WIsh I had of checked first!

[littleredspot]

Hi, I've been lurking here to come up with a design for an oven for a community garden, I've started the build now and I suspect I've messed up.

I've made the base out of heavy timber, then 60mm of Rockwool, 75mm Vermicrete (5:1) a thin bed of dry vermicrete and finished with storage heater blocks.
Then used fire cement to attach a precast refractory dome and entrance arch. Next we wrapped it with 60mm Rockwool and 2 coats of Vermicrete. Intending to add another layer of Vermicrete and finish in sand and cement.

2 of the potential problems are:

1) I didn't realise that the dome should not be attached with cement to allow for expansion. Do you think this will be a big problem?
2) Between one thing and another the base ended up being a little narrower than recommended. I brought the storage heater bricks right to the (wooden) edge. The dome came almost to the edge and when I've added the insulation we're right out over the edge. I suspect that the heat will transfer horizontally through the bricks to the wooden edge causing a fire. Has anybody experience of how much heat does travel through the base bricks? I can see a way to widen the base frame by 2". If I filled that with Vermicrete would it solve the problem do you think?

Rookie mistakes but I'm hoping that they're fixable. All advice and critiques welcomed.
Thanks, Paul

[downunderdave]

Apr 12, 2017 15:25:29 GMT littleredspot said:

Hi, I've been lurking here to come up with a design for an oven for a community garden, I've started the build now and I suspect I've messed up.

I've made the base out of heavy timber, then 60mm of Rockwool, 75mm Vermicrete (5:1) a thin bed of dry vermicrete and finished with storage heater blocks.
Then used fire cement to attach a precast refractory dome and entrance arch. Next we wrapped it with 60mm Rockwool and 2 coats of Vermicrete. Intending to add another layer of Vermicrete and finish in sand and cement.

2 of the potential problems are:

1) I didn't realise that the dome should not be attached with cement to allow for expansion. Do you think this will be a big problem?
2) Between one thing and another the base ended up being a little narrower than recommended. I brought the storage heater bricks right to the (wooden) edge. The dome came almost to the edge and when I've added the insulation we're right out over the edge. I suspect that the heat will transfer horizontally through the bricks to the wooden edge causing a fire. Has anybody experience of how much heat does travel through the base bricks? I can see a way to widen the base frame by 2". If I filled that with Vermicrete would it solve the problem do you think?

Rookie mistakes but I'm hoping that they're fixable. All advice and critiques welcomed.
Thanks, Paul

1) Shouldn't matter, forget it, you can't change it now anyway.
2) You UK guys persist in building over a timber stand. Unfortunately timber moves, burns and deteriorates holding up an oven that should last generations. Masonry is far superior and probably cheaper. Can you post a pic of what you describe.