Get Smart About Back-to-School Maintenance

Summer’s end can bring numerous surprises, particularly for a kitchen that sat vacant for several months.

John Kearns, learning and development manager at Smart Care, recalls one “sort of extreme situation” at a K-12 district in Alabama which returned to find “ants in their ice.” The operator called pest control, but when pest control advised that they couldn’t open any equipment, Kearns was dispatched. “I look at the ice and I think I know what it is. The open reservoir was full of black specks and I hear a cartridge rattling. It’s not ants; carbon blocks exploded,” he says, explaining that he learned the schools’ neighboring city departments shut off the water for a couple weeks, then powered back on, resulting in a forceful flow to the filters, which were already near the end of their lifecycles. Several cleanings, water filter replacements and zero ants later, the situation was resolved.

Even in less extreme scenarios, Kearns says schools’ ice machines and other equipment involving water deserve special attention. The following marks some of his top back-to-school maintenance advice for operators:

• Check it. From combis to ice machine reservoirs and vegetable sinks, if you left water sitting in equipment over the summer, you’ll want to start by checking those pieces. You may find bacterial growth, slime, scale and other issues that could have been avoided. A deep, professional cleaning can get your ice machine on track, and with combis, you might need tech aid to correct water scaling in the pressure regulator. Reach-ins and walk-ins also should have been emptied, cleaned and powered down by a technician, then left with doors open to reduce any odors. If you forgot to do the latter, a charcoal brick can help absorb odors in a couple hours, Kearns suggests. Compressor replacements may be in order if you left refrigeration online without product inside, as the units will cycle unnecessarily, causing parts to wear out prematurely.

• Map it. Everyone wants their ice machines serviced in the summer, notes Kearns, which is sometimes easier said than done. For colleges and universities in particular, he recommends facilities operators create a map that indicates where to find all your units. “There’s always that one basement ice machine that nobody thinks about in a stadium somewhere,” he says. “The more we know upfront for planning, the more it helps out.” Similarly—for next year if not this year—Kearns recommends proactive communication on that big service job, as techs can better plan for a summertime need they’ve known about since March than an on-the-fly call to service 90-plus ice machines.

• Fire up. On the hot side, check gaskets on equipment like combis and cabinets, as it’s better for all to make those replacements before you’re up and running for the year, advises Kearns.

Keep Up

Across the board, school operators should communicate with their service agents; planned maintenance, Kearns says, is the best way to ensure operations stay smooth year-round.