Hello from the Golden State!

[GardenGuy]

Hello everyone from California. I've been lurking for a couple days now and doing some reading. So much info here and I feel overwhelmed! Long story short I built a fire clay and sand oven last year and it worked ok but I want to build something more durable that holds heat better. I have a few basic questions.1 If I'm going to build a Pompeii oven does it need to have a chimney? And 2 Does is need to have a hearth or will pavers laid on top of cinder block work ok? Is there any Pompeii oven plans out there that one could follow if they didn't want to design their own? Thank you for any help!

Damon

[UtahBeehiver]

Damon,

I would suggest you review the builds in this link. I is some of the most documented builds. Also, the Forno Bravo company offers a set of plans for a couple bucks, the plans are a good baseline, a little dated so peruse the forum for updated techniques and building ideas. Short, answer, these ovens weigh a ton, no pun intended and need a solid and reinforced platform to sit on. That said, I would defer comment about pavers and CMUs until I saw your proposed design.

http://www.fornobravo.com/community/...n-the-archives