Smoke reducer

[Frances]

This is the very low tech idea I had to reduce the smoke coming out of the front of the oven during fire up... specially for those of us who have higher outer arches.

Because while I don't mind blackened bricks, stains on the mosaic just don't seem like a very good idea.

It should work, I'll take a pic with fire next time I fire it up.

[asudavew]

Re: Smoke reducer

I like it Frances.

I, like you, built my arch higher in the front and I have the same problem.

I've been trying to think of a solution, and it looks like you may have found one.

Let me know how it works!!


Thanks

Dave

[dbhansen]

Re: Smoke reducer

Nice! Can you tell us what you made it out of?

With all these recent door discussions, I think I need about 4 doors:

• A thick, insulated inner door to hold the heat in after the fire is done.

• A thinner door with an air vent, to use during fire-up, placed between the outer arch and chimney.

• A heavy outer door, under the decorative arch, to keep the elements out when the oven is not in use.

• And Frances' smoke shield, to help direct the smoke up the chimney.

Am I missing any?

[Frances]

Re: Smoke reducer

You need decorative door, which you just leave in when you want to impress visitors, but aren't actually going to light the oven. Go on, you have to have one of those!

My smoke reducing door is made of one cut up steel garden post thing, which just happened to have two twirly bits on, and a sheet of aluminium cut to fit the archway.

After cutting the post to size I realised it was going to virtually impossible (for me) to bore holes in it - that thing is hard! - whereas the aluminium is soft as butter. So this is how I fixed it on.

As I said, very low tech, I'm sure most of you would have done a far more sophisticated job. But it doesn't have to hold any weight (for a change) so it should work

[Frances]

Re: Smoke reducer

Used the oven for the first time since making this thing yesterday...

Wow!!

It works really really really well. For any of you wondering if your draw could be improved, this is a very easy way to do it.

Half an hour's work = zero smoke out the front and much faster light up time.

And its nice to be making something that doesn't need to support a ton or survive massive freeze-thaw-heat cycles. It didn't get very hot, and is really quite flimsy, but boy did it do a good job!

[arevalo53anos]

Re: Smoke reducer

Nice, Frances,
That I normally do is to use the normal oven door lean again the outer arch, supported by two lied down fire bricks.
This arrangement left a lower two inches gap to the inner air flux and closes the higher zone of the outer arch, redirecting the air (and smoke) to the chimney.
It works well too.

Luis

[Wiley]

Re: Smoke reducer

Frances that is very similar to the smoke door I built. They sure improve smoke control, you did a nice job on it.

A general observation: I am finding that I have more and more use specific tools, appliances and such like. I have at the moment 4 peels, two rakes, a poker and to be added: swab for holding wet cloth to clean hearth prior to making bread, a log grabber, an ash shovel, etc. Now add several doors and my mind hollers: "Whoa!"

What I need is a "Swiss Army Knife" sort of a tool for working the oven and a similar thing for the door. What I have is a simple (as in no moving parts) WFO and a collection of tools to work it that's beginning to rival a mechanics tool box (yet isn't as compact). I have a sign that hangs in my shop, a single word yet done in several typefaces....SIMPLIFY! At the moment I don't seem to be heeding that admonition.

Wiley

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Smoke reducer

Heh, Heh.... She said "Twirly Bits".

[Frances]

Re: Smoke reducer

Sure, you can never have too many twirly bits...

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Smoke reducer

Nice Frances, I'd missed that....

I'm planning to extend my chimney for better draft, but I could even hang a smoke shield from the front of my oven since it's square framed with angle iron...maybe on a hinge even.

[arevalo53anos]

Re: Smoke reducer

The trick that I use to use to reduce smoke is to put the oven door in front of the landing area (meaning just in the main entrance, not in the oven one), sustained by a couple of refractary bricks on her side, maintaining the lower edge of the door four inches over the landing floor.
This arrangement assures the entrance of fresh air underneath of the door and exit the hot gases by the chimney, closing the smoke re-flux by the top of the oven main entry.
Once the path of gases is created with the fresh air entering low and the hot chimney exhausting them, the door could be retired without worries about smoking.
I think that some pictures were posted times ago.
And you do not need to build nothing (even the Frances solution being very elegant and beautiful)

Luis

[gjbingham]

Re: Smoke reducer

I found, a long time ago, that if I took my door and tipped it inwards at the top, (outwards at the bottom) that I had no smoke out the front at all. The down-side is that you have to remove it and replace it every time you add wood. Caution - I stepped on the iron plate of my door while it was removed and sitting on the patio (me - barefoot) last summer, while making pizza. I had a nasty blister on my heel for nearly a month that hobbled me terribly - I mean really, really terribly. Always wear shoes around the oven when baking! Stepping on really hot things barefoot is always funny for the guests, something similar to a old-time hot-foot, match between the toes surprise. Not so funny for the stepper. Good luck finding an ice bucket big enough to get your foot into.

Anyways, I'm starting to like my smoke-tinged bricks. I use the door only for bread baking and cooking meats these days. Otherwise, it's out of the way and nowhere near underfoot.

Did I mention the cut I got off the metal toothed cutting edge for an aluminum foil roll recently? Ten days of bleeding and pain so far. I think I need work gloves to cook safely. .......What, no sympathy?

[Frances]

Re: Smoke reducer

And the winner of the Dave Awards this month is.... gjbingham!!!

Congratulations on participating in two of the most painful and in retrospect unnecessary WFO related accidents, keep up the good work.

Seriously though, that's a good point, wear shoes while baking pizzas. There could also be coals on the floor or whatever. And I hope your cut heals up soon!

[gjbingham]

Re: Smoke reducer

Thanks Frances. That injury was mid-summer. No bare-footin' these days. That one did hurt though. I should post a few pics of the night the deep fat fryer splashed 375 degree oil all over my bare chest. That was another good yuk.

Someday, none of the pain will matter. In the mean time, I'm trying to get my smoke to go counter-clockwise inside the dome. While it won't drain the bath any faster, I think it will cut down on my smoke out the front.

How often does the Earth switch poles and roll over anyways?

[Jeanne]

Re: Smoke reducer

Frances,

How can I build this. I think it could work I'll try anthing. If I do not use the exhaust fan smoke come back in the house when the fire gets large. I need the large fire in order to get the dome white as you must know.

Jeanne