Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Now that is an interesting concept! Re-purposing the exhaust sensor makes a lot of sense! Let me know how that will turn out.

[oventhusiast]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Hey! You guys gonna cook in this thing or drive it around awhile before flying it to the moon? Eight thermocouples, exhaust sensors, flux capacitors, sky hooks!
I heat my oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours ('till the whole goes 'white').
I do have a point and shoot thermometer that I hardly ever use anymore!
Move the fire over, sweep the floor, and let the oven floor temp even out (funny how it averages out to 750 degrees every time I decide to check it!)
Sweep again, and start cooking!
Don't get the wrong idea guys, but I find most of the modern technology that all of the genius engineers on this forum feel the need to incorporate, completely useless in the long run. It's basically a hot igloo that you could throw a snow tire in it, and it'll come out delicious! OK, don't cook the snow tire but you get the idea!
No disrespect guys, put whatever you feel you need, but my point is, don't worry that this is 'rocket science', follow the FB Pompeii plans as close as possible, and you got a great oven!
I wish you nothing but the best!

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

ok ok ok My MAJOR reason for the numerous thermocouples has more to do with boys and their toys than baking bread! I do want the information from the thermocouples to know when the oven is heat saturated and ready to bake. Also want to track if I need a second firing how long do I need to fire to again saturate the entire thermal mass. I am still undecided on the amount of thermal mass. I am at this point tending towards laying the hearth bricks on their sides for a thicker floor mass. Not sure How I will increase the dome mass as of yet. Oh well! That is one of the reasons I didn't push building the dome at the end of the year. That and the fact I was afraid I wouldn't finish before mother nature put in a stop work order! LOL I did make a couple of loaves of twisted rye & pumpernickel bread which came out great in the electric oven with a stone.

[oventhusiast]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Awesome bread!
And I understand the refiring thing. The firebrick floor on edge is a great idea and although my floor lies flat with a good 4 to 5 inches of vermiculite/portland under that, I still feel a good warmness under the 4 to 5 inches of concrete under that! So, sometimes I think I should have put my floor on edge, but I'm not really sure as what that would have done for firing times? I really think I added some firing time (I'd say a half hour or so) when I skimmed the dome with heatstop mortar after I saw all the tiny cracks (some not so tiny) when I cured it. (I think I got too excited with the curing fires)
What the heck do I know?!? all I know is when it gets going all hot and white, it cooks like a runaway locomotive! And that's fine with me!

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

How long are your firing times? And how long does the heat stay retained? General times and temps would be great! It would give me a better Idea of thermal mass.
I guess the cracks ultimately gave you more mass, things happen for a reason! Thanks for all the Info!
btw I LOVE your oven and entire outdoor kitchen, living room complete with fireplace ----WOW----!!!!!!!! You're entire area came out spectacular!

[Lburou]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

How long are your firing times? And how long does the heat stay retained? General times and temps would be great! It would give me a better Idea of thermal mass.....snip....

John, you will find some data points (read firing times) from different members with different mass configurations here. More mass in the floor means more heat up time and less oven use overall.

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Thanks Lee,
I just got done going through the thread and it has a lot of good info! Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I am sure all of my questions are answered here time and time again! It just takes a lot of reading to find the answers, but by the time I find the answer I forgot the question! Anyway the 30" of snow here gave me some time to read (after the shoveling & plowing was done) I maybe settling in on laying my hearth bricks on edge and leaving that as a little extra thermal mass. I was toying with the idea of cutting the chain bricks to 6" and 3" pieces instead of cutting them in half. My thought would be to use one 6" brick then two 3" bricks then a 6" so on around the chain. This would increase my dome mass by 33% while not adding to the price of using a refractory mortar or refractory concrete. Firebrick is relatively inexpensive compared to heat stop 50 Anyway I have scuttled that idea for now and will only increase my hearth mass. It would seem to me the hearth being 4.5" thick (bricks laid on edge) is in keeping with the walls of the dome.
Again Thanks
John

[Lburou]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Thanks Lee,
I just got done going through the thread and it has a lot of good info! Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I am sure all of my questions are answered here time and time again! It just takes a lot of reading to find the answers, but by the time I find the answer I forgot the question! Anyway the 30" of snow here gave me some time to read (after the shoveling & plowing was done) I maybe settling in on laying my hearth bricks on edge and leaving that as a little extra thermal mass. I was toying with the idea of cutting the chain bricks to 6" and 3" pieces instead of cutting them in half. My thought would be to use one 6" brick then two 3" bricks then a 6" so on around the chain. This would increase my dome mass by 33% while not adding to the price of using a refractory mortar or refractory concrete. Firebrick is relatively inexpensive compared to heat stop 50 Anyway I have scuttled that idea for now and will only increase my hearth mass. It would seem to me the hearth being 4.5" thick (bricks laid on edge) is in keeping with the walls of the dome.
Again Thanks
John

Must be a common phase to us newbies....I went through a similar period were I considered extra mass here and there. I'm planning now to build the pompeii oven like the current plans show. Those plans have been tweaked again and again and represent a good all around approach for reliable success for ordinary guys like me.

