Troubleshooting
Ooni Karu has been carefully designed to provide exceptional
food experiences and we know that you will love using it to
cook. Our team have thousands of hours of experience cooking
with fire and enjoying delicious pizza. You can reach us at
support.ooni.com
or check out our online FAQs and video
guides - we’ll be happy to help.
I am seeing smoke from Ooni Karu
It is perfectly normal for solid fuels to produce some smoke
during the initial lighting period. Once Ooni Karu is up to
temperature, it will burn cleanly with minimal smoke. Continued
smoke is a sign of incomplete combustion and can be caused by
reduced airflow or the use of unsuitable fuel.
Remember to follow the lighting steps on pages 16-20 and to
top up little and often. An over-full grate can suffocate the flame
and cause smoke.
Always store your fuel in a warm, dry environment and use
within 6 months. Charcoal and wood that are old may have
absorbed moisture and will not burn cleanly or efficiently.
Check that your chimney vent is open and chimney cap is
removed which will allow maximum airflow.
My Ooni Karu has changed colour
Ooni Karu is made from high-quality stainless steel. You may
notice some colour changes after repeated heat cycles but this
won’t affect performance. This change is known as patina; it
makes your Ooni Karu unique and we think it looks beautiful!
Remember to store your Ooni Karu indoors when it is not in use.
I can see soot inside Ooni Karu
Soot is natural when burning solid fuels. Excess soot can be
wiped down using a dry paper towel or the Ooni Pizza Oven
Brush when Ooni Karu has completely cooled. You can reduce
the amount of soot through efficient fuel management as
described on
page 22
.
Remember to open the chimney vent fully and remove the
chimney cap for optimum airflow and an efficient burn.
My Ooni Karu is running too hot
Fuel management is the easiest way to reduce the temperature
of Ooni Karu. If your Ooni Karu exceeds 932°F (500°C), stop
adding fuel and remove the hatch until regular temperatures
are reached. You can also reduce the flames by closing over the
chimney vent (see
page 14
).
If your stone baking board is too hot, try adding a piece of Ooni
cast iron for 30 seconds or so to absorb some of the heat.
My Ooni Karu is not hot enough
Ooni Karu will preheat from 15 minutes. Add an additional 5-10
minutes to this preheat time if your Ooni Karu is not running
hot enough.
If cooking with charcoal or wood, check that your chimney
vent is open and the chimney cap is removed for optimum
airflow. Before each cook, free the grate of any leftover ash by
brushing it down. Only use fuel that is high quality, dry and less
than 6 months old.
Keep your door on throughout any charcoal and wood-fired
cooks. This helps to keep heat in and allows the chimney to
work its magic drawing heat from the grate.
Note: If your Ooni Karu has been exposed to rain or extreme
cold it may take longer to preheat.
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