sealing exposed fire bricks?

[Jochen]

Last night we had very heavy rain showers over the south of England. This morning I noticed that the firebricks on the outside arch and chimney were very dark because they soaked up a lot of water.

My question is whether it is worth protecting the bricks? B&Q sells a product with the following description:

"B&Q Brick and Masonry Sealer is a water repellent that penetrates the surface of dry porous brick, stonework and concrete. Once applied it forms a protective barrier which helps prevent damage from the ingress of water and damp whilst allowing the surface to breathe and let moisture vapour escape."

I guess that one issue with using a product like this is that the chimney is getting very hot.

Any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated.

[dmun]

I wouldn't put any chemical sealer on brick that gets hot.
A) It will destroy the sealant.
B) It will outgas all sorts of nasty chemicals when you're cooking.

[Rastys]

Jochen,
can I ask you why don't you provide some basic shelter for your oven.
Not being aware of your build or surrounds, I am not aware of yours as a dome or housed oven.
To make your oven more useable, I would incorporate some type of extra shelter in the form of a wider roof, pergola or even the commencement of an outdoor kitchen. My oven was only the start of greater and yes, more expensive additions, but you will appreciate them and use them all together.

Rastys.

[Nev Grady]

Is it possible to cover the exposed bricks with waterproof render or even tile it with mosaics or even larger tiles? I'm just building my oven and plan to use hard housebricks for the outer oven opening and arch for this very reason. There should be no exposed firebricks at all. Where I live in the north of England we get much more rain than you lot in the south!

[Jochen]

I have thought about building a pergola over the oven and have a nice covered area around the oven. Adding an additional layer of render could be an option as well but I do like the current design and covering the bricks up would make the oven look very different. Attached is picture of the oven.

I agree with dmun that a sealer is not a good idea because of the fumes. If I am not building a shelter this year I will definitely cover the oven during the winter.

Does everyone know whether the bricks could be damaged by the rain in the summer?