Tips for buying Gas Kitchen Equipment
Determine Type of Gas: Natural Gas or Liquid Propane (LP) Gas? Natural gas is delivered via a pipeline to an establishment and provided by a utility company. LP Gas is delivered by a truck and stored in some sort of propane tank on the property.
Gas Pressure and Elevation: Always verify you have enough gas pressure to handle the total capacity of all the equipment you are installing. Equipment installed over 2,000 feet in elevation generally requires special orifices to provide the correct gas/air intake ratio. Always specify your elevation if over 2,000 feet when ordering your equipment.
Venting Requirements: Fire departments require commercial gas equipment to be vented under an exhaust hood with a fire suppression system. Generally the hood must be 6” larger then the equipment on all the open sides. Make sure the exhaust system is sufficient in regard to heat and smoke removal.
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Electrical: Some gas equipment requires a standard 115 Volt, 20-amp outlet to operate lights, timers or circuit boards.
Moving Equipment: You will want to move your equipment from time to time for cleaning and maintenance. Specify legs or casters when ordering. You will also want to consider quick connect gas hoses instead of bolted hoses or piped equipment for easy moving.
Important: Do not purchase commercial gas equipment for residential use. Commercial gas equipment has constant burning pilots and does not have electronic ignition like residential ranges. Carbon Monoxide buildup will occur without an exhaust hood. Also note that most equipment will not fit through residential doors and commercial ranges have less or no insulation resulting in burn hazards. Many areas require additional insurance coverage and local fire inspection for commercial equipment.
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Tips for buying Electric Equipment
Important: You cannot just change the outlet to match the plug or just change the plug to match the outlet! An electrician may have to make some changes to circuit breakers or other hardware to avoid electrical fire.
Large NEMA Plugs: There are many different kinds of NEMA large plug configurations. Always use a licensed electrician to correctly configure your plugs and outlets. You can use this NEMA Plug Configuration Chart to identify your plugs and receptacles.
*If your equipment specifies 208 or 230 Volts remember that a 208-volt unit will work
only on a 208-volt circuit and not work on a 230-volt circuit.
*Equipment with 220, 230 or 240-volt will work on any of these three voltages but not
on 208-volt circuit. You must hard wire most equipment that is 208, 220, 230 or 240-volts. Generally these do not come with a cord and plug. This must be done by a licensed electrician.
Voltage & Amps: Most small appliances and equipment require 115 Volts and include a cord and plug. This information is generally stamped on the equipment.
*110, 115 and 120 Volts are all the same and generally use a standard 15-20 amp outlet.
*Voltages can use different amperage services such as 15, 20, 30 and 50 Amps.
*The Amps depend on the wattage of the unit. Higher wattage units will require a higher Amp draw.
*Watts ÷ Volts = Amps. (1200 Watts ÷ 120 Volts = 10 Amps)
Single or Three Phase: Always determine wither you have single or three phase power to your building. Most large equipment will require three phase and be hard wired.
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Silverware and Flatware
18/8 and 18/10 Stainless Steel: This is the higher quality restaurant flatware. Remember that 18/8 and 18/10 stainless will not stick to flatware retrievers or magnets installed on trash bins. A quick way to test for 18/8 and 18/10 is by using a magnet. A magnet will not react to these higher quality steels. A magnet will stick to other stainless products without nickel added.
*18/8 means the stainless steel contains 18% chrome, 74% steel and 8% nickel.
*18/10 means the stainless steel contains 18% chrome, 72% steel and 10% nickel.
*The blend of chrome and nickel in 18/8 and 18/10 stainless helps in greater protection against corrosion. This blend also provides a high quality silver look that will be maintained for years.
*Use of chlorine-based chemicals may cause discoloring.
18/0 Stainless Steel: 18/0 flatware is a lower quality less expensive alternative to the 18/8 and 18/10 stainless above. You will find the vast majority of restaurants use this grade of flatware due to the much lower price point. The loss of restaurant flatware in the trash can be a big and costly problem for restaurants.
*18/0 means the stainless steel contains 18% chrome, 82% steel and 0% nickel.
*Use of chlorine-based chemicals may cause discoloring.
*This grade is sometimes called 18 chrome.
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Glass Rack Sizing
Below you will find a “rack finder” link to determine the correct dish-rack for your
restaurant glassware.
Finder: Libbey, Anchor, Cardinal, Oneida, Schott Zwiesel
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