How not to clean Lava rock !

[gmann]

I wasnt sure if I should post this but its kind of funny now so here goes. yes you may laugh as well but DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU..

When I introduce new rocks I usually soak them in bleach for 24-48 hours followed by a power rinse. After reading DARKDEPS comments on how easy baking is I decided to try it.
Lava rocks are all cleaned from the night before. (power washed them) Saturday morning place all the rocks in the oven (yes they are still wet) and I set it to 400f. The plan WAS to bake for an hour. After 15 minutes or so I noticed steam coming from the oven.  Turn the vent on and continued cleaning my tank in the dining room. About 30 minutes or so into the baking process my oven starts beeping. The steam I mentioned earlier has intensified (a lot). The timer reads F-1. I try to stop the beeping but it continues.. Oh no! please dont tell me I have damaged the range. I take all the rocks out and still can not stop the beeping. Unplug the range and get the manual out. I need to call for service.  Technician came on Thursday and my rock baking experiment cost me $344  (now I have a new timer instead of the FX5 I wanted to buy) Yes I was a bonehead for putting wet rocks in the oven but lesson learned. 

[sylvain]

couldn't you just put the rocks in a big cooking pot and put it on the charcoal??

[darkdep]

Well, I've never put WET rocks in the oven but, I don't understand...what exactly broke?

[gmann]

The timer... I had to buy a new one $189, plus service call + labour to install...If you have an older model of range or one without the fancy elctronic features you probably dont have to worry.

[repeej]

The timer... I had to buy a new one $189, plus service call + labour to install...If you have an older model of range or one without the fancy elctronic features you probably dont have to worry.

I still don't understand how putting wet rocks in your oven caused the timer to break. 

[gmann]

Trust me I too didnt understand either. I didnt realize how much water these rocks would produce. But when I couldnt read the digital clock I knew there was too much steam getting into this part of the range. The small vent was not able to handle the generation of steam being produced. too much condensation = timer to malfunction. I needed 2 towels to soak up the water on the bottom of the oven. Next time they are going on the BBQ and they will be bone dry.

[torch89]

I baked my rocks for 35 mins at 400 degrees.  Backing was suggested by people who responded to my question on this site.  My only concern was that when rock is heated, they are known to explode.  Not really sure what temperature it would take to do that though.  Anyway, my rocks are baked and I had no real problems.  Sorry to hear about your stove. 

[repeej]

Let's not forget that most rocks are nowhere near as porous as lava rock.  I imagine this would only happen with this type of rock.

[darkdep]

That might explain it...cause I HAVE put wet rock in the oven before now that I think about it but never had any steam that I noticed.  Must have been the porousity of the rocks.

[lucky777]

I've put wet rocks in the oven about 3 times and never had any problems period!!!  Never lava rock though 

[UCGrafix]

I still don't understand how putting wet rocks in your oven caused the timer to break. 

Me neither.
I bake stuff all the time including rocks and wood for my fish and reptiles.
I must have a simple stove I guess.
I soak and bake on a large cookie sheet ( wrap the wood in tin foil though not to burn it ) at 350 F and for what ever time it takes per item.
No problem so far.

One little thing you have to consider, is that the rock or wood doesn't have to be dripping, just wet.

[torch89]

O.k..  Noticing that most of you seem to be baking wet rocks.  Was I supposed to wet them before baking them?  I just baked dry.

[pegasus]

I'll take that baking rocks is for killing parasites as you will put these rocks back in a wet environment. Would'nt 150C for an hour do it with even the oven door a bit ajar?

[Rudy00]

wet rocks caused steam, dry heat vs steam

steam is much "hotter" so i assume it did damage

[mila]

I clean my rocks outside with hose and brush or in kitchen sink and move it to the oven still wet, bake it for 1 hour on full blast and leave it there for another 2 hours to cool ti down. Never had any prob. with steam. Did some sendstone, which is pores, keeps water for long time.
If you concern about steam, you can leave oven door open for first 20 min.

[UCGrafix]

Here is my method of operation.

Rocks.
Soak the rocks until they are wet trough out, take them out of the water and lay them on a towel to have the excess water drip out, turn on your oven at 350 F and place the rocks on a backing sheet inside the stove, bake until you see the water on the rocks boil for about 10 minutes, once you have achieve that, take the rocks out of the stove and let them cool down, then place them in your tank.
Here is what hapens, when the water boils inside the rock, it kills everything including parasites.

Wood.
Same procedure as the rocks, but wrap the wood in tin foil before baking to prevent it from burning.

By sterilising the components before adding them to your tank, it prevents you from bringing in unwanted parasites, infestation such as snails or potential problems.

Cheers,
Denis