How to Enclose and Protect Your Outdoor Oven
Winter is finally here and, for many parts of the country, that means colder temperatures and inclement weather. Though a hot pizza oven and a bubbling, warm pie sound pretty good year-round, you’re probably not going to be throwing a lot of backyard parties or spending time on the outdoor patio this winter.
Whether you’re only looking at your pizza oven from the window or you’re braving the temps to go outside, it’s still a good idea to keep it protected.
Thankfully, you can enclose your outdoor pizza oven and keep it safe all winter long with just a few simple steps. When you do, you’ll be able to enjoy delicious backyard pizza again by the time spring rolls around!
What Is the Point of a Pizza Oven Shelter?
Even if you plan to use your oven in the winter, building or buying some kind of shelter for it is crucial. Enclosing your oven protects it from moisture (snow/rain) that could eventually deteriorate it.
A cover will also help to shield the insulation materials of your oven, so, aside from adjusting the temperatures to combat the cold (when in use), you won’t lose any real heat from the oven itself.
To Build or to Buy
At Fontana Forni, we do offer a single-chamber and dual-chamber oven cover design to withstand the elements and keep your oven looking great and performing even better. Our covers feature a proprietary ventilation system that keeps moisture from getting in. Our premium covers also prevent condensation from forming inside the cover so your oven will always stay nice and dry.
Of course, there are other covers on the market for pizza ovens as well, but you should make sure that the cover you choose is weatherproof and won’t allow any moisture to get to your oven.
If you’re more of a DIYer, you can choose to build a shelter that surrounds your oven. Some people build large structures around the oven itself to protect it from things like wind damage. The most important thing, though, is protecting your oven from moisture. When it rains or snows in the winter and your oven isn’t fully covered and dry, you could eventually start to experience deterioration problems.
Keeping the Interior Dry
When we’re talking about moisture intrusion, we don’t just mean the exterior of the oven. It’s equally important to keep the interior dry, so do what you can to keep snow and ice from seeping into it!
One extra way you can keep the interior dry is to make sure the door is tightly closed across the opening, and that the chimney is sealed to keep moisture from coming in. Some folks will even remove the chimney and place a large floor tile or place over the chimney opening just for extra measure.
Why so much fuss about keeping moisture out of the interior? If it does get inside, it could potentially crack the stones the next time you fire up your oven. Excessive moisture absorption in the brick can cause the stones to crack specifically when the stones are heated up rapidly. Broken stones can still be used to cook on, but it does make working the dough in and out of the oven more difficult.
If you want to learn more about how to enclose your pizza oven this winter and protect it from the elements, contact us or browse our website/products for more information.
