Gap Between Vent and Dome

[mongota]

I could take the bricks out on the front, cut them and put them back with a thermal break like...

This post popped up as a notification, but seeing the date you're probably well past the time of my post being relevant.

My opinion after several years of oven use with short and long cooks...

I certainly tried to add all the tricks to my build. I definitely think the thermal break between the dome bricks and the landing arch bricks is important, as they heat and then expand/contract unequally. A break int he floor brick, well, there is one, it's the natural break created by the individual bricks. With that written, I did include a cut line in the floor brick at the dome/landing transition, where my insulated door sits. Again, a 'best practice". Or maybe a 'better practice" or a "consider using this technique practice". But it's not a deal breaker to not have one. And if there is any true heat loss, it's nothing that another log on the fire won't overcome.

I'd include a break in the floor brick during my build, but I wouldn't advise going backwards by going to the trouble of adding one after the build has moved beyond that point.

Regardless, I hope things are going well with the build!