Vent transition: castable inner arch?

[pdxsds]

Re: Vent transition: castable inner arch?

So far, the chains are fitting fairly well into the casted arch. Obviously the first two "soldier" rows fit perfectly. The third row, which is the first angled one, required cutting a brick longer than the usual 4.5" at a taper that fit the angle of cast arch. However I still think the fit is easier than the standard brick arch would have been.

On a secondary note, the back side joints certainly require a huge amount of mortar to fill. The brick shims cut some of that and perhaps add a bit more stability, but still the >1" gaps are a bit nerve wracking.

[Outeniqua]

Re: Vent transition: castable inner arch?

Great job getting that arch done!

Are you aware that you have quite a few linear mortar joints in the first two courses? On the photos I can see at least 4 of the joints that line up perfectly. It would be better if you could correct this early on in your build since these would be the obvious spots where your dome would crack. This issue has been discussed extensively on the forum. Consider correcting this by placing smaller bricks where required to ensure that the joints do not line up.

I hope this helps. Enjoy the rest of your build.

[pdxsds]

Re: Vent transition: castable inner arch?

Thanks for the suggestion. I did notice that there are some joints that line up, but probably only 2 of them are "real". The other two look like they are aligned, but in reality it's just the wide mortar at the inverted V at the bottom of the bricks; the actual joint is a few mm over. In any case, I'll pay more attention on the next row and cut some smaller bricks to avoid that issue.

Cheers!