WFO location as to wind

[tphiel]

I'm in initial planning stage.We have prevailing winds from the SW. Build unit into winds?? Also I notice soot build up above the WFO door (opening) in many pic's I've looked at. Caused by poor flue location/size??
Hopefully I get started early Summer.

[SableSprings]

Welcome to the forum! Normally you do NOT want wind blowing into the oven opening. My advice is to orient the oven so it opens to the NE. You may also think about the smoke path from the chimney...neighbors? If the wind will be blowing towards your entertaining or living areas, a taller chimney may be in order to keep the smoke up a bit higher. As to smoke stains at the oven opening, almost all ovens will smoke a little bit initially. The air "trapped" in the flue needs to warm slightly so it rises and draws from the base collection area just above the oven opening. When the flue is properly sized and incorporates a collection area (imagine an upside down funnel feeding into the flue), the smoke staining is minimized. A handy tip when starting up an oven is to light a loose roll of paper and hold it at the flue base to start the upward air flow...a pine cone works well for this also .

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions...lots of help and advice from the forum is available.