With a 2.5 inch oven floor, insulation under that floor, and the 4.5 inch dome with four inches of ceramic insulation, you should be able to bake bread the day after pizza. BTW, Some of the ovens in that thread you read are not insulated as well (especially under the oven floor) or made like the current plans (some are barrel ovens).

[Lburou]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Thanks Lee,
I just got done going through the thread and it has a lot of good info! Thanks for pointing me in that direction! I am sure all of my questions are answered here time and time again! It just takes a lot of reading to find the answers, but by the time I find the answer I forgot the question! Anyway the 30" of snow here gave me some time to read (after the shoveling & plowing was done) I maybe settling in on laying my hearth bricks on edge and leaving that as a little extra thermal mass. I was toying with the idea of cutting the chain bricks to 6" and 3" pieces instead of cutting them in half. My thought would be to use one 6" brick then two 3" bricks then a 6" so on around the chain. This would increase my dome mass by 33% while not adding to the price of using a refractory mortar or refractory concrete. Firebrick is relatively inexpensive compared to heat stop 50 Anyway I have scuttled that idea for now and will only increase my hearth mass. It would seem to me the hearth being 4.5" thick (bricks laid on edge) is in keeping with the walls of the dome.
Again Thanks
John

After some private advice from long time members here, I bought an extra two inches of rigid insulation for my oven floor, that insulation will be 4" thick. I'm hoping that increased insulation in the floor will make more than an academic difference in retaining heat and shortening heat up cycles. Time will tell.

As a side note. I aslo purchased some Insulating Fire Brick (IFB) today. And, unless the old timers here talk me out of it, I plan to circle the inner arch with these insulated bricks -so my oven door will touch only IFB. Hopefully, that will slow heat loss out of the dome toward the oven landing. Anybody have any thought about using IFB?

It was 78 degrees here today
Same forecast tomorrow, will cut some bricks

Any news on your project John?

I've decided to go with a clear dome and infra red thermometer instead of thermocouple or EGT gage.

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Hello Lee,
After reading many many times, insulate, insulate, insulate! I think I finally got it. So much so I am going to scale down the size of the oven a bit (42" to 40" round) to allow for extra insulation on the sides of the dome.
Interesting you mention Insulating firebrick as I was trying to figure what was the best way to make a thermal break from the oven to the entrance way. I will be looking for feedback on this one for sure!
As for my project I am working on thermocouple control central! LOL I know it is a waste of time, money and effort to a great degree, but instaed of 78 degree temps. I have almost 78" of snow piled up in the driveway and deck!!!! OMG! thanks goodness I way over built the deck! 2*10 every 12" for the joists and 2*12's doubled for the beams.
Oh, after the thermocouple control box I wil work on an indespensable tool and look at a glass door. I saw the door jcg31 built and my wife loves it! She also thinks I should ask someone to make it since I am spending way too much time with snow removal! She does have a point, hope she doesn't read this post! lol I'll never hear the end of it!
As you can tell I am jealous of the 78 degrees you are suffering though!
Good Luck on the build!
John

[Lburou]

Thermocouple University....Soon to open for research

Hello Lee,
After reading many many times, insulate, insulate, insulate! I think I finally got it. So much so I am going to scale down the size of the oven a bit (42" to 40" round) to allow for extra insulation on the sides of the dome.
Interesting you mention Insulating firebrick as I was trying to figure what was the best way to make a thermal break from the oven to the entrance way. I will be looking for feedback on this one for sure!
As for my project I am working on thermocouple control central! LOL I know it is a waste of time, money and effort to a great degree, but instaed of 78 degree temps. I have almost 78" of snow piled up in the driveway and deck!!!! OMG! thanks goodness I way over built the deck! 2*10 every 12" for the joists and 2*12's doubled for the beams.
Oh, after the thermocouple control box I wil work on an indespensable tool and look at a glass door. I saw the door jcg31 built and my wife loves it! She also thinks I should ask someone to make it since I am spending way too much time with snow removal! She does have a point, hope she doesn't read this post! lol I'll never hear the end of it!
As you can tell I am jealous of the 78 degrees you are suffering though!
Good Luck on the build!
John

