Wind, Rain and Weather When Picking a Spot

Wind changes how an oven burns and where the smoke goes. Check it before you settle on a spot, not after the first cook.

What wind does

One guide says wind can also disrupt a gas flame, cool the oven exterior unevenly, or carry smoke into a dining area.¹

A maker puts the fix in one line: position the oven so the opening faces away from prevailing winds, to avoid flare-ups and uneven heating.² Prevailing wind just means the direction the wind usually blows from at your place.

Look at the yard first

Spend some time in the yard at the hour you'd normally cook. One guide suggests watching where smoke from a grill, fire pit or smoker usually travels.¹

It also says to check whether the area becomes a wind tunnel between a wall and a fence.¹ Gaps like that can speed up a breeze that feels mild elsewhere.

Then think about what's in line with the opening. The same guide says to keep the opening and exhaust away from the house, doors, windows, seating and dry vegetation.¹

Rain and roofs

Rain makes people want a roof. Be careful here. One maker says enclosed or low-clearance patios can trap heat and smoke, which is a fire risk.²

Open air is the rule for these ovens. Enclosed spaces also carry a carbon monoxide danger. If you want cover from rain, read Outdoors Only: Why Garages and Covered Patios Are Risky first. On a wet or very windy day, the careful choice is to cook another day.

On a windy day

For wind direction, the maker's line above applies: the opening faces away from prevailing winds.²

Fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association say never to leave your grill unattended.³ They were written with grills in mind. Your oven's manual is the place to check what it says about leaving a lit fire.

If gusts make the flame hard to predict, stop and wait. You can't fix a wind problem with a bigger fire.

What to do

• Watch the yard for a while before choosing a spot.
• Face the opening away from the usual wind.
• Keep the opening and exhaust pointed away from doors, windows, seating and dry plants.
• Don't move the oven under a roof to dodge the weather. Postpone the cook.
• Follow your manual if it says something different.

Gaps around the oven are explained in the page on clearances, and a steady base is covered in the levelling page.

Your manual may add its own limits for wind or weather. If it does, those come first. Not sure what it says? Ask the maker before you light the oven in a breeze.