!!! my dome , pls comment

[dheeraj]

hi friends , so far so good hope you have seen my previous posts on building my brick oven. i have fired the oven about 6 times after tis completion and off late i have noticed that the outer dome has developed cracks ( as shown in the picture below) i want to know what i should i do with it, can i have another layer of cement and finish it with tiles or is there a flaw in the dome itself 
i have made the dome with bricck and clay thats about 4 inches and then 2 inches of cement inspite if having 6 inch of dome i still feel the warmth on the outside is that ok or can i still have some more cladding
pls comment

[TXCraig1]

It's thermal expansion. Probably no big deal. I have them all over my oven - some a lot bigger than those. I filled them in with: http://www.caulkyourhome.com/ge-silicone-II-paintable-silicone.php

I used this one so that I could paint it later if I wanted to. I don't know how hot your oven gets, but if I remember right, GE silicone II is good to 400F - check the label to be sure.

Get the oven hot so that the cracks are open as far as they are going to get, fill them, and then keep the oven hot long enough for the caulk to fully set otherwise the cracks will shrink and force it out.

[TXCraig1]

Just noticed you are in India. Hopefully you can find something similar. Remember that cracks open and close as the oven temp changes, so if you fill them, it should be a flexible filling.

[Zeke_eats_pizza]

i used some high temp sealant i bought at a good hardware store in some gaps between my chimney and dome that has worked well.  If using sealant/caulk just make sure it has a high operating temp and not just a high max temp as it may degrade over time.  You may even need a few applications it.  Contact this place...they should have a product called Thurmalox

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[Tscarborough]

Those are no problem.  I would like to clarify one point Craig made in regards to filling living (moving) cracks.  Ideally, you would fill them at the midpoint of the expected thermal range, not at the top end or bottom end.  In your case that may be the day after firing.

[dheeraj]

hi thanks  friends i guess i'll go with the hi temp sealant and have those cracks filled, how long should i wait to add tiles to my dome i mean should i wait for more firing as i said i have fired it only 6 times or can i tile the dome right away after sealing the cracks
yes i am from india and brick oven is not common here, here are just hand full, here pizzas are made in electric ovens thats why i want to take it up to next level by opening a outlet after practicing with this oven at home, i want to show people what authentic brick oven pizza, but th edifficult part there are no pizza making schools or brick oven builders here i built this one by watching videos on utubes and want to improvise it further
regards
dheeraj