Cob Oven Question

[MoonRiver]

I have a question for those of you who have built a stove or oven with cob.

Cob Oven



I would like to build an oven that would also have a bench that extends into my greenhouse. Fire outside, heat inside. Is there anyway to do this? The only way I can see it might work is if the oven is only about a foot off the ground, otherwise I would be trying to exhaust downhill.

That gave me an idea. Could I make the fire pit near ground level and still have the oven at 4'? Something where I could route the heat either to the oven or the the bench?

[geo in mi]

A cob oven is built for the purpose of cooking by way of the thick materials absorbing the fire's heat, then transferring it to your food. You might be able to use the oven afterwards by using a fan to pick up the residual heat and blowing it into the building. Or you might build it into an alcove with a diverter from outside for cooking, to inside for heating..... But it seems that, unless you use the cob oven a lot, it would more practical to build a stand-alone heater for your building?

geo

[MoonRiver]

Originally Posted by geo in mi

But it seems that, unless you use the cob oven a lot, it would more practical to build a stand-alone heater for your building?

geo

Of course it would. But where's the challenge in that?

[StL.Ed]

Look at designs for rocket mass heaters. Have the cob oven near the rocket stove portion and run the bench portion through your greenhouse. Seems at least feasible to me.