A lot of water goes into the materials to make a pizza oven. Most of the water is used in the chemical reaction with the various cement products (i.e. the hydration process) but inevitably some water needs to be removed from the structure.
Ovens can take on water during periods of little use, even if just from the atmosphere (we certainly recommend a cover).
It is extremely important that the oven is dried very slowly to avoid trapped moisture turning to steam and causing cracking.
A new oven must be 'conditioned ' to cope with extreme heat produced by fire. This mainly entails it being dry. Be very sure to let your oven cure properly and follow the instructions for starting up carefully.
Our oven kit sets provide very detailed instructions on the process and many of the design features are incorporated to keep the oven as dry as possible over its lifetime.
To dry an oven out, most people use progressively larger wood fires, but it is also a great option to use gas (provided you can do this safely) as it is more controlled. If you use a wood fire, start with a fire that is half the size of what you think a small fire is. It is way better to have too small a fire than too large a fire.
The following diagram illustrates this process. The slower the drying process the better.
Click here to enlarge illustration
The same process is used when your oven may have taken on moisture from rain. Slowly does it!
A good idea is to use an infra red thermometer to take temperatures as you go.
See the written instructions that come with the kit set packs for specific drying instructions.
