Authentic Pizza Ovens Stainless Chimney Cap

Description

The Authentic Pizza Ovens chimney cap does two jobs, one in each direction. Downward, it keeps rain out of the flue, which on a brick oven means keeping water out of the dome, the refractory floor, and the damper. Upward, its mesh spark screen keeps embers in, so the glowing flake that lifts off a fresh split of oak stays in the pipe instead of landing on a patio roof, a pergola, or the neighbor's shingles. It is a stainless cone on a stainless collar, 5.5 inches to match the oven's spout and the extension pipe, and it slips onto either one with no hardware.

APO ships its ovens without a cap on the spout, and an uncapped brick oven in a summer of thunderstorms takes on more water than most owners expect. Wet refractory does not cook well, and a wet floor fired hard can crack. This pizza oven chimney cap is the piece that stops that, and it is the one accessory we would not run any APO dome without, roofed or not. It is sold on its own here; the 12 inch and 38 inch chimney extension is on its own page, and either length takes this cap on top.

The screen matters as much as the cone once the oven lives near anything that can burn. Wood fired ovens throw sparks when a split collapses or when the door comes off a hot fire, and a screen is the difference between an ember that dies in the pipe and one that rides the draft out into the air. Ready.gov lists a screened chimney as a basic ember defense for any wood burning appliance, and a covered patio is exactly where that advice applies.

The cap ships free with an oven on the same order. On its own it is a 5 pound parcel at the standard rate, no freight and no liftgate. It fits every Authentic Pizza Ovens model on the brand's list, direct on the spout or on top of any stack of extension pipe.

The rest of this page covers rain and the dome, sparks and the roof, how the cap seats, the fit list by oven, care, and buying it from Crustify.

Rain and the Dome

A brick oven is a mass of refractory brick and mortar wrapped in insulation, and it works because that mass is dry. Water that runs down an open flue lands on the floor tiles and soaks into the mortar at the back of the dome, and it does two things you will notice. The first is a slow start: a wet oven spends its first hour boiling water out of the brick instead of climbing to pizza heat. The second is worse: steam trapped in a saturated floor tile under a fast fire can lift the glaze or crack the tile, and a cracked floor is a repair, not a wipe down.

A pizza oven rain cap stops that at the top of the stack. The cone throws rain clear of the pipe, the screen below it lets the flue breathe, and the collar seals to the pipe well enough that wind driven rain does not find its way in. On the oven above, in an open outdoor kitchen with no roof, the cap is the only thing between an afternoon storm and the inside of the dome.

The cap stays on the stack in every season the oven is out. When the oven cover goes on, the pipe and cap lift off together and go under the cover or into the wood store, and the cover drops over the bare spout. That is the only time the cap comes off.

Sparks and the Roof

The oven above is a Pizzaioli Premium under a covered porch, with the 12 inch extension and the cap on it, and that is the setup where the spark screen does its work. A wood fire throws embers every time a split burns through and collapses, and a big draft carries them up the pipe. Without a screen they leave the top of the stack still glowing. With the screen they hit the mesh, lose the draft, and drop back or burn out in the cap. Under a porch roof, near a fence, under trees, or anywhere a dry lawn sits downwind, that is the difference the cap makes.

The screen is fine enough to catch an ember and open enough that a hot fire pulls through it without noticing. What it will not do is work through a season of ash. A screen furred with grey fuzz is a screen that is throttling the draw, and it brushes clean in a minute with the cap off. Check it whenever you clean the oven, and always after a run of low, smoky fires.

The cone also breaks a downdraft. Wind that hits the top of an open pipe at the wrong angle pushes back down the flue and puts smoke out the door; the cone turns that wind sideways so the outlet keeps pulling. On a covered patio, where wind eddies under the roof, that is worth as much as the screen.

How It Seats

The pizza oven chimney cap's collar is the same 5.5 inch slip fit as the extension pipe. It drops over the oven's factory spout, or over the top of a 12 inch or 38 inch extension, and sits on the crimp. No screws, no sealant, no gasket, no tools. It weighs about 5 pounds, which is enough to hold it in a breeze, and in a windy spot one stainless self tapping screw through the collar into the pipe is cheap insurance that most owners never need.

On an oven in the open, the cap goes straight on the spout or on the 12 inch; on an oven under a cover, it goes on the 38 inch. Whatever the stack, the pizza oven chimney cap is the last piece, and it is the piece that sets the finished height, so add about 3 inches for it when you measure a pipe length to clear a beam.

Which Ovens It Fits

Authentic Pizza Ovens lists this chimney cap for pizza oven use on every oven they make. The brick domes share one spout, and the cap seats on it the same way on each of them, with or without an extension between.

If you have an APO oven that is not on the list, or a brick oven from another maker with a 5.5 inch spout, contact us with a photo of the top of the oven and a tape across the spout, and we will tell you straight whether this cap will seat on it.

