Black smoke... Firing Your Oven Discuss Black smoke... in the Oven Management forums; I am using my brick oven for a year now. Being a scout for over 30 years now I have ...

[cckarman]

I am using my brick oven for a year now. Being a scout for over 30 years now I have the feeling that I am really capable of making a good fire. However, still at each reloading with 1 or many logs; after a few minutes a thick, black, smoke arises from my chimney. The smoke slowly dissapears after a minute or 5; to return at the next reloading.

This clearly indicates incomplete combustion, but I am not so sure what to do about it. Should I change chimney or oven-opening sizes?

Some pictures added below to give you a feeling of my oven.

Cheers,
Chris

[PerryPizza]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum, what kind of wood are you using?

[Neil2]

It culd be the crosote burning off. Look inside before you start and you will see that the bricks are blackened. You know when you have reached high temperatures when all the black gets burned off leaving a "white" oven (actually brick coloured).

[charlesaf3]

my first thought was "what wood"

second is, are you putting a door in front of the fire before its complete burned down? That would also result in incomplete combustion.

Or maybe not enough insulation or thermal mass?