Commercial warewashers are a crucial element of any hospitality business whether that’s to guarantee a continuous flow of clean glasses or to ensure that the kitchen and restaurant continues to function smoothly with a good supply of hygienically cleaned cooking utensils and dinnerware.
Commercial dishwashers and glass washers are workhorses of the kitchen and require care and attention in a number of areas to guarantee that they give their best performance in high demand conditions whilst remaining within legal guidelines.
Common areas of confusion and misunderstanding for customers tend to involve break tanks, drain pumps and water softeners and whether these are necessary for their business. Here we clear up the confusion and explain what each is, it’s purpose and how customers can determine whether it is a feature that they need.
What is a Break Tank?
You will often see commercial warewasher descriptions mention a ‘break tank’ but what exactly is it? Basically it is a single tank typically fitted internally within commercial dishwashers and glass washers in the commercial catering, food service and hospitality sector. It prevents any potential backflow of water from equipment which may contain food debris, bacteria or other contaminants from re-entering and compromising the mains fresh water supply. Break tanks may also sometimes be referred to as a ‘Type A’ Air Gap.
How Does it Work?
Incoming clean water from the main supply is fed into a separate chamber or tank within the equipment. The chamber features an opening or ‘air gap’ at the top which acts as an overflow outlet. This tank creates an intermediary section or ‘break’ between the clean public water supply and the potentially contaminated water in the actual glass washer or dishwasher. Clean water from the break tank flows through to the commercial warewasher during operation.
Should any fault occur with the equipment, dirty water will flow back through the machine until it hits the break tank. Once it hits the tank there will be nowhere else for the contaminated backflow to go other than escape through the overflow or air gap. This simple chamber prevents any contaminated water from re-entering the mains water supply.
Who Needs a Break Tank?
Any premises that use a mains water supply and poses a potential risk to contamination of this supply should have some form of water protection system. The level of potential threat that each business poses will determine the system that needs to be employed.
WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) have determined 5 categories denoting risk levels. The majority of commercial food service businesses will fall into the highest level 5 category however smaller operations may be classed as a level 4.
Is it a Legal Requirement?
All commercial warewashers should legally have a break tank however we have observed that while large public services such as Schools, Hospitals and Care Homes etc. will always comply to these legal requirements, smaller scale food service businesses will sometimes choose to operate without one or employ a different method in order to observe and meet UK Water Board Regulations.
What Does WRAS Approval Mean?
You may notice that some commercial dishwashers and glass washers will state that they are WRAS approved, but what does this actually mean?
WRAS Approval while not a legal requirement, is a reliable way to ensure that your equipment complies with the legally required UK Water Board Regulations. A subscription scheme which all 26 water companies are a part of, WRAS helps businesses to adhere and comply to legislation. The scheme carries out stringent testing on thousands of water fittings intended for domestic and commercial properties to ensure they meet with required specifications.
Many commercial dishwasher and glasswasher manufacturers carry a WRAS seal of approval, giving businesses peace of mind that they are complying with government guidelines. Look out for details on warewasher product pages. Read more about WRAS in relation to legal requirements here.
What Are the Different Drainage Options for Commercial Warewashers?
All equipment that has a water supply will require a drainage system however understanding which set-up you need can often be a little confusing. The two types and terms that you will have encountered are ‘gravity pump’ (sometimes referred to as gravity-fed) and ‘drain pump’. These two options will cover all potential requirements.
How Important Is It to Make the Right Choice?
Selecting the incorrect drainage system based on your building’s layout will inevitably cause problems when you come to install and use your commercial dishwasher or glass washer. Choosing a gravity option when you need a drain pump will lead to leaks and possible flooding as waste water is unable to drain as it should. Choosing a drain pump when a gravity option would suffice will see you paying more than you need to for equipment.
It is vital to understand how each works and to guarantee you make the right choice before you complete your purchase. Restocking charges will apply if you wish to return your equipment due to incorrect drainage once the order has been processed and delivery made.
How Does a Gravity Drain Work?
A gravity drain relies on gravity alone to empty and remove waste water from your commercial warewasher. A gravity drain will only function properly when the buildings waste plumbing is LOWER than the drain outlet on the rear of your glass washer or dishwasher.
How Does a Drain Pump Work?
A drain pump is essential when the buildings waste plumbing is HIGHER than the drain outlet on the rear of your glass washer or dishwasher. The pump, pumps waste water up from the warewasher to the higher positioned waste plumbing in the building.
For more general information and advice about commercial glasswasher and dish washer drainage systems take a look at our The Truth About … Warewashing Drain Pumps article.
What Is a Water Softener?
Water softeners are designed to remove positively charged ions found in hard water via a system of negatively charged ions and sodium additions. Positive ions generally consist of calcium, magnesium and other insoluble minerals that can cause problems for warewashing equipment. Water softeners can be integrated into equipment or installed externally.
Do I Need a Water Softener?
It is recommended that all commercial dishwashers, glass washers and other warewashing equipment are fitted with a water softener. This is especially important in hard water areas where there are more than 100ppm (parts per million) of harmful minerals and positive ions. As seen from the map showing water hardness levels in different areas of the UK, hard water is an issue for the majority of the country.
Employing an appropriate water softener will not only improve the overall health of your commercial warewasher but also increase performance and extend lifespan.
Different Types of Water Softener
Manual Integral
Fitted within the equipment, integral water softeners are better suited to smaller operations. The unit will prompt the user when manual sodium top-ups are required.
Manual External
Standing separately from the warewasher, external water softeners will offer a larger capacity however will take up more space and the user must remember to top-up sodium levels regularly without any prompt from the equipment. Failure to top up accordingly will cause damage to not only the warewashing equipment but the water softener itself.
Automatic External
Combining the positives of top-up prompts from an integral unit with the increased capacity of an external softener, automatic options are user friendly and ideal for larger operations that experience high ware washing demands. The automatic nature of this water softener requires only very minimal and occasional user input, typically automatically regenerating itself overnight. With all the benefits comes a high price tag however and the large size won’t be compatible with buildings that have potential space limitations.
What Happens to Equipment If You Don’t Use a Water Softener?
Neglecting to use a water softener can have a detrimental effect on your commercial warewasher. Potential problems include but are not limited to:
For more details including the science behind water softeners and top tips take a look at our article The Truth About … Water Softeners in Warewashing.