SEVEN ‘JANUARY JOBS’ TO PREVENT A KITCHEN CATASTROPHE!
Winterhalter’s advice on giving warewashers TLC after the festive season
Post Christmas, post New Year, things can get quiet for hospitality operators. Which makes it the perfect time for the ‘January Jobs’ – the housework chores that have gotten pushed down the priority list. Winterhalter says this is especially true for those Cinderellas of the kitchen and back bar, the glass and dishwashers. There’s a tendency to fit and forget them, but if they go wrong it can lead to a kitchen catastrophe! Now the Winterhalter warewashing gurus have come up with a list of jobs to do in January to make sure that dishwashers and glasswashers are in peak condition when things get busy again.
Paul Crowley is marketing development manager at Winterhalter UK. He says, “These are the sorts of jobs that should get done regularly but often aren’t, for a variety of reasons. January is the perfect time for them!
“In addition, we’re advising on getting a chemical service including a titration test. Again, it’s something that’s ideal to do during quiet times, and can make a huge difference to wash results in the future.”
Here are Winterhalter’s seven ‘January Jobs’:
- Remove all filters and wash arms, manually clean the interior of the machine, door, underside of the door and clear the door channels.
- Clean the wash arms and filters - this is something that should be completed daily
- Re-fit all wash arms and filters and then complete a descale using a specialist chemical, such as Winterhalter’s A75LS.
- Complete the deep clean using a dedicated product such as Winterhalter’s A15MC tablets.
- Give your glassware and crockery a refresh by carrying out de-tannin using a specialist chemical such as Winterhalter’s A12TK. Once finished, completely drain down the machine before beginning another operation, such as a complete glass renovation with another specialist chemical – in Winterhalter’s case it’s A25GL.
- Give your dishwasher racks a close examination. Have wire racks started to wear or rust? Have plastic racks snapped or are compartments broken? Have you been experiencing breakages or poor results? It’s not just about the state of the rack itself, there are all sorts of different racks for different applications, and you may need a different one for best results. If you’re not sure, ask a specialist such as Winterhalter for advice.
- Arrange a full service from a professional engineer during January. Any warewasher should be serviced at least twice a year, more often if usage is heavy. In January, it’s likely the machine could do with some TLC, having just been through an exceptionally busy time. Plus, as it’s quiet, there’s less disruption. Winterhalter service engineers will provide a health check list on the machine and offer staff training, if they think any is required.
In addition, January is the ideal time to have a chemicals service, which will check on the condition of the water and offer the right chemicals to achieve the best wash results. For example, a Winterhalter chemical service includes a titration test, which establishes the site’s water composition and allows the Winterhalter technician to determine what the ideal dosage should be, depending on the user’s chosen cleaning chemicals. They may also recommend changing the type of chemical, to better suit the water. The service also includes a water hardness test, a filter change if the site has a Reverse Osmosis (RO) water treatment system, inspection of racks, and staff training if any new chemical products are purchased.
The chemical service technician can also offer the customer trial packs of different Winterhalter chemicals, so they can see which achieves the best results.