by David Gecic
ECO Ovens is a recent addition to the list of burn off oven manufacturers that we work with.
ECO Burn Off Ovens from Dallas, Texas began operations at the end of 2019. It is the brainchild of Roland Sanchez, long time industry expert. Roland wanted to make good, lower cost ovens with some modifications that he had wanted to bring to the industry for years.
Just as good as the relationship with a new oven manufacturer is our access to a wider variety of repair parts. Our repair business has grown steady year to year and now we have a more affordable source for many components. We also can share the expertise of another company.
I recently interviewed Roland Sanchez. I wanted to learn more about their burn-off ovens. So, I thought I would ask him.
DG: So, tell me about ECO Ovens.
RS: We are in Dallas, Texas. We just recently started ECO Burn Off Ovens. I worked for a company that made burn off oven for over 37 years. I wanted to make some improvements and was having difficulty doing that. Eventually I broke off and started my own business with a partner and we called our company ECO Burn Off Ovens.
Basically, they are very similar to all the ovens on the market. They are all made of sheet steel. Most of them have 3 layers of insulation.
DG: How are ECO Ovens Different?
RS: One of the first things we wanted to do was to change the construction of the oven. We changed the construction to square tubing instead of angle iron. Which to me is the sounder structure as far as durability.
We also changed part of the body of the oven. Where the burners mount usually in the rear of the oven, I wanted to change from your standard 14 or 16-gauge metal to 10-gauge metal where the burners mount. Because I saw over a period of time that wall would start to deteriorate from excessive heat where the burners mount.
The next thing that we changed was to get away from galvanized pipes for water lines. When I was doing service on ovens, I would find that because of hard water or just over time the pipes would start to calcify and deteriorate. You go from ¼ inch pipe in a new oven and eventually have about an 1/8-inch opening and affect the water flow. If the water flow is affected then we can’t control the temperature of the stack correctly and we can go over temperature.
So, we decided with ECO all of the water lines would be stainless steel. Stainless steel water lines have helped with longevity of water flow.
We also changed the water system to reduce the number of parts. We felt like there were a couple of components with other companies that were excessive components. The more components you use the more the customer over a period of time has to change out those parts because of just the use of water and all the contaminates in the water. They had to replace parts which were really not necessary.
DG: Is that all the improvements?
RS: Also, really mundane things. We also changed the control panel. We used a higher quality control box. It’s a NEMA 12 box but we bring down the rating that we cut holes into to mount the controls and timer.
The control box is easier to service and trouble shoot. All the components are mounted on the door. Therefore, there is easier access to replace a component or to actually troubleshoot a component.
So, these are the main things that actually changed with the oven
Like I always tell people: My 800 degrees is not different that anyone else’s
DG: So, What is the key improvement?
RS: Then the other part that I want to say that where we are above and beyond a lot of our competitors is service. We have 3 people that have over 85 years of experience in the burn off oven business. We also offer to all customers 24-hour service over the phone. They can call me any time after the sale and I will help them. I will help with any issue they may have or any questions they may have about a burn off oven. That’s the difference.
DG: Any Time of the day or night?
RS: Any time of the day or night. The only thing I tell people is that on Sunday mornings, I’m either in church or on the golf course. Leave me a message. I will call you back after church or any time after teeing off or making a putt.
DG: Your ovens work by the water spray is your temperature control
RS: They work by temperature control that activates the water system on demand. We use a controller that is programmed to monitor furnace temperature. A separate controller monitors the stack temperature.
We also offer the option that the controllers have a USB connection. You can take your USB, slide it into the controller, and pull off the cycle time and temperature that you just ran. Then you can walk it over to your laptop or a computer plug it in and it prints you out an EXCEL spread sheet. Basically, it’s just like a chart recorder.
DG: And that is built into the controller? You don’t need an extra chart recorder or a digital controller? You can get a printout of every single run that you do?
RS: That is correct
DG: You also provide remote thermocouples? For example, if someone is running motors and wanted to know the exact parameters?
RS: Yes, we can attach a separate controller to the existing control panel with a separate thermocouple. The thermocouple attaches to the motors and gives a readout of the motors. You can also attach it to a jig, a hanger, or any part that you’re processing. You can record the temperature in the oven.
