I need an outdoor oven. DIY idea

[Gypsi]

My kitchen is too small. The oven heats the house up too much most of the year, most years.
I have shopped camping ovens today via the internet, and they run $150 and up. Outdoor ovens, $2000 and up.

What if I took an old gas oven that didn't work, and retrofitted it with grill burners the right size, so that I could run it on a 20 lb propane tank. I could insulate it, brick it in, most parts are readily available at allpartsgrills.com, including regulators. It's the box, the double steel wall suitable for heating near food box that is the hard to get part.

The trouble I foresee is that the thermostat on a gas oven might be the right size for natural gas, but not propane. There is no natural gas pipeline in my neighborhood, never has been. Is a gas thermostat basically a temperature sensitive solenoid switch? Or does gas pass thru it - I'm thinking it's a switch.

Eventually I want to start generating my own methane, and I gather that the ports for propane gas are a different size than for methane gas.

But I'm not there yet. Will figure that out when I'm there.

Any informed advice or ideas welcome.

Gypsi

 

[MorelCabin]

Can you find an old propane range, and just kind of build a small shelter over it or use it in the garage?

 

[MorelCabin]

Here's a cheap and easy outdoor oven idea

http://consensuslife.com/2011/diy-outdoor-earth-oven/

And for a cooktop you can always do what we do here...a tire rim with an oven rack placed over top...you can make it to match the oven by simply making a mud/cob.cement type ring instead of using a tire rim. make sure there are some holes in the bottom to bring in air from underneath. Attach the oven to the cooktop side by side and it would look really nice!

 

[dragonlaurel]

Love the 2nd oven they showed.

 

[Gypsi]

They are both beautiful! I have stone. I have cinderblock. I don't have brick but could get, I do know how to mix concrete. I don't know how to regulate and test temperature in an earth oven, but after it is built I will figure that out.

Unless a used propane or gas built in turns up before I get time to start. I haven't seen a propane oven in years. For less than $2000 anyway, and I do not have that kind of money. I put an old, small gas oven at the curb 9 years ago... was in the shed when I bought the house, and I needed room for my lawnmower. I may be able to scrounge one on freecycle. seems to me that a thermostat is a temp sensor and a solenoid switch, shouldn't matter what kind of oven as long as it is gas, and that is the one part I can't find.

 

[nmred]

What if I took an old gas oven that didn't work, and retrofitted it with grill burners the right size, so that I could run it on a 20 lb propane tank. I could insulate it, brick it in, most parts are readily available at allpartsgrills.com, including regulators. It's the box, the double steel wall suitable for heating near food box that is the hard to get part.

I don't see why you would need to brick it--it's already insulated. I also don't know why you would want to replace the inner workings with a grill burner. Go to a propane place (where you would buy the tank from and get it filled) and see what it would take to fix it. You might be surprised.

A few years ago we were at our local dump and saw a small apartment sized gas stove that seemed in great shape. We brought it home (even though we aren't really supposed too!) and then to our local propane dealer. He changed the jets from natural gas to propane, cleaned it well and charged us $15.00! It is now in the studio apartment above our garage and works great!

The trouble I foresee is that the thermostat on a gas oven might be the right size for natural gas, but not propane. There is no natural gas pipeline in my neighborhood, never has been. Is a gas thermostat basically a temperature sensitive solenoid switch? Or does gas pass thru it - I'm thinking it's a switch.

As stated above, it's the jets not the thermostat that is different. That being said, you need to make sure that the thermostat is one that doesn't require electricity to run--some do (I speak from experience). Unless you want to run an extension cord or something to it, in which case it doesn't matter. You also can usually adjust the pilot lights on the top burners so that they are off and just light them with a match. This will save about 33% of your propane usage, which will be even more important when you're using a small tank.

If you plan on using it in all weather, put a roof/tarp over it or put it inside a shed or something. People used to call them "summer kitchens." You could probably find a used stove very cheaply on Craigs List or a second hand store.

Good luck. I think this is a great idea!

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I have heard of people scraping BBQ parts to make a oven out of something brick they built in the yard. No particular plan just whatever you want it to be.

http://www.mudgirls.ca/Site/ovens.html is a sight for ideas. Mud built ovens they use cob to heat. Lots of pictures of their builds. YouTube has a few videos of builds too, hubby and I have been looking into doing this next year here. Nothing like wood baked bread.... or pizza.

I like your propane idea though, fast start up and easy. I bet I'd use a propane one more often than wood, but that's just me.

 

[Gypsi]

Thank you for all of the great tips. The importance of an oven has faded for the moment, in view of the economy, the truck situation, and the bills. (Thanksgiving being over has also made it less urgent, I baked at my daughter's.) Personally I would brick it in to make it nice. I watch way too much HGTV, I can do mortar myself, moving heavy stuff around isn't what I choose for fun, (enough 50 lb sand and feed bags already) and my shed space is limited. I need to put it in some kind of structure that is weather proof but doesn't create a fire hazard.

 

[Marianne]

Would a lean to type roof on the side of your shed be enough shelter? Then maybe some lattice on the sides or something to dress it up a bit?

 

[i_am2bz]

I absolutely love the idea of doing this, but I can't wrap my head around doing the dome or arch. One of the pix shows a guy doing the brick arch over a pile of mud or clay, maybe...? I'm wondering if you couldn't use a large tube of some kind (cardboard? wood?) that would then burn away, leaving the brick. (Sorry...stream of consciousness thinking going on here....)