WFO as outdoor fireplace ?

[uk_exile]

Ok, so we’ve decided we’d like a WFO for pizza and afterwards for some other cooking when it’s just family use. However when we have guests over, and the expectation is a WFO will make that happen more, it will also be an outdoor fireplace giving some heat during the evening. How much heat do they radiate out front? The dome design seems to about retaining heat, efficiency of cooking etc and limiting loss out front. Am I ill-founded thinking a WFO will give some warmth to the area we’re planning?

Summer days are sometimes into high 20’s DegC, mid 30’s occasionally however average summer air high temp is 22DegC, average minimum overnight 12DegC and being beside sea with large inland plain there tends to be a cool sea breeze most afternoons and evenings. Most summer evenings would be low-mid teens.
More temp info, charts (DegC & DegF) at
Christchurch Climate, Temperature, Average Weather History, Rainfall/ Precipitation, Sunshine

Currently have a gas patio heater on the deck but being open to the breeze it’s not particularly effective. Hence planning a breeze blocking walled area built with concrete block to retain sun’s heat (we get nice clear sunny days, avg 1990 hrs sun/yr). Hope is the WFO will add some extra comfort to belly and body for longer evening’s outside.

If there’s not much heat radiated would a deflector in oven help ? If done for evening cooking and just wanting area heating perhaps bring embers forward and insert a metal deflector mid way across oven to project more heat forwards ?

[Neil2]

You will get some heat from them.

Generally they are not effective space heaters primarily due to the height that they have to be built. If built with a hearth level too low they are a pain in the back (literally) to operate.