Using Refractory Mortar to skin Vermicrete dome

[mongota]

Something that...wouldn't put out too much smoke given the close proximity of neighbors...

You're probably already doing this, but the best advice I can offer for that is after you cook and the oven has cooled a bit, load your next burn of wood into the oven and put the door on it. Let the residual heat from your recent cook drive the moisture out of the wood. Your next fire can be lit with a single match and it'll be rip-roaring within a couple of minutes. You won't have that smokey smolder that occurs when using wood with an ambient moisture content.

Don't load it when the oven is too hot or you'll open the door to find a pile of hardwood charcoal. lol

[desmodici]

Latest pics. Black soot around the bricks due to burning a couple logs of very sappy pine that were in the last batch of firewood that I bought.

[desmodici]

Thanks. That’s great advice. To your point below I’ve been a little paranoid to do that as I usually go to sleep shortly after our cookouts, so don’t want to risk logs catching fire. Lol

Given the dry climate here in SoCal for the most part the wood is very dry and burns clean. When I get logs that I feel may have some moisture I put them on my built in gas grill for a about 10 mins to dry them out (built in by previous owner and it’s the only use I have for it as I do all my grilling on a PK grill with charcoal). Thankfully the smoke concerns haven’t played out and it’s been burning very clean and smokeless after the first 10 to 15 mins, and within that time it’s minimal smoke.

You're probably already doing this, but the best advice I can offer for that is after you cook and the oven has cooled a bit, load your next burn of wood into the oven and put the door on it. Let the residual heat from your recent cook drive the moisture out of the wood. Your next fire can be lit with a single match and it'll be rip-roaring within a couple of minutes. You won't have that smokey smolder that occurs when using wood with an ambient moisture content.

Don't load it when the oven is too hot or you'll open the door to find a pile of hardwood charcoal. lol

[SableSprings]

Be careful about loading wood to dry in the oven after cookouts. Several folks have lost their metal faced wood doors and the possibility of a backdraft (reducing) fire is potentially dangerous to you. Your oven is going to stay pretty hot for several days after a pizza party. I bake bread on Fridays with the oven ending temps at 450F-500F but don't put any wood in for "extra drying" until Sunday when I'm between 200F-250F. That works great and I just don't see a need to rush it and have a problem with a spontaneous fire . Definitely don't put your wood in without leaving the door open significantly...after all you want to have any moisture you've driven off to exit the chamber. I'm with you as I'd not feel comfortable loading up the oven with wood to dry when I'm not going to be able to monitor it occasionally (instead of catching ZZZZ's ). Just my two cents based on my experiences over the last 9 years operating the Dragonfly Den WFO (and our west coast fire situation this year especially).