Leaning tower of Pizza

Imagine my surprise...
After five years of cooking pizzas in my Walker Black & White oven, it has decided to go full Italian and emulate the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
A frost heave and underground drainage have decided that under the slab on which the B&W sits is a good place for the water to rise and the Walker to lean to the south!
The smoke shack itself is still level and square (thank goodness).
A few mortar cracks in the B & W that might have been there before the fall.
Luckily, this will not affect using it, as long as toppings do not slide off!
Slow cooking birds and roasts will not be affected.

This project will need to wait, as there are many ahead of it.
I will evaluate after things dry up.
I expect I will need to do a complete tear down, give it a larger, heavier slab to sit on, or perhaps add rebar and pour a solid cement floor.

Damn, I’m sorry Tom. That is unlucky.
Crazy stability that it lifted in one piece and is still functional.
I almost pressed the thumbs up, but I don’t think that’s appropriate 😅

Grr frost heave!

I'm glad that you seem to be taking it in stride, not the surprise that anyone expects nor wants.

Out of curiosity, do you have an estimate on how heavy the unit might be? The future repair looks like a great opportunity for learning and teaching about foundations.

Thanks Guys;
Just another of life's lessons.  
I've had plenty of those over the years; this is not that bad.

Luckily, all but the bottom few rows are clay mortar.
Once I decide it's time and how I want to deal with it, I can have the entire thing stacked in a nice pile in a few hours.
For the bottom few rows, I used a cement mortar... I wish I had not.
Those bricks will get tossed in a round-to-it pile...

Rebuilding is no big deal; I'll be able to make the door wider and remove the funky-looking pizza port.
I'm currently leaning towards rebar and a whole cement floor.
This could be a 2026 project, especially if I can keep using it.

I'll count the bricks during the rebuild, and then I can estimate the total weight.

Oh, NOOO! I'm sorry for both the loss of your beautiful oven, and all that work that you have to do...

Well, she is not lost yet, just listing a little.
Like they say in the navy, she is taking on water but still under steam!

Being a recently retired person, I actually have the time now.
I have many projects ahead of me, but I do love playing with bricks.

Thomas,

Have you considered to put some t-bars under it and lift it with some hydraulic lift?
Does the oven's slab have any rebar in it?

Well, that's a big maybe. I might have put some in, but I have no pictures, and my memory went south for the winter and has not come back yet.
It needs to thaw and dry out before I make any decisions.

I'd  dig a footing on the "listing" side and lay up a pilaster or two. won't bring it back level but won't let it get worse. if you use stone (rubble, field) and only bring it up about 2/3 height it should hold, use type s for the lay up but sand/clay for the face to the oven, that way when the time comes to fix it right  the pilasters can be knocked over and incorporated into the "new and improved" footing. i dunno work either way, at least there will be no shortage of conversation about it while the oven does its thing

I go back and forth between laughing and crying.   I suspect I would attempt Scott’s approach if possible.  I added on a concrete block L cove to my high tunnel to hold a wood burner.  It has taken on a similar appearance.   The tunnel sits back by my garden, so I have to plans to fix it.

I'm no longer in "deep freeze" country, but my immediate thought was: how did that moisture get under there in the first place, and how can you make sure it doesn't come back?

I'd hate for you to do a pile of work, only to have the thing tilt again!

That is such a beautiful stove. It is a shame to have to rebuild it.

Is there anyway you can dig out the high side to lower the foundation?

I hope you can figure out the water issue with maybe a trench and gravel.

Thomas, perhaps the stove is perfectly level and all of human society is off kilter?

Jay Angler wrote:I'm no longer in "deep freeze" country, but my immediate thought was: how did that moisture get under there in the first place, and how can you make sure it doesn't come back?

I'd hate for you to do a pile of work, only to have the thing tilt again!

I'm with Jay, here.  A review of the site drainage, and - when it comes time for a rebuild, some crushed stone or sand under the slab - may be in order.

Was it a particularly big snow year, or did you have an inordinate amount of cyclical freeze/thaw weather this year?  Fast melt (chinook) followed by a drop back into the deep freeze?  Warm and wet fall, followed by sudden onset of arctic cold?  Did some other project (snow removal pattern, etc.) change this year from years previous which might have lead to this?

