Commercial dishwashers and glass washers are very expensive pieces of catering equipment for the professional kitchen and that's why maintenance is an essential part of owning a commercial dishwasher or glass washer to ensure you don't have to spend money on unnecessary breakdowns or replacing a machine after it fails prematurely.
Too often do we see commercial dishwashers and glass washer break down due to lack of maintenance and mis-use because the staff employed in the kitchens do not take proper care of the equipment and are not taught to maintain the machine when necessary.
To improve your maintenance routine and ensure your staff take proper care of your glass washer or dishwasher I strongly recommend that you provide staff with this list and quick instruction manual for machine maintenance.
1. Rinse Dishes beforehand
When running dishes in a dishwasher it is always a good idea to pre-wash the dishes before putting them into the machine. Not only will this ensure that you are getting the best wash results from your machine but it will also help to keep the inside of the machine clean and stop food debris from building up and blocking filters, pumps and pipe work. It is not necessary to get your dishes spotless but just wash off any big lumps of dried on food before putting them in the dishwasher.
2. Blocked Pumps & Filters
Watch out for blocked pumps and filters. In a commercial dishwasher, teaspoons, lemon slices and other bits of food debris can be missed during the loading phase. If you are experiencing a problem with your machine that it wont fill, wont drain or bad wash results are occurring, just lift out the filter baskets and stick your finger down the pump hole (when the machine is off!) to check that nothing is blocking the pumps and filters.
3. Use the Correct Detergents
There are plenty of detergents available on the market and although nowadays most are of a suitable quality, there are a lot of cheap alternatives that are not up to scratch. Buy chemicals from where you got the machine as the supplier will always want to give you a tested chemical that goes well with their machines. Alternatively, shop around and try a few different brands. One brand may work well in your water area but worse in someone else's so don't rely on recommendations. Generally as a rule, you get what you pay for when it comes to rinse aid and detergents.
4. Keep your water softener topped up
The be all and end all of a commercial dishwasher or glass washer is ensuring that your water softener is topped up and running. Commonly overlooked, making sure there is a good level of salt and that the salt is regularly replaced in your softener is key to maintaining your machine. Lime scale may build up all over in places you cannot see and damage your elements, boilers and pumps. One sign that you have a lime scale problem is if the machine inside is going white or you see white water marks on dishes and glassware.
5. Run Lime scale Remover
Regularly, say once a week, run a cap full of descaler through your machine to keep it in tip-top condition. This is in-expensive and will help to prolong the life of your machine.
6. Consider a SupaWash Alternative
If you are struggling to get your staff to follow these instructions or are just finding it too much like hard work then consider an alternative. A supawash glass washer allows you to not bother with lime scale, water softeners or even detergent.
