Re: Initial Firing Question

Posted by Rado

In Reply to: Initial Firing Question posted by Garry

Garry,
If you like, make yourself a small ad for the left over material and post it in the ShoutBox which is in home page in right top corner. Instead of website address write in your email. it's visible spot people read there heaps, stuff will go fast.

Good idea to dry oven first, the steam is powerful remember those banging wet stones around camp fires? For the wet structure to dry I wait 7 to 10 days from when the concrete cladding was poured (in summer 7 days is great.) Then to remove rest of water, and also chemical water will create steam, small drying fires are applied. Make 3 or 4 drying fires a day if you have time, 10 - 15 minutes each fire at start, increase to 20 minutes. Basically it's to keep the heat soaking into firebricks, heat will travel through the cladding as well. Leave to cool down over night, next day repeat the same, 2 - 3 days will do well.

You will notice drops of condensed water appearing on brick walls, mainly on the exist/entry area. When these drops disappear give the oven one more smaller fire. Then you can fire up for normal high cooking temperature. Drying fires with overnight cooling down are important for new ovens to gradually get used to the heat expansion movement also. r

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