Oven Almost Done...some basic questions

[Tentmaker]

Two of us are building ovens (see picture) from traditionaloven.com. My friend fired his oven for the first time yesterday and it took three hours to get to a good cooking temp. Now, there probably is moisture, etc from curing, so that might be a factor.

I have read the posts on "clearing the top" today, after the fact, and am not sure about whether that occurred yesterday. However, using a laser thermometer, his temps (F) were as follows ceiling 850, walls 560 and 600, floor 440. For cooking pizza, what should we be shooting for. It is helpful to have more of an air temperature thermometer too? Or is clearing the top the best measurement? What do you want the floor to minimally be at?

Also, I was wondering whether it makes sense to put put a Fiberfrax blanket on top of the dome at this point to insulate this monster...any thoughts?

-Hillery
Virginia Beach, VA

[brickie in oz]

I hope you have a forest of wood to feed that thing with all that thermal mass?
No chimney? You will be breathing a lot of smoke when its fired.
Is there insulation underneath? If not putting it over the top may be a waste of time.

[Les]

Originally Posted by Tentmaker

floor 440. For cooking pizza, what should we be shooting for.

My floor is usually in the 700 - 750 Deg range (after it cools for a while)

[Tentmaker]

Originally Posted by brickie in oz

I hope you have a forest of wood to feed that thing with all that thermal mass?
No chimney? You will be breathing a lot of smoke when its fired.
Is there insulation underneath? If not putting it over the top may be a waste of time.

Brickie In Oz,

Thanks for your encouragement? Seriously, after all the work I have put into this, THAT is my first reply?

Is there anyone else out there willing to help?

[Tentmaker]

Originally Posted by Les

My floor is usually in the 700 - 750 Deg range (after it cools for a while)

Thank you...I appreciate the help.

[Neil2]

No insulation under the hearth? Take it apart and do it over again.

[Tscarborough]

You will have issues with maintaining high temps. You can cook a couple of pizzas, but all of that concrete will be constantly wicking away heat from the oven until it is saturated, ie, after you have burned the forest.

It is done, and I do not think you will tear it out, so play to the strengths. If you burn enough wood, you can bake massive amounts of bread, as well as many other dishes as it moves through the heat cycle.

Pizza will be your only problem, and then only if you plan on cooking lots of Napolitano style pies.

[Tscarborough]

FYI, I found that website before I found this one, and while I was impressed with his enthusiasm and mechanical skill, the site, plans, and presentation of information is lacking.

He needs to emphasis the importance of isolating and insulating the refractory shell of the oven.

[Tentmaker]

Not sure why the comments have all surrounded the insulation underneath. It does have insulation underneath. The first poster asked the question, but I never said it was not insulated underneath...which it is.

The oven is not done as I still have to insulate the top (and build the chimney and exterior brick) and my question was more about the fiberblax blanket. I was planning on using a vermiculite blend over top of the concrete until I heard about the blanket which seemed like it might be worth considering instead.

[Tscarborough]

Then you are set. The blanket is more efficient but expensive. It also is thinner than vermicrete/perlcrete if that is an issue.