Brick Ovens as Heat Source

For years people have asked me if the brick oven could double as a heat source for their home.  Having built a brick oven in my conservatory, I set out to explore that possibility.

The results point to 'yes'.

Here's what I've done:

After a period of baking, perhaps beginning with roasting and ending with moderate oven temperatures (400F), I insure that the coals have burned down or have been removed.   The mass of the oven holds the temperature.  Because indoor ovens have dampers in the flue, closing the flue and leaving the door off of the oven results in the accumulated heat being vented into the room space.  This continues anywhere from 12 hours to 30 hours depending on the indoor temperature.

If you bake in your oven every other day, then you will get a minimum of 24 hours of surplus heat from the mass of the oven for use in heating the interior of your home.

side vent for minimal heat 

Other options for venting heat are minimal and I do not recommend coiling copper around the top of the dome (as some have suggested).  The oven functions as an oven; THEN the oven functions as a heat storage source; two separate time frames.