2 Questions, dome and enclosure Getting Started Discuss 2 Questions, dome and enclosure in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; Good morning Ladies n Gents. My oven build is progressing and am thoroughly enjoying it. But I have a couple ...

[I burnt my fingers]

Good morning Ladies n Gents.

My oven build is progressing and am thoroughly enjoying it. But I have a couple of more questions. First is about the dome.

Once completed I will be building an enclosure and roof around it. Is it necessary to cover the dome firebricks in refractory mortar or can they be left as they are?

The second question is about the enclsure itself. I am using a large amount of loose vermiculite insulation and was wondering if I can use wood tannelised studwork for the frame or will it get too hot for wood studs?

Thanking ya'll in advance,
Patrick

My only helper taking a break.




Reading for thermocrete mix.




Mixing the porridge. What a sweat.




Firebricks being shifted.

[Rastys]

You have a great mate there, look after him/her and they will most certainly look after you. I can just see them sitting around picking up the scraps from the pizza crusts down the track a little!

wood tannelised studwork

I'm not familiar with this term BUT if you have sufficient loose vermiculite (say 4") between your bricks and the timber, then it won't get hot. If the timber frame is much closer, then it will get hot, the closer, the hotter until it scorches and possibly smoulders in the worst scenario. Metal studs will prevent any probs but then you will be losing heat which defeats the insulation's role.
My oven is built with half bricks, an inch thick thermal blanket and then 3" vermiculite cement and no heat at all outside when 500˚C inside.

Cheers.

Rastys

[I burnt my fingers]

Thanks mate. Yes, that's my Ridgeback Bruce. He's a lazy bugger and loves pizza

Thanks for the reply. There'll be about 8" vermiculite between the dome and the studs.

I meant "tanalised wood". Its a pressure treatment thats preserves the wood. I think it's copper based.

[nissanneill]

With 8" of vermiculite, you will have no worries what so ever.
We used to pressure treat pine with copper chromated arsenate (CCA). and created 'Permapine' which was guaranteed 30 years in the ground and white ant proofed.
A similar treatment still exists but with less dangerous materials, but not as effective, but safer.

Neill

[I burnt my fingers]

Thanks guys. But is there any reason to cover the dome in a layer of refractory cement if its going to be enclosed in a housing?

[dmun]

Thanks guys. But is there any reason to cover the dome in a layer of refractory cement if its going to be enclosed in a housing?

The only reason to do this is to add thermal mass, which I think is almost never necessary. The style of housing has nothing to do with this decision.

[Dutchoven]

Wow another Ridgeback owner on the forum. Bruce is a great looking guy. My wife and I have 5 Ridgebacks in our house and my in-laws have 3 in theirs. They have been breeders here in the US for years. Great companions, wonderful eccentricities. We have nearly all the color variations accounted for between our two houses. Here is a holiday picture of our menagerie.
All the best!
Dutch

[DrakeRemoray]

Holy Crap, that is a lot of dogs!

[Dutchoven]

Originally Posted by DrakeRemoray

Holy Crap, that is a lot of dogs!

Can't forget about the bird on the piano bench!

[nissanneill]

Hey Dutch,
I guess you have no problems in getting rid of those pizza crusts with all those begging eyes on you whilst eating.
There is no doubt about them being "man's best friend"!

Neill