Question regarding height of dome

[joegeds]

Hello to all!!! This is my first post to this forum and I am excited to begin constructing my pizza oven sometime soon. I have been going back and forth regarding which design I should choose: The barrel design, or the Pompeii (dome) design. Having read many of the posts and pics of guys using the "indispensible tool" to build the perfect dome, I notice that the height of the dome seems a bit high to me. It seems like there is a lot of wasted space where much of the heat would collect. Does anyone have any kind of research into the performance of the Pompeii with different heights? I'm thinking that if a do decide on the Pompeii, I would not have the first and/or second course at 90-degree angles to the floor - I would start with the first course already beveled in towards the center. this would reduce the height of the dome considerably. I guess I just need to know if a lower height would be beneficial or detrimental. Any help??? thanks!!!

[Greenman]

Welcome. Constructing an oven is an exciting project and I found it most rewarding. My only advice is not to overthink the thing with regard to the basic design. It has passed the test of time and the shape of the dome and the height of the door etc is important. That is what makes it function as it does. You can flatten the dome and still get good performance but speaking from my own personal experience I am happy with the hemisphere I constructed, it works a treat and I would not consider the top of it a 'waste of space'.

The whole thing operates as an integrated unit, the plan is tried and tested and personally I would use my creative juices to plan the area, the finish and the details that make it 'your' oven.

I hope your build goes well and you will find good advice from those who learned from experience here.

[DavidApp]

Hello Joegeds

The flatter dome is more difficult to construct and requires more buttressing to prevent it from collapsing as I understand from my reading of this forum and other places.
The hemispherical dome makes it more useful for cooking things other than Pizza.

It is a great project to take on and you will find that you can cook just about anything in it.

David