If the moisture is coming in at the hill cut side (seems likely, but what do I know?), maybe you could lay drain tile around the cut and out to daylight to "intercept" moisture before it can get under the oven footer.  Without tearing up the oven.  Especially if, given a bit of time and warmer weather, it settles back to near-normal (no pun intended - well, maybe a little!).

You might consider "mud jacking" the footer slab to re-level it, without tearing things up.  "Real" mud jacking requires a special pump and grout, injected beneath the sagging/uneven flat work or foundation.  However, a couple of summers ago my son-in-law and I used a 2-part expanding foam product (almost certainly toxic gick) to do this for their patio slab on their new-to-them house (the slab was sloping toward, rather than away from, the house - not good, especially since a roof valley, with large tributary area, dropped onto the patio, now re-routed to rain barrels and overflow to the lawn via gutters and downspouts).  We drilled a series of holes (long masonry drill bit in my very used but still functional $20 Bosch hammer drill) and used the included mixing nozzle and injector fittings to progressively raise the slab by almost 6 inches on the edges closest to the house.  It's not quite back to its original height (witness mark of the 1960s vintage tar sealer on the block wall can still be seen for comparison), but it now drains properly when a bucket of water is thrown on it as a test.

I have also seen YT videos of people using the foam-in-a-can weather proofing sealant to do this.  The black can formulation of "Great Stuff" brand is supposedly a higher density, and better suited for this, than the lesser "flavors".  I haven't used the foam-in-a-can method myself, though.  I haven't found the "Great Stuff" brand locally, of late.  I think the last stuff I bought (to seal up a draft between the sill and the stone wall in our cellar/basement) was "Loctite" brand.  So, I haven't been able to compare labels to see how the compressive strength of the cured formulations compare.  I have a sidewalk that needs some attention, so this is not mere idle speculation.

Of course, if you are going to re-work the oven, anyway, to remediate and/or improve it, then the mud jacking may be an unnecessary frippery (as long as the cheese stays on your pizza!).  But, pondering drainage improvements might be worth it, as you work through your project backlog.

And, your cautionary note regarding mortar is duly noted!

sorry to see you have had a set back like that---never had any experience of ground heave like that ---we get excited  around here if the ground freezes from a prolonged period of frost and waterpipes freeze up or split---nothing like what you have to contend with--- i think something like this is just another day of "roll up the sleeves and get down to it" for you--if any one has the skill set ---positive attitude and stoic resolve to sort it---its yourself--wish you well and looking forward to seeing a new improved version of the stove in the future.tony

Thomas -

So sorry to hear you've added unexpected project(s) to your list.

Being a recently retired person, I actually have the time now.

... and more sorry to say how deluded that statement may be.

I thought the same way when I retired. Just NOT true!! Do everything you can (whilst having fun) before the days feel like they are about 6 hours long.

Keep us posted on your adventure's progress.

Ah, so true, Randy;
Did I mention my newest policy?
It developed this winter. Start late and stop early.
With many safety meetings to carefully consider my next moves.
I am getting rather good at free online Poker...
I also have time to cruise Permies.

Dang, I go on a road trip and out of touch, and I miss this!
so sorry to see that Thomas. I think all my thoughts have been covered - but welcome to retirement - I agree, I have never been busier.
I am trying to figure out if I have anything that could help to offer - but at least if you need something, let us know - I am willing to bet there are lots of people that would try to find stuff/help somehow. my new place (I haven't rocked all of the road yet) is a wee bit of an accessibility issue - but where I put the 20 yards of 1 1/2 rock was a hero last trip out. not tempting fate until the ground thaws out enough to let what has thawed drain out. unusual storm made a mess.
anyway - I am catching up around here, and could put some time and energy into finding/sourcing if you need something!
Rob

The pumps are working, and the Black and White is still under power!
The list is almost all gone!  
My cheese is no longer in danger of sliding off!
This is as good as it gets. I will still need to do some repair work, but it can wait until 2026 before making it to the top of the list!

thomas rubino wrote:The pumps are working, and the Black and White is still under power!
The list is almost all gone!  
My cheese is no longer in danger of sliding off!
This is as good as it gets. I will still need to do some repair work, but it can wait until 2026 before making it to the top of the list!

Thomas, that is a joy to behold - I am so glad to see you can still use that beautiful oven without worry for now!
I am pretty gimped up, but still functional - if you need help with that next year, let me know, I will do my best to come help - you are so helpful on this forum, payback is in order!