My dome's gone white - HELP! Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss My dome's gone white - HELP! in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; I know your dome's supposed to go white with the right heat - but when I looked into my cool ...

[carioca]

I know your dome's supposed to go white with the right heat - but when I looked into my cool oven today and saw white mortar joints looking like cracks I nearly panicked!

I scraped at a few of the 'cracks' with my pointing trowel and fine white powder fell out. In some cases I could almost see the insulation blanket at the end of the empty joint :-)

Hendo, I believe, related a similar thing some time ago; have to search for the thread...

In the meantime, I worry about the entire structure: did the Airset mortar premix from Darley Refractories in Melbourne just turn into powder trickling out of the joints?

It's enought to cause a fella to turn to drink, so I opened a nice bottle of Tahbilk Marsanne to console myself - and contemplate the possibility of having to re-point the entire dome (from the inside, at least) with some seriously sticky hi-temp mortar...

Helpful suggestions welcome.
Cheers,

LMH

[Frances]

I don't think you run the risk of getting much Schadenfreude... this is not the kind of thing fellow brothers or sisters of the brick would wish upon anyone!

Can't help with solutions I'm afraid, but I'm sure you'll get some good advice soon. Good luck fixing it!

[carioca]

Even before reading your very pertinent comment, Frances, I had already decided to cut this silly comment - which I did as soon as I signed on.

Of course I didn't assume such attitude from my fellow WFO builders and aspirants! Apologies for silly slur - blame it on the Marsanne :-)

Cheers,

LMH

[asudavew]

We probably need more specifics, but my mortar is white too.

And if I scraped it with a metal tool, I know it would come out.

If it is not falling out on its on, then don't worry.

Cracks are normal.

Unless it is chipping off in your food.... you should be fine.

Just my two cents.

Dave

[RCLake]

I'll be finished with my curing fires tomorrow and I notice that my mortar lines inside the dome are light and the rest is covered with soot. What happens next I don't know.

[gjbingham]

Once again RC,
If you've still got soot in the dome, I'd give it several (3?) days more at 700ish degrees, then burn it clean. I don't think the water is out of the mortar/brick even once the inside burns clean. They get more efficient as time goes on, which means to me that there's still water in there. To quote Robers, slower is better.