5 Tips to Keep Your High-Temp Conveyor Dishwasher Working as Hard as You Do!
By – The Editor
Your dishwasher may not be the most glamourous piece of equipment in your kitchen, but it is nevertheless vital to a smooth running and safe operation. In this blog we share five tips from our technicians that will help you avoid issues that would potentially result in your commercial dishwasher needing repairs.
One – Pre-Spray Dishes
Pre-spraying your dishes to remove large food particles is an excellent idea. Conveyor dishwashers are not designed to break down large food ‘chunks’, so having them inside the unit will dirty the water quickly, resulting in the need to replace the water more regularly. This will do nothing to help your profit margin.
Two – Curtains
The curtains on your machine play a fundamental role in keeping heat and water inside the machine. Worn and curled curtains let out steam meaning the heat in the machine drops. This results in the unit consuming more power as it tries to reach temperature, and you are likely to have a wet floor from spray coming on of the unit!
Three – Washing and Rinse Temperature
The water temperature during the washing cycle should be at least 150 °F. Did you know that the booster heater can only add an additional 40°F to the rinse cycle, so if the wash temperature is low, you may not be achieving 180°F for proper sanitation, and the unit will use additional power as your booster heater will run too hard trying to make up the temperature. To check that your unit is achieving 180° F during the rinse cycle please check the temperature gauge, but make sure to do this ONLY when the rinse cycle is running.
Four – Daily Cleaning
Think of daily cleaning as preventative maintenance to avoid commercial dishwasher repairs. Not cleaning leads to a host of service calls, mainly due to blockages in either the spray tubes or spray arms. Other than food, toothpicks and Saran-wrap are two culprits that cause this issue so be on the lookout for them when you pre-spray your dishes.
Five – Washer Racks
Warped and broken racks make it hard for the unit to drag the racks through the machine, and are one of the largest contributors to utensils becoming stuck. Regarding utensils, presoaking them helps loosen up stubborn food particles on them. This ensures they are cleaning properly.
Should you need further advice about the maintenance of your dish machine please do not hesitate to each out to your nearest General Parts Group location on (888) 498-1238 or visit our locations page here.