Wind???

[Thats Hot]

Good day all,

I was reading over the plans for building our new oven and it mentioned wind

Wind, we have the largest grouping of wind generators in the USA, we have sailboats! Our trees only get three feet tall (just kidding) but we do have wind.

What is to much wind? If so how do I hide my oven from wind tastefully? I am open to all ideas and pic's will help a lot. Thank you in advance.

Mark

[Les]

Re: Wind???

Mark,

I have wind stories as well. I just lost 16 foot of fence from the last "event". Ours comes predominately from the west. I placed the opening NE so I could view the fire from the back door. When it really blows, it will pull smoke out of the opening. If I had placed the opening facing due east, I think it would have helped a bit. Not much you can do when it gets to 80+ mph except building the oven inside an enclosure.

[Thats Hot]

Re: Wind???

Thanks Les,

Yes you folks do have the W word out there! I am looking to place the opening in a happy medium with a view towards the house and staying out of trouble with the wind. Is there an MPH guide that let's you know yes or no? Thanks for your help.

Mark

[Les]

Re: Wind???

Is there an MPH guide that let's you know yes or no?

Not that I'm aware of. I've lost fence, a tree, and many shingles - not one brick has blown off.

[Mike D]

Re: Wind???

I think Les has it right, it's more about orientation of the opening. If you know how the wind comes into your yard or where you are going to put your oven, don't put the put the opening right into the wind.

Mike

[RTflorida]

Re: Wind???

Living about 6 miles from the gulf, the sea breeze is typically from the west (about 8 months of the year). Summer months the eastern sea breeze dominates. The perfect placement for access and keeping an eye on fires from the house meant the opening facing S/SE. Also made sense cosidering the sea breezes.......well, seems like EVERY time I fire my oven it is just before or just after a "front" has passed and the wind is coming from the south. Add into the equation my house, neighbors house, pool screen enclosure, palm trees, oak tree and the wind seems to swirl around my oven on the best of days.
Bottom line, make yourself a door (preferably insulated) that can stand on its own, that you can use as a wind block in front of your oven; works great on those windy days. Then you can use it for retaining the heat afterwards or for baking/roasting.

RT

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Re: Wind???

our winds in N. Texas are hard from the south or hard from the north. I have the back of the oven facing northwest, opening southeast. this is so i can see inside the oven from the patio, and also our house blocks some of the prevailing south wind. haven't had a problem.

i was concerned during curing when the fires were small and smoky. a lot of smoke came out and swirled about the front.

but when you're up to full temp, there's no smoke anyway only perhaps a few ashes blowing around inside - but I haven't really even seen much of that.

[Neil2]

Re: Wind???

You can place a short section of solid 6 foot fencing as wind break.

[Lburou]

Dealing with hostile winds

I posted a similar question early after arriving here on fornobravo.com. Have seen similar questions several times. There is no cut and dried formula....Its trial and error and hind sight

Many times (as it was in our case) there are no real good alternatives to placement of the oven and oven landing.

The best advice from my thread was from RTflorida and Karangi Dude:

I just use one of my doors....

....I guess what I am saying, in MOST (not all) areas, it does not make sense to alter you plans based on prevailing winds because of all of the weather variances. Build an insulated door and use it whenever you need a windscreen...it works

RT

.....snip..... So perhaps you can use an outside portable screen for those very windy days and limit the landing depth. I hope this is not to late to help.
Regards Doug

Threads about doors:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f9/glass-door-view-5169.html

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/oven-door-6581.html#post54043

....snip..... The glass door remains my favorite project and probably most functional "tool" for the oven. If interested and need more detail on plans give a holler.

Jim

....snip....I'm pleased with my diamond plate outer door...after I get the fire lit, I put the door over the opening and the fires roars with no smoke out the front.

Below is a pic of my long gone inner door and my outer door (also, now have a stainless deck instead of firebrick sticking out the front).

I believe using the door to ameliorate the affects of the wind is our best bet

[Les]

Re: Wind???

I just thought of the ultimate solution - build your oven on a lazy Susan. Then you just spin it away from the prevailing wind.

[Mike D]

Re: Wind???

I really like that idea, that's what I will do on my next oven.

Mike

[azpizzanut]

Re: Wind???

Hi All,

Golly, I must be a "fair weather cook" since I don't fire up the oven when it gets windy. Really windy days are unpleasant since it is dusty here in the desert and sand gets lifted from the ground by gusts and has been known to pit windows and paint on autos. I know it stings bare skin. Now that is some wind !!

Cheers,

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Wind???

Bob,

I don't blame you for taking a break in the wind. I've been caught in a wind storm before and it is not easy to see or breathe, much less eat or cook. Cooking in those conditions would certainly redefine the terms dirty steak or ground beef!

John

[RTflorida]

Re: Wind???

Maybe we should clarify windy. In my case, breezy is more appropriate. Maybe 12-20 mph nearly every nice day. Windy would be the word on those days just before or after a weather front comes through 25-40 mph. In either case, it is too much swirling in my oven and the big fires just don't burn right, so I position my door according to which side of the oven is not burning well.

RT

[Thats Hot]

Re: Wind???

Thank you all very much,

It appears that I really don't have much of a problem at all, some of you have overcome a lot more problems than I may ever see.

On with the build, to hell with the wind! When I pick where to place the opening will be mother nature will blow accordingly!

Now to go get a camera?