getting the brick oven up to temperature

[PaulSquire]

Have just finished a 36" diameter FB wood burner, complete with 7" of insullation.

I am unable to raise the temp to the rerquired 500 or 800 degree F. Best yet is an oven floor temp of 350 F.

Today, two days after the last attempt, the floor temp is still 122 F, so it tells me the insullation is OK.

How do I go about building a hotter fire? I am using charcoal briquettes, kiln dried hard woods & Florida oak which appears t o burn well.

Is it reasonable to leave the door off & set up an electric fan to blow in air?

[Ken524]

Paul,

How much insulation is under your floor?
How many fires have you made?

You'll need 5 or 6 fires, each one a bit bigger than the last. You can skip the charcoal, hardwood is fine. No need for a blower.

When your oven is brand new, the bricks and mortar are really wet. There are several pounds of water in the structure that need to be slowly driven out. This water will impede proper heating so be patient.

You mention "is it ok to leave the door off...". You are building the fires with the door OFF, right? You don't want the door on the oven during a fire.

Size of the fire: By your 6th or 7th fire, you should be close to pizza sized fires. It takes my well seasoned oven 2-3 hours to get to pizza temps. I start slow and build up to a "Gates of Hell" sized fire. When the inside of your oven looks like the devil's playground, you'll know your fire is big enough

[PaulSquire]

Thanks for yours Ken:

Unlike your oven, my finished oven is in the shape of the Primavera oven - beehive.


Under floor insullation is:
- 4 " re-inforced concrete;
- 7" vermiculite/cement mix;
- 2.5" firebrick sub floor;
- 2.5" vermiculite/cement mix;
- 2.5" fire brisk cooking floor.

Have made about 6 fires to date, each one larger than the previous. Oven door is not fitted until ember are glowing & no smoke from funnel.

Sounds like I need to make a REALLY big fire.

Thanks for your input. I'll keep you up to speed

[car1gil]

I just finished my 36" Pompei about a month ago, made pizza 3 times already! What a difference from the 1st time I fired my oven to pizza temps, I was a little disappointed when the bottom of my first pizza wasn't cooked enough as opposed to the top, however as you will find out, things get better with time. It's that water from the mortar that has to go! You will be fine as you keep firing your oven. I get happier every time i fire it up now

[texassourdough]

Your oven is almost certainly wet. Did you let it cure a week before firing? Did you build the prescribed series of fires to dry it out? Did it rain during that period? Is the dome clearing? Post pictures of the fires you are building.

[PaulSquire]

Originally Posted by texassourdough

Your oven is almost certainly wet. Did you let it cure a week before firing? Did you build the prescribed series of fires to dry it out? Did it rain during that period? Is the dome clearing? Post pictures of the fires you are building.

[dmun]

- 4 " re-inforced concrete;
- 7" vermiculite/cement mix;
- 2.5" firebrick sub floor;
- 2.5" vermiculite/cement mix;
- 2.5" fire brisk cooking floor.

Wow. Lots of vermicrete, hence LOTS of water. What's that layer of firebrick doing in the middle of your insulation?