Indoor oven

[PieEyed]

Hey Folks-
I am looking to put an indoor wood fired pizza oven in a new kitchen and am having trouble finding a source of information to complete the task. It looks like I might have found the right place here.
From what I understand, vermiculite granules are a great insulation. I have heard it also may contain asbestos and building an indoor oven, this concerns me. Maybe this is a non-issue but need to ask.
Also, the oven needs a clearance of 3" to a combustible material. Does this mean if I have a 3" fire brick and then a wood stud abutting I will meet code? Or do I need a 3" space between the oven and brick?
Last question, what's the purpose of maintaining the vent pipe to a 30 degree angle? If it's at 35 will this cause problems? I only ask because I may have problems clearing the 2nd floor before it vents out.
Sorry... one more question, if you have already done this project...where the @#$ did you go to learn, cause there's not a lot out there that I can find.

Thanks in advance for any input.
Fire-it-up!

PieEyed

[Xabia Jim]

Welcome PE

Vermiculite could have asbestos because it's a mineral often associated with it. I'd suggest you contact the manufacturer if you're concerned..they would have to disclose this if true. James..., you sell vermiculite don't you, do they post the asbestos content? As a practical point, it would be encapsulated.

And the clearance is from the oven itself, so three inches from the outside of the oven is what I believe they mean. A non contact space! I would not want a stud directly against my oven bricks.

I'll pass on the chimney angle except it you are going to have a longer chimney I think it's less of a problem because you'll have better draft.

Might be no place better to learn than here. Lots of posts....lots of advice.

Hopefully it's easier than you think and results will exceed expectations!

Good Luck
Jim

[dmun]

Originally Posted by PieEyed

From what I understand, vermiculite granules are a great insulation. I have heard it also may contain asbestos and building an indoor oven, this concerns me.

Your vermiculite should be "certified asbestos free" I don't think you can buy any other kind. If in doubt, use perlite, the white stuff, which insulates just as well, and doesn't have any asbestos issues.

Also, the oven needs a clearance of 3" to a combustible material. Does this mean if I have a 3" fire brick and then a wood stud abutting I will meet code? Or do I need a 3" space between the oven and brick?

Your entire oven needs a clearance to combustibles. The external covering needs to be three inches from anything that can burn. This is true all the way up through the roof unless you are using a UL approved appliance that is specifically designed to have lower clearance. The one exception to this in code is for wood fireplace mantle trim, where it needs to be separated from the firebox by 12 solid inches of masonry.

Last question, what's the purpose of maintaining the vent pipe to a 30 degree angle? If it's at 35 will this cause problems?

A thirty degree angle is the maximum that a chimney cleaning brush will turn in. Also, sharp angles are more likely to accumulate creasote build-up.

The purpose of all these regulations is your safety. It's been noted that an oven that uses intermittent high temp fires is much safer than a slow smoldering fireplace or woodstove. This doesn't concern your building inspector. His sole concern in keeping you alive in the worst possible scenerio, a big chimney fire. If you have any questions about code, talk to the inspector. Since he is the one who will approve your project, he'd be the one to advise you about specific codes in your area.

[tschaefges]

We built an indoor oven a year ago. You can see pictures of the construction at

Oven Photo Gallery

We used a Forno Bravo Casa 110. The installation was pretty easy. Our architect spoke with James about it and then designed the oven space. The framing was conventional 2x6's, but the floor was reinforced to support the weight of the floor slab. The inside of the space was lined with concrete board. The size was calculated to give 6" between the outside of the oven with its blanket and the walls at the closest point (near the bottom, on the sides and back). After the oven was installed we covered the oven (filling the inside of the space) with vermiculite to a depth of about 8" over the top of the oven.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Tom