Ash dump

[Glosta]

Hello, I am new to the site & I am in the process of constructing the oven base. Is there a reason why none of the oven designs have an ASH DUMP to facilitate cleaning? While building any sort to wood fired oven, pompei or barrel shape it would seem a rather simple process to provide a shute in either the floor or rear wall to facilitate ash removal. The hole could blocked by firebrick during the heating. Glosta

[Archena]

Others have tried ash dumps although usually in the front. Most seem to have found it more hassle than it was worth. I plan to try it (someday when I finally build!).

[blacknoir]

I just scoop and dump into a small metal garbage can I keep nearby. It's so easy that anything else at this point seems pretty unnecessary.

[Les]

Originally Posted by blacknoir

. It's so easy that anything else at this point seems pretty unnecessary.

Agreed - I don't think its worth the hassle of building it into your oven. I built this and it works just fine. I just pour the ash into a pail.

Les...

[100million]

hey Les Build me one

I need that for my oven

[Glosta]

Thank you for the feed back. I built a fireplace with an ash dump that is rarely used because it is only 20 inches deep and easy to shovel out. But you can also liberally postpone the cleanout without jeopardizing supper. Thx Glosta.

[Eric Pfeifer]

My first design on paper for my indoor oven included an ash door in the floor, but as I got close to that part of the build, I realized it was an engineering hassle, because the door would have to include both the refractory mass as well as insulation. As my oven is small (36 inches diameter), I found that using a shop vac was a much more elegant solution, although not nearly as cool perhaps.

[Neil2]

I built an ash dump into my 40 inch pompeii.

I consists of a 1 inch wide slot between the hearth bricks and the polished concrete counter. It runs the width of the opening and opens up to a 4 inch diameter hole in the suspended slab.

It eases cleaning out the ash, does not interfere in any way with the working of the oven peel and provides a thermal break between the hearth bricks and the counter.

[GianniFocaccia]

I like the concept of the thermal break since I tend to lean on horizontal surfaces and counters approximately the height of a bar...

[Archena]

Shop vacs are cool.