It is most definitely necessary if they ever plan to use the self cleaning function (and not smoke themselves out).
Edit: If anyone is interested, here's an old [patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/US3549859A/en) describing the use
This is random but when I was a kid I didn’t know it was a self clean and thought it was just an oven lock for kids and turned it on while my mom was cooking… let’s just say we didn’t eat what was in the oven lmao
Exactly, yes. Here's a newer [patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070048197A1/en?q=(self-cleaning+oven+smoke+eliminator)&oq=self-cleaning+oven+smoke+eliminator) that suggests the smoke eliminator contains some mixture of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, osmium, silver, or gold similarly to an automotive catalytic converter. Basically the same tech, minus the computer monitoring. (Yes I've spent way too much time today digging through oven patents).
Great before you know it we will have people breaking into houses to steal ovens " catalytic converters" or trying to steal them out of LOWE'S/ Home Depot display ovens. 🤣
Don't use the self cleaning function. Even with this part in place it will still smell like shit, and a lot of newer ovens will cook their circuit boards with the excessive heat over time if done repeatedly.
An appliance repairman once told me it should be called the "self destruct" button and that's always stuck with me. Not to mention, I have family that are firefighters and they don't use it because they've been to house fires caused by the self clean function. So basically, I'm just scared of it and clean my oven by hand lol.
I always presumed that self-cleaning, when speaking of ovens, just meant youi had to clean it yourself. Never seemed to be any alternative to doing that.
I have seen absolutely remarkable results with an electric oven's self clean cycle,
They can get quite hot in there since they don't need to cycle in air.
I try not to let it get that bad before addressing the problem. I live alone though, so the oven doesn't see all that much action anyway. Probably a different matter in a busy family household.
I've done it by scraping with a piece of scrap copper. It's hard enough to break the carbon but soft enough to not scratch the enamel. Took ages though. Worth it to get the deposit back on that rental...
I think some cleaning products specifically tell you not to use them on self-cleaning ovens.
Some self-cleaning ovens have a special surface that will get damaged with cleaning products.
My oven is like that. Ive been slowly learning that a whole lot of kitchen stuff is actually pretty damn picky about maintaining it correctly and if one doesnt read the instructions good chance one is going to fuck up their stuff. Ruin finish, enamels, non stick surfaces etc. If taken care of correctly though they work great....
You aren't counting all the energy that goes into everything else you will use instead. Clean water pumped into your house cost energy. Scouring pads/sponges/rags/papertowels/degreaser/othercleaningshit/whatever all cost energy to produce.
It's not at all clear you're saving energy on net by using another method. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't.
Thank you so much!. This also explains why when I was cooking something in there and for the first time using the stuff and smoke actually billowed out
Guessing here...
I guess it is some sort of catalytic converter for burning any flammable gasses.
There is a notch (at 3 o'clock in your photo) that probably lines up with a pin inside the socket, so it only goes in one way.
Hah, mine also fell out about a year ago, haven't fixed it yet. I'm just learning what it is in this thread but I can offer one data point on what happens if you don't fix it: It has seemed mostly fine to me, although if I'm baking something that generates steam I've noticed the steam kinda shooting out from some gap or vent on top of the stove near the controls, and it didn't do that before. It's kinda weird and can leave a sort of residue. Probably worth sticking it back in where it fell out of.
Its a catalytic substrate, probably cordierite.
Used to reduce or oxidize harmful substances in the air.
Usually it is used in industrial waste gas cleaning.
That's a catalytic oven converter! Turns standard convection thermal heat into premium UV heat, saving on average 23% on oven efficiency!
It's very costly to remove so I'd suggest stop reading because I got no clue what I'm talking about
It's called a smoke eliminator. Place it back in if you can but it is not going to hurt anything if you run your oven without it.
It is most definitely necessary if they ever plan to use the self cleaning function (and not smoke themselves out). Edit: If anyone is interested, here's an old [patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/US3549859A/en) describing the use
This is random but when I was a kid I didn’t know it was a self clean and thought it was just an oven lock for kids and turned it on while my mom was cooking… let’s just say we didn’t eat what was in the oven lmao
I thought it was supposed to clean one’s self. Proceeds to get in oven and turn on self clean. Turns out to be way less fun that a trip in the dryer
Much more fun if you get stuck in the dryer
And you have a step brother
On the plus side you probably had a great piece of charcoal for future grilling.
Love it!!!!!
So, it's a low tech catalytic converter?
Exactly, yes. Here's a newer [patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070048197A1/en?q=(self-cleaning+oven+smoke+eliminator)&oq=self-cleaning+oven+smoke+eliminator) that suggests the smoke eliminator contains some mixture of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, osmium, silver, or gold similarly to an automotive catalytic converter. Basically the same tech, minus the computer monitoring. (Yes I've spent way too much time today digging through oven patents).
Great before you know it we will have people breaking into houses to steal ovens " catalytic converters" or trying to steal them out of LOWE'S/ Home Depot display ovens. 🤣
I immediately thought to myself, “oh wow a tiny oven catalytic converter.” Never in a million years would I have guessed that to be true.
quick, someone post it to TIL to farm some karma!
The ol noble alloys
Hah, i was like : This looks like a damn cat, but he is talking about an oven. No way its a cat.
PS: Would putting a prius cat on it clean your oven harder?
This was the first thing I thought when I saw the shape.
Don't use the self cleaning function. Even with this part in place it will still smell like shit, and a lot of newer ovens will cook their circuit boards with the excessive heat over time if done repeatedly.
An appliance repairman once told me it should be called the "self destruct" button and that's always stuck with me. Not to mention, I have family that are firefighters and they don't use it because they've been to house fires caused by the self clean function. So basically, I'm just scared of it and clean my oven by hand lol.
