Build started in Mountain Top NSW

[Gretsch]

Well once again thanks for the feedback, the party was a roaring success. It rained a bit, I did leave the tarp over the dome some of the showers were on the heavy side, it just made me feel better about it.

After a brief demo we got everyone to form their own pizzas and I was surprised at how well they did. The dough this time around was easy to work thanks to some YouTube videos I think the secret was letting the balls rest for around 8 hours. The macadamia wood burnt really well. Didn’t get to take any photos we were too busy having fun

Today I’m going to make ciabatta and will post some pictures of my creation.

[david s]

Try keeping a gentle fire going all day to dry the oven a day or two before your party.

[SableSprings]

I'd certainly not be afraid to fire up the oven for your "delayed" pizza party. Your oven might have picked up some moisture (just from humidity), but bringing it up to pizza temps will expel that pretty quickly. Based on your picture of the covered oven, it doesn't look like the on and off rain would have gotten anything inside very damp. You might want to start your fire a bit early and bring the oven up a little more slowly for your pizza party...if nothing else than for piece of mind . I'd pull the tarp off completely before your party as once the oven is firing, it's not going to absorb enough water from a casual shower to actually penetrate and affect your insulation. Those chimney bricks will be fine with a bit of rain during pizza.

Up at the lake (in SW Canada), we have a friend with a Casa2G90 oven that is only covered during the winter and after a short "cure" in the spring, it's fired enough to stay pretty dry inside and doesn't seem to be a problem. Definitely by covering when not in use during rainy season, you really save yourself a lot of time drying out excess moisture. Several folks in the more tropical Australia areas have talked about even with covering, these ovens may absorb enough moisture to need some extra, slow firings to come back up to "normal" operation. I don't remember anyone having actual damage result from minor/normal moisture absorption over short periods of storage/covering.

Again, fire up a little slow and a bit early for your planned party time...I'd be more worried about getting my cheese & meat (and guests) wet during a brief shower

[Gretsch]

OK fellow WFO'ers, I need some advice here.
It's been raining on and off for nearly 2 weeks now and my oven has been under cover and should be quite dry underneath.
I re-scheduled a pizza night for my neighbours 2 weeks ago for tomorrow afternoon but the showers keep on coming and the forecast is for continued showers until next week and maybe beyond.

I can either cancel again which won't go down well, or attempt to go ahead in which case I'm thinking of keeping the tarp over the dome, but peeled back a bit so the chimney won't burn it.
There's a good chance of a little rain hitting the warm-ish chimney bricks.

Am I running a risk of breaking something ? Anyone done this before ?

[Gretsch]

Have you considered free form ferro cement? Far more permanent and probably cheaper than a timber framed iron roof.
#64

Dont think so, don’t particularly like the look and doesn’t suit my surroundings.
I’m intending on making the roof frame gal steel.

[david s]

Have you considered free form ferro cement? Far more permanent and probably cheaper than a timber framed iron roof.
#64

[Gretsch]

You’re not old Russell, mature. Like me!

Gulfs build is a very nice one! I’ve got in mind an iron roof as well and in keeping with the round shape of the dome, curved. It’ll span more over the front to give me shelter while cooking and wide enough to keep the rain off the dome, slope back to allow the water to fall into the garden area. Most likely will use square gal and bolt to the block work. The only thing I envisage is the poles might get in the way of overhanging granite slab work that I might put on the sides.

We say here

happy wife happy life

Take my wife. PLEASE! she always hates my brainstorms at first but comes around in the end.

[UtahBeehiver]

You are old if you are quoting lyrics of Blood Sweat and Tears....LOL, my era as well. There have been some very nice roof structures done that still compliment the aesthetics of a pompelli oven. A couple come to mind, Gulf's scissor truss structure with galvanized roofing (I have seen it in person) https://community.fornobravo.com/sea...2%3A%221%22%7D or Leetheldc https://community.fornobravo.com/for...pompeii/page17 . But remember, is mom isn't happy, nobody is happy.

