Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

[calicooker]

Hi everybody,
Well I'm new here and looking to see if anyone has seen a WFO built over a wood burning outdoor fireplace. I've started on the fireplace foundation and and have laid the block for the fireplace and niches to just up over the fireplace opening. Now here's where it gets interesting, or crazy as my friends tell me. Over the fireplace opening I'd like to build a WFO. As you can imagine this presents a few challenges. Such as the flue for the fireplace as the WFO will be directly above it.
Being an engineer, this challenge is something I must take on and complete.
I'll post pics as soon as Ii figure that part out but in the meantime if anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

[oventhusiast]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

I guess it could be done if the fireplace wasn't too big and the flue went behind the oven?

[Tscarborough]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

You won't be able to use both at the same time, so why bother? Either design it to be both but either/or, or move the oven to the side and simplify your life.

[oventhusiast]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Yea, you would have to make pizzas first, then light a fire to sit around afterwards. But unless it's a space issue, Id have to agree with Tscarborough and Not stack them!

[dmun]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

The principal difficulty is that the flue for the fireplace should be where your oven entry is. They can't share a flue: the airflow just doesn't work, and if you try you are going to end up with a smoky mess.

There's also the point that cooking and sitting around the fire are quite different activities. Consider having the fireplace face a different direction than the oven, and place your seating area separate from your cooking area. My oven incorporates a fireplace, and they are 180 degrees apart. This makes for some awkward flue tilting, but it works.

[eprante]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

How about something along the design idea of a white oven, ie the heat from the fireplace is used to heat the oven and the smoke is diverted away. I don't know exactly how white ovens work but that is where I would start if this were my plan.
Eric

[efleifel]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Hello eprante,

Looking at your icon(avatar), it looks like it is an igloo oven. do you have any pictures or album I can look at?. I am building my second oven, and this time I would like to build an igloo shape.
My Web site

salute

[turkey]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

its not so crazy, a member here has done it twice that I know of, once for a show and once for a customer, both are in the gallery

PhotoPlog - Finished Ovens

i believe he has the fireplace venting into the oven but has a choke on it so can be closed when the oven is used, as mentioned using them are often two different activities so the trade off may never hinder either ?

or run the flue for the fire over the oven in an arc kind of like the ovens the masonary heaters do where the chimney is in at the top of the dome, that way you can have both flues together but not shared (but could be encapsulated so they look as one tho)

[david s]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

I've recently seen a number of ovens in Europe that shared a fireplace. They were all simply sitting in the fireplace, which in most cases was pretty big.Because we were hit with a cyclone our power has been off for four days so I can't access a photo. This post comes courtesy of McD's WiFi

[lwood]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Hope all is well david, know all about typhoons here in the Philippines.

[david s]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Yes, our power came on late this afternoon. We've been without it for four days. our benevolent Australian govt. is giving every adult $1000 if their power has been off for more than 48 Hrs. You should see the line up outside the bottle (liquor) shops. Here is a pic of an oven in a fireplace at Chinon castle in France.

[david s]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Here is another oven that shares a fireplace. This one is in Tuscany in a 500 Year old villa. One big advantage is that you don't have an entry that you have to reach past to access the oven interior.

[horrocks007]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

I like the idea of having a small fireplace built into the WFO. I can see some advantages from a culinary perspective. You could burn wood and feed the oven coals to create smoky flavors while slow roasting at lower temperatures. Of course you don't need the fireplace to be attached the the WFO, but still would be cool.

[david s]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

Another advantage of having the oven in the fireplace is that you don't have that space restriction of the entry to have to work past. If I lived in a cold climate, I'd build one like this so I could have it indoors.

[buckeyebreadman]

Re: Crazy guy wants to build a WFO over outdoor fireplace

I'm currently building this Exact same design.....a wood burning stove directly under the oven. There is an inner door at the dome and an outer door approx. 11 inches out on the landing to close off the smoke/heat coming from the fireplace below.....

I'm researching how to utilize it as a smoker and or white oven as well as the traditional WFO...

If I could figure out how to post pics I'd show you......still working on that.....