Should there be insulation between pizza oven base and worktop

[daverook]

Hi all

I have built a pizza oven dome, using perlite and cement over a gym ball. I believe this approach is quite common and there are loads of videos.

I'm intending to build a table for it to sit on. The table will be a concrete foundation, standard red brick for the walls, and a few concrete slabs (just over 1" (3cm) thick) to form the worktop.

I intend to lay fire bricks on top of the worktop and then place the pizza oven dome on top of the fire bricks.

I'm getting a little confused with heat transfer. If the fire brick is designed to get hot and conduct heat then I'm guessing the entire firebrick will get very hot. So if my oven is around 650-700°F, then I'm guessing the firebrick may well be around the same temperature. This means, the firebrick is transferring the heat to the concrete slab on which it rests.

I have seen some firebricks are designed for insulation, and you can get insulating vermiculite fireboards.

What is unclear is, is this needed? Would fire proof cement be enough of an insulation layer (I know it's a hard question and probably depends on the amount of times I use the oven, how long the oven is on etc, so I'm just as keen if having additional insulation layers is common practice)

Thanks everyone for taking any time on this

 

[woody1949]

Pizza Oven...............

I built my pizza oven based on the Forno Bravo site directions and used a 2" thick layer of calcium silicate insulation between the fire brick and the concrete.

 

[halfcocked]

I suggest you look up the "pizza making forum" and consider joining. You will find posts related to your questions and very helpful suggestions from people in the know.