Can You Use An Ooni Pizza Oven In The Rain?

Trying to find out if you can use your Ooni Pizza Oven in the rain? Will it rust? Will it break? What does the manufacturer say? Let’s chat about using your Ooni Pizza Oven in the rain!

Well, by now we’ve probably all found ourselves making the most of our Ooni in the brilliant early summer months as the temperatures start to improve.

The days are hot and the Ooni’s are hotter. The pizzas that come out of them are beyond perfection and nothing seems like it could ever go wrong.

Now picture for a second you waking up tomorrow and it’s raining… hard. What happens then to your trusty old Ooni?

I’ve done some digging myself to find out the answers, and I’ll talk you through what I learned today.

The Ooni is an incredibly resilient piece of kit that can withstand some pretty intense stuff, but there’s always that question in the back of your mind. If the Ooni pizza oven needs fire to operate… wouldn’t the rain just shut it down?

Can You Leave An Ooni Pizza Oven In The Rain?

I’ve done my part so you don’t have to and have gathered together all the information I could find on the matter.

Yes, you can use an Ooni Pizza Oven in the rain! Read more below regarding the precautions and the recommendations from the manufacturer.

Before I get too carried away with my train of thought, I think it’s good to mention early that the Ooni pizza oven can still work its miracles even in rainy conditions.

Phew, crisis averted. However, that isn’t all you should know. There are a couple of clauses I think are pretty important to pay attention to.

Firstly, make sure you keep the chimney cap on your Ooni when you’re not using it. It can sound elementary but you’d be surprised how many people forget to do something like this.

Sure, it might not rain tomorrow, or even over the next month, but you can never be too careful.

If you leave your chimney cap open while it’s raining, the rain will then start to cause problems for your Ooni pizza oven when it’s ready to be used again.

The same thing goes with your baking board. Whatever kind you use, it’s always better to bring them inside and keep them out of harsh weather.

If you allow your board to get wet, the moisture can actually make it much less effective at cooking your pizzas.

It might even make your dough stick to the surface – making it awfully painful to watch it disintegrate as you try and pull it off.

Does An Ooni Pizza Oven Rust?

I think it’s a good idea to accept the fact that the Ooni pizza oven isn’t some divine, holy beast that is unaffected by even the harshest weather conditions.

As much as I’d like to accept that, there is still the issue with rust that the Ooni has to deal with. Don’t worry though, it’s not nearly as prone to it as you might first believe, and it’s easy enough to counteract when properly cared for.

The Ooni pizza oven is designed to be used outside, so naturally, you’d hope that the manufacturers have considered that to prevent air-based rust from occurring.

Luckily, they did. The Ooni is made from stainless steel and can indeed withstand some pretty serious daily beatings. However, that doesn’t mean they’re indestructible.

I did some digging and found a couple of cases where people had actually started developing rust on their pizza ovens.

They all said the same thing though – they left it outside forever because the manual said they could. Don’t take this phrasing as gospel, please!

For the love of your Ooni, make sure you bring it in invariably (preferably when you’re not planning on using it for extended periods of time).

You’ll thank me when it lasts for countless years without a single mark of rust on it.

Does An Ooni Pizza Oven Work In The Rain?

Sometimes, you can’t always be in control of the weather (okay, you can never control the weather, but we can dream).

Sometimes that means that on a day you planned a fancy pizza yard party with some friends and family, the heavens will open and rain will pour out.

But everyone still showed up anyway, and you promised them some fantastic Ooni pizzas. Does some rain mean you should give up on that?

Absolutely not. An Ooni pizza oven can still operate perfectly in the rain. Fun fact: Ooni HQ is actually located in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is notorious for some pretty grueling, rainy weather.

You don’t even have to do anything fancy to stop it from collecting rain, as the rain really is too negligible for the Ooni to even notice.

So my suggestion is to use that Ooni in the rain! Don’t let a simple bit of moisture stop you from enjoying your pizzas.

What Do The Manufacturers Say?

Just to clarify a few of my points, I figured it was smart to check out the manufacturer’s website to hear what they have to say.

While I pride myself on my expertise, I’ll never know more than the people that actually build the thing – I can at least admit that! You’ll be happy to know that they completely verify everything I’ve said though.

Ooni has confirmed that their pizza ovens work well in all types of weather, both rain, and shine.

They’ve even added a note that they’ve cooked their pizzas in temperatures as low as -22C (-8F), so you can bet a little bit of rain won’t hurt it.

They do, however, mention that you should be bringing your Ooni inside when it’s not being used for extended periods of time.

It should also be brought in if you know that some pretty abysmal weather is on its way (they mention snow, heavy wind, and heavy rain as good reasons for this).

Summary

So how’s that for some good news? The Ooni pizza oven is perfectly designed to operate in even some of the harsher conditions you might be forced to experience!

The only issue you’ll find yourself having in the rain is actually telling yourself it’s okay to get a little wet while you’re cooking your pizzas.

No one likes to stand outside in the rain, I get that! Here’s a tip for you though – do all of your prep inside first to avoid being in the rain for too long.

That way you won’t get too annoyed about the weather and you’ll be able to enjoy the pizza time with your friends in the warmth of your indoor area!