We’ve heard from lots of people who had to tear down their Pompeii ovens because they couldn’t get them past 300°F, when they should be hitting over 900°F! So, we put together a list of common mistakes to help you steer clear of those problems.
Check them out.
Someone messaged us on social saying their contractor skipped the floor insulation, and now their oven won’t stay hot long enough to cook pizzas. Since they didn’t get the oven from us, we couldn’t really help.
So, lay down an insulator underneath your oven. We use use Alumina Silicate boards which is about twice as efficient as Vermiculite and Portlant cement mixes.
Just a quick tip: your dome needs insulation too! We’ve seen lots of builds over the years where folks skipped it, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. But without insulation, the oven can’t get hot enough to bake properly. A few people even had to rebuild, so it’s definitely worth doing right the first time!
Red clay bricks or concrete blocks can’t handle thermal expansion. They’ll eventually crack. Also, regular mortar or Portland cement breaks down under high heat, causing air leaks.
That’s why we always recommend using firebricks and high-temp mortar. Or better yet, go with our CASA dome kit, which already includes the right high-temp materials for the job.
CASA DIY Kit
We’ve seen squares, triangle-like shapes, and outright super wide interiors, that keeps the ambient temperature from going up. Flat domes cause poor circulation and uneven heat reflection. On other hand, overly tall domes require longer heating time and waste wood.
A base that flexes or cracks under the oven leads to structural gaps where heat escapes.
Use a reinforced concrete slab, level and cured before building.
Even before first firing, trapped moisture from mortar or insulation layers weakens the oven when heated too soon.
Let mortar dry completely (7-10), then cure slowly with small fires.
Leaving insulation exposed or unsealed allows moisture to soak in, making it hard to heat up next time.
Finish with stucco, tile, brick, or waterproof coating.
Want to guarantee your oven build’s performance? Check out the CASA DIY Kit
2025 Copyright © Forno Bravo. Authentic Wood Fired Ovens
Website Designed & Developed by NetGain
