MAM 505 convert from wood to gas with Avanzini Drago

[Fourlix]

Avanzini Drago...Seems they do this in Italy all the time.  Convert from wood to natural gas with this double barrel shotgun like gas burner that goes underneath the oven, with full electronic controls.  I am looking to improve consistency, avoid burning pizzas, gain floor space, get rid of the soot.  Forno Bravo uses this burner in one of their wood/gas ovens. I am buying it directly from Italy. With shipping it will cost about $1,500. It will fit right into the 6" hole in the very back of the oven floor. It is a very professional set up, fully listed in Europe, and meets the manufacturer's specifications for the gas version of the MAM oven.        What do you think? 

[shuboyje]

If you are using gas in a wood fired oven that is the burner to have.  That said I would not expect to improve your product by switching to gas, I would expect the opposite effect.

[Fourlix]

I did it!  It is fantastic!  The flames from the Avanzini Drago leap out like a Dragon's flame.  The flames lick the ceiling all the way to the opening, about 5 feet!  Floor temps are way more consistent.  Instead of an intense heat from a wood fire that burns the edges, the heat radiates down from the ceiling........This is so great!    Wood fire in a commercial restaurant?  What was I thinking? 

[scott123]

So, if I'm hearing you correctly, it's not as much lateral heat as wood, but more top heat, with more consistent hearth temps.  Is this a correct assessment?

Have you taken temperature readings of the dome and floor after the burner has been on for a while?

Is this in production use? And, if so, have you gotten any gas bills yet?

Lastly, as a point of reference, what bake times were/are you working at?

[Fourlix]

We have used a laser thermometer to measure floor temperatures in this oven from day one.  This oven is about 5 feet in diameter inside.  With the wood fire, temps would be hottest next to the fire, decreasing quickly the farther away you got.  We always used fire bricks to "corral" the fire and try to reduce some of the lateral heat that would burn the pizza edges.  We might hit 625 degrees F  6" from the bricks, and drop to 425 near the door.  Now, with the thermostat set at 190 degrees Centigrade, and the primary burner turned down so the temp stays at 185 C to 200 C with it on constantly (for both heat and light)  Floor temps will run 575 F near the flame, pretty consistent straight through right up to the door, with a drop of 100 degrees F to the left or right. The second burner, the "booster"  which is used to bring the temp up quickly, has a timer which we have not yet mastered, but we think we can use it to bring the heat even more to the front as we are cooking.  The primary burner flame is about 2 feet long, the secondary booster flame is about 5 feet long, spreads out about 3 feet wide and pretty much covers the ceiling right up to the oven door.  We may turn the primary burner down even more, and use the booster as much as we can.  The booster is configured with a push button timer that can be programmed by the minute, so we will be playing with that to figure out the best way of doing this with the most even heat.
Overall it is remarkable how well the heat distributes with just one double burner 

[Chicago Bob]

Fourlix,

What sort of gas bills are you experiencing now....cost vs wood?  Thank you!

Bob

[Fourlix]

I just got my first gas bill...Last month was $168, This month $188.  Natural gas.  $20 Bucks?  That's it?
wow.  I talked to the gas company, they said the bills go out right after the meter is read.  We have had the Drago for a little over a month.   With wood fired we would have some sort of "train wreck" in pizza land twice a week.  "In the weeds".  people waiting 45 minutes for a pizza with a rail full of tickets. Pizzas burnt on top, undercooked on the bottom. Customers complaining of soot on the bottom of their pizzas. ALL GONE>>>>>>
 We have had only one incident where the guys got behind in this entire month.  I have also reduced the number of employees from 3 to 2, except for Friday night where we still use 3.  The pizzas look more golden brown with a little charring.  Where the wood fire would radiate laterally from the fire, the long flame of the Drago wraps itself against the ceiling and radiates down on to the floor.  The pizzas are coming out with very well done bottom crusts.  We do have to be carefull when cooking a lot of pizzas to let the floor temp recover, hit the booster with no pizzas in the oven to reheat the floor. 

[widespreadpizza]

Fourlix,  in my experience they do not always read the meter.  Does it say estimated?  or actual.  This happens to me all the time at my store.  When seasons change it becomes obvious.  Just curious.  Glad your oven is working well.  But this should not become an argument for wood ovens suck and are hard to deal with.  -marc

[Fourlix]

      I posted this information for anyone that was interested in it, not to convince you to convert your backyard ovens to gas. This is relevant information for someone in the pizza business, and this is my opinion as far as its commercial use.  After a month I can re-affirm my opinion that gas is the only way to go in a commercial operation, and that the Avanzini burner is an incredible product and I think it must be better than conventional gas burners.
     This is about a commercial application.  period.  I was asked what my gas bill was. I do find it hard to believe that I only used $20 in gas, compared to $200/month in wood.  So it remains to be seen whether this is the actual cost or not.  However, since we are adding a new gas grill this information may be as good as we get.
     I am attaching a pizza pic I took today, and a picture of our cold proofer, which is an old Pepsi fridge. And for those of you who like Coke better.......keep it to yourself.
 

[joshuafinancial]

Fourlix thanks for posting this!   Beautiful pie, btw.