As with anything, over time your oven can develop problems. These problems can go undetected if the damage is internal as these areas are difficult to inspect and access on a routine basis. This post discusses 5 Tunnel Oven problems that can easily be missed when you only inspect the oven externally.

1. Nozzle Damage

Nozzles are an integral part of the baking process in convection ovens as they transfer heat into the product. The types of nozzles which are normally used for baking are box nozzles which are mounted from a pressure chamber. Nozzles above and below the product conveyor can become damaged due to jam ups. Damaged nozzles promote inefficient baking, wasted energy, and a reduction in machine longevity. They can also promote further jam ups due to interference within the conveyor and product.

2. Radiant Oven Headers & Tubes

The headers and tubes in a tunnel oven provide radiant heat to bake the product, problems occur when cracks form in the headers and tubes. These are dangerous if undetected as there is no purge which could lead to an explosion.

Products of combustion can enter the baking chamber and pose a potential safety issue. Distorted/damaged tubes can cause damage to conveyor grids and tins, and also jam ups if the product catches the damaged tubes.

3. Inner Skin Damage

The purpose of the inner skin on a baking oven is to create a sealed bake chamber within the oven enclosure. Damage to the inner skin may promote hot air leakage, thus reducing the oven efficiency and possible product contamination through migrating insulation materials.

4. Fire Hazards

There can be many fire hazards within your oven. There will be certain hard to reach areas where debris can accumulate over time. This is particularly the case when manufacturing flour topped and seeded products.

5. Areas of Corrosion

Corrosion can occur over the period of an ovens lifespan. Particular areas to pay attention to are conveyor chain rails and chain rail support stools. These are essential to correct support of the conveyor and to correct chain tracking. Supports and rails have been known to collapse through excessive corrosion which has led to unplanned and unwanted downtime.

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If you want to find out more about how SpoonerPlus can support you, get in touch with Andrew Stead at astead@spooner.co.uk or call +44 (0)1943 609 505.

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