9 Benefits Of Outdoor Pizza Oven Covers

Many people think that covering their pizza oven will only make it harder to use on those hot summer days when you want to grill out or relax by the pool with a delicious slice of pizza. 

However, there are some great benefits to an outdoor oven cover that you should know about before deciding whether or not it’s the right purchase for your backyard.

Pizza oven covers are inexpensive…even more so if you use grill covers (they also fit more models of ovens)…and they’ll keep your purchase in great shape for years. I’ve been looking into outdoor pizza ovens and the benefits of covering them up in between uses, I wrote an article going into more details about the benefits of pizza oven covers, check it out over here!

9 Benefits Of Outdoor Pizza Oven Covers

• Prevent small fires caused by embers escaping the firebox.
• Won’t let the rain and snow melt into your oven.
• Keeps ice and frost off the clay, cement, or bricks which helps prevent cracks.
• Fences out animals.
• Helps prevent corrosion from water on metal parts, like vents or door latches.
• Covers help maintain heat loss overnight.
• Provides extra padding and protection from flying debris during a wind storm.
• Keeps the outside surface of your oven clean and looking nice.
• Hides any dirty, charred, or warn spots that could be eyesores on older pizza ovens.

Pizza Oven Covers Help Prevent Embers From Escaping

Once you’ve finished using your oven for the day, you will want to snuff out the fire. A few embers may still be floating around inside the oven so adding a cover will help keep those embers from floating out into your yard, potentially creating a fire.

It’s always a good idea to keep a garden hose nearby or, better yet, an ABC fire extinguisher.

Protect Your Pizza Oven From Rain And Snow

Pizza ovens are built for outdoor use, but they can’t stand up to the elements without a little protection. Snow and rain may not seem like much of an issue but they can damage your pizza oven over time. 

If the moisture sits on a brick or clay exterior for too long, it will begin to dissolve and crumble. This may not happen quickly depending on how porous that specific type of material is around your outdoor pizza oven.

If you use cement, there are many types available that offer different degrees of water resistance. But even with a protective sealer, it is still best to cover your pizza oven after each use as an extra precautionary measure.

Stainless steel models will hold up a little better to rain but it’s still a good idea to keep it covered up (and moved inside if you go long periods between uses) in order to protect the non-stainless steel parts.

Keeping Ice And Frost Off The Pizza Oven

When you’re not using the outdoor pizza oven, there are times where ice and frost can build up around it from being exposed to weather conditions overnight. 

It is best to cover your outdoor pizza oven and remove the ice and frost before using it again in order to ensure proper cooking conditions inside that will not damage or crack any of its components while you’re making dinner for family and friends.

Ice will build up and crust over the surface of your oven. The next time you go to use it it will take much longer to warm up since snow and ice acts as an insulator keeping the cold inside.

Fence Out Animals 

Keeping animals out can be a challenge on some properties, but an outdoor pizza oven cover will help keep them from getting inside the firebox. 

This is especially important if you have children or pets that may wander into your outdoor pizza oven when they’re not looking and get hurt! 

This is another reason you will want to consider putting your oven away (covered, of course) if you go long periods between uses. If left out, the water-resistant inside of a pizza oven is the perfect place for animals to hunker down or bees to make a nest.

Prevent Corrosion From Water On Metal Parts

If you live in a climate where it snows or rains for an extended period of time during the winter months…or all year round like many places…then water can cause corrosion on metal parts such as latches and vents over time. 

When this happens, your pizza oven cover may not fit properly anymore since each component is designed to suit the specific shape and contour of your outdoor pizza oven.

Water may also seep inside and pool, creating a prime spot for insects and bacteria to breed.

Covers Help Maintain Heat Loss Overnight

If you plan on using your outdoor pizza oven more than a few times in a row, it is best to keep that heat inside the firebox as long as possible so you don’t waste fuel. 

A simple way of doing this would be covering up your pizza oven after each use and making sure there are no openings left uncovered such as cracks, vents, or doors. 

This will prevent heat loss overnight which helps you get the most out of your firewood and propane during cooking sessions since they are not being wasted to conductive heat loss through uncovered areas on the exterior of the outdoor pizza oven.

You will want to make sure you are using a high-quality cover that can withstand heat coming from the outside surface of your oven. You’ll also want to make sure that the smokestacks or vents are uncovered so they can do their job. The last thing you want is for smoke to build up inside the oven.

Provides Extra Padding And Protection From Flying Debris

Properly storing your pizza oven is the best way to prevent any dings and dents, but if you have a tough time moving it in and out every time you want to use it then a cover is going to offer some protection from dust, dirt, and smaller flying debris.

You can also get covers that offer a little padding, or place a thin layer of cardboard, towels, or canvas underneath the cover to offer more protection.

A small scratch or dent probably won’t do any real damage…other than hurting the aesthetics…but if the opening gets dented then the door may not fit in as snuggly as it should, meaning you’ll lose a lot of heat and may not be able to properly prepare some foods.

Keeps The Outside Of Your Oven Clean And Looking Nice

If you leave your pizza oven outside for multiple days in a row…or permanently for that matter…you can expect dust and dirt to build up, rather quickly in some parts of the country. 

When this happens, it is a good idea to give your pizza oven a thorough clean with soap and water which will also help remove any caked-on food particles that may have fallen onto the exterior while you were cooking. 

Once dry (which should not take long if there are no clouds in the sky), simply cover up your outdoor pizza oven and keep it nice, clean and shiny for many years to come.

Hides Dirty, Charred, Or Warn Spots

If you’ve had a pizza oven for a while or inherited one when you moved into your home, then you may have noticed some burn marks, scratches, or various dings n’ dents.

While you may be able to use plaster to fix some brick or concrete models, metal or stainless steel models might be so easy to repair or to get thoroughly clean.

Your pizza oven is probably still in great working order (and may even produce better tasting foods since it’s had time to “season,”) but those blemishes could be a real eyesore…and some HOA’s might even send you complaints if it is visible to the road.

A quality grill or pizza oven cover offers an inexpensive and easy way to hide those hard-to-look-at but well-loved pizza ovens. 

Final Thoughts

In short, a pizza oven cover should be considered an essential accessory for your outdoor cooking equipment. There are many benefits to having one and as long as you follow the guidelines presented above, it will help prolong the life of your outdoor pizza oven while providing convenience when needed most.