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Indoor and Outdoor Entrances to 42" Pompeii Oven build

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  • Indoor and Outdoor Entrances to 42" Pompeii Oven build

    Hi all, I live in Western Pennsylvania and I have been using a DIY backyard pizza oven for about 4 years which has fueled the desire to build a bigger better one. My first one was a great learning project and has a small opening and cooking area. Our friends and neighbors have all loved our pizza parties and I have served up to 30 pizzas in an afternoon in it. But I have a stronger desire for options like more space, longer heat retention and using it from inside our house in the winter and outside the house in the summer. I have been inspired to design and build one with an entrance in the wall of our house and an entrance from the back deck area. I found support for this idea on this forum which apparently turned out well for Mr. Allen.

    https://community.fornobravo.com/for...h-two-openings

    I have done several calculations and sketches and felt like I needed to 3D model it to get a good idea of if it should work. I will post a bunch of pictures from the model as well as the following video showing the angles of the model with various pieces removed. This is a Pompeii oven with a 42 inch floor, 24 inch interior height to the dome, and 16 inch high by 23 inch wide entrances. I plan to have heavy steel doors to put in each opening which will be insulated on the interior. I know there will be heat loss in the entrances but I believe I will end up keeping the interior one closed off during the summer and vice versa during the winter. But it would also be nice to be able to start the fires mostly from the outside entrance to keep down the level of smoke and dirt in the house.

    3D Model video
    https://youtu.be/iiHfFiIdGak

    Following the Pompeii oven plans that have been so graciously shared along with so many great posts, I will pour 4-5 inch thick base next to the house on top of gravel covered in plastic. The dimensions will be 80 x 80 inches for the base with 5 layers of cinderblock and a 4 inch slab on top. Then I will add the Perlite or Vermiculite layer with my Firebrick floor set into it. I realize that there are certain details that I will have to figure out such as properly designing the entrance to the house and the materials that will be used to protect the house as well the finished look of the overall exterior. The model does not show the mortar on the dome but I am guessing you can visualize it. I want to have 1 chimney which would sit on top of a finished dome plus a layer of insulation. The chimney openings inside of both entrances would feed up to the main chimney on top. The chimney will have to be fairly tall to be higher than my 2nd story roof. I plan to frame the oven with metal studs and concrete board as you can see in the model and then fill with loose perlite or vermiculite. I may not have designed this correctly but the model turned out how I had it in my head. I believe I am going to have to buy 277 Firebricks (or more with the + 10% guide). Thankfully I found a local business that has them in ready supply so I don't plan to buy them all at once.

    My wife is on board with the idea but wants me to at least hire a consultant to go over my plans and assess putting this against the house. I am thankful that it is winter and I have to stew over my plans for a while before I can start anything. If anyone has any thoughts or input then I would be grateful! If I am able to go ahead with this then I will post progress pictures and plan to record videos along the way in case someone else wants to make one like it. I appreciate the collaboration and sharing of knowledge that has gotten me this far.

    - Will

  • #2
    Will, that's quite an endeavor! It'll be interesting to follow your build - welcome to the forum.
    My build thread
    https://community.fornobravo.com/for...h-corner-build

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    • #3
      Thanks! A few more photos of the design...

      Comment


      • #4
        Welcome to the forum Will! This will be a fun build to watch. One thing you want to plan into your design is an air intake for the inside house side of the oven. When you're actively firing, the chamber needs a good airflow and will be pulling from any and all cracks & crevices around your windows & doors (or doggie doors ). You would be wise to plan a vent to feed the fire's combustion needs without pulling all your house's warm or cool air into the oven & out the chimney system. Also, you'll want to make that incoming vent something that can be screened off to keep unwanted critters from exploring and something that can be blocked effectively when the oven is not in use. Don't forget that you will have an occasional cinder or coal pop out onto your kitchen floor...

        Looking forward to your design progress and decisions on making this project an innovative and successful build.
        Mike Stansbury - The Traveling Loafer
        Roseburg, Oregon

        FB Forum: The Dragonfly Den build thread
        Available only if you're logged in = FB Photo Albums-Select media tab on profile
        Blog: http://thetravelingloafer.blogspot.com/

        Comment


        • #5
          Thank you for the feedback Mike and I will do some research and planning on the vent. Your Dragonfly Den build looks very well done and I enjoyed reading through it this morning! We have a pavilion off our back porch that I put my first small WFO beside. After seeing your den, I could see that we are lacking the pavilion being closer to the house and not being closed off to pests. I think this is why I really want the new build to be more versatile.

          Comment


          • #6
            Will, this is quite a complex project and will be interesting to see your project evolve. Couple issues to look at. The placement of the inner arch appears to be a little to far in, especially if you are doing tapered inner arches. the inside of the arch brick should intersect the inner dome radius. I am a little concerned about the orientation of the outer arch bricks being laid vertical, This reduces the wall strength and with a partial arch vs a full arch, there is quite a bit of outward force at the arch and vertical wall joint. You may need to buttress the vertical wall or lay the bricks flat or both especially since you have designed a large and heavy clay chimney. Min 6" of 5 to 1 p or vcrete under oven floor.
            Last edited by UtahBeehiver; 01-30-2021, 10:33 AM.
            Russell
            Google Photo Album [https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...JneXVXc3hVNHd3/]

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            • #7
              Thank you Russell! I am completely open to changing the design of the entrances and arches. I mostly mocked up the 3D model to get a visual, roughly figure out my Firebrick count and make sure that the layout of the multiple entrance design wasn't blatantly a bad idea. You suggestions make sense and I realize that I need to do more research on laying the brick. I thought I was at a good enough point in my research and designing to post this but likely I need to work through more reading. I often DIY projects by figuring out as I go so I have been struggling with not moving forward with the project before making sure that I have a well thought out design ready. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

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              • #8
                Very cunning design. One of your doors, at least, or both, would need a sealable door. I look forward to seeing your completed project.
                My 42" build: https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ld-new-zealand
                My oven drawings: My oven drawings - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

                Comment


                • #9
                  This seems like a very interesting idea. Have you gotten started on it yet? I will have to see how this all goes together.

                  Randy

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                  • #10
                    Hi Randy, I have not started on it yet. I was hoping to this summer but my wife was not on board with it yet. We are re-designing the interior space where the opening would be and she said that once that was finished and I had some help from a contractor then she would be okay with it. I will definitely post an update when anything is starting.

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                    • #11
                      This is very interesting and will be fun to watch how it comes together. I'd think you'd have a *lot* of heat loss to deal with with two doors. Did you give any thought to mounting a round one door oven on a big turntable?
                      My build thread: https://tinyurl.com/y8bx7hbd

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I had not considered that, no. I'm not sure I can envision that one =) But interesting idea. I had considered the heat loss with the 2 doors and my plan is to fabricate an insulated steel door that would be right up against the opening to the dome. Then I would plan to more or less seal off the one door depending on the season by putting in the steel door, some other kind of insulation in the doorway and another covering at the actual entrance. I just looked through your build thread and wanted to say it looks great!

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