We can also tie it into a system to control and activate the water system based on the part temperature.
DG: Are your ovens fully automatic? Do you set a burn off temperature and don’t have to program the time to run the oven?
RS: That is correct. The difference from our competitors is we use a digital timer which is more up to date. Other companies use mechanical timers which only run 0-12 hours. The timer we use at Eco has 0-99 hours. You never need to run 99 hours. Most of the time you put two hours on the timer. The timer does not activate until all the material you are trying to process off the parts is combusted and gone and does not create any more smoke. At that point the temperature of the stack drops to what we call the idle temperature.
If at any time during the cycle there is activity in the oven that raises the temperature of the stack, the water system will activate. Then the timer will stop and pause. It will go through a 15-minute cycle to make sure that we control whatever is in the oven and any smoke that’s coming off. Once the 15-minutes has passed the timer will go back to the point where it stopped.
So, there’s no guessing from your operators on how much time they should put on the timer,
DG: Other ovens have that feature, but it is not always dependable. But the digital timer and two hours after the burn is completed makes sure that the burn is done?
RS: I just want to clear up the two hours on the timer.
That doesn’t mean, for example, that you start the burn at 8 o’clock and it will be done at 10 o’clock. The timer does not activate until the furnace has reached its full set point in the oven of 750-800 degrees. It will not start until the oven achieves whatever setpoint you programmed.
Most of the time, under a load, if you achieve that set point there will be some activity in the oven that’s going to activate the water system. It will not let the timer start until the water system says: “Hey I’m under control, so I’m going to let the timer start”.
Some cycles can be as little as 3 hours but some cycles can be 5-7-or 8 hours. It all depends on the load that is in the oven. That’s how it helps the operator from making an error of either not putting enough time or too much time on the cycle. The oven will know how much time it needs to process what’s on your parts.
DG: Some oven companies top down or a bottom-up heating of the oven. They talk about the advantage each. Do ECO Ovens use top-down or a bottom-up heating?
RS: This is bottom to top. I’ve been in the business long enough I’ve seen two ovens with bottom to top heating and the other one they call top-down heating.
The problem you have everyone leans in elementary school. Heat rises. You can try to force heat down but you really can’t get it down there.
The problem with top-down heating is you have a very cold floor on the bottom. That means you are giving up space you paid for in an oven where you are never going to process correctly. I always tell people that if you don’t understand, this grab a ladder, sit on the floor, get a piece of metal, get anything and take the temperature. After 30 minutes, put the ladder in your office or in your room climb up the ladder and sit at the top of the ladder take the temperature again and there will be a difference. Heat rises. Very simple.
DG: Like you said before your 800 degrees is the same as everybody else’s.
RS: Like everybody else. I always tell people. Other places where I worked used to hate that I would tell customers that but our 800 degree is not “special”. The same as the people who have top-down. Like everybody else, our 800 degrees is not special.
DG: So, what is the best feature that an ECO Oven has?
RS: What I always tell people. Why buy an oven from ECO? – I’m going to really stay strong on this – is our service. Our service after the sale. It’s a machine. It is going to need service and support down the road. Who is going to be there to service it? Who can help you with your oven and who’s going to have the parts to ship them the same day or the next day? We will get you up and going and help you to replace the part and start the oven back up.
DG: Is there anything ahead in the future that will be a game changer for the industry
RS: I don’t see anything other than controllers. They are changing.
There is a lot of competition out there. With all the digital controllers, with Blue tooth, with analog, with cameras… I was working on a way but I told customers they can do it on their own. I thought about adding a camera to the oven. But I think that in today’s world of cameras, anybody can install a camera. Then they can go on Wi-Fi and can actually see their oven running.
DG: Why buy an ECO Oven.?
RS: Why do I buy any type of product? Whether it’s an appliance at home for me and my wife or a car? Who is going to give to me the service and the same attention that they give me when they are trying to sell the product? I want to see the same service after I sell the oven. That’s what we do. That’s what I thrive on.
You can find more information about ECO Ovens on our detail page.
