What is it?

[kayb]

 

Anyone have a clue what this is?

 

I cleaned my oven yesterday (it's a self-cleaner) and, as customary, i used my vacuum to clean up the ashes left behind. This time, there was a fair amount of white residue on the glass and the oven floor, so I took a wet dishcloth and cleaned it up, which was when I discovered this little critter lurking in a dark, back corner. It appears to be some sort of light-weight ceramic. Top and bottom are the same. It's a tad over 1 1/2 inch both in diameter and in height.

 

Ideas? I started to toss it, but wondered if it might be critical to oven operation, although the oven appeared to work just fine without it.....

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by kayb
fix typo (log)

[IowaDee]

I don't have a clue unless it might be one of the nests of the rare and endangered oven wasps.  

[dcarch]

It's a vent tube smoke eliminator.

Don't throw it away. Look up your oven's parts diagram to see where it is supposed to go. It should be near the top.

 

dcarch

[Captain]

Is it a heat sink of some sort??

[kayb]

11 minutes ago, dcarch said:

It's a vent tube smoke eliminator.

Don't throw it away. Look up your oven's parts diagram to see where it is supposed to go. It should be near the top.

 

dcarch

That makes sense! It was lurking in the corner beneath the unit through which the oven vents. I will see if I can figure out how to put it back without it falling out again.

Thank you!

 

[palo]

Guessing here, but it could be a catalytic converter, used to fully aid the combustion of the results of the self cleaning function.

 

Just guessing though

 

p

[gfweb]

Looks like something that could get clogged with grease

[dcarch]

42 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Looks like something that could get clogged with grease

 

No it wouldn't. It is also called VOC catalytic converter. it helps to burn off greasy air.

 

dcarch

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Yep, it's never a good idea to trash stuff that just "appears". It has usually broken off or worked loose from somewhere, even if it's just a screw that has backed itself out of something.

 

@CaptainWouldn't be a heat sink if it's made of lightweight ceramic as OP described. Not a bad guess, though, because if the material was more thermally conductive, the design would absorb and get rid of heat quickly. Looks metallic to me too from her photo.

 

The catalytic converter theory forwarded and clarified by @dcarchwould be the one I would bet on.

 

I hope you can successfully restore it to full functionality @kayb, and jealous of your self-cleaning oven.  Okay, I'm jealous of almost anyone's oven, because mine is so old and wasn't great from the factory floor. 

 

Edit: On closer examination of the photo, it looks like a couple of obvious chips into the ceramic on the outer edge, and maybe a lesser third one, and those may have been attachment points, pretty evenly spaced around the perimeter? I cannot venture a guess at what reattachment material might hold up to the high temps of a self-cleaning oven. Definitely not silicone. Any thoughts, anyone? They make high temp adhesives for engines, but not food safe, I'd imagine.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes
Looked at the photo again (log)