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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:
OVEN SHOULD BE CURED FIRST. THIS IS DONE BY LIGHTING SIX SMALL FIRES. ONE FIRE PER
DAY FOR ONE HOUR. (THE SMALL FIRE SHOULD JUST TOUCH THE TOP OF THE DOME). THIS
SHOULD RELIEVE ALL EXCESS MOISTURE IN THE OVEN.
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.
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