5
Figure 11. Install Damper
Figure 12. Install Top Cap
Installation of the oven is now complete and ready
for the outside finish to be installed. Brick, rock or
slate, masonry or concrete compatible veneer mate-
rials can be used for this outside finish, depending
on your desires and the motif of your outside
kitchen/patio. A rock finish is shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13. Vecchio Pizza Oven Finished
As with any cooking appliance, heat transfer will
occur from the inside cooking chamber to the out-
side walls of the oven. Thermal cycling can also
cause expansion and contraction in the oven com-
ponents and the mortar joints. This will be visible
in the exterior veneer when it is applied directly to
the surface of the oven. These expansion and con-
traction cracks do not compromise the structural
integrity of the oven and are only cosmetic. If the
visibility of these hairline cracks is not desired, it is
recommended that the oven be encapsulated with
concrete block, metal framing with concrete board
attached or surrounded with other non-combustible
materials. If this method is used, leave a minimum
of 3 inches of air space between the encapsulating
walls and oven unit. This space can be left void or
filled with insulating materials like lava rock, per-
lite or vermiculite to further insulate and stop any
heat transfer. The outside profile of the oven can be
changed to create any shape or design when using
this method.
Another option is to cover the oven with a ceramic
fiber blanket wrapped with metal lathe and scratch
coated with cement before applying veneer materi-
als.
5.0 Building a Fire
The owner should wait a minimum of 28 days after
construction is completed to build the first fire. It is
important that all moisture be gone from the oven
before the first fire is laid. After that, the first three
