TODAY is the DAY to perform my 1st cleaning of the interior of the oven.

[ogopogodude]

... thanks guys. I thought that shop vac'ing the inside of the dome would be kinda idiotic.

[Chach]

Yeah I totally agree. I use my oven brush which has a metal scraper on the back side pretty much the same as Russell's garden hoe to bring the ash forward and i have a cheap fireplace shovel from Menards cost like $6 to shovel it into a bucket. No vacuum needed.

[UtahBeehiver]

I just use a cheap metal garden hoe to pull the ash to the front to a dust pan the throw in my compost or garbage. I do not vacuum the floor surface. When I fire the next fime I blow the surface ash off with a 3/8" metal tube, some builders flap the floor with their peels, the ash flows out the chimney just before the pizza is loaded.

[ogopogodude]

Well, . after having a few more than a dozen firings (including about 4 -5 firings to "cure" the masonry of a new oven) it is now time to clean the oven of the ash & remnants at the back & side of the dome's interior. I must say, .. there isn't much to clean, as the oven gets seemingly so hot it incinerates everything to smitherings.

My Q to other oven owners is this: is it a waste of time, energy and money to buy and use a shop vac? For one, ... I would think that the hose wouldn't be long enough. And, for two, .. this may turn into a ash cloud scenario.

I would love to hire some neighbourhood boy who is small enough to climb a good distance in to clean it and pay him big bucks. And, my last Q is how often should one clean one's oven?