Stones added to metal decks

[creampuff]

Does anyone have a metal deck oven that they have added stones to? I am wondering if this works, what the pros/cons are if it can be done. Or, if it’s just not a good idea. Looking for a 2 deck used gas oven, found some within my price range, but, they are steel and I want stone, so I wonder if I can add the stones to it.

 

[NicksPizza]

It is my limited, yet informed, advice that if you are considering adding them to used Blodgett 981 or other non-pizza ovens, you will be unsatisfied. Stones can improve the heat retention of steel decks to a limited degree, but cannot make this oven a pizza oven.

 

[creampuff]

Nick - U R a lifesaver! Ok, I have a very limited budget, but, I know an oven is pretty much my bread and butter. My pie is scratch NY style. I’m a Jersey girl in NW Arkansas and a very small town at that. I feel I have come up with a dough ( only took me 4 years of eating AR cardboard) that is close to what I grew up on back east. I want to be able to bake it to come out like back east too. Right now until we get the shop open, I am still baking 1 at a time in my gas oven at home that only gets to 450 degrees. I acutally heat my stone up on the grill and it take me 2 hours to crank out 10 pies. I’m not kidding when I saying I am putting everything we have into this place. Sink or swim…or end up in a pizza box. We need a gas pizza deck oven, so, would you buy used if you only had about 4k at best to spend on it, or would you lease an oven, and what would you get. Thanks Nick.

BTW - Finally over that nasty feak’n flu bug…Geeze

Andrea

Here is the ebay # for the oven I was looking add to buy and add stones 200171548370

 

[NicksPizza]

I am in favor of used gas ovens. Their are durable, and the working parts are simple enough to replace if needed.

I would want George Mills to look at what you are4 considering, but they look all the world like a stacked unit with a Blodgett 981 on top of a 961. Neither one is exactly a true pizza oven. If I am right, you will get okay performance, but will tend to slow down in peak hours. Hard to recover the heat from open/close/open/close. The 961 is powered with 37K btu . . . the 961P has 50K btu for its one deck. The 981 has 50K for two decks.

I am njot the guy to recommend ovens since my research is limited, and I am not certain what I am stepping up to. Figure out your peak hour and figure out the capacity per hour of you intended oven. they need to meet up.

 

[George_Mills]

Hi Cream puff:

What is the make and model of the ovens you are considering?

Adding stones to a steel deck oven that does not have a lot of BTU is not a good move. In fact buying a deck oven that does not have 120,000 BTU is not a good move. A lot of heat is required to keep production times from falling during the busy hours.

George Mills

 

[creampuff]

George Mills:

Hi Cream puff:

What is the make and model of the ovens you are considering?

Adding stones to a steel deck oven that does not have a lot of BTU is not a good move. In fact buying a deck oven that does not have 120,000 BTU is not a good move. A lot of heat is required to keep production times from falling during the busy hours.

George Mills

Many Thanks to Both of you guys for your concern and help here

George…This is what I am looking at and the email I recieved from the seller

Dear harleyred94,

Andrea, Deck is 42" x 32" so 4 16" pies at a time. The mesh shelf is great for starting sheet pizzas on or veggies since they take more time. You can start them on the mesh and finish them off on the stone, of for heating up subs. All parts that where replaced with new. The cover plate is off top because I have theristate replaced with a 650 degree thermistate. You do not need to get a cover. Cover oping for valve was inlarged to accomidate valve. The only thing you will need to get running is connecting to the gas. Oh Stone Lite, is a brand of stone used for these ovens, it is very durable. Natural stone for these decks are $585 per shelf so I leave the metal decks and use a 1/2" stone lite that is desihned for cooking on. It is a product used world wide for covering metal deck ovens. The first time you use the stones they will need to be season just like the natural stone only they never usualy crack like natural stone. Bottom line these ovens will last you 20 to 25 years if you run mthem right and keep burning chambers clean. After you get these if there is any additional equipment you need send me a list. I have 50,000 sqft warehouse of equipment. Talk soon, Rick

• richardpaul60 Did this answer your question? If not, let the seller know.

Item and user details
Item Title: Blodgett Gas Pizza Baking Double Ovens
Item Number: 200171548370
Item URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … 0171548370

I’m at work…my office job, so I will check back…Thanks so very much

 

[George_Mills]

Hi Cream puff:

If those were pizza ovens they would have been model 911 P or 961 P I think they were bake ovens. The maximum BTU in put could be as low as 37000 BTU or at best 50000 BTU . Just changing the thermostat to one that reads up to 650 degrees does not make the oven capable of holding that temperature.

I fear that on a busy night you would not be able to keep up with orders

You should be looking for Baker pride 452 double stack pizza ovens.

Just my opinion. George Mills

 

[creampuff]

George Mills:

Hi Cream puff:

If those were pizza ovens they would have been model 911 P or 961 P I think they were bake ovens. The maximum BTU in put could be as low as 37000 BTU or at best 50000 BTU . Just changing the thermostat to one that reads up to 650 degrees does not make the oven capable of holding that temperature.

I fear that on a busy night you would not be able to keep up with orders

You should be looking for Baker pride 452 double stack pizza ovens.

Just my opinion. George Mills

And I value your opinion…Quick Thank you…catch up later

 

[NicksPizza]

Got confirmation from seller of that oven auction that I was right:

Many people refer the 5’ ovens as 960’s. you are right it is a set made up of 981 and 961. The differance is both have thermistates upgraded to 650 degrees. Most of our customers want the higher temps for pizza. "

I concur that the thermostat upgrade is ‘nice’ as mine has that . . . but does nothing for the actual power of the oven to stay hot. I can bake six 16" pies in my 981 with the two decks. Now, when I get a 24 pie order, it takes longer and longer for each group of pies to bake, especially if the ingredients are cold. Not enough muscle in the burner to keep the oven in peak heat. Contstantly spending heat to heat up the oven and ingredients rahter than cooking them quickly.

 

[pizzeriatime]

I’m glad this topic came up. We recently purchased a second store and the ovens do not have stone decks, just a metal surface right over the gas flame. We were looking at adding stones, have gotten a quote, but now I’m wondering if they will even help. Do some ovens have a metal surface that you place the stones on? The metal wraps up the side a little and there metal bracket looking pieces that look like they were designed to hold something (like a stone) in place. They are Vulcan ovens, 3 stacked. Unfortunately, there is no model number or information on the ovens I can find. I want to make sure this is designed to have a stone, and not just a baking oven being used as a pizza oven. In the other ovens we have, the stones are directly over the flame.

Any ideas? Or do we just start saving for new ovens down the road lol.

Karen

 

[creampuff]

George Mills:

Hi Cream puff:

If those were pizza ovens they would have been model 911 P or 961 P I think they were bake ovens. The maximum BTU in put could be as low as 37000 BTU or at best 50000 BTU . Just changing the thermostat to one that reads up to 650 degrees does not make the oven capable of holding that temperature.

I fear that on a busy night you would not be able to keep up with orders

You should be looking for Baker pride 452 double stack pizza ovens.

Just my opinion. George Mills

Hi George - Could you take a look at Item number: 230222084822 on ebay and tell me what you think of it?
Andrea