Brick question

[chubbychaser]

Hi all,

Currently embarking on building the dome. Floor is firebrick but due high cost of firebrick I plan on using a Cheshire pre war Common brick for the dome. They are a little uneven on the edges as a and although the brick is fairly uniform inside it does have some small 'bits' in it, so I am a little worried about spalling after reading nightmarish stories on forums. I have around 25 half firebrick left so was wondering about using these for the top few courses of the dome (seems a shame to waste them and I dont fancy spending days crushing them.) has anyone any thoughts about mixing and matching different bricks for the dome in this way or any thoughts on the spalling? Bricks are like these www.cwberry.com/ProductDetail.aspx?p=02010601 solid not fogged or holes.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks in Advance

[oblertone]

I used recycled bricks from a 200 yr old chimney being removed from the house opposite me, I've never noticed any of the dreaded 'spalling' and the bricks look fine after nearly four years use. As to mixing bricks, if you've got them then use them, the last few courses sounds ideal.

[chas]

May 16, 2018 19:44:41 GMT chubbychaser said:

Hi all,

Currently embarking on building the dome. Floor is firebrick but due high cost of firebrick I plan on using a Cheshire pre war Common brick for the dome. They are a little uneven on the edges as a and although the brick is fairly uniform inside it does have some small 'bits' in it, so I am a little worried about spalling after reading nightmarish stories on forums. I have around 25 half firebrick left so was wondering about using these for the top few courses of the dome (seems a shame to waste them and I dont fancy spending days crushing them.) has anyone any thoughts about mixing and matching different bricks for the dome in this way or any thoughts on the spalling? Bricks are like these www.cwberry.com/ProductDetail.aspx?p=02010601 solid not fogged or holes.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks in Advance

Victorian reds or even new clay bricks are good for domes, firebricks aren’t compulsory. Due to high dome temperature there’s every chance commons will spall and drop shards onto your pizza though. Don’t risk it, scavenge all the old reds you can! As for mixing in your firebricks, can’t see a problem with that.

Chas

[james9]

Firebricks are dense 4-5kg and can undergo hi temp cycles. Need to avoid bricks with insulating qualities because you want the exact opposite for the dome. If the brick's a bugger to cut then it will have density which is required for storing heat. The main thing is to spend money insulating the floor and dome otherwise you'll never get 400-500c temperatures needed for pizza and flat bread.

[downunderdave]

May 17, 2018 7:06:31 GMT oblertone said:

I used recycled bricks from a 200 yr old chimney being removed from the house opposite me, I've never noticed any of the dreaded 'spalling' and the bricks look fine after nearly four years use. As to mixing bricks, if you've got them then use them, the last few courses sounds ideal.

There are bricks and there are bricks. You won't be able to tell the bricks composition by looking at it. Some may be suitable some not. The bricks in a chimney do not see the kind of temperatures that the floor or inside of an oven will see. The floor takes the most punishment and if possible use firebricks there. These 2 fireplace pics reveal a bit about brick spalling failures.

[albacore]

Well, when I read "Cheshire pre war common bricks", I thought you'd found some NOS bricks from the 1930s.

I didn't realise that Cheshire pre-wars could have been fired last week. How confusing is that name!

Lance