Smoke reducer Design Styles, Chimneys and Finish Discuss Smoke reducer in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; This is the very low tech idea I had to reduce the smoke coming out of the front of the ...

[Frances]

This is the very low tech idea I had to reduce the smoke coming out of the front of the oven during fire up... specially for those of us who have higher outer arches.

Because while I don't mind blackened bricks, stains on the mosaic just don't seem like a very good idea.

It should work, I'll take a pic with fire next time I fire it up.

[asudavew]

I like it Frances.

I, like you, built my arch higher in the front and I have the same problem.

I've been trying to think of a solution, and it looks like you may have found one.

Let me know how it works!!


Thanks

Dave

[dbhansen]

Nice! Can you tell us what you made it out of?

With all these recent door discussions, I think I need about 4 doors:

• A thick, insulated inner door to hold the heat in after the fire is done.

• A thinner door with an air vent, to use during fire-up, placed between the outer arch and chimney.

• A heavy outer door, under the decorative arch, to keep the elements out when the oven is not in use.

• And Frances' smoke shield, to help direct the smoke up the chimney.

Am I missing any?

[Frances]

You need decorative door, which you just leave in when you want to impress visitors, but aren't actually going to light the oven. Go on, you have to have one of those!

My smoke reducing door is made of one cut up steel garden post thing, which just happened to have two twirly bits on, and a sheet of aluminium cut to fit the archway.

After cutting the post to size I realised it was going to virtually impossible (for me) to bore holes in it - that thing is hard! - whereas the aluminium is soft as butter. So this is how I fixed it on.

As I said, very low tech, I'm sure most of you would have done a far more sophisticated job. But it doesn't have to hold any weight (for a change) so it should work

[Frances]

Used the oven for the first time since making this thing yesterday...

Wow!!

It works really really really well. For any of you wondering if your draw could be improved, this is a very easy way to do it.

Half an hour's work = zero smoke out the front and much faster light up time.

And its nice to be making something that doesn't need to support a ton or survive massive freeze-thaw-heat cycles. It didn't get very hot, and is really quite flimsy, but boy did it do a good job!

[arevalo53anos]

Nice, Frances,
That I normally do is to use the normal oven door lean again the outer arch, supported by two lied down fire bricks.
This arrangement left a lower two inches gap to the inner air flux and closes the higher zone of the outer arch, redirecting the air (and smoke) to the chimney.
It works well too.

Luis

[Wiley]

Frances that is very similar to the smoke door I built. They sure improve smoke control, you did a nice job on it.

A general observation: I am finding that I have more and more use specific tools, appliances and such like. I have at the moment 4 peels, two rakes, a poker and to be added: swab for holding wet cloth to clean hearth prior to making bread, a log grabber, an ash shovel, etc. Now add several doors and my mind hollers: "Whoa!"

What I need is a "Swiss Army Knife" sort of a tool for working the oven and a similar thing for the door. What I have is a simple (as in no moving parts) WFO and a collection of tools to work it that's beginning to rival a mechanics tool box (yet isn't as compact). I have a sign that hangs in my shop, a single word yet done in several typefaces....SIMPLIFY! At the moment I don't seem to be heeding that admonition.

Wiley

[PizzaPolice]

Heh, Heh.... She said "Twirly Bits".

[Frances]

Sure, you can never have too many twirly bits...

[Xabia Jim]

Nice Frances, I'd missed that....

I'm planning to extend my chimney for better draft, but I could even hang a smoke shield from the front of my oven since it's square framed with angle iron...maybe on a hinge even.