EARTHSTONE OVENS PRE-ASSEMBLED INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS--- ETL LISTED
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What kind of wood to use?:
Oak, Almond, Walnut, Citrus, Apple, Cherry and most fruit and hard woods.
Moisture Content:
Moisture content should not exceed 15 to 25 percent. Firewood from suppliers should be within
this range.
For those of you that have your own orchards, fresh cut wood from live trees will dry to about 20
percent moisture in about six to nine months, assuming that it is out of the weather. Air
circulation, exposure of end grain, and lengthwise splitting of larger pieces will accelerate the
drying process.
Unit of Measurement:
Firewood is purchased by the cord. A cord of wood is a pile 8ft d x 4ft w x 4ft h. Standard
practices recognizes 90 cubic feet of solid wood as the customary. Some suppliers do bundle
wood in smaller bags for an extra fee.
Firing Oven:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Pre-assembled ovens are pre-cured at the factory; however a two day curing process is required
before using the oven. Oven curing is a process of removing moisture from the oven that has
accumulated during the oven installation. This process consists of two small fires; One fire each
day for one hour, for a total of two days. (You can also do one fire in the morning and one in the
late evening) When curing, each of the fires should lightly touch the dome of the oven. After one
hour let the fire burnout and close door. Do not be alarmed if the temperature gauge is not
moving, this is normal and is due to the moisture in the stone. If you still see moisture from the
oven you may need to cure the oven for a few more days. Improper curing may cause small
pieces of the oven to pop. Although this is not harmful to the oven in anyway, please follow
these procedures.
At first a small amount of kindling should be used. These pieces should range from ½ inch to 1
inch in diameter and 12 to 18 inches in length. Split 2” x 4”s will also work great to start a fire.
Place a fire starter in the middle of the hearth. You can then start to place your kindling on top of
the fire starter in a teepee format. You can also use a larger piece of wood, about 2 -3 inches in
diameter, as a support for the kindling. Light the fire starter. Once the fire is burning well, you
can start to add larger pieces of wood. Note that proper ventilation is needed in order to have a
good burning fire, therefore overloading with wood will probably smother the fire.
Have no more than four large pieces of wood in the oven at one time, this depends on the size of
the oven. Usually 2-3 inch diameter pieces of wood or the split wood equivalent (A 5-6 inch
diameter piece split in two), along with a nice bed of embers is sufficient. The fire should
aggressively hit the dome and extend out about 10 to 12 inches each way. After about one hour
of firing, the dark soot should start to disappear from the dome of the oven. This is a good
indication that the oven is getting hot. After the firing has been burning for an hour or so, move
the fire to the side where your pizzas will be placed. This will give extra floor heat to this area.
Then you can move the coals back to the opposite end.
