Tweet
Re: soapstone use
Hello Frank,
If I might add to Russell's comment;
You have more options for insulating the top of your dome or barrel since you do not have to worry about the compressive strength of your insulating material. The insulating firebricks or FB boards are solid and work great under the floor but they are quite expensive (I paid ~ $10.00/SF which is fairly typical from what I have read). That is why most people use different material for insulating over the dome or barrel.
You've probably read that most people on this forum use a combination of ceramic blanket or mineral wool (at least 2" is recommended) with vermicrete or permicrete on top of that (or just a healthy layer of vermiculite depending on how you plan to finish the exterior of your structure). These materials are typically much cheaper than the insulating brick or FB boards. You just need to make sure your insulating materials, wherever they are used, can withstand the heat of your oven (~ > 500C) - that's why you can't use Fiber Glass.
Again, your options under the floor are more limited because you need a product that can withstand the weight and the heat of your oven. An economical solution is a Vermicrete or Perlcrete slab under your hearth which is much cheaper than the aforementioned insulating bricks or FB boards but may require a little more effort to produce a level floor (I wish I had gone this route as I could have saved myself more than $200)
.
Good Luck on your project, you've embarked on a very interesting journey. Do your research, learn to use the search function in this forum and you will be able to find dozens of answers to any questions you might have. Figuring out which is the right answer is the trick.
Regards,
AT
Hello Frank,
If I might add to Russell's comment;
You have more options for insulating the top of your dome or barrel since you do not have to worry about the compressive strength of your insulating material. The insulating firebricks or FB boards are solid and work great under the floor but they are quite expensive (I paid ~ $10.00/SF which is fairly typical from what I have read). That is why most people use different material for insulating over the dome or barrel.
You've probably read that most people on this forum use a combination of ceramic blanket or mineral wool (at least 2" is recommended) with vermicrete or permicrete on top of that (or just a healthy layer of vermiculite depending on how you plan to finish the exterior of your structure). These materials are typically much cheaper than the insulating brick or FB boards. You just need to make sure your insulating materials, wherever they are used, can withstand the heat of your oven (~ > 500C) - that's why you can't use Fiber Glass.
Again, your options under the floor are more limited because you need a product that can withstand the weight and the heat of your oven. An economical solution is a Vermicrete or Perlcrete slab under your hearth which is much cheaper than the aforementioned insulating bricks or FB boards but may require a little more effort to produce a level floor (I wish I had gone this route as I could have saved myself more than $200)
.Good Luck on your project, you've embarked on a very interesting journey. Do your research, learn to use the search function in this forum and you will be able to find dozens of answers to any questions you might have. Figuring out which is the right answer is the trick.
Regards,
AT
Comment