Summer is slowly coming to an end and with autumn around the corner, savour the last moments of summer, and make time for outdoor gatherings and chilled al fresco wood fired suppers.
Winter seems an age away but as Autumn approaches we feel that this is the best time to get your Amigo wood fired oven ready for the winter season ahead and is performing to its full potential. Maintaining the oven is simple but vital to the oven’s longevity.
First of all we recommend you use your oven all year round and best kept under a roof structure to protect it from the elements like rain, frost and snow.
As your oven heats up and cools down the materials will expand and contract. This constant movement may lead to hairline cracks forming. Hairline cracks are a normal occurrence in all wood fired ovens. It is therefore important when heating up your wood fired oven that the heat/fire is well spread across the base and the fire built up slowly.
It is vital in order for water not to penetrate the oven, that you scratch out and fill these cracks while the oven is hot and paint your oven with any colour paint at least twice a year. More information on which products are best to use, please refer to our Amigo Only page.
Insulating your oven
An Amigo Oven is built using high-grade refractory bricks. These bricks would require two hours of heat at a constant temperature in order for them to reach the same temperature as they would externally. If the heat cannot penetrate the bricks, then it remains where it should be – inside the oven.
Insulation protects the oven from poor external conditions such as ice and snow, reduces the maintenance required and prevents sixty to eighty percent of the heat from being lost.
Cleaning your oven seems obvious but keeping the oven clean from ashes, prevents moisture building up.
If you are not using your oven during the colder months keep the door slightly ajar and remove any ashes. When firing your oven up after long periods of non use, build the fire up slowly and spread the heat across the oven floor.
If you have any further questions or would like advise, feel free to get in touch.