Pizza oven fireplace

[Cameroonian Kid]

Hi,

I'm starting to get a bit addicted to all of the information that is being shared on forums such as this...

But I have a question - does anyone have advice for someone who wants a pizza oven, that will also double as a fireplace... Is it doable, or are they too different to do either one well? Are some styles of oven better for this purpose than others?

I think that I will use the oven probably once per fortnight during the winter months, and not at all for 6 months of the year.

Thanks in advance,

The Kid

[JRPizza]

Hey Kid, It depends - do you want a really low oven, or a really high fireplace? Most folks prefer their heating fires low to the ground, or at least much lower than you would want to stoop over an oven for cooking. I can pull coals and fire to the front of my oven and it is a serviceable fireplace, but I would have to put some bar stools or very high chairs around it if I wanted to sit and maximize the visual and heating effect of the fire (it is great to stand in front of on cold days though when cooking). I think this height disparity is why some try to build an "over/under" combination with the oven on top of the fireplace. You can do a forum search to see some of the results. I do know if not done right they can be a disaster!
I do think you might be underestimating how much use you would get out of an oven. I like fire and like to cook, so I have been firing my oven about once a week (minimum of two days cooking every time) since mid Summer. It does not often get unbearably hot here in Seattle, but when It does I'd much rather cook in my outdoor oven than heat the house up. I see you are in Perth - I believe there are quite a few builders in your area and you should see if you could get a "tour' of one of their ovens.

[david s]

I agree with all of the above. We live in the tropics and I was surprised to find that we use the oven quite frequently during summer to cook roasts. While the oven is cooking outside we're comfortable inside with the aircon cranked up.
Regarding the oven as a fireplace, provided you make the entry shallow, widening the oven mouth allows more heat to radiate out the entry. It also makes working the oven easier. We often use our oven as a fireplace in winter just for comfort. The downside is that there is greater heat loss for retained heat cooking, but this can be offset through the use of a well insulated door.

[Cameroonian Kid]

Thanks JR and David.

David, why do you say "provided you make the entry shallow"?

Thanks,

The Kid

[david s]

Because there will be less heat coming out the front with a deep tunnel in front of the fire, especially if it's made of brick (more thermal mass to absorb radiant heat), plus you're further away from the heat source with a deep entry.

[dakzaag]

There is a whole lot more information and conceptual energy to consider here. The first question I would ask is do you want one firebox or two. This is really the determining question as to how you go about making this concept work.