Loads on a wooden deck

[trolle]

Drawing up initial plans for an oven. It will be incorporated with a free standing wooden deck in the corner of our lot. Have not found any discussion/photos of an oven built on top of a wooden deck. Just wondering about loads and so forth.

I am hesitant to use concrete piling for the deck and considering piers. We do have frost though so I am wondering about the integrity of the oven after a few seasons.

[RandyJ]

What kind of oven are you planning to build , and how are you going to finish the outside? Also how big are you wanting to go? If you are going to build a small prefab oven on a steel stand I think you could probably get by just fine. But I know my oven Is heavy with its enclosur and all I think between 16-20,000 # do they can get heavy fast.

Randy

[R. Barton]

Personally I wouldn't even consider doing this. I believe it could only end in grief. Even if the deck could hold the oven up, if for whatever reason you had to replace any structural timbers, its going to be challenging. I dunno, I just don't thinks its a good idea.

[david s]

It is far safer to build the oven beside the deck.

[RandyJ]

Don't get me wrong I agree with both of you, but if he is going for something that could be light enough to be Mobil then you could probably shift it to do the repairs. I know FB makes some on castor's so you can move them. But yes you are best off having it on the ground. I was just trying to see what the thought process was.

[Toomulla]

After 50 years as a licensed builder, I am of the firm opinion that there is no timber deck suitable to support a WFO constructed of brick or cast. If you want a WFO located within your deck you will have to trim out the area and install footings into the ground below. If you want a pizza oven on the deck buy a small BBQ type that is fully portable.

[david s]

My 21" cast ovens weigh 250 kgs incl supporting slab, (but not the steel stand). which is equivalent to a couple of really fat blokes standing together having a drink on the deck. Provided the stand spans two bearers the safety factor should be plenty, but anything much bigger will be a lot heavier as the maths increases the volume/weight really fast as you get bigger.

[Toomulla]

most timber decks are designed for a live load of 1.5 Kpa or about 150 Kg per sq mtr. that said a permanent fixed load of 250kg will result in long term excessive deflection in the floor, locating the load directly over a bearer that is at the support to the joists will reduce the problem, a point load cause up to twice the deflection of a distributed load., regardless 250 Kg should be considered the maximum