Mannextdoor WFO Brick Oven Photos Discuss Mannextdoor WFO in the Good Background Information forums; I don't think it's a real oven if it doesn't have any cracks... Seriously, it looks great and I'm glad ...

[egalecki]

I don't think it's a real oven if it doesn't have any cracks...

Seriously, it looks great and I'm glad the curing is going well. You're almost there!

[mannextdoor]

Originally Posted by staestc

The quartz lamp in the oven for a while sounds like a pretty good idea once the mortar has mostly cured and maybe even a better idea if it is getting down close to freezing even before the mortar has cured. Did you leave the door on when using the lamp, and did you check the temperature while the lamp was in there?

Travis

Sorry I missed this one. I had made a plywood door that I did keep in place while the light was inside. Depending on the outside temp. It was between 70* & 80* inside.

[mannextdoor]

Do you think that I need to try and repair the one crack that is big enough to slip a piece of paper into? I was thinking that I could grind into the crack, and open it up a little bit. Then work in some more HS50.

[mannextdoor]

I don’t remember where I read it, or who wrote it. Sorry about that. Some one had said that they insulated there oven and covered it with tarps, so they could use it all winter. I think they had said that they layered it with tarps. My question is. What kind of tarps did they use? How many layers? Was it successful? Did the insulation get wet? Will it hurt the insulation if it gets wet, or will it dry out unharmed?

[egalecki]

I used a couple of blue tarps from Walmart on mine this summer until I got it finished off. It works ok. My blanket insulation got wet around the bottom a couple of times, but it dried out ok. I think you need to get tarps big enough to hang over the edge of the stand so water doesn't sheet off and run under the edge, and then it won't get wet on the bottom of the blanket.

I didn't actually heat the oven up with a tarp on until I had the vermicrete on-but I did pull it off and use it without one while it was just blanket. I sort of melted (more like deformed) the edge of one tarp when it was touching the metal chimney when it was hot, so be careful with that.

The oven works better with more insulation, but it does work ok with just blanket. It just isn't as good with retained heat.

I'd use at least two tarps, and keep checking them periodically for rips- my first one was the one I had as a sunshade while I worked, and it got brittle and tore in spots. I expect it was UV exposure.

I just used brick to weight the edges of my tarps, but I don't know how windy it gets where you are. You also have to wrap it pretty carefully around your chimney so it doesn't leak next to it. Tape might work if it isn't hot..

[Frances]

That would have been me... but looking through my thread again I notice that in fact I insulated in Autumn, covered everything with a tarp and then added to stucco at various intervals throughout the Winter... and cooked in it at the same time.

If its worked out, here is a picture of the oven under its wraps - I only fired up the oven in fine weather and removed the chimney wrapping entirely for that, but left that large green wrapping on (its an enormous one weighted down with bricks, and the chimney tarp fits over it at the bottom like a cuff).

This does work, because the insulation prevents the outside of the dome from getting hot, and so the tarp doesn't suffer. But yes, you do have to make sure its not touching the chimney.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/9/po...es-2991-7.html (Pompeii Oven in Switzerland: the Saga Continues...)

[mannextdoor]

Thanks for the come back Frances. At the price of the insulation, I was just concerned about ruining it.

[egalecki]

Oh, now I remember what I really wanted to say- try to get as much moisture driven out of the dome as possible before you cover it and the insulation with a tarp and then heat it up. You get some steaming. That really gets things a bit soggy. I know this first hand...

You will still have a substantial amount of water in your dome even after you've cured it- it takes a while to drive it all out.

The good news is, the blanket dried out perfectly well. I'd just avoid having it happen if I could....

[mannextdoor]

Hi all

I received and installed the chimney tonight. I went ahead and fired it up for a little while. It seems to draw pretty well. I may add some more chimney section later.

[mfiore]

Those are very pretty photos.