Improving Your Restaurant's Water for Water Quality Month

August 23, 2019

August is Water Quality Month, and this is a wonderful time to take a look at the h2O coming out of your St. Louis restaurant. Water quality is so important, not just in the water that you drink, but also in the water that you clean with. We’re sure you already know about the importance of clean water, but just for the new people in the room, your local commercial kitchen repair company in Missouri is going to offer some tips and refresh your mind on the maintenance requirements!

Start With Quality Water Testing

We’ve all heard the stories of restaurants who aren’t keeping up with proper tests, and end up serving terrible bacterias and even poison to their guests. If you aren’t testing your water supply, you will never know WHAT is going into your guests' glass.

Water is used in EVERYTHING at your restaurant, so if you have contaminated water with harmful substances, it’s not only ending up in the food. It will be showing up during preparation and cooking, as you wipe down tables, and even washing the dishes.

Testing regularly can help ensure that quality drinking and cooking water are being supplied to your facility throughout the year. Seasonal changes, weather patterns, and even common environmental triggers like construction can affect the quality of your water. Start by investing in some test strips to help check your water, but also realize that a filtration system might be necessary.

Water Quality Doesn’t Just Start at the Source

Even if your water source is coming back clean, that doesn’t mean that water isn’t being contaminated along the way. Making sure that your appliances are maintained properly is key to producing clean water for your guests. Here are a few common appliances that are based on water, and why they need to be cleaned and maintained regularly.

Ice Machine
If your ice machine is producing strange colored ice, ice with a bad odor, or even just not keeping up or leaking water, these can all be signs that it needs to be cleaned. The quality of your ice is still directly linked to water quality, as your guests will be drinking the ice that you produce. Cleaning your ice machine can be easy. Just start by removing all of the ice, and depending on the model, pressing the “clean” or “wash” button, adding the ice machine cleaner, and waiting until the cycle is complete. Not sure how to clean your machine? Start with the owner’s manual, and if you still have questions, Fast Fix LLC can help.

Coffee Maker
Coffee machines can be a terrible place for dirt and grime to gather if they aren’t cleaned properly or regularly. If you don't remember the last time you cleaned your machine, we are 100% sure that it will need to be cleaned. If you are getting complained about the flavor of the coffee, the taste, and obviously if it isn’t working properly, start with a clean and then move to commercial kitchen appliance services in Missouri next.

Drink Machines
Drink machines can be similar to coffee machines, especially if your guests serve themselves from the machine. Start by taking off the cup rest and washing it in warm soapy water, and then reinstalling it. Next, you’ll wash down the exterior and then start on the valve nozzles. For weekly cleaning, you’ll want to wash the diffusers in water, clean the ice chute, and wash the nozzles in warm water.

Water Filters
The benefit of having a water filtration system installed in your restaurant is crucial. This can help catch any bacteria in the water before it even gets to your appliances. There are also many areas of Missouri that experience hard water challenges, so by making water filters and softeners a priority in your restaurant, you can help save the wear and tear on your equipment.

Need Some Maintenance?

If you take some time to prioritize your equipment now, you will find that other issues become less common. Regular maintenance can help reduce the amount of time that your equipment spends down in the long-run, and consistent cleaning can help keep everyone safe and healthy when enjoying the food at your facility. If you are looking for a company to repair commercial kitchen equipment in Missouri, Fast Fix LLC is just a call away. Our team is highly trained and ready to get your kitchen appliances back up and running. We offer maintenance agreements to help take one more thing off of your plate, as well as emergency services for those really weird equipment failures that happen at the worst possible time. Ready to learn more? Visit our website!