Quote:
Originally Posted by gjbingham  Interesting topic. Makes me wonder if there's a perfect oven somewhere between the two styles for this group. One that takes a bit more wood to get up to pizza temps, but also retains heat for multiple loads of bread. For whatever reason, Dave's oven sounds like a perfect solution. His heat retention seems to be higher that that of other pizza ovens built.
I questioned the type of bricks he purchased second hand previously (Dave, correct me if I'm wrong), wondering if they were medium or high duty bricks vs. low duty.
Just a thought.
George |
I really don't know what they were....
Fire bricks from ACME....
Beep Beep
But I think there are several reasons I retain heat pretty well.
I added a 3/4 - 5/8 layer of high heat mortar on top of my hearth insulating layer.
I had plenty of mortar on the outside of the dome. Maybe 3/4 inch in most spots.
I topped the dome with a couple layers of 1/2 blanket. Then I built a cage out of wire and screen so that I could pour verm/perlite. (I didn't want to mix it with cement, i figured it would lower the insulating properties....)
Although I was shooting for 4 or 5 inches of verm/perlite, the cage kind of expanded and verm/perlite keeps creeping down the sides. I think I probably 6 inches or more of the dry stuff all around the sides.
I do need to add more, because the top is now pretty bare, other than the blankie.
But more insulation, i think, is the key to good heat retention.
I think I just got lucky because my cage "expanded" all on its lonesome~!!!
Fate I guess..
Sometimes it smiles on you.
as you were
Dave