42" In South GA

[UtahBeehiver]

Can't say if the Flame Stopper will work or not is not refractory based like KaoWool mouldable, I used UniExtreme but it is not available anymore. Also, I believe that Flame Stopper is for interior use only. Not knowing if you are just mounting the plate on top or placing bricks above the plate to secure the plate may make a difference on how you seal around the plate. PS we got 19" of powder last night at Snowbird..........

[edonovan]

You guys are awesome yet again... thank you for all the input... mongota definitely am understanding how plans continually change and just have to remember the pizza will taste the same ... UtahBeehiver that is what I had in mind for my anchor plate once I get to that point...been reading up on everyone anchoring it differently...to use screws or not...just sealant?...and/or bolts...I will keep reading and decide as I get to that point... david s ...thank you for validating my thoughts on the cross-sectional area...I think I like the idea of 6x9...my entry is still going to be 12" deep, but that gives me a little bit thicker brick on the back side and front arch to work with before building the platform for the anchor plate...I have heard that this area does get high heat, but I was planning on laying my flat ceramic gasket along where my entry meet my inner arch, and my rope/gasket doesn't have a way to stick, so my plan is to run a small bead to hold my rope up as I build my arch up...and if the caulk fails...no harm it was just there to hold the rope up as I press the brick up against the inner arch...I do have a question concerning the caulk though... UtahBeehiver, you suggested Kao Wool caulk, but I did find this stuff at my local Ace and not sure if it is inferior...the only thing reading it that catches my eye is that it is non-flexible... It sounds like it is rated for enough heat, but not sure about if I want something that has flexibility?

[mongota]

Looks like the other guys answered your flue question.

As far as the front arch design morphing, it happens. My plan all along was to cover my dome with a ~4" thick stone veneer, but I was going to cast a decorative 2" thick 'thin shell' to cover my landing arch. Late in the build I decided to cover the landing arch with the ~4" stone veneer as well. That decision resulted in my having to cast a decorative front arch wider than I had originally intended so the arch would cover the firebrick plus the additional thickness of the stone veneer.

The visual of the front of the oven is bulkier than I had intended due to the wider arch. But the pizza tastes the same!

[UtahBeehiver]

With an anchor plate, you will need to cut our the brick around the inlet of the anchor plate since the 8" pipe on the anchor protrudes below the face of the mounting plate. There are high temp sealants available but you will not find them at a big box store or the big A company. Morgan Thermal makes one called Kao Wool mouldable cauking in a tube.

[david s]

Yes, it is the cross sectional area that is important. A 6" x 9" will give you a shallower entry and make working the oven easier. 5 x 12 would be even better.

Using high temp silicone in that area won't work as the temperature will be too high for it to cope with. I could be wrong with your oven design so you could try it and if it fails replace it with something else.

[edonovan]

Thank you again mongota Ok, just what I was thinking on the cutting the back lip on the brick that it wasn't exactly necessary...I plan on just shoving what fiber rope/gasket in that I can and then some high temp silicone...As for the second part...you are asking good questions...I have an idea for my finished edge...Once I trim the excess insulation I have about 4" to the edge of my hearth...I have an image of just doing some classic red brick, built up to the same height of the entry floor and just going around the entry area sides and front (attached rough photo edit). As for the arch...I was planning on just leaving the fire brick....obviously the more I look at builds I tend to add ideas to my head and think "oh I could do that, or that, or that" then I come back to earth and just want to keep it simple...I feel like I could make the front angled brick look good with red brick by just doing a couple simple angle cuts on the red brick...and it is just that 1 layer at floor height that I would have to deal with. Your drawing definitely helped me think more about my end finish (which I sometimes I am not the best planner) I think I just don't want to have that cut edge as the front arch and would rather just have to cut the one back brick.

As I am try to do more of this planning stuff and figure out this entry area...from what I am reading...I need at least the 50 sq in of the 8" diameter Chimney as my flue gallery? Correct? Also, as I keep reading...I should be good with my 12" deep entry and don't need to have the typical brick and a half (13 1/2") entry. So If I just made my flue opening 8" by 8" that would suffice correct? That would leave me 2" front and back, and maybe at that point I should lip those top edge brick to make them a bit stronger to build my platform for anchor plate? Or would an oblong flue do the same?... maybe 6" deep x 9" wide...that would give me more to work with front and back. Lots for me to keep pondering...Please anyone give your thoughts/opinions, and I thank you in advance... and again thank you for your insight mongota it really is helping me step back before just jumping at it and not being entirely happy or in a situation that I would have to take apart.

