Solving the Challenges of Water Quality

Water quality is an issue that has been constantly covered at conferences, trainings, and symposiums for a number of years now. When I was on the consultant side of the industry we were constantly trying to find better, more streamlined solutions for treating the water going into steam producing equipment, but it was always a challenge. We would always try to have a water quality test completed, but when dealing with new construction, often the specifications for the job are written long before there is a building or faucet to grab the water from.  In addition, municipalities are constantly changing how they treat water, seasonally, and depending on the quality of the source.

Poor water quality is one of the most common and easily undetected root causes of downtime for commercial combination ovens.  Sediment and minerals found in tap water can quickly build up inside the oven, which can result in equipment breakdown over time. All of these factors make picking the right solution a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, there is a solution to all of this, reverse osmosis.

Investing in a water filtration system allows operators to not only reduce maintenance costs, but also improve food quality and reduce unwanted oven downtime. Reverse osmosis systems are the preferred solution for treating water for use in combi ovens.

Alto-Shaam now offers optional reverse osmosis systems for Combitherm® Ovens—to extend equipment lifetime and protect oven investment. Each system contains two water treatment filters, one reverse osmosis membrane and one mineral addition cartridge. The filtration system removes sediments, chlorides, minerals and other total dissolved solids (TDS) from water. The systems also remove chlorine and chloramines—corrosive disinfectants often added by public water treatment plants to minimize water-related diseases.

Here are the top three benefits to choosing a reverse osmosis system for combi ovens:

Improve Food Quality

Any oven that relies on steam requires filtered water to function properly. Some water sources are harder than others, which means the water contains more minerals like calcium and magnesium. Reverse osmosis systems improve food quality by preventing any chlorine odors or tastes from transferring to food.

Reduce Manual Labor

Many of today’s ovens have a self-cleaning feature, which helps keep the interior clean and hygienic. However, without a reverse osmosis system, combi ovens can build up more mineral deposits over time, requiring more thorough cleaning and labor-intensive descaling.

Eliminate Maintenance Costs

Reverse osmosis systems further eliminate costs by mitigating costly water-related oven maintenance. The use of a reverse osmosis system will reduce the cost of maintenance associated with limescale buildup, corrosion and other water-related damage. Operations become more efficient with no costly maintenance required, directly impacting the overall reliability of the oven.

Alto-Shaam is dedicated to providing the highest quality support at every touchpoint. To ensure that every Combitherm Oven is properly installed and fully functional, Alto-Shaam offers a factory-authorized installation program.

For more information on Alto-Shaam’s reverse osmosis systems or installation program, please contact us.