drain holes in concrete block stand?

[johnnybrewmeister]

Anybody build drain holes into their oven stand? Granted there will be a big hunkin' oven on a big concrete slab that will provide quite a roof for the block stand. But what about if I'm hosing off my patio and water splashes/collects under the oven (in the wood storage area)? Would drain/vent holes be a good idea?

Got my slab poured today...oven stand is next!

[Les]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

I placed my pavers to keep water from running into the area. But if water does get into that area, what is the harm? Your wood will get wet but no worse then having it rained on. As far as holes it would do little good. Once the soil is saturated, they no longer drain.

[edsiajb]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

I believe it is likely a good idea....but possibly unnecessary. If you are going to add the drain, you can use 4" pipe underneath or a gravel-filled drain basin - depending on your situation. It is always good to be thinking ahead regarding how you will use the oven and what conditions you might encounter - especially before it is built.

I incorporated drains, channelling, sloped the granite countertops slightly, and used French drains around my stand (stand is dug into hillside). And all this is under roof (well, not the French drain part). The sloping and channeling were basically for when I get out the water hose. The other drains are for rain. We get about 55 inches of rain a year - and a lot of it comes down sideways!

[david s]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

Make sure the base of your stand is above ground level so no water will collect there. I believe it is also a good idea to have the stand open at each end, rather than a u shape, so air can flow through and allow any damp wood to dry out.

[S1MON]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

I believe it is also a good idea to have the stand open at each end, rather than a u shape, so air can flow through and allow any damp wood to dry out.

An alternative to having an open end is to have an air brick or two (or something equivalent to).

To answer OP question, don't drill holes into your base.

[NCMan]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

But what about if I'm hosing off my patio and water splashes/collects under the oven (in the wood storage area)? Would drain/vent holes be a good idea?

When I formed up my base slab, I put about a 3/4" pitch on the slab area (towards the front)for just that reason. I then simply leveled up my first course of block w/mortar. It drains great. I also built a 3' overhang on my roof in the front. On my front oven entry area, I also put about 3/8" pitch on the bricks.

[texman]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

i put weep holes in my base as i built the base in the mortar joints. I ended up covering the hole area but i think they are good idea. Things go wrong sometimes and leaks happen. Not sure of your setup, but i am assuming that you just dont want puddles under the oven?

Texman

[johnnybrewmeister]

Re: drain holes in concrete block stand?

I'll try to cover all the comments/questions...
I wasn't planning on drilling holes, but more like small gaps on bottom row in-between 2 blocks per side (perhaps). Maybe a 3/8" gap would allow drainage, and yes avoiding puddling with no airflow is the goal. We don't get much rain, but I can see where hosing off things might end up with some water down under.
I think I get the "air brick" idea now...kind of an extension of my 3/8" gap...I guess I could do this with a half-block, but that might leave big gaps, big enough to allow critters through.
I'm planning on a U-shaped base; switching to something open on both ends might be too radical of a change for me at this point (?).
Thanks for all the ideas.