Dominick's Pizza Oven

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

I should note that the dome of the oven was stuccoed with insulating cement and then an insulation blanket purchased from FB was placed over that.

Then the wall was raised around it and filled with vermiculite.

Then, as you'll see here, that was covered with mortarboard and painted with some special purple paint. Then the slate roof was installed.

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

The insulation works REAL well! In one photo here, I am making pizza in January 09. It's snowing. The thin layer of snow on the roof of the oven did NOT melt. When this photo was taken, the oven had been hot for at least 90 minutes.

[Les]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Interesting approach to get the floor to a comfortable cooking height. How do you keep the water out of your storage area?

Les...

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Here are a couple of recent photos.

My daughter and her BFF pressing the pizza oven into service toasting marshmallows. What else?

And a roaring fire.

The oven makes a nice fire. I usually get flames licking out the front and up the chimney.

There's definitely a learning curve, and I'm still near the bottom.

I use untreated charcoal and an electric starter to get the fire started now. I was a boy scout for only 3 weeks and never learned how to get a good fire going, so I cheat.

I usually get a huge fire going at first, but I've recently learned that a smaller fire might work better because the oven doesn't get filled up with embers.

I've measured temperatures over 1000 degrees and cooked pizzas in 20 seconds. But that's really too fast. Now I usually don't start cooking when the oven is that hot.

My first load of wood was not ideal. Pieces too big. Next time I'll be more careful about where I get the wood.

The "pit" design: I sank the oven because I didn't want it to dominate the landscape. It can be a pain cleaning out the "pit," but I would do it that way again.

I'll try to answer any questions....

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

To answer Les's question:

There are several holes drilled in the concrete floor. The concrete is about 10 inches thick. Below that is crushed stone.

Water drains well. The original plan was to put a brick floor over the concrete. I haven't done that, mainly because I ran out of steam and wanted to see how the floor drained first. I have a few blocks there now and I've grown accustomed to it. As you can see, there is much finish landscaping to be done.

When I do store wood in those compartments, I raise them up off the floor because it does still get wet. If I covered the openings it would stay dry, although the pitch of the concrete floor is not perfect.

I hope that answers your question.

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Question - Are the oven floor brick mortared?

I ask because this would be contrary to the directions from James in the Forno-Bravo Plans.

If they are mortared please give some comment on the descision to do so.

Thanks, Bob

Sorry, I understand your question about the floor bricks being mortared now. I misunderstood it before.

The problem I had with the mason who built the oven is that he had ideas of his own how it should be done. He didn't follow the plans to the letter. He not only mortared the floor bricks but the dome bricks, too!

During the construction of the oven, I had too many personal things going on (divorce) and I was just not able to keep as close an eye on him as I should have.

One lesson from this experience would be to familiarize yourself with the details of the plans and make sure your builder understands them and can execute them. However, I have to also add that probably the only way to make absolutely sure that it gets done exactly according to plans is to build it yourself. It's sort of a double bind. Any craftsperson worthy of his or her name is going to have developed very personal ways of doing things. They'll nod at you when you ask them if they can follow the plans or if they ARE following the plans, but then go ahead and do it their own way. That's what I do in my work, anyway!

[chenthorn]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

I know this is an old thread, but I am hoping to hear how the oven has been working out over the last few years? how did it handle the work load? did the morter in the floor of the oven cause issues? how did the outside weather?
thanks!

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Thanks for your questions!

The oven has been great. I don't know how to judge whether the mortared floor and ceiling are a problem because I have nothing with which to compare performance. I've had no problems with cracks or heat leaks. I've made pizzas with snow on the roof of the oven without a single drop of melted snow.

I actually prefer to use it in cooler weather because it throws so much heat out the door it's like a blast furnace!

The oven heats up well. I've had it over 1000 degrees. I'd have to say it makes a better pizza, to my taste, at around 700 - 800. It's a flame-throwing beast when it gets going! It doesn't hold its heat as efficiently as I expected, but, again, I have nothing to compare it to.

I have made as many as 15 pizzas in a row for a party. It takes a few minutes for the floor to recover its heat between pizzas.

If I had it to do over again, I probably would NOT build it below grade. I'll attach some photos that will demonstrate why. Instead, I would give the placement of the oven more thought so it would fit in with the landscape.

I'd also work more closely with the builder so I was certain that the plans were followed or that we at least were in agreement on alterations.

I'm going to make a door for it so I can make bread in it, too.

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Pizza oven AND Hot tub!

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Just waitin...

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

The BEAST shall roar again...soon.

[brung99]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

What a beautiful photo Dominick. I will never have the pleasure of looking out into such wonderful sight in my backyard. Wow.

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Thank you, Bruno.

I have to say, though, that after shoveling through two feet of it yesterday, I'm just about ready to trade it all for place where they don't know what a snow shovel is!

Dominick

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

One of the best looking finished ovens I have seen. Also one of the most creative. I'm looking forward to your solution for the flooding.

[Nick]

Re: Dominick's Pizza Oven

Thank you, WCD!

The flooding... funny you should mention that.

I just received delivery of a gasoline-powered water pump yesterday, a small one. I actually did NOT buy it specifically for the pizza oven. I got it because I am anticipating a super-flooded basement this year. Did I mention that when the oven flooded last year, the basement had already flooded? It did. Not bad, but bad enough to overpower the heavy duty electric sump pump AND the gravity drain. Let's just say it got a little hectic for a few days down there, with the regular sump pump and a the OLD electric sump pump brought in for auxiliary duty.

So I have the gas pump JUST IN CASE it gets that bad again. I can also use it to pump out the oven if it floods again.

BTW, I live on a HILL, at around 100 feet above sea level. Actually, I'm on the SIDE of a hill, south-facing, 30 feet below the maximum elevation and about 40 feet above minimum. But it's a ledge,with solid granite under the house. That's why water loves to detour into my pizza oven and basement on its way to Long Island Sound!

All of which is a much-to-long introduction to saying that I am planning to fire up the oven on Tuesday (sunny, high 30s). Will post photos!

Nick