We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

[dmun]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Hey, if the thing was made to move, why not just move it off the patio on to some temporary footings? After you use it a few times, you are going to want to have even a short chimney to keep the smoke out of your face while you cook pizza. Happily, you already have the entry side walls in place to build it up from.

Thanks for the nice comments on the Geodesic. I have a whole bunch of photos about finishing the project that I should put up one of these days. I'm finally putting the ceder shingles on the second story exterior this fall.

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

I just went outside and surveyed the fiberglass panels covering the patio.

If you look here, you can see that the framework might allow for a panel to be cut out (upon moving) and replaced with something similar. There is a lot of areas that the panels have broken off so this isn't necessarily a high-end backyard covering. (I am still talking him into staying with the ship!)



I guess it might take buttering up the landlord...

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

dmun, we would love to move it off the patio but the cart is not able to support it. Another prob is that we have a shared walkway and we'd have to (if able) move it into that area. Neighbor on one side is a nosey woman who enjoys complaining about things. (guess we should have thought about her when we got on this ride!)

[dmun]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Part of my job is working with machine tools, and I have moved them around successfully. You can rent a lever dolly, sometimes called a "Johnson bar" which is a big pry bar with wheels at the bend. You lift up one side of the assembly with the lever, and slide lengths of 3/4 black gas pipe from HD under the base. It's pretty easy to move even extremely heavy things on a level surface with this method. You use three lengths in succession. When one pipe rolls out the back, you switch it around to the front. You use the Johnson bar to steer the thing, as well as lift it up and down. This is pretty much how they moved the blocks for the pyramids.

The folks who do this for a living, riggers, have a saying: "Gravity always wins." Be careful.

[egalecki]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Wow, what a nice looking job! I'm with Dmun on this one. You already have the entry walls there for a chimney! When I started my oven, I was most worried about constructing the vent and chimney- and you know, it wasn't that bad. If you've already done such a nice job on the rest, you can do a vent and chimney.

You will still get a little smoke out the front right at the beginning of a fire, but after that, it's all out the top of the chimney, not in your face! And less for the neighbor to worry over!

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Wow, what a nice looking job! I'm with Dmun on this one. You already have the entry walls there for a chimney! When I started my oven, I was most worried about constructing the vent and chimney- and you know, it wasn't that bad. If you've already done such a nice job on the rest, you can do a vent and chimney.

You will still get a little smoke out the front right at the beginning of a fire, but after that, it's all out the top of the chimney, not in your face! And less for the neighbor to worry over!

Thanks Elizabeth!

Off to research adding a chimney after-the-fact.

[jengineer]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

dmun, we would love to move it off the patio but the cart is not able to support it. Another prob is that we have a shared walkway and we'd have to (if able) move it into that area. Neighbor on one side is a nosey woman who enjoys complaining about things. (guess we should have thought about her when we got on this ride!)

You bribe nosey neighbours with food
You have enough room to build that arch and vent in the front
Pay heed to Dmun he has knowledge about code due to his building mods on his home/business workshop.
Those fiberglass panels become very brittle with age be careful tinkering with them. We had them in Colorado and one year the hail punched nice holes in it.

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

I would love to bribe this neighbor with food but I don't know for sure what witches like to eat.

Ok, got that off my chest. Now I found these panels online.

Sequentia Products || Structoply Strong, Rigid Laminated Fiberglass Composite Panels

and I'm wondering if we could remove the entire orig panel and put aside for the day we move... Using the new panel we purchase to put the hole for the chimney? eh?

[james]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

You can definitely retrofit a chimney. You need a vent of some form to catch smoke and hot air, and to get hot and create a draw, then a safe chimney to get up through your ceiling. You could do it with brick, metal or a cast piece. You could even cast the vent out of concrete and support it with brick.

We have made modifications to rental houses in the past -- and put everything back together before we checked out. It can be done.

What would folks recommend for the chimney? What about stovepipe -- you would have to leave serious setbacks through the ceiling, as it will be really hot.
James

[egalecki]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

I would love to bribe this neighbor with food but I don't know for sure what witches like to eat.

Snort.

I think the idea's good to take off a panel and keep it to replace later. You might be able to get an Ondura panel at your local Lowe's- look for the corrugated roofing. We have it here, and they sell a translucent variety.

I think I'd go with the insulated stove pipe to be safe. I can touch mine when the oven's roaring.

[christo]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

i've seen some posts here that talk about utilising a sheet metal vent. Looks like you could get one bent up and fitted for vent pipe fairly easily. here is one I recall - but it still needed a panel welded across the front.



Too bad you don't live closer to NissanNeill - with his sheet metal skillz - he could hook you up!!!

This one appears to have a metal vent as well:



I think you can make a brick or metal vent and angle the vent pipe (doublewall) back out of the patio.

If you remove a panel - the safest place to store it may be on the roof itself. I had one of those get very brittle on me as well.

I think I had heard someone saying that olive wood has more natural oil in it than other wood - but that is second hand info... but I have to believe that if you are firing up the oven in an enclosed patio and no chimney - any fuel will fill the area with smoke.

Christo

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Thanks Christo. With the olive wood having more oil, this might make sense that his first curing fires did not smoke heavily like the last one with olive wood did.

I found this:

[jengineer]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

As a past renter I tried to be a good tenant. Thus If I was renting and the panels looked a bit shabby let the owner know that you are going to replace the whole thing this way he gets an update/upgrade withou $$ coming from his pocket. Also let him know that you have a bbq but you are going to vent it though an openeing. Also let him know when you leave that you already have a panel stashed in the garage to replace the one that has a hole for the vent/pipe... If you get the landlord on your side then you have an advocate when the nosey neighbour complains to the landlord. Worked for me.

Where you located in LB? I work near the Long Beach Aeroport

[james]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Once the oven is cured and just a little wispy smoke is going up a chimney, I think the neighbors will stop caring.

Your oven will put out a lot less smoke once is it cured and your wood ages a little more.
James

[mattieandG]

Re: We need help; new WFO, smoke and troubles

Part of my job is working with machine tools, and I have moved them around successfully. You can rent a lever dolly, sometimes called a "Johnson bar" which is a big pry bar with wheels at the bend. You lift up one side of the assembly with the lever, and slide lengths of 3/4 black gas pipe from HD under the base. It's pretty easy to move even extremely heavy things on a level surface with this method.

Thanks for this info!! We were just looking at these, really opens up the possibilities of moving this adorable beast to a better spot. NEATO!!