Care

The collar of a stainless steel chimney cap runs hot and turns straw and blue after the first few fires; the cone stays bright longer because it sits above the heat. Both settle to a dull grey over a season. That is heat tint, it is cosmetic, and it is not rust. A stainless cleaner and a soft cloth on a cold cap will lift most of it if you want the polish; a wire brush or steel wool will scratch it and leave carbon steel behind that will rust, so never use either.

Brush the screen on any wood fired oven chimney cap once or twice a season, and after any run of smoky fires, with the cap off and a stiff nylon brush. Look inside the collar while it is off; a cap that has sat through a season of low fires collects the same soft brown film the pipe does, and it wipes out with a rag. The cap and pipe come off together before the oven cover goes on, every time.

Buying the Chimney Cap From Crustify

Order the pizza oven chimney cap on the same order as the oven and it ships free with it from the brand's Texas warehouse, in the crate or alongside it. Ordered on its own, it is a 5 pound parcel at the standard shipping rate from the same warehouse: no liftgate fee, no freight. APO stocks the cap year round, and if it is ever between batches we will tell you the honest date before your card is charged rather than after.

The cap is covered by APO's accessory warranty against defects in the cone, screen, and collar; heat tint on the stainless is normal and not a defect. Unused caps can be returned within 14 days, with return postage paid by the buyer.

With the cap in the cart, the chimney extension is the other half of the stack for any oven under a cover, in 12 inch and 38 inch lengths on one page. Everything else for the brick domes and the Maximus is in our pizza oven accessories collection, and every oven this cap fits is on the Authentic Pizza Ovens brand page. Chat and email go straight to the owner and are usually answered the same day.

Best way to buy: add this to your pizza oven order. Orders over $750 ship free.

KEY FEATURES

• Authentic Pizza Ovens chimney cap, the stainless steel chimney cap made for APO's 5.5 inch spout and extension pipe
• Stainless cone throws rain clear of the flue and keeps water out of the dome, the floor tiles, and the damper
• Mesh spark screen keeps embers in the pipe, for covered patios, pergolas, trees, fences, and dry lawns downwind
• Cone breaks downdrafts so the outlet keeps pulling in wind under a roof
• 5.5 inch slip fit collar seats direct on the oven spout or on top of any 12 inch or 38 inch extension, stacked or single
• Fits every Authentic Pizza Ovens model on the brand's list: Lisboa, Pizzaioli, Ventura, Buena Ventura, Lume Alto, Builders Custom, and the Maximus ovens
• No screws, sealant, or tools; lifts off with the pipe in seconds before the oven cover goes on
• Screen brushes clean in a minute; heat tint on the collar is normal and cleans back with a stainless cleaner
• About 5 lb; ships free with an oven order, standard parcel rate on its own
• Cap only; the extension pipe is on its own page. Made for Authentic Pizza Ovens in Portugal

SPECIFICATIONS

The cap: stainless cone, mesh spark screen, and a 5.5 inch slip fit collar with a crimp that seats on the pipe. Handmade in Portugal, so expect small variations.

INSTALLATION GUIDE & USER MANUAL

Before you start. The oven should be set on its base and cold. If you are fitting an extension, fit it first and check it is plumb; the cap is always the last piece on the stack.

Fitting. Hold the cap by the cone with the collar down. Lower the collar over the top of the spout or the pipe until it seats on the crimp; it should drop the last half inch under its own weight. Turn it a quarter turn to be sure it is seated all the way round. That is the whole job.

Windy sites. Drive one stainless self tapping screw through the collar into the pipe from the side. Not needed on most patios, cheap insurance on a rooftop or an open hillside.

Running the oven. Nothing changes at the door. Light as usual with the damper open. If the oven starts smoking out the door on a day it never used to, check the screen for ash before you check anything else.

Care. Lift the cap and pipe off before the cover goes on. Once or twice a season, and after any run of smoky fires, brush the screen with a stiff nylon brush and wipe inside the collar. Clean the outside with a stainless cleaner on a cold cap if you want the polish back.

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Term. Authentic Pizza Ovens covers the chimney cap against defects in the cone, screen, and collar under its accessory warranty, from the date of delivery, to the original purchaser.

Exclusions. Heat tint and discoloration of the stainless steel are normal and not defects. Damage from wire brushes or steel wool, from forcing the collar onto a spout it does not fit, from connecting the stack to any other flue, or from misuse is excluded.

Claims. Contact us first with photos and your order number and we handle the claim with APO on your behalf. Shipping damage is separate: note it on the delivery receipt or report it within five days for concealed damage.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FAQ'S

Your Questions Answered Before You Buy

These are the questions we get most often about the Authentic Pizza Ovens chimney cap, answered straight. If yours is not here, chat or email goes to the owner and you will usually hear back the same day.