 Re: Do I Need A Chimney?
That sideview of the segment is interesting. It shows that, on the good side, it has lots of insulating concrete. Pumice, btw, is a perfectly good insulator for ovens. Not so good is that there is only about half an inch of, what?, refractory concrete on the inside. Masonry ovens work by absorbing heat and reflecting it back on the food, I think you would have something that would have so little masonry in the dome that it would not retain enough heat to cook the top of your pizza, let enough to do retained heat baking once the fire is out of the dome. By comparison ordinary pre-fab ovens have about two inches of masonry, our hand built pompeii ovens about four inches.
About the chimney: You don't absolutely need one, but you are going to want one. The most work of starting the fire is just when smoke is pouring out of the opening. Do you want that in your face? As a bonus, a chimney increases the air flow through your oven, and makes it easier, faster, and less smokey to start a fire.
I would absolutely not buy this oven until I'd talked to someone who had used one on a regular basis. Better still would be to go start a fire and cook in one. I don't think you would want to be the guinea pig on this project, particularly if it involves pulling a thousand UK pounds out of your pocket.  |