The Causes of Commercial Kitchen Equipment Failures, and What to Do

Cooking equipment is the single most important element inside a kitchen and needs to be in good quality working condition in order to operate safely. One small failure could lead to a domino effect of other issues, causing major financial costs as well as potential safety issues. According to the NFPA, approximately 61 percent of all restaurant fires were caused by ill-maintained equipment.

To keep your kitchen and your overall business operational, it’s best to make sure you’re aware of the following fire issues and how to fix them.

Insurance Solutions for Your Kitchen

While protecting your kitchen through maintenance is the key to safety, having a food safety insurance plan in place will help to back everything up, financially speaking. Coast General Insurance offers a number of solutions to your commercial kitchen’s operations, including general liability and specific coverage for equipment breakdowns and maintenance.

Food service insurance is meant to provide the right kind of financial protection in the event of a breakdown or costly claim. By using Coast General Insurance’s comprehensive features, kitchens can feel safer while taking care of day-to-day tasks.

Vent Hood and Duct Cleaning

The vent hood and duct should be cleaned on a regular basis by a qualified contractor. At least once every six months, grease and build up should be taken care of so that issues like fires are kept at bay. This service may need to be performed at a more frequent scale, but typically twice a year for most commercial kitchens should do it.

Grease Filter Cleaning

Grease filters can collect grease, reducing the amount that travels directly into a duct. While this can improve the amount of time between duct cleanings, it does mean that filters need to be routinely cleaned. About once a week, these filters can go for a good cleaning, but they can also benefit from cleanings twice a week. There are some restaurants and kitchens that make it a point to clean them every night.

Inspecting Deep Fat Fryers

Deep fat fryers create one of the biggest fire hazards in any kitchen. As mentioned above, faulty kitchen equipment with a lax in maintenance can lead to a number of fire risks in any kitchen. The deep fat fryer should be cleaned and maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. This includes routine cleaning of the interior of the cabinet by someone on staff.

Fryers should also be inspected by a qualified commercial cooking appliance contractor at least every year after the unit has been in service for five years, like an annual checkup. This is the difference between keeping fryers running smoothly for years to come and having to replace them entirely before their time.

About Coast General Insurance

Coast General Insurance Brokers is an insurance brokerage entirely dedicated to business owners. Our agency’s purpose is to partner with our business clients to maintain a pulse on their risks as the business evolves. We match Property and Casualty products and help mitigate claims. Our agency has a dedicated team for Commercial Insurance as well as a team dedicated to Health and Wellness benefits for any size company. Give us a call today at (805) 644-4740 to learn more about what we can do for you.

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