[Gretsch]

Mike, the roof is going ahead. Much to the disgust of the wife. Will keep posting progress reports as it happens.

Funny how generous folks will get after being put on the fresh bread delivery route or included in the pizza party list.

Yes isn't it. Reminds me of the lyrics of a Blood Sweat and Tears song.

And when you got money you got lots of friends hangin round your door...

Hahaha

[JRPizza]

My hearth insulation got thoroughly soaked early in my build, but was covered for at least 6 months during the winter and balance of my build. The insulation was still "soggy" and I actually had water running out from around my dome during my curing fires. I also had a very warm slab under my oven till the water was driven out. After about 9 good firings all was good.

[SableSprings]

Also you'll find that the amount of wood you burn to achieve pizza or bread baking temps should decrease the more you use the oven. Once the oven's insulation is working at top value, wood loads should become pretty consistent. Really glad to hear you've decided to go with a roof over the oven...definitely makes working it year round a lot easier. Make sure to plan the roof large enough to cover some prep area and give you some dry standing room (don't want those adult beverages getting diluted!)

I really understand the value of friends with wood and splitters...and an appreciation of future shares in fabulous pizza (or bread). I have a neighbor that gave me (cut, split, & delivered) a cord of wood that was--shall we say "not chock full of BTUs". It leaves a lot of ash and takes quite a bit to heat load the oven, but it has worked OK and I'd never complain about any free wood cut, split, & delivered! However, I'm just about through that load of free wood and looking forward to getting into my seasoned oak & madrone (both excellent hardwoods available on our west coast) for 2018.

Funny how generous folks will get after being put on the fresh bread delivery route or included in the pizza party list. Keep us in loop for your roof build and how the oven "settles in".

[Gretsch]

Wow I would have thought the moisture would have dissipated by now, hopefully youre right. Ive only fired it up to full maybe 3 times so far, the past week weve had rain but Ive kept it covered with a tarp during that time.

Yes I remember David s mentioned drilling some holes, I could still do it from the bottom up but Im now planning to put a roof over it. Reason being Ive seen a couple of (expected) minor cracks around where the chimney stack gets hot compared to the rest and thats going to be impossible to avoid or waterproof, and I want to be able to cook in any weather.

Thanks for the reassurance, Ill just have to burn more wood. And wow...am I going through some! Good thing Ive got lots of sources for hardwoods, a neighbour came over last week with three huge macadamia and pecan trunks. And he lent me his log splitter. Bloody fantastic!

[SableSprings]

Gretsch, I wouldn't be surprised if those insulating bricks got damp during the build and you are seeing heat transferred by the contained moisture rather than by the insulating bricks themselves. Remember that layer between the slab and your cooking floor is sort of a dead end for any water that seeps in. That's one of the reasons David S advocates providing some small holes in the slab to let moisture out more easily. Hang in there, the more times you fire up the oven, the more moisture will work its way out and your insulation will start performing more up to specs. Also a good reason to be diligent keeping moisture off that slab and for sure away from the dome/slab seam perimeter.

Relax! After we've been gone on vacation, it always takes a couple of bakes before our oven starts being consistent in the heat loading (and holding) profile.

[Gretsch]

Thanks Steady, always good to receive a compliment

I'm a bit concerned about the bottom of my slab underneath the hearth. I fired it up yesterday to attempt to bake some ciabata and try out pizza dough that had been frozen.
I put the wooden door in place once I cleared all the coals and the next day to my delight I still measured close to 260 degrees C inside the oven. The dome insulation seems to be working very well.

I fired it up again today and I'm reading 71 degrees C around the middle of the hearth underneath the concrete slab. It seems like the hearth insulation bricks I decided on aren't as good as I thought they would be. Should I be concerned ?

[Steady]

I always love seeing shots of fire in a WFO - your brickwork looks great