Commercial dishwashers are designed to wash hundreds of daily usable dishware to ensure hygiene. The customers must be served their food on squeaky clean cutlery to develop a positive impression. However, because commercial dishwashers are used daily, they can sometimes run into problems such as standing water. We are going to discuss the potential reasons along with some troubleshooting tips so you can try some fixes yourself. But if this doesn’t work out, consult a commercial kitchen appliance repair service. Let’s begin!
Dirty Or Clogged Filter
If you walk up to your commercial dishwasher and observe a puddle or puddles of water i.e. standing water, it means you should check the filter and make sure it is not clogged. What many business owners do not realize is that commercial dishwashers like other commercial and household appliances need maintenance.
A commercial dishwasher comprises several different components with filters being one of them. Depending on the model your commercial dishwasher may have more than one. If you are not aware of their location, you will have to consult the user manual.
Filters are designed to trap leftovers and food particles that can end up inside the machine and cause serious problems. With time, these filters can turn dirty or get clogged. As part of maintenance, you must inspect the filters and ensure they are neither dirty nor clogged.
Furthermore, filters also come with a lifespan attached. If the commercial dishwasher is old, you might need to replace the filters especially if they are cracked or damaged etc. However, if they are clogged or dirty, you can simply clean them and re-install them.
Dirty or clogged filters are one of the most common problems in commercial dishwashers and can be easily avoided if regular inspection and maintenance are done. Otherwise, ignorance can lead to expensive repairs and replacements.
Using The Wrong Detergent
Using the wrong detergent can also have a serious impact on your commercial dishwasher. Then again, this is one of the factors that mostly goes ignored until business owners face the consequences. It is important to use the right kind of detergent for your dishwasher.
From the outside, all commercial dishwashing machines may look the same but they differ in terms of size, functions, features, and specifications. In most cases, the type of detergent to be used also varies. To be sure, you should read the user manual. Modern commercial dishwashing machines work best with powder rather than liquid.
Adding too much detergent to your dishwasher might lead to excess suds and then inadequate draining. Plus, it might also be that your commercial dishwasher is designed to work with liquid. The type and the amount of detergent to be used will vary. If the user manual does not contain such information, you should contact the manufacturer and better be safe than sorry.
Blocked Garbage Disposer
A clogged garbage disposer can lead to draining problems in your dishwasher. Even if the filters are not clogged or dirty, a blocked garbage disposal can lead to a commercial dishwasher experiencing standing water issues. In such a case, you will not only find standing water outside the unit but also inside.
The best way to avoid the situation is by cleaning the garbage disposal and ensuring nothing is blocking the passage. Use the services of a commercial garbage disposal repair Springfield expert if required.
Include cleaning the garbage disposal as part of regular maintenance of your restaurant dishwasher. Moreover, ensure that you scrape off leftover food items like bones to prevent blockage.
Drain Hose Clogs Or Kinks
The drain hose of your commercial dishwasher can also cause problems. Sometimes, the drain hose due to improper installation or simply experiencing years of wear and tear can cause drainage problems. In addition to that, if the drain hose is tangled or twisted, the drain water will find it difficult to pass through.
Most of the time, solving drain hose problems is not much of an issue but should be prevented. While installing a new unit, you should make sure the pipes have enough space and are not pushed against an object to make drainage a problem.
How To Maintain A Commercial Dishwasher?
Now that we have discussed the potential reasons for standing in a commercial dishwasher along with some troubleshooting tips, let us now shift our attention to maintenance. This factor alone can either make or break the lifespan of your machine.
Scrape Off Food Debris From Dishes
As mentioned earlier, it is important to scrape off food debris from the dishes as it can regularly create problems. Commercial kitchens are extremely busy places and it is easy for the team to forget scraping the dishes before they are placed inside the unit. Rinsing the dishes goes a long way in terms of avoiding complicated issues.
The biggest advantage of scraping off food debris is that you will not have to put a lot of effort and time into cleaning the machine later on. Rinsing the dishes removes oil and chunks of food that can accumulate inside the machine over time and make it nearly impossible to remove.
Follow The Manual
You might think that you are familiar with all the commercial dishwasher principles but you don’t. Even the most minor factors can make a big impact and are easy to ignore for the time being. However, many business owners run into problems just because they completely ignore the manual.
If your business relies on presentation, you cannot afford the commercial dishwasher to give up during busy days. You might want to fix the problem yourself, but if you’re not skilled enough in repairing commercial dishwashers, you might make it a lot worse. In addition to following and going through the manual, you should also have your team go through the manual to come up with quick fixes if a problem arises when you least expect it.
Regularly Check Chemicals
Commercial dishwashers use detergent, rinse aid, and sanitizer to ensure the dishes are clean and hygienic. These chemicals are used in combinations that vary depending on the commercial dishwasher. If the combination or the balance happens to be off, it could result in some issues. It might be that the dishes are not properly cleaned and served to the customers.
However, using the wrong type of detergent can cause other problems like a blockage. Therefore, it is important regularly check the chemicals and also use the recommended detergent and other chemicals.
Do not experiment with combinations on your own. It might work in short term but not in the long run. If you can’t find the recommended combinations or have any problems with them, consult the manufacturer of the dishwasher or an expert.
Conclusion
To sum it up, fixing the standing water issue in a commercial dishwasher is easy at times. But, the more important thing is that it can be avoided. Instead of wasting time and effort in fixing such issues, you should adopt practices that keep things running smoothly. And, with the help of the tips mentioned above combined with proper maintenance, you are going to make the most out of your investment. If a problem is confusing, leave that to a commercial dishwasher repair Alexandria technician.