Insulation for ovens is used to keep an oven’s intense heat inside the appliance and outside the room. The insulation for ovens is unique and has a much higher heat rating than conventional home insulation materials. It is made of a fiberglass material similar to the insulating bats inside of buildings. After being exposed to the common oven’s heating temperatures over time, the insulation found in the average home would melt. The insulation in the oven serves two purposes: first, it enables the oven’s temperature to surround it evenly and remove any cool spots. Second, the insulation prevents the exterior shell of the oven from getting too hot to touch and scorching the hands and arms of the cook.
In a typical oven, the oven insulation is positioned between the oven’s actual compartment and the appliance’s metal shell. The insulation may eventually become grease-covered while sandwiched between the two elements, decreasing its ability to function as intended. Additionally, this might lead to a circumstance where the insulation in the oven starts to deteriorate and disintegrate. Some antique and vintage ovens may need replacement insulation installed before being used in a modern kitchen because this disintegration frequently occurs over time.
The temperatures in some industrial ovens used for baking items like engine blocks and other automotive parts, curing paint, and powder coating, are frequently higher than those found in a kitchen oven. To stop the heat from radiating out and away from the oven, these ovens typically need denser layers or even multiple layers of oven insulation. Additionally, the insulation is necessary for the ovens to maintain interior heat uniformly and to reduce operating costs. The insulation in these high-temperature ovens frequently has a replacement schedule to be changed before it completely fails.
The insulation for ovens is typically installed without being glued inside the oven walls. After a few heating cycles, the adhesive would turn hard and brittle and might even harm the insulation material. Most of the time, the insulation is pushed into place, and the top layers are simply placed on top of the oven chamber. The top layer of an oven also stops heat from the oven from escaping through the range’s top burners. A less expensive oven frequently has less oven insulation than an expensive model.
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Im so sorry for your loss. A Viking is a terrible thing to waste. A Viking oven or range cannot be disassembled by a do-it-yourselfer. To find a capable technician to handle the work and take the plunge and get it fixed properly, look for a restaurant supplier in your area or a Viking dealer. You cannot purchase the insulation at your neighborhood Home Depot. It uses a specialty high temp spun fabric insulation . This is a safety issue, not something to skimp on to save a few dollars because if the job is not done correctly, it will be a FIRE HAZARD. The Viking is worth saving if you can.
Sadly, I’ve experienced exactly the same thing before.
If your mice are anything like mine, they are probably storing food in the insulation nest they have built, which, along with the droppings, is what is causing the odor. They most likely have settled in the area directly below the burners, on top of the oven box.
This is how I dealt with the issue when it occurred to me:
In my case, the affected area was so small that I did not replace the removed insulation. To my knowledge, the only function of the insulation in that portion of the oven is to reduce heat loss. Since the area was so small, I decided that the heat loss would be negligible. If the area is relatively large, or you are paranoid about the exposed area, then you can buy some material online to patch the hole (here, for example).
But dealing with the mice infestation in your home is the bigger problem. Your newly refurbished oven will be ruined as long as the mice are present (trust me, I had to do this twice to my oven before getting rid of all the mice for good). Set traps, eliminate food sources, and look for and seal any openings the mice are using to enter the house.
I’m going through this with a brand-new stove that was kept in storage for a while, but I realize it’s very old. I had to clean every sheet of metal that had urine on it and remove all the insulation. Definitely not a one-hour task; I may need as long as two days.
A ceramic 2400F insulating fireproof insulation or the OEM (repair clinic or similar) is what I’d suggest as insulation. The latter is unlikely to be easily consumed, and if you so choose, you could moisten it with rigidizer to make it nearly impossible for the mice to enter.
I discovered that mice had built a nest on top of the oven insulation and had filled it with chocolate and butterscotch chips when I removed the old stove to replace it. Despite extensive high-temperature cooking, they were all intact and never melted.
Take your time, take photos, and keep the screws organized. To reduce manufacturing costs, modern stoves essentially all use the same screw size and length, and finish screws are specific to their appearance/area.
Consider spot-blasting the area where the urine was as well; it will clean it thoroughly and remove any rust or rusty spots. Use a cheap spot blaster outside while donning a mask (which should be simple at this point). If you want to protect it, use a high-temperature primer or acid etch, but otherwise, it should be fine.
What Is Oven Insulation?
Insulation around the oven keeps hot air inside and outside of the adjacent space.
The ovens’ insulation, which is made from the same fiberglass material as the insulating bats inside a building, is unique because it has a much higher heat rating than traditional house insulation materials.
After exposure to an ordinary oven’s constant heating temperature, standard house insulation would melt. The insulations work in your oven is two-fold:
Between the appliance’s actual compartment and the metal shell is a standard oven’s insulation.
Although this insulation is positioned between the two components, over time it may become grease-covered. As a result, the materials’ ability to perform as expected will be reduced.
Additionally, this could lead to a circumstance where the insulation begins to deteriorate and crumble. Usually, the crumbling takes place over time.
Therefore, before using an antique or vintage oven in a modern kitchen, it may be necessary to install replacement insulation.
The temperatures are typically higher than those found in a kitchen oven in some commercial ovens used for baking things like engine blocks and other auto components, sure paint, and powder coating.
Therefore, multiple layers of denser oven insulation layers are typically required for ovens. This will aid in reducing the amount of heat that escapes from the appliance.
Additionally, the ovens depend on insulation to keep the interior heat in. Additionally, they have a schedule for replacing the insulation before it completely degrades.
In the typical installation procedure, the oven’s insulation isn’t glued into place inside the oven’s walls.
This is due to the possibility that the bonding agent could become hard and crumbly after a number of heating cycles, harming the insulation material.
The insulation is typically pushed into place instead, with the top layers being laid into position on top of the oven compartment.
The top layer of kitchen ovens also prevents heat from the appliance from escaping through the top burners of the range.
A less expensive brand of oven typically has less insulation than a more expensive one.
What Does a Baffle Blanket Do?
The wood stove heats up more rapidly thanks to a baffle blanket that stops heat from escaping. This unusual insulating material, also known as a baffle plate, typically rests above the fire. The insulation in the stove traps the heat as it rises, keeping the stove warm. For stoves of all sizes, these blankets and plates are quite helpful.
Ask yourself these two questions if you’re thinking about purchasing a baffle blanket:
If you’re looking for a baffle blanket, try the Lynn Universal Baffle Blanket. This product measures ½” thick by 20” wide and 24” long. You can cut it to your wood stove’s size, making it the perfect choice for almost any wood stove. Furthermore, this baffle blanket comes in multiple thicknesses to suit your stove’s needs.
According to Fireplace Universe, improving the insulation also improves the stove’s ability to push the heat through the chimney (if you have one). The soot and creosote sink back into the stove when the fire isn’t hot enough. Using baffle blankets can help the fire get warm enough to blow the smoke out of the chimney.