If you own a business in Essex that serves food daily, that means you understand how important a properly functioning commercial dishwasher is to your operation.
A barely functioning or broken dishwasher means that it’ll take your team more time to clean the dishes since they’ll either do it by hand or run the dishes through your dishwasher multiple times.
So whether you’re running a club, a cafeteria, a restaurant, or a food catering service, you’ll need your commercial dishwasher to be fast, efficient, and problem-free.
And we understand how problematic it can be to halt your operation for maintenance. However, if you see a sign of a potential malfunction and ignore it, it may lead to bigger problems that can be expensive and time-consuming to fix.
Whether your commercial dishwasher is experiencing one of the problems listed below or something else entirely, trust that we’re equipped to fix anything from a small malfunction to an entirely inoperable dishwasher.
However, not all malfunctions were made equal; some occur more often than others. Here are the most common services we provide.
And after years of experience fixing commercial dishwashers, we’ve identified the most common malfunctions. Therefore, our engineers show up at your door with a vast arsenal of stock parts to ensure you get your dishwasher fixed in as little time as possible.
If you don’t see your dishwasher brand on the list, no need to worry. Instead, inform us of the brand you use, and we’ll still get your dishwasher back up and running in no time.
A functional dishwasher doesn’t mean a problem-free dishwasher. There are clear signs of a potential malfunction that should never be ignored. If you notice any of the following signs, it’s best to fix them sooner rather than later.
Inlet Valve Malfunctioning
The inlet valve is what supplies your dishwasher with the water it needs. A sign your inlet valve is malfunctioning is if your dishwasher is often overflowing or not completely filling with water. And in severe cases, the inlet valve can overflow the dishwasher even when it’s turned off.
Noticing a Substantial Leak
If your dishwasher is leaking water, your drain hose is damaged and needs to be changed. On the other hand, if your dishwasher isn’t expelling water efficiently, that could mean that the drain hose is clogged.
Water Not Heating Properly
Hot water is essential for properly sanitising dishes. However, if your water stops receiving heat before reaching the optimal temperature, your thermostat is broken and needs to be replaced.
Cleaning the Dishes in Multiple Rounds
If you find yourself throwing your dishes in the dishwasher for two or three rounds to get them properly cleaned, that could mean that your spray arms are malfunctioning or your circulation pump isn’t creating enough water pressure.
To ensure your dishwasher lives a long and healthy life, you need to practice a good preventative maintenance routine. This will highly reduce the risk of malfunctions.
Only Use Appropriate Chemicals
Check your dishwasher’s manual to understand which chemicals are safe to use and which can harm your dishwasher. For instance, many dishwashers aren’t compatible with bleach.
Maintain a Clean Filter
You should clean your filter once every 20 cycles. Otherwise, food particles will start to decompose and create a horrible smell in your dishwasher.
Dry the Machine Properly
After the last cycle of the day, you should leave your dishwasher open to air-dry. Leaving it closed overnight with water promotes the build-up of harmful bacteria.
Scrape Dishes Before Throwing Them in the Dishwasher
The best way to prevent the clogging of your drain hose is to simply make sure your plates have no food particles before entering the dishwasher. This also takes a load off the filter since fewer particles will get stuck there.
Schedule Periodic Inspections
Last but not least, even if your dishwasher seems fine, you need to schedule periodic inspections with a professional. A quick inspection now and then can catch a problem when it’s small and prevent you from having to pay a large bill to fix it later.
Scheduling routine dishwasher maintenance allows you to avoid potential breakdowns by identifying problems when they first arise, and dealing with them promptly and efficiently to minimise the threat of bigger issues later down the line.
Maintenance and repair work is necessary to ensure that your kitchen is compliant with the relevant regulatory standards. For one thing, well-maintained equipment means less risk of a fire. Staff safety should be a priority, and this means ensuring your equipment is performing as it should.
Commercial dishwashers that are looked after properly will continue to perform for longer and you’re less likely to encounter breakdowns. Regular maintenance stops deterioration and maximises efficiency. Professional catering equipment maintenance is, therefore, an important way of protecting your investment. And well-maintained equipment also has a better resale value should you want to pass your equipment on at a later date.
By dramatically reducing the risk of future breakdown and the disruption and downtime it entails, you save money in the long term. While unanticipated breakdowns can lead to lost revenue and disappointed customers, high-performing equipment is efficient, allows for a smooth operation and consistently delivers a quality service, boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Do you own a business in Kent and want peace of mind of knowing you’ve got a company like PHS to assist in emergencies?
Or perhaps you’re looking to stop commercial dishwashers breakdowns before they happen by organising regular maintenance for your commercial kitchen appliances?
If so, you should contact PHS today and speak to one of our friendly team members.
You can phone us by calling 01206 580 481, or you can send us an email via our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you!