Assembling the refractory parts
Before starting the assembly, be sure to comply with the building codes in your area!
You will need a bag of good quality refractory cement to grout the spaces between the oven parts. We don´t include it in the kit
because it´s important to use the freshest cement for best results.
The first step is building or preparing a base for the kit to rest upon. The base should be able to support at least a recommended
50% or more safety factor over the oven weight of
300 kg
/
660 lbs
, ideally
1000 kg
/
2200 lbs
. The base must be perfectly flat and
level. When planning the base, don’t forget to leave enough clearance around the oven kit for erecting the future oven walls or
any other enclosing and finishing method of your preference, including the mandatory air spaces for insulation. In our website
(
www.cuoreovens.com
) you will find instructions and tips for building a suitable base, if needed, as well as suggestions for
suitable enclosures.
For the best thermal performance, the base should receive a layer of insulating material ate least
5 cm/
2"
thick, such as concrete
mixed with vermiculite, vermiculite boards, refractory tiles or any other available material.
After the base is ready, if necessary, lay a thin bed of dry, fine sand over the base to help level the bottom plates. Position the
bottom plates. The flat, projected area on the front base part (
13
) corresponds to the front of the oven. The base modules (
14
) are
identical and there´s no special order to place them. Check the leveling carefully and adjust if needed. Then grout between the
bottom plates with the refractory cement (figures
a
to
d
below).
Important! Never use a mallet or hammer to nudge the parts in position! Always do it by hand and gently!
Now begin to place the dome parts, starting with the mouth and proceeding sequentially with the dome parts (
8
-
3
-
3
-
8
-
3
-
3
-
8
-
3
-
3
-
8
). The dome parts fit inside the groove that runs around the bottom assembly. After positioning the mouth part, apply grout
between it and the bottom plate. You will have to support the curved parts with wood pieces cut to appropriate size until finally
placing the cap (
12
) that acts as a keystone or capstone for locking the dome parts in place (figures
e
to
p
below). Don't forget to
grout the cap as well. You can now remove any temporary support for the oven parts.
As you position each part, use a thin layer of refractory mortar (3 mm/
1/8"
thick) on the sides that touch other parts, including the
bottom plates. This will help ensure a good seal between the parts. Then grout each seam as you place each part, but only from
the outside.
Important! Don't grout on the inside of the dome!
Fit the chimney tube with the included flue damper and grout the joints (figure
q
below). Be careful with the flue damper handle
alignment.
You should now have grouted joints just like shown in figure
r
below.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r