[mongota]

1) really want to keep this as easy as possible and keep my momentum. Any functional reason to cut a lip in the back brick of the entry to lay over my inner arch? I plan on putting high temp flat rope in (#2) and from what I can tell (#1) area is going to get covered with the insulating blanket.
2) picture (2) really didn’t realize what I was getting into on the flared entryway, but still like it and am making an attempt to simplify it…what I have going here…this is just going to be cosmetic, correct? If I only angle the back brick and allow the front to do/look like this, it is just going to not be a flat front arch and from what I can tell the angle gets less as I move up so it is just mainly for the flare (first 4-5 courses)…?

Morning Ed...

1) No. Not required. the L-cut overlap is completely optional. As silly as this sounds, when I bought my 1/2" CF rope, the length I bought just happened to be long enough for two gaskets at dome arch/landing arch junction. So I figured 'why not' and L-cut my landing arch bricks to overlap the dome bricks on two sides, and then used a double run of CF rope for a double gasket. Not required. Not necessary. These builds are very fluid. Abutting the landing arch bricks to the dome arch bricks with a gasket in the gap between between is perfectly fine.

2) My only real comment here is how are you detailing the finish surface of the landing arch opening? If you can successfully hide the angled brick ends at the front of your landing arch I don't see it as a factor at all. If those angled back brick ends will mess with any arch face geometry in terms of your finish detail? Meaning, will any part of those angling back arch bricks show as a reveal? If you have a reveal and the arch bricks angle back on the sides but not on the top, it might make for an uneven mortar gap which may or may not look sloppy and may or may not bother you. It might be easier to square everything up now. You know your finish details, so you can make that call.

If your landing is 1-1/2 bricks deep, in general, ~13-1/2" deep? When you cut your bricks in half, cut them with a slight angled cut to provide two identical half-bricks each with an angled cut on one end. Use one angled half-brick with a full brick on the left side of the arch, the other angled half-brick on the right side also with a full brick. You'll cut an angle on one end of each of your whole bricks as well, just as shown in your first photo. There's your first course.

With the sides of the landing arch being flared outwards a bit, and with the top of the arch being not flared, but flat/level? The length of the brick course will decrease slightly as you move towards top-dead-center of the landing arch, going from 'flared' to 'non-flared'. Not by much, just a fraction of an inch. No math calculations or measurements will be required though. Just keep the face of the landing arch bricks even with the face of your arch form. As long as the form itself is plumb/vertical, the face of your landing tunnel arch will be plumb/vertical. The top will be quite easy as the chimney vent hole will be there.

I hope all that makes sense!

EDIT to add a drawing. Hope that helps clarify my text. Left side of drawing shows full and half bricks with one end of each cut resulting in a clean face. Right side of drawing shows my concern, that an uneven gap may appear at the face of the landing arch, but that depends on your finishing detail.

[edonovan]

mongota Yes, prices have gone up …did find better pricing at efireplacestore.com, already got my 8” anchor plate so I can make sure I have the room for installing it. I like the 10” square stepping down to the 8” flue, just nervous about only 1” front and back, I may toss around the idea of a 9” square. And as always I do have a couple questions.
1) really want to keep this as easy as possible and keep my momentum. Picture 1…any functional reason to cut a lip in the back brick of the entry to lay over my inner arch? (#1) I plan on putting high temp flat rope in (#2) and from what I can tell (#1) area is going to get covered with the insulating blanket.
2) picture (2) really didn’t realize what I was getting into on the flared entryway, but still like it and am making an attempt to simplify it…what I have going here…this is just going to be cosmetic, correct? If I only angle the back brick and allow the front to do/look like this, it is just going to not be a flat front arch and from what I can tell the angle gets less as I move up so it is just mainly for the flare (first 4-5 courses)…?

[mongota]

Being an outdoor oven and with a fairy short run of flue, the need for triple wall seems like a bit of an extravagance. My opinion.

My chimney is exposed, so visually the look was a factor (preferred stainless). I went with insulated two-wall. It's not too hot during a full fire. I bought from a place called NorthlineExpress. Price was good back then, delivery quick and undamaged. They had another line called Shastavent that I remember looking at. Less expensive but still stainless. I don't recall the wall thickness of Shasta compared to Dura or if they were different grades of stainless. But in the end I went with Duravent (2-wall, insulated, stainless). I bought two 48" pieces of pipe, I'm only using one now, When I rebuild my pool pergola I might need the other one for roof clearance. I checked my build cost: Chimney pipe (2@8"x48"), chimney cap, anchor plate & bolts: $362.00 for everything.
It appears prices have gone up! Ouch!

[edonovan]

Pictures are awesome mongota , thank you! I remember seeing your flared vent early on when I was reading through, but couldn't remember where...I will definitely be working towards a version of that and I feel good about my 12" entry and having room now. And JRPizza thank you for your rundown...make sense that you needed the extra room for the bolt down application. Will probably be getting out all my shims and begin my dry layouts today and markup my form so I know where mortar lines should be.
After my research, anyone have insight or verification that Duratech over Duraplus is the way to go...from what I have read people see that plus is tripled walled, but is actually not as good as the tech (doubled wall) product.

