Maine Wood Heat Company LE PANYOL 100, Construction Manual

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Chapter 3: Design and construction
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CONSTRUTION:
UNDERSTANDING THE
FUNDAMENTALS
This section covers the construction of stan-
dard masonry foundations and oven stands
(brick, block & mortar). Alternatives are avail -
able, such as structural steel stands and mo-
bile oven trailers—please consult Maine Wood
Heat Co. for customized construction options.
First, A Note on Thermal Mass
Assessing the appropriate amout of thermal
mass is a very important part of constructing
your oven. The walls of each Le Panyol oven
core model (4 1/2” thick in domestic ovens)
provide an initial thermal bank to absorb the
energy of the re. In casual use such as fam -
ily pizza parties and home baking the thermal
storage potential of the oven core components
along with the standard 2 1/2” of added in-
sulation (for insulation specications see the
core construction portion of this manual) is
ample.
To achieve maximum efciency for daily use,
the addition of extra mass and insulation be-
neath the oven hearth tiles and on top of the
oven walls is necessary. This is accomplished
with “grog,” a sand-like insulator that serves
to enhance the “battery” of the oven, which
when charged with heat extends baking and
cooking time and productivity (available in
our “Installation Accessories Package”).
Le Panyol has determined that an oven is
most efcient when the additional mass is
equal to the mass of the core components
(4 1/2” walls=4 1/2” thickness of additional
mass). Using the ofcial Le Panyol “Terre
Blanche” grog—the same material used in the
cores—also ensures consistent thermal prop-
erties throughout, resulting in 30% greater
efciency.
CALCULATING THE HEIGHT OF YOUR
HEARTH
The rst step in building the ideal oven
is to determine the perfect hearth height for
the chef or baker. The height of the oven
hearth should be determined by the end
user for his/her comfort and convenience.
Traditional oven hearths are usually at a
height of 40”-48” above the oor. When
planning your oven, rst determine the oven
hearth height that you desire. For the casual
user the total hearth thickness (hearth tiles
+ the Super Isol rigid insulation) measures
5 1/2”. The slab supporting your Le Panyol
oven will take up an additional 6”. This 11
1/2” (hearth tiles + Super Isol + support
slab) should then be subtracted from the total
desired hearth height to determine height of
the actual oven stand.
For the owner who plans to use his
or her oven on a daily basis, the addition of
3” of grog must be accounted for in order
to determine the oven stand height. In this
case, the total hearth thickness (hearth tiles +
grog + Super Isol rigid insulation) measures
8 1/2”, which when added to the 6” support
slab results in 14 1/2” to be subracted from the
total desired hearth height.
Te proper hearth height makes for a happy baker.
baker.