Whats the latest in crack repairing

[Tscarborough]

Re: Whats the latest in crack repairing

That is a perfect example of why you do not want your mortar to be harder than your brick (almost unavoidable in building an oven). The firebrick are softer than the mortar, and because of the way your joints lined up, it was easier for the brick to crack than for the crack to follow the joint. No structural issues that I can see.

Mark the places that are smoking and grind them out on the backside (about 3/4" deep) and re-mortar them. That is all I would do.

[pzachef]

Re: Whats the latest in crack repairing

Thank you.
Sounds like good advice to follow. Thats what I will do....hopfully this weekend. The weather has been very dry since I started my curing and still is dry. If I can get the repairing done Saturday and test it out during next week, then I can build my permanent enclosure.

[pzachef]

Re: Whats the latest in crack repairing

Well, I received my order of castable refractory cement for the repairs. I decided to fix every sign of cracking. Notched out all places with my angle grinder and patched up all the spots. The castable is different to work with but seems really stong. I have currently fired up to 600 degrees since and all is ok. I being careful even though they instruct you to build a small fire first and then the inferno. I chose to inch my way up there and at 600 I'm not far away. I'll post photos as soon as I take them.

[Neil2]

Re: Whats the latest in crack repairing

Actually, I would just ignore the cracks. None of them appear to be structural.

[shanek]

So what happened? We’re you able to repair all the crack? I have one that is almost the exact same in the front. It expands when I heat up and closes when it cools. I am thinking of repairing it but curious how yours went?

[John French]

I am the same - mortar joint through front arch brick 3rd from centre - which opens up on firing. Crack extends to the dome diagonally from there across the the top behind vent exit. I also would like to hear how the repairs went and recommendations given original posts have had plenty of time to see long term effectiveness. Thanks in advance.