Life goes on John....Even in deep snow, its amazing. Some of my best memories as a youngster in Wyoming and Nebraska are of blizzard days and staying home from school, then digging snow tunnels and making snow balls and snow forts. No more for me. We moved here because the cold bothers us more than the heat at our age. Enjoy the solitude the snow gives....Spring is coming

I havent found an oven build using IFB on FB.com for the use I am proposing. I'm open minded about it at this time and a respected senior member could talk me out of it if its a bad idea.

Thing I noticed unloading the IFB is that it is VERY light weight and surprisingly SOFT. In my sleeplessness last night, I grew concerned that the IFB surface on the oven floor or at the edges of the doorway would scar easily with peel and pan traffic. Will have to work that out until I can feel warm and fuzzy about that risk. All WFO designs lose a lot of heat out the front door and I want to slow the -after pizza- heat loss with a good door and, hopefully, a successful design to incorporate IFB in the landing structure.......If you old timers have any thoughts on this, they are welcome!

Well, you can be the thermocouple king, that is what freedom is all about. No doubt we will both have flashbacks to critique our own builds and when its done, you can share your thermocouple University degree with the FornoBravo Community and then we'll ALL know what you learn.

Regards,

[dmun]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

As a side note. I aslo purchased some Insulating Fire Brick (IFB) today. And, unless the old timers here talk me out of it, I plan to circle the inner arch with these insulated bricks -so my oven door will touch only IFB. Hopefully, that will slow heat loss out of the dome toward the oven landing. Anybody have any thought about using IFB?

Insulating fire brick is insulation. I'd think long and hard before exposing any insulation to the interior (or exterior) of the oven, although in this case the insulation is made of the same stuff as the firebricks, and what flakes off is not a super health hazard, like some other refractory products might be.

If using it as anything more than a thermal break, keep in mind that it has the same thermal insulation value as vermiculite concrete, and you need the same thicknesses to be effective.

[Aegis]

Re: Thermocouple University....Soon to open for research

Life goes on John....Even in deep snow, its amazing. Some of my best memories as a youngster in Wyoming and Nebraska are of blizzard days and staying home from school, then digging snow tunnels and making snow balls and snow forts. No more for me. We moved here because the cold bothers us more than the heat at our age. Enjoy the solitude the snow gives....Spring is coming

It is amazing how more heat tolerant us Old Timers get, we bought a place in Georgia last year and are renting it out until retirement. Below, are a couple of pics of my recent oven build! LOL

I havent found an oven build using IFB on FB.com for the use I am proposing. I'm open minded about it at this time and a respected senior member could talk me out of it if its a bad idea.
Thing I noticed unloading the IFB is that it is VERY light weight and surprisingly SOFT. In my sleeplessness last night, I grew concerned that the IFB surface on the oven floor or at the edges of the doorway would scar easily with peel and pan traffic. Will have to work that out until I can feel warm and fuzzy about that risk. All WFO designs lose a lot of heat out the front door and I want to slow the -after pizza- heat loss with a good door and, hopefully, a successful design to incorporate IFB in the landing structure.......If you old timers have any thoughts on this, they are welcome!

I am sure you meant to say the more experienced builders on the forum

Well, you can be the thermocouple king, that is what freedom is all about. No doubt we will both have flashbacks to critique our own builds and when its done, you can share your thermocouple University degree with the FornoBravo Community and then we'll ALL know what you learn.

Regards,

I am not sure about the king thing, but I will hopefully get a lot of useful data from all the measurements that will be taken. if any highly experienced or knowledgable builders (anyone with an opinion) have advice on placement, I have about three months to make those choices. All suggestions welcomed!
Now, where was I? oh yes, getting the plow truck started! Vroomm!

[Pisani]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Aegis,
I'am here in winter wonder land of connecticut, thinking about building my owen oven this spring.
Looks like a lot of work!!!

[Aegis]

Re: Wood Fired Ovens in Conneticut!

Hi Pisani,
It all depends on your definition of "a lot" lol I did a full patio along with it which took a lot of time and all manual labor with a one man show to boot! The oven so far really hasn't been too bad. I think I may have gotten it done in one season had I started in the spring and didn't have the patio to do. Where in Ct. are you located? coast inland, litchfield hills? If you think you want to build one, you won't be sorry!
Good Luck
John