Proper Installation and Start Up of Foodservice Equipment
By Pat Finley – Lead Master Certified Technician
General Parts Group offers certified installations, as well as manufacturer specific startup of new foodservice equipment. Proper installation and startup of new foodservice equipment protects your equipment warranty and can help prevent costly break downs and nuisance service issues. It can also extend the life of your new equipment.
All good installation projects start with a site survey. We recommend this survey always happens so our technicians can verify site readiness. This includes the review of both the access points to bring equipment into the building and any utilities that the equipment may need to function. At this time, we can inform the customer of anything needed to complete the job. This survey lets us catch the issues and have them corrected before we arrive which saves time and money as well as minimizing disruption to the kitchen.
The General Parts Group Difference
On the theme of saving time and money, many of our branches offer door-to-door installations where we receive the equipment at our facilities, and even complete some prep work ahead of time. This can include stacking of the units, or mounting on to table, prepping electrical and water connections and much more. General Parts is investing in specialized trailers that lower to the ground. This serves two purposes. Firstly, to provide safe transport of the equipment, but also to give our technicians the safest way to load and unload the equipment. We also have different lifts we can use to safely move, maneuver and position equipment. Safety is a top priority for our customers, technicians and of course the new equipment.
Experienced & Certified Installation Services
Our technicians are trained and follow proper manufacturer specifications to install the equipment. Manufacturers have strict guidelines for how and where the unit can be installed. It is important these practices are followed. Improper installations can cause costly repairs which often are not covered by your warranty agreement. For example, a Combi Oven installed next to a heat source such as an oven or fryer can cause a lot of damage. It can melt components, trip control compartments limits, and the fans can bring in grease that coats the components. Many manufacturers have minimum requirements for distances around the unit. If a unit cannot be accessed for service which is due to improper installation, the customer can be responsible for additional service charges for extended labor to move units around to service.
Once the new equipment is installed, it is time for startup. This is just as important than the installation. Proper installation and operation is verified during a startup. Voltages, amperages, temperatures, water pressure and temperature, and gas pressure are all measured. Here are some examples of why this is important.
• Improper gas pressure can cause all kinds of havoc, too low and equipment wont light, too high and it will damage components like gas valves and thermopiles.
• Voltage out of spec can cause high amperage, excessive heat, and premature failures of all electric components.
• Improper water temperature can cause a dish machine booster heater to not keep up, or a combi oven to not quench the drain with cold water.
All this required information is listed and recorded on startup forms which helps validate your warranty and serves as a great historic baseline for future maintenance and service.
If you want to get the best life span out of your new kitchen equipment, it needs to be installed and started up correctly.
Contact General Parts for Your Next Install
Find your local General Parts branch here to learn more or to book your next install.