Busy commercial kitchens within schools and restaurants rely on their combi ovens; they’re designed to deal with high demands, consistently catering for various dietary requirements. But what happens if your oven lets you down? There’s usually a reason why something’s wrong, and this blog explains how you can carry out combi oven maintenance to ensure your oven is operating at its optimal capacity.

How To Service And Clean Combi Ovens

Rational Combi Oven maintenance

Keep On Top Of Your Cleaning

By wiping down the interior and exterior walls of your combi oven daily, especially at the end of a cooking shift, you’ll avoid the build-up of dirt, grease and food particles that can result in bigger issues. Ensure you’re also cleaning:

  • Handles
  • Trays, grills and racks
  • Door seals
  • Filters
  • Under, beside and behind the unit

Secure Your Door Seals

Combi oven door seals are designed to withstand the heat and daily wear and tear of a commercial kitchen. But if they’re not maintained correctly, they’ll be ineffective. Cleaning and checking your door seals help to avoid any bacteria build-up and spot any signs of damage or splits that can be easily remedied. Remember, broken seals can lose up to 50% of heat!

Take Care Of Your Combi Oven

Although they’re designed to be pretty indestructible, a little care and attention will extend the lifespan of your combi oven. There are simple things you can action, such as:

  • Provide staff training on equipment
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions
  • Clean correctly with the right products and equipment
  • Don’t slam the door or trays

For cleaning tips, read our commercial kitchen daily maintenance checklist.

commercial kitchen sink

Refresh Your Water

A good, clean water supply improves your combi oven’s productivity and cooking quality. You need to make sure it’s attached correctly and is regularly descaled to avoid the build-up of lime scale which can impact its performance. You should also regularly test the quality of the water and clean the filter every 3-6 months.

Maintenance Monitoring

To get the most from your combi oven, we recommend implementing a regular maintenance schedule. This can be actioned by your staff and help monitor the condition of your oven. These checks should cover:

  • Its overall condition
  • Status of the door seals
  • The thermostats
  • No damaged or faulty wiring
  • Blocked holes which could prevent steam

Find out more about our planned preventative maintenance plans.

Clean And Clear Ventilation

Not only does the effective extraction of fumes, smells and heat create a pleasant working environment, it’s essential for your kitchen equipment to work adequately. If your ventilation is blocked or broken, your combi oven will not be able to cool down and could overheat. Potentially resulting in your unit switching off mid-cooking or breakdown completely, causing kitchen downtime or a costly fix.

Don’t Forget The Drainage

Ever wondered where condensation droplets end up? Combi ovens have a drain at the bottom where they collect any steam condensation runoff. This can get blocked by dropped food particles, so make sure it’s clean and clear for a fully functioning oven.

combi oven shelf

Be Switched On, And Switch Off

A simple change of switching off your combi oven, or any appliance, when not in use will help maintain its condition as well as reduce your energy consumption. It’ll also help your staff understand how long it takes for your combi oven to heat up, educating them on how much time they need to prepare for opening times.

Read our guide on ways to reduce your commercial kitchen energy bills.

Let The Professionals Help

A combi oven is a huge investment for any commercial kitchen, and you want to get the best performance from it, for as long as possible, with minimal disruption. Alongside introducing these daily maintenance checks, we recommend using industry experts, such as Midlands, to conduct regular services on your appliances. To find out more, view our Planned Preventative Maintenance Agreements or get in touch.

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