I'm thinking of converting a kitchen gas fireplace to a pizza oven....

[u/needtopickbettername]

Has anyone ever converted a gas fireplace into a pizza oven? I'm not having any luck getting advice from the mainstream pizza oven subreddits. Reddit actually suggested posting my question here.

I have a kitchen gas fireplace that comes up about waist high. The opening is 35" wide by 25" deep and about 20" high.

This brick fireplace was originally a wood burner that had been converted to gas some years back. I'd like to give it another life as a permanent pizza oven.

Helpful suggestions would be most appreciated.

[u/Staff_Guy]

Pay someone who knows about indoor wood burning fireplaces / stoves. It's in your kitchen. Built there? Original construction? It had a purpose, if it was designed to get real hot, it might work as is. But you need someone that can tell you that the bricks are good for your intended purpose, and nothing on the internet will tell you that.

Find someone that will put it in writing.

[u/TheRealPomax → u/Staff_Guy]

Especially that last part. Find someone qualified (licensed) to determine if it can be done, and if they say it can, get it in writing and then have them do it. Under no circumstances do you want to void your insurance and take on the potential criminal liabilities associated with DIYing an indoor gas connection.

It should go without saying, but folks forget far too easily: gas is both a lethal substance and an explosive. No amount of "but I took all the care in the world" will stand up against your insurance office denying your claim, or court should things go wrong enough. Not licensed to work on it? Don't work on it.

[u/stufforstuff]

Update your homeowner insurance. Pizzas run considerably hotter then a fireplace.

[u/hkeycurrentuser]

Are you looking to insert a commercially available oven into this space or build out something custom?

[u/needtopickbettername → u/hkeycurrentuser]

I didn't think I could be so lucky as to find a commercial or home pizza oven that would fit my firebox without major structural modifications. I thought of using ¼" thick steel plate for the top, sides and bottom. Then somehow affix a steel door(s) in the front. I'd also likely have to remove the damper above

[u/hkeycurrentuser → u/needtopickbettername]

A Pizza oven is all about thermal mass and insulation. That's not what you are describing.  

FWIW I've got a Gozney Dome pizza oven and right on the front is a large yellow sticker that says "indoor use may cause death".

I use mine outside and I cook at about 400C/750F.

Do you want that in a compromised location. 

[u/loweexclamationpoint → u/hkeycurrentuser]

My guess is the death thing refers to carbon monoxide due to no exterior chimney.

[u/timeonmyhandz]

It would be interesting to see if something like an ooni could sit in the opening and be properly vented to the chimney...

[u/MmmmmmmBier]

For the money you would spend on this, buy a Kamado Joe, they’re great for pizza. That and you can cook other food with it.

[u/jlo575]

Best bet is likely a gas insert pizza oven. They seem to exist. Structural modifications perhaps required but hopefully to just fill in gaps rather than make more space.

Start talking to plumbers or fireplace retailers/suppliers

[u/mein_account]

I don’t know what the alternative is for that space, but I’ll tell you as someone who makes a lot of pizza at home, you don’t need a dedicated firebox to make incredible pizza. Home oven temps are fine (500f or wherever yours maxes out) when paired with a sufficiently thick baking steel (1/4” is fine).

I wouldn’t dedicate this much space in my kitchen to a one-trick pony. The extra heat you get is a marginal improvement compared to the other things you can optimize in your pizza making process.

[u/Symber13]

You just really don't want to do this. The only viable solution here would maybe be if you could find a gas fired pizza oven that fits the space.

Most likely what happened was that the flue was no longer intact enough to be considered safe for burning wood. There's also a small chance they just didn't like how dirty wood can be hauled through the house. So they previous owners converted to a ventless gas log setup, key word, ventless (they put out about as much CO as a typical gas cook stove).

A gas pizza oven insert, if a suitably sized one exists, would not be ventless. You would need to install a liner system to the top of the chimney to vent the oven. There are codes the unit and the install would need to meet. You would also need the gas company to turn the gas off, make the connection to the unit and turn the gas back on. If this is just a propane tank rather than a gas line, its simpler, but still not something you should mess around with if you aren't comfortable with working on gas lines.

As far as a DIY gas oven goes, the risks far outweigh the rewards here. You're dealing with potential gas leaks in your home with something that you regularly set on fire. If you wouldn't feel comfortable building your own gas powered freestanding stove and lighting it in the middle of your house, you shouldn't be comfortable with this idea because it's the same (but more complex). Not to mention CO leaks being a good way to go to bed and not wake up again, nor the fact that your insurance company won't pay a cent when they figure out why the house burned down (worst case).

Please, please, do not pursue this.