How to minimize smoke on Facade Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss How to minimize smoke on Facade in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; I just started the build of my new oven. Poured the concrete pad this past weekend. Starting to think ahead ...

[tdibratt]

I just started the build of my new oven. Poured the concrete pad this past weekend. Starting to think ahead a bit and have a question regarding the vent area and smoke stack. My last oven show a lot of smoke buildup on the facade. I built it with a angle iron over the entry firebricks providing a lintel. The outer facade is arched and the peak of the arch is higher than the dome entrance lintel. I am wondering if this is why I get smoke that dodes not go up the chimney and exits the front of the oven onto the facade.

Any suggestions?

Thx, Tony.

[christo]

Things I did to try to eliminate it on my oven:

cut corners on the bricks between the dome and the entryway - this makes it easier for the smoke to roll around and up vs continue to travel in the horizontal directions. I also rounded the corners on the bricks that transistioned into my chimney tiles - every where I wanted smoke to route had a transistion cut on it.

I put in a reasonably long and large diameter flue tile - 8x16 to 8x8 transistion plus 3 ft of 8x8 tile. There is a calculator on the site that lets you see how much flow you are likely to encourage - still gathering data but it looks like we have some reasonable guidelines.

I also made my decorative exterior arch about an inch lower than the arch that comprises the vent. With the vent and the rounded transisitons I still had a bit of smoke on the arch - When I put my decorative arch I made it lower so I could install oven lights in the arch and conceal them and the wires. Turns out that was the final thing I needed to stop the smoke.

Good luck

Christo

[dmun]

A taller chimney almost always means better draw. How tall was the chimney on your smoke stained oven?

[tdibratt]

I'd say about 3 1/2 feet tall. I think it was 8 inch flue.

[tdibratt]

Here's the whole oven photo. Actually is mor elike 4 ft to the top of the clay flue pipe.

Thx

[christo]

8x8 tile and over 4 feet of flue - that thing oughta draw well.

Does it smoke out the front with a moderate fire or just big ones?

Christo

[tdibratt]

I'd say any fire. Probably within the first 20-30 mins when the smoke is the heaviest on initial firing.

Thx

[karl]

Hi,

From the photo it looks like the flue void is very narrow (and short). For the smoke to "roll out" there need to be a certain volume around the entrance to the flue channel.

karl

[tdibratt]

What do you mean by "From the photo it looks like the flue void is very narrow (and short). For the smoke to "roll out" there need to be a certain volume around the entrance to the flue channel."?

Thx

[brokencookie]

I think what Karl means is that the transition between the outside and the oven appears to be a little short. It looks like the distance from the oven opening to the outside of the flue is only about 8 to 10 inches. Check out the other ovens on the forum and I think the transitions are between 15 and 20 inches.
There might also be an issue with the ratio of the opening size to the oven size. How big is the chamber in your oven and what are the dimensions of your opening ?
Bruce