[mongota]

edonovan

I have been reading...and wondering if there is any benefit (draw) for going up 2-3 brick high before attaching the base plate or is this just decorative? And based on the measurement his vent is (9.5 x 6.5) my 12" entry should be plenty big enough area to have a similar sized vent. I was getting a little confused/concerned that some of the builds I was skimming through of 42" had 13.5" entry. Just taking my time planning out this somewhat of last stage before insulation and fire.

The majority of your chimney draft will come from the height of your chimney pipe itself. I used a 48" piece of pipe. A 48" chimney versus one a few inches higher should not matter draft-wise.

My landing was 13-1/2" deep. It just seemed to work for me. I transitioned from the landing's arched top surface to a flat spot for the anchor plate with one course of bricks set on edge. 12 bricks total on edge, two bricks wide by six bricks deep. I have an 8" round hole in the top of that 12 brick transition that my anchor plate nests into. I could have used fewer brick but I felt that the footprint of the 12 bricks mortared to the top of the landing arch really solidified things structurally.

My landing tunnel itself it an 8" square opening on top of the arch bricks, so 13-1/2" less 8" divided by 2 left me with 2-3/4" of arch brick in front of and behind the chimney opening. Structurally that seemed fine. The bottom of that opening flares out to 10" square. I did the flare in hopes of getting a less turbulent flow as exhaust came out of the oven and was drawn up the flue. The flare was very easy to do with an angle grinder. With a 13-1/2" deep landing and a 10" opening on the underside of the landing arch, 3-1/2" divided by 2, or about 1-3/4" of 'flat' arch brick in front of as well as behind that 10" flared opening.

When the exhaust comes out of the oven and into the landing, it sees a 10" square (100 sqin) opening that flares to an 8" (64sqin) square opening. That then transitions to the 8" (50sqin) round opening at the anchor plate. It flows well, I have no smoke stains on my front arch after several years of fires.

Photos might be easier than words?

[JRPizza]

I had to look back on my pictures to jog my memory - there were 3 reasons I built it the way I did. I needed both a square shape for the adapter plate (which took a few courses to transition to) and I needed to carve out some of the last layer to accommodate the downward flange/protrusion of the adapter (see pic 1). Secondly I used a thru-bolt method of attaching the adapter and didn't want to be drilling on the main structure of my serpentine vent, and lastly I thought it gave it some symmetry when looking from the front having the third layer match the bottom curved pieces in terms of the center joint, and then adding a crown forth layer that matched the middle. My whole chimney was sort of a "tale that grew in the telling" (to borrow from Tolkien) in that I really was not sure how it was going to turn out when I started. I might even have gone higher but I was worried about how much weight my vent arches could carry. I had not thought about draw as I knew I had plenty of pipe to put above the chimney, but in retrospect I think the generous opening and curve really allows the oven to "breathe".

[edonovan]

SableSprings thank you and yes you were correct...I had to get the sander out and I did some (well lets be honest, several) dry runs with the peel (it felt good ) to see where any "catches" were. Thank you mongota it really is a treat to be over that hump...
I am reading up on this outer arch and vent area and had some questions/observations/verifications... I am doing SS 8" duravent or Supervent whichever I can find for the better $$ or if one is necessarily "better" than the other. I have been reading through JRPizza build and wondering if there is any benefit (draw) for going up 2-3 brick high before attaching the base plate or is this just decorative? And based on the measurement his vent is (9.5 x 6.5) my 12" entry should be plenty big enough area to have a similar sized vent. I was getting a little confused/concerned that some of the builds I was skimming through of 42" had 13.5" entry. Just taking my time planning out this somewhat of last stage before insulation and fire.

[SableSprings]

Looks great & you're not the only one who's laid in the oven after the plug is set...lot of pride & joy in the project finale! As to the minor gaps in your perimeter, don't bother pointing or filling them...ash will fill in the pockets and the dome's structural integrity is not compromised with any minor issues like those. I am a little concerned with the cooking floor level as you noted. Not sure if a "brick & sand rub" is going to work. You might need a power disk grinder to get those raised edges leveled out if you feel you can't work the peel over some areas.

I have a couple raised brick edges in my oven's floor and have just learned to work the peel so I don't catch them or avoid those areas if I need to. I've had the experience of working several ovens with much worse uneven cooking floor bricks & the pizza tastes just as good! Relax & be proud of your accomplishment!

P.S., I love the autographed plug

[mongota]

NICE!!

Plugging the dome is such a treat. Sticking your head in and cleaning it up? Eh, not so much!

Congrats!