New guy with smoke and heat question...

[NYC]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

Update: a week ago a local fireplace expert came by. He took measurements and calculated things. Today he called me and said he would like to remove the entire flue, enlarge the opening to accommodate an 8" steel flue and install a damper system to allow control of the draft. He also wants to cut a sliding door into the steel door for the front to allow for the door to be placed on and control the air flow in. He said with controlling the air in and out I will be able to tweak it for proper drafting and retain heat as needed.

Thoughts?

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

The concept of controlling draft in and out of a WFO is intriguing. It's easy to do when controlling heat and smoke levels in an offset smoker, but it (a damper system) seems almost non-existent with WFO's. Wonder why?

[david s]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

A number of members have created draft doors for their ovens, but if you have an adequate flue it is not necessary. My first oven had a flue in the centre of the dome and I had an adjustable damper on the top that I could open, choke or fully close for baking and roasting. It worked pretty well. With the flue at the front, which is independent from the oven, it doesn't seem necessary to toy around with adjustable dampers, but you can.

[brickie in oz]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

but it (a damper system) seems almost non-existent with WFO's. Wonder why?

Im sure I posted this earlier?
I have a flue damper and it works just fine.

A number of members have created draft doors for their ovens, but if you have an adequate flue it is not necessary.

I built my draft door to increase the intensity of the initial fire to give it more oomphhhhhh, and my flue is more than adequate, nothing like playing with the oven.

[NYC]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

So keeping the existing oven with a wider flue that has a controllable damper would solve my smoke issue and allow me to retain enough heat? I want to be sure before spending so much on the modification. Please advise.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

I hate to say it but I still think the under insulation is going to be a really big issue.

If there is no insulation under the hearth or in the dome, it is going to be hard to retain heat and hard to get up to pizza temps...

That is going to cause you to burn more, making the vent design that much more important...

[NYC]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

The floor is a 4" firebrick sitting on top of a 3" refractory concrete base so 7" of high heat masonry on the floor. Dome is 3" thick refractory and "2 natural stone with high heat mortar. Inside stays very hot for several hours after the fire is out.

[lwood]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

Neither of the other responses had their flue/damper coming out of the center of the dome. My concern is retaining enough heat to get to pizza temp.

[brickie in oz]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

The floor is a 4" firebrick sitting on top of a 3" refractory concrete base so 7" of high heat masonry on the floor. Dome is 3" thick refractory and "2 natural stone with high heat mortar. Inside stays very hot for several hours after the fire is out.

So there is no insulation at all for the oven either under or over?

It should stay hot for days, not hours once the fire is out.

Youve been sold a dud, Id be looking for a refund.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

Before you invest more money and time attempting to remedy a poor flue design, please look at the dimensions of your oven floor. I may be wrong here, but the Stoneage Mfg website lists the firebrick floor dimensions on the Amerigo Pizza Oven as 48"W x 42"D. With the advertised 3" walls all around, the inside oven dimensions would prove to be 42"W x 36"D. Ovens that are wider than they are deep do not draw worth a damn, which would be consistent with your complaint. This is why barrel vaults are aptly named and why oblong or teardrop-shaped ovens are always deeper than they are wide.
To my knowledge, there are no proven plans that call for oven dimensions like yours.
I believe this contributes heavily to your problem and increasing the flue diameter (and wood requirements) may be throwing good money after bad.

[lwood]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

No insulation? I don't think it's worth putting any more money into. You need insulation to capture the heat. Otherwise, your just contributing to global warming. Your trying to heat up everything, the concrete slab, base, everything. You cannot do it. Assuming you can solve the smoke issue.

This so called fireplace expert, does he know anything about ovens? He will probably solve the smoke issue, but knows nothing about operating the oven at 800F. The mere fact that he has offered to try to fix it, tells me he knows nothing about ovens. If he knew anything about ovens, his first question should have been..... where's the insulation? To offer to try to fix that is either uninformed or just trying to make a $$.

Of course this is all in my very humble opinion. The no insulation was the deal breaker.

[NYC]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

As a worse case scenario, if I decide to remove the oven and have a Pompeii style built, where would I get the plans to give my mason?

[brickie in oz]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

You can download the for free here

eBooks & CD ROMs :: Forno Bravo Store

.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

As a worse case scenario, if I decide to remove the oven and have a Pompeii style built, where would I get the plans to give my mason?

Electing to remedy your situation with a Pompeii oven is not a worse case scenario, IMHO. I would call it a best case scenario.

[lwood]

Re: New guy with smoke and heat question...

If you can, buy a FB oven and it's basically all done for you. You already have the stand.