Pizza ovens run the hottest sustained duty in the commercial kitchen, and they do it in two mechanically different ways: the deck oven, cooking on stored stone heat, and the conveyor oven, cooking in a forced-air stream. Their thermostats face different problems — range and recovery on the deck, cycling and throughput on the conveyor. This guide works through both, and the limiter protection that unattended preheat makes non-negotiable.
Deck and conveyor ovens ask different things
A deck oven is a heat battery: elements charge massive stones, and the stones cook the pizza. Setpoints run high — deck ovens work toward 450–500°C at the top of the class — and the control's job is to keep the battery charged without overshooting between bakes. A conveyor oven is a heat wind tunnel: product moves through forced hot air at a lower, steadier setpoint, doors effectively always open, and the control cycles frequently against a constant cold load entering on the belt. Same food, opposite control problems.
Deck temperature is not air temperature
The bulb reads air; the pizza cooks on stone. Stone temperature lags air temperature on the way up, and falls faster than air when cold dough lands on it. A bulb placed high in the chamber reads the crown; placed near the deck it reads closer to what the base experiences. Neither is “wrong”, but they produce different ovens from the same dial setting — which is why moving a bulb during a service, without noting its original position, changes how an oven bakes. The placement principles are the same as for any oven chamber, covered in our oven thermostat guide.
Recovery is power plus control
Recovery after a door opening or a full load of cold pizzas is mostly element power and stone mass — but the control has to be able to switch that power, all day, at temperature. Heavy single-phase decks take the AG32-1K (up to 32A, 50–450°C) or the ARB 33A (33A, 50–500°C); three-phase decks take the AG32-3K three-pole control (16A / 32A / 50A, up to 400V). Conveyor ovens with lighter loads are served by the AG16-K (16A / 20A, 50–400°C). An under-rated control on a recovery-heavy deck is the classic early failure: contacts switching near their limit, hundreds of times a service, weld or pit within a season.
| Model | Rating | Range | Reset |
|---|---|---|---|
| AG16-K | 16A / 20A · 110V / 250V | 50–400°C | Automatic |
| AG32-1K | 16A / 20A / 32A · 110V / 250V / 380V | 50–450°C | Automatic |
| ARB 33A | 33A · 110V / 250V | 50–500°C | Automatic |
| AG32-3K | 16A / 32A / 50A · 110V / 250V / 400V | 50–350°C, three-pole | Automatic |
Technical data is a catalogue reference. Confirm final ratings, dimensions and approvals for the selected model before ordering.
The preheat problem: limiters for unattended ovens
Pizza ovens preheat before anyone is in the kitchen — switched on early, left alone at full temperature. That unattended hour is exactly when a failed control becomes a fire instead of a complaint. Every deck and conveyor oven needs an independent manual-reset limiter above its control: the AG16-S with fixed trip points at 380 / 400 / 430°C for single-phase ovens, or the multi-pole AG32-3S / AG32-2S, tripping at up to 400°C, where the supply is three-phase. Set the trip above the oven's maximum working temperature and below the point where insulation and wiring are damaged; our safety limiter guide works through that choice, and our specification guide covers the full ordering checklist.
Certifications
Our thermostats are produced under a TÜV-certified quality system — certificate R50309054 (EN 60730-1 / EN IEC 60730-2-9), verifiable on Certipedia. Confirm the approvals carried by the specific models you select.
FAQ
Which thermostat suits a conveyor pizza oven?
Conveyor ovens work well inside the standard control ranges: the AG16-K (50–400°C, 16A / 20A) for most models, stepping up to the AG32-1K (50–450°C, up to 32A) where the element load or three-phase supply demands it.
Why does deck temperature crash when we load pizzas?
Cold dough pulls heat out of the stone faster than the air — and the bulb reading the air — registers it. Recovery depends on stored deck heat plus element power the control can switch; that is why heavy decks pair high-mass stones with high-current controls rather than relying on the thermostat alone.
What limiter trip point suits a deck oven working up to 400°C?
A fixed trip above the maximum working temperature and below the damage threshold of insulation and wiring — for a 400°C oven, the AG16-S fixed point at 430°C is the standard match.
High-Current Control Thermostats · Manual Reset Safety Limit Thermostats · Capillary Control Thermostats