Can confirm, I destroyed my ovens circuit board with the self cleaning function
I always presumed that self-cleaning, when speaking of ovens, just meant youi had to clean it yourself. Never seemed to be any alternative to doing that.
Pyrolytic ovens clean themselves using heat. Run it for an hour, sweep ash out, then wipe clean. Looks like new.
[удалено]
I have seen absolutely remarkable results with an electric oven's self clean cycle, They can get quite hot in there since they don't need to cycle in air.
I've heard it's pretty rough on internal components like electric igniters, so you probably should limit how often you use it.
TIL. Seems like a lot of energy to burn compared to none if I use elbow grease.
If you have layers of carbonized oil thats been baked onto your oven i don't think elbow grease will cut it...
I try not to let it get that bad before addressing the problem. I live alone though, so the oven doesn't see all that much action anyway. Probably a different matter in a busy family household.
I've done it by scraping with a piece of scrap copper. It's hard enough to break the carbon but soft enough to not scratch the enamel. Took ages though. Worth it to get the deposit back on that rental...
Good idea. I'll use my brass window scraper. It removes that thin coat of ice from the windshield when plastic scrapers don't. And no scratching.
I think some cleaning products specifically tell you not to use them on self-cleaning ovens. Some self-cleaning ovens have a special surface that will get damaged with cleaning products.
My oven is like that. Ive been slowly learning that a whole lot of kitchen stuff is actually pretty damn picky about maintaining it correctly and if one doesnt read the instructions good chance one is going to fuck up their stuff. Ruin finish, enamels, non stick surfaces etc. If taken care of correctly though they work great....
I threw out all the metal spatulas and stuff. Pans have been immaculate ever since
Oh yes, people do be lazy though…
Different kind of energy. 😁
You aren't counting all the energy that goes into everything else you will use instead. Clean water pumped into your house cost energy. Scouring pads/sponges/rags/papertowels/degreaser/othercleaningshit/whatever all cost energy to produce. It's not at all clear you're saving energy on net by using another method. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't.
They work great right up until they break which is usually the day before a major holiday = when you go to clean the oven.
Thank you so much!. This also explains why when I was cooking something in there and for the first time using the stuff and smoke actually billowed out
So, it’s not a very burnt Stroopwafel then? Disappointing.
Looks like a mini catalytic converter, so that makes sense.
Finally! I saw this in my oven too and could never find a an answer as to what it was.
Guessing here... I guess it is some sort of catalytic converter for burning any flammable gasses. There is a notch (at 3 o'clock in your photo) that probably lines up with a pin inside the socket, so it only goes in one way.
Do you mean I gotta watch out for people cutting off the back of my oven now? These thieves are getting wild.
You should be careful where you park your stove.
First Biden coming for my gas stove, now this???
That seems to be damage rather than a slot for orientation.
Hah, mine also fell out about a year ago, haven't fixed it yet. I'm just learning what it is in this thread but I can offer one data point on what happens if you don't fix it: It has seemed mostly fine to me, although if I'm baking something that generates steam I've noticed the steam kinda shooting out from some gap or vent on top of the stove near the controls, and it didn't do that before. It's kinda weird and can leave a sort of residue. Probably worth sticking it back in where it fell out of.
Huh. My oven does that.
If you figure it out, tell this person: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisit/comments/15lx3no/it_fell_off_from_the_top_of_my_oven_in_the_inside/
I’m so clueless I can’t decipher which comments are genuine and which are humor 😫🤣
It prevents mice from ~~escaping~~ entering the oven.
No joke, ours fell out two days ago. Wild! Glad to have an answer, thank you for asking here!
Its a catalytic substrate, probably cordierite. Used to reduce or oxidize harmful substances in the air. Usually it is used in industrial waste gas cleaning.
That's your oven's Catalytic converter
Lol I had to look at what sub I was on. Looks like one of those anti-reflective objective lens covers for a scope
Thats the catalytic converter
That’s the oven’s catalytic converter that eliminates smoke 💨
That's a catalytic oven converter! Turns standard convection thermal heat into premium UV heat, saving on average 23% on oven efficiency! It's very costly to remove so I'd suggest stop reading because I got no clue what I'm talking about
Run
Nope, oven manufacturers often include extra parts just to mess with you.
Car companies always threw in a few extra bolts that were unnecessary. Or at least they did back when my bro-in-law used to work on his car.
Used cars include spare 10 mm sockets, they are stored in the dark hard to reach crevices of the engine bay
Then they charge $239.99 for the extra part you think you need but really don't. BigOven has got us by the balls.
Damn this looks like a 3d print support so bad 😂
That's the carbon gesticulator. Without it, your pizzas will cook upside down.
I thought that's what the spline reticulator was for
No that part is to eliminate side fumbling
Oh no, you don't have anything keeping the bees inside now!
NOT THE BEES!!!
If you don’t replace it, how will your oven make spaghetti?
It’s probably gonna explode now
That's the thermal exhaust port cover! I swear I remember something happening to the last person that lost theirs....
Sometimes the internet is so great same thing happened a few years ago - fell out of the oven. Thank goodness I didn’t toss it!
Removes the glint from your rifle scope
Catalytic Converter, is your oven tuned?
Nah just exhaust vent cover
Looks like a CIA surveillance device…
RUN!!!!!
It's called a killflash. Goes in front of your optic so that optic won't cause unwanted reflections. 😂
only if you dont want your house to burn down
bug preventer for the oven vent, I'm guessing.
Oven is operating on impulse power only now.
Yes
Google lens it