Pompeii made with cement pavers

[nissanneill]

I got to check out a 42" Pompeii (style only but not from the FB plans) oven being built by a neighbour with advice from another but unknown person and I informed him that the bricks that he made the dome from were cement pavers, not fired clay pavers and were totally unsuitable for the oven dome construction.
I showed him the difference between cement and clay bricks which was new to him. He also had a new crowbar trying to break up the polystyrene foam mould from inside the completed dome, He is about ready to insulate it and then brick up the entrance void and put in the 8" chimney.
I was looking carefully at his hearth which are fire bricks and asked if he had insulated his base. No, was his reply! Sad news as I explained the consequences and recommended that he demolish the dome, lift his hearth and I would help him build a new insulated floor, relay his hearth and then rebrick his dome.
At this stage, I am not sure of what he will do but I will find out in due course.
It will only be 2 days work and well worth the extra effort now instead of trying to cope with the consequences.
I think that there is a lesson buried deep in here somewhere, join this forum, research your ideas, ask questions, follow a couple of builds and then progress with help from the forum if needed.
Don't have blind faith in some one or something that you have little knowledge about.

Neill

[jmhepworth]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

I just noticed you hit 1000 posts. Congratulations. There's a lot of wisdom in those posts, for which I thank you. You are right about the value of time spent reviewing the plans and wandering around in the forum. With that help, anyone can build a really nice, functional oven. Without it, who knows for sure?

[dmun]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

concrete instead of brick - check
no insulation in sight - check
let me guess: the vent's in the center of the dome...

Where do people get these ideas?

[nissanneill]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

No David, he has the vent to be bricked out the front of the dome.
What annoys me is the influence that people who obviously don't know (nor probably care) what they are doing or providing totally WRONG and MISLEADING and EXPENSIVE information on the gullible learners.
I don't have a problem with an experienced person trying out something for 'size or performance', but building an oven with the costs in time and materials lost, is unforgivable.
two weekends ago I saw another oven "built for $50 bucks", with no insulation anywhere, no door (or at least it fell off and broke) with a 4" flue coming diagonally out of the top of the dome!
"Oh, we got it up to 350 last time, the pizzas took 6 to 8 minutes to cook" was the comment, and when I told him that I get mine to 500˚C and cook my first ones in a minute, he was shocked!
Still, I guess we are always going to run into these disasters? works of art? how the hell do they work? ovens?
Maybe we should create a new category "What NOT to do"!

Neill

[timo]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

I think that there is a lesson buried deep in here somewhere, join this forum, research your ideas, ask questions, follow a couple of builds and then progress with help from the forum if needed.
Don't have blind faith in some one or something that you have little knowledge about.

Neill

Couldn't have said it better. Do it that way and you'll have a pretty good chance of success, without it...

[Tscarborough]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

This is what happens to concrete pavers in a normal firepit, much less an oven.

[goodgulf]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

Maybe we should create a new category "What NOT to do"!

Neill

You probably said this with tongue in cheek, but it very likely would be a good idea.

[nissanneill]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

Just an update on this unfortunate oven,
I visited it this morning and it has been rebuilt with clay fired bricks, dome only and firebricks for the hearth.
It has been cured and the first batch of pizzas were produced and enjoyed.
It now has only a single 1" layer of superwool blanket and an inch of render.
Overall, much better than it was and the owner is much happier with the outcome and planned a pizzathon for new Years Eve.
Still has a few things to do for a door to fit snugly and the hearh needs grinding to remove the odd edge from the bricks.
I will be making his dough balls as he has been buying commercially available ones, so I guess it's time to show him how it's done.

Neill

[Bartondad]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

I'm new here and looking to build this spring, but as I read this I realized how glad I am that I have this resource. Imagine biting into a beautiful looking pizza only to chip a tooth on the flake of concrete that would fall from the oven ceiling. Ouch!
Thanks for the story, glad it has a happy ending (somewhat).

[nissanneill]

Re: Pompeii made with cement pavers

Bartondad,
yes, this is agood forum with a host of information to the members.
We all initially have little or no knowledge of wood fired ovens, but know what we ideally want.We can go the safe but more expensive way and buy premade, but often they don't have the appeal or suit either our location or desires, or using our existing skills to build one exactly as we wish.
A little research is always advisable to avoid the hazards of the unknown!

Neill