanks! i poured the foundation so the opening in the stand will be facing downhill, and i'm going to put a similar slope on the oven to keep water out.

i'm planning an igloo, but i live in southern california so water isn't so much of an issue. if i build an enclosure the oven will be visible to a problematic neighbor over a common wall, so i really don't have a choice anyway.

[david s]

Re: how important is it that stand walls are perfectly plumb?

It is a bit trickier to do, but well worth sloping your supporting slab down at all the outside edges ie. humped in the middle. You want any water to drain off as much as possible.