Aussie Oven Upgrade

[brickie in oz]

Originally Posted by Karangi Dude

Al, not quite true the insulation under the hearth is to stop the cooling via the void under the slab,

I had a similar set up on my old oven and ppl used to hug the sides of the oven to keep warn on cold nights, it stayed at 60 c so obviously was losing heat through the sides.

[chidding]

Was the oven insulated ontop ? or is that just cement?

[juddy]

Hey Chidding

The oven as shown in the last post is unfinished. I have been away for a few days so I couldn't quite finish posting the construction pictures. The oven itself is surrounded by a brick facia, and the void between the 2 filled with masses of insulation. I detail that below...

It was now time to start thinking of the insulation for the oven. I had started the curing process and the small fires showed that the oven drew beautifully and the fires burned well. The area between the concrete blocks and the brick surround was filled with compacted earth up to the base of the slab. From there the whole oven is encased in vermiculite insulation, and the area between the vermiculite and the roof filled with R3.5 woolen insulation bats.

Cheers

Juddy

[juddy]

Greetings.

The final stages involved the fitting of the corrugated iron roof and flashings. And painting of the dodgy brickwork. The curing fires are continuing, and so far there is no cracking. The oven would appear to hold its temp exceptionally well and I look forward to testing this further once the curing is complete. The oven door is built of solid Mountain Ash and fits snuggly in the oven opening, keeping moisture and nasties out when not in use, and heat in when baking. So I look forward to hitting the cooking zone in the next few weeks, and will be sure to pass on the results.

Cheers

Juddy

[Karangi Dude]

Juddy,
That is one nice looking oven, I love the rustic look and the old kero lamp.
You now have the best of both worlds, having 2 ovens what a treat.
Juddy, do you have any other pics of the original oven? inside and cooking shots.

[juddy]

Hey Doug

Thanks for the kind words. The original oven still stands in the middle of the rear yard, and it is surrounded by veggie gardens, and a chook shed at the rear. It will stay on as a bit of a relic in the yard. When we moved into the new house it was the first thing I built in the rear yard, and truth be known it was not in a good spot! To far from the house, and no protection from the elements! Still had plenty of good nights with it though, and it cost me next to nothing. I've included some photo's of the oven and I have plenty more to show if anyone is interested. It's a little sad to see it looking down the yard to the new oven but I'll still probably use it occasionally!

Cheers

Juddy

[Onefella]

Hi Juddy, nice looking oven mate. I see the "pompeii-or-nothing" crowd got on your case pretty quickly. I had a similar response when I first posted about my vault oven.

My Alan Scott vault works amazingly well, and has done ever since we started using it. I originally wanted a bread oven, and that's what it excels at. I can do three full loads of bread on one firing.

Of course it smokes, does pizza, roasts and cakes just fine too.

[juddy]

Hey Onefella

I guess I'm lucky enough to have one foot in each camp now.

I found that my Pompeii style oven was awesome for pizza, but lousy for bread and baking. That had little to do with the oven shape but more to do with the way I built it. i.e not enough thermal mass, and not enough insulation.
I have cooked a roast and pizza in the new oven and its great to use. I would describe the new oven as being more stable. It is predictable to fire to a desired temp, and equally as predictable to maintain and bake in. Which is exactly the characteristics I was after.
I found that the older dome oven with its thinner walls and insufficient insulation was very temperamental and things such as wind direction, drafts and ambient temp had quite an effect on its performance. Nothing new in that I guess.
Today I am going to fire the new oven for a pizza dinner, and then hopefully tomorrow I will bake my first load of bread. Cant wait...

Cheers

Juddy

[OzOvenBuilder]

Excellent job on the oven, and don't worry too much about your brickwork, I've seen blokes go through an apprenticeship and still not be able to lay as neatly as yours!

Cheers,

Russell.

[OzOvenBuilder]

Yep Juddy, I reckon you're right on track!