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Chloride Ate Your Combi!

Lately, we have seen a rise in customer’s having problems with their boiler free combi ovens. Whether it is an Alto Sham, Blodgett, Cleveland, Rational, or CONVOtherm, alot of money has been invested in that equipment and with that investment, a long life is expected.  That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the water warranty requirements.

Did you know that the warranty can be voided if there is chloride in the water that is feeding your equipment, especially if the damage is caused by the chloride. The consensus of manufactures’ spec sheets is that chloride, specified in the water feeding your combi oven, is supposed to be less than 25 ppm,( parts per million).

For the combi oven pictured above, the water test came back indicating that the chloride levels were at 308.8 ppm. That’s high!! 

So why is chloride so bad in combi ovens, boiler based or boilerless? Keep in mind that chloride is not chlorine.

So what happens when you have alot of hydrogen chloride in your water and you super-heat it quickly into steam? It jumps out as hydrochloric acid, which is a clear, colorless, highly pungent solution of hydrogen chloride (HCL) in water. It is a highly corrosive strong mineral acid and it can chew through stainless steel very quickly. So where do you start if you already have a combi oven and you are seeing this type of damage? A detailed water test that will give you a full analysis of the chemical composition of your water is the place to start. Once you know that you do have an unacceptable level of chloride in your water, you can go to work on purchasing a blended reverse osmosis unit in order to remove the chloride. Why blended reverse osmosis? Because, no filter will take chlorides out of your water. Remember this is chloride, not chlorine. Reverse osmosis is not filtration, it is the use of a semi permeable membrane that forces everything but the water molecule out of the water. With blended RO you can then blend back in the right amount of filtered raw water in order to create the chemical composition of the water that you want to feed your combi. Everpure has developed an entire series of Blended MRS, Mineral Reduction System Reverse Osmosis units. From the MRS20, (20 stands for 20 gallons made per day), EV9797-91, up to the MRS600HEII, (600 gallons made per day), EV9970-54. One of the most popular for the combi application is the MRS350, (350 gallons of water made per day), EV9970-17. Note that these solutions require a storage tank. These systems can be sized to fit your piece or pieces of equipment and insure that the water you are using will protect your combi oven from whatever changes occur within your water supply. To get started with a water test please ask us below or call our team with your questions at 800-942-7873. Ask us a question! Sign up for our Newsletter!

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Claris: The Solution to your Steamer Problems

Protecting a commercial steamer from limescale and other damaging entities caused by the water has become easier with the introduction of the Claris system.  The Claris system utilizes five stage softening and filtering to allow the user to dial in the perfect amount of mineral for their steamer.  Boilerless and combi steamer ovens have to retain enough mineral content for probes to accurately detect the water levels.  While necessary to keep minerals, too much content will cause scaling on heating rods and the hot plates.  So having the ability to choose the amount of wanted mineral in your water is a great feature. The Claris system protects your steamer with a five-stage process.

Five-Stage Filtration Process Pre-filtration – Media at the entrance to the cartridge reduces coarse particles, such as dirt & sediment Carbonate hardness adjustment – The ion-selective Claris filter media reduces the levels of carbonate hardness while retaining essential minerals Fine filtration – Behind the carbonate hardness adjustment process, a fine filter compresses the filter bed and retains fine particles from the water High efficiency activated carbon absorption media -removes contaminants and chlorine off tastes & odors  Final particle membrane – removes particles down to 5 micron (5 µm) for highest equipment protection The Claris system combines ion exchange, filtration and the ability to blend in one compact system.  The Duoblend system allows constant and precise adjustment to produce the right amount of minerals in the water to protect the steamer. • Easy and flexible installation, horizontally or vertically • 4 sizes to accommodate many different applications • Compact design requires minimum space • Quick change head/cartridge design with AUTO SHUT-OFF For more information on which Claris System would best fit your water filtration needs, please call us at 800-942-7873 or click the link below to ask a question. Our customer service team is always happy to help. Ask us a question! Get our Newsletter!

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Water Testing in Schools

Many schools in the state of Florida have contacted Filter Pure in regards to testing their water. A common problem seen in schools is equipment damage due to hard and unfiltered water. Some of the most expensive equipment in schools can be found right in the cafeteria; ice machines, steamers and combi ovens. The problem with hard and unfiltered water is the limescale build-up that can cause excessive machine downtime and increased maintenance costs. It is estimated that 3mm of limescale build up can cause 25% energy loss in addition to unwanted and costly service calls. So how does Filter Pure help with these issues? We first test the water, checking all levels of chlorine, alkalinity and hardness. Once the test results are received back, we then recommend a course of action and filtering system to put in place to remedy these problems. One system recommended is the MRS-100 Reverse Osmosis System (9970-07). Ideal for flash steamers, conventional steamers, combi-ovens, and more, this system improves equipment life and performance by removing at least 90%+ of all dissolved solids that cause scale build-up. It guards against taste and odor causing contaminants, while removing dirt particulates and dissolved minerals that can adversely affect taste of water and beverages. Sanitary cartridge replacement is simple, quick and clean. Internal filter parts are never exposed to handling or contamination.  For over thirty year, Filter Pure has been providing great solutions to water problems in universities and schools. If you are interested in getting your water tested or have any questions or concerns about your water please contact us at 800-942-7873 or submit your question to the link below. If you are a school or university please contact Amy Easter at Amy@filterpure.com. She has helped hundreds of schools with their water issues and she is more than happy to help you as well.  Submit your question here!