house brick for stand, quick quetsion

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

Drive off the water from the vermicrete before you do the render, otherwise you'll probably crack the outer shell.

Oh yes that is the plan considering the weather I don't expect to go ahead with render for couple of weeks minimum

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

hi all again, i worked out from pictures time stamps that it was 8 days since brick work was finished so i started doing my curing fires, got few kindlings and one larger bit of wood burning in the middle, i didn't manged to hit 200F (93C) on first 2 days and today still not quite there even at the very top of the dome above the flame, should i due to my oven size make the fire little bit bigger? the curing thread on the forums said to reach 200F with single log of wood but there is just no way that is going to happen any soon unless i'm missing something?

also how safe/unsafe is wood fire oven while burning small fire? should i watch it like a hawk or is it safe to walk away and get fresh beer from the fridge upstairs?

[mrchipster]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

also how safe/unsafe is wood fire oven while burning small fire? should i watch it like a hawk or is it safe to walk away and get fresh beer from the fridge upstairs?

As with any fire be careful, a chimney cap which i see you already have on top of the flue and some type of spark arrestor or blocker in front of the door opening if you have anything that will burn near the front of the oven. I see from your photos you already have a door so place it just outside the decorative arch to stop any sparks from exiting, then go get a beer.

Now that mine is complete I leave it burning for hours unattended but there is a formal cap and nothing in the front of the oven within 15 ft that can burn.

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

wow Chip your oven and space around it looks fantastic.
i have china man cap on my chimney and i put door in place leaving only small gap for some air to get in.
i don't plan to leave it on its own with fire going for more than toilet break till i clean up the area.
as for spark arrestor would love to hear some ideas that are available in australia, maybe just put steel wool from the kitchen inside of chimney?

[mrchipster]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

wow Chip your oven and space around it looks fantastic.
i have china man cap on my chimney and i put door in place leaving only small gap for some air to get in.
i don't plan to leave it on its own with fire going for more than toilet break till i clean up the area.
as for spark arrestor would love to hear some ideas that are available in australia, maybe just put steel wool from the kitchen inside of chimney?

Thanks for the compliment, my spark arrestor is built into my cap, it is stainless expanded metal and seems to trap any sparks.

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

taking it slow and so far can't see any cracks on the inside, i think i might have small mortar ultra-mini-micro near front arch and flue gallery but is so minimal every time i look away i can't find it till i keep looking really up close, to be honest i'm quite happy to get crack on the outside where they are very minor and not even cosmetic issue as is unless it grows bigger but i will keep going with small fires for few more days, took me so long to build it no point rushing now...

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

i notice that with every fire oven gets hotter even while i maintain same size fire, what would be the best sign to look for to move to bigger fire?
i been reading curing fire thread but from the very first post there is few things that didn't add up for me so some extra tips would be great

[brickie in oz]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

Id keep the fires on the small side until you cant feel too much humidity in the inside of the oven when you stick your arm in.

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

Id keep the fires on the small side until you cant feel too much humidity in the inside of the oven when you stick your arm in.

oh man now i wish i stick my arm in more first few days so i would know what it should NOT feel like
i might keep going small till i see bottom course hitting ~100C
top and mid section gets hot from fire but bottom was staying very cool first couple of days and then it started to get hotter every day, first would be around 18C, then juts over 20C, 30c, etc... today almost got bottom course to hit 60C

[brickie in oz]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

oh man now i wish i stick my arm in more first few days so i would know what it should NOT feel like

Youll know, youll know......

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

i'm build like tank (some might say fat), there might be no hair left on my hand by the time i notice humidity changes

[david s]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

The fire will dry the oven interior out way before the bottom of the floor and the outer parts of the walls are dry, because the water will move away from the heat source. I find that plastic placed over the oven a better method. You will see condensation under the plastic if moisture is being pumped out.
If you see steam coming off the oven then you are proceeding too fast, back off.
A persistent black ring around the base of the walls is another indication that water is still present there. Likewise a big temperature difference reading between the base and sides of the dome. Be careful because as the oven dries out the temperature will climb quite rapidly and that is just when you really need to take it slow.

[cobblerdave]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

Gudday
As the inside surface of the oven dries you will find you gain higher temps for the same amount of wood burnt. That's gold, just keep up the regular fire and the moisture will go . You might find a ring of black in your oven dome down low, this usually will indicate the ovens still a little damp. Its a good thing your ...patient it will happen for you.
Regards dave

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

that is few great tips guys, thanks a lot.
the black ring around the bottom of the wall on the inside where wall meets the floor seem to be gone as of today, yesterday it started changing and today it is totally gone.

i had no sign of any steam coming anywhere and this is with very low ambient temperatures so from what i'm reading i'm on the right path

once again thanks everyone for putting my silly mind at ease

[CrocAu]

Re: house brick for stand, quick quetsion

this is the size of my fires, only peaking little bigger when i move things around or add fresh one on top, but this is what i'm burning at most.
should i try to keep it even smaller or i'm being to weak with it and should make it bigger already