the importance of water treatment
Water quality is a major factor affecting the function, reliability and life of your commercial kitchen equipment. Unseen contaminants can create serious issues with the taste, odor and appearance of your food, and the performance of your equipment.
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) - This is the hard scale that gets left behind when water evaporates. You’ll see it as a film coating whatever it contacts and it is the reason everything from coffee makers to Combi Ovens need to be cleaned.
- Alkalinity/pH - Water should be neither too alkaline or too acidic. Due to public water treatment requirements, most tap water is too alkaline which will increase the lime-scale build-up
- Silica - This hard, glassy substance makes up another aspect of your water’s quality. Found in most water, but quite high in the midwestern US, it adds to the lime-scale build-up.
- Sulfates & Chlorides - These substances are corrosive and they are common substances that are dissolved in tap water. Sulfates and Chlorides will attack the stainless steel liner of your new oven and the oven racks.
- Chlorine & Cloromines - These disinfectants are added to public water systems to prevent water-borne disease and they are particularly corrosive to even the most protected stainless steel.
By treating your water to meet foodservice operations standards, you are ensuring that your food will taste the way you want it to, while extending the life of your cooking equipment. Plus by reducing scale buildup you decrease the frequency of deliming, saving on the cost of deliming agent.
required water quality
Boiler maintenance as well as the use of good quality feed water are the responsibility of the owner/user. The use of poor quality feed water will void your warranty. If you are unsure of your water quality, consult a local water treatment specialist and have the water analyzed. Your water supply must be within these general guidelines:
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): 40-125 parts per million
- Hardness: 35-100 parts per million
- Silica: Less than 13 parts per million
- Chlorides: Less than 25 parts per million
- Chlorine: Less than 0.2 parts per million
- Chloramine: Less than 0.2 parts per million
- pH: 7.0 - 8.5
Water which fails to meet these standards should be treated with professional water treatment. It is important to get your water analyzed and your system in place prior to installation!!
treatment solutions
At Blodgett we pride ourselves on our knowledge and expertise in commercial cooking equipment. We are not, however, water experts. For that knowledge we turn to our partner Optipure, one of the leading companies on water treatment.
Optipure offers both water filtration and water treatment systems for use with Blodgett Combi and Hydrovection ovens. For detailed technical information on these systems visit www.optipurewater.com or call Optipure at 800-333-2556.
OptiPure OP Series systems utilize reverse osmosis (RO) to remove total dissolved solids (TDS) from water, including chlorides and hardness minerals. Then a select balance of minerals is introduced into the pure water to provide desirable “Optimized” water with a stable, non-aggressive nature that can significantly reduce water-related equipment problems including corrosion and scale.
Optipure Model OP175/16
For Use With Combi and Hydrovection Models
- Hydrovection HV-100/HVH-100 single ovens
- Universal Combi models 61, 101, 62, 102 and all mini combi ovens (single and double stack)
- Heavy Duty Combi BCX & BX single ovens
Optipure Model OP350/16
For Use With Combi and Hydrovection Models
- Hydrovection HV-100/HVH-100 double stacks
- Universal Combi models 202, 61-61, 62-62, 61-101, 62-102
- Heavy Duty Combi BC-20, BCX & BX double stacks
Blodgett offers the Optipure model FXI-11 + CR water filtration system. The FXI-11+CR reduces chorine/chloramines and sediment, inhibits scale and helps guard against corrosion. Use one FX1-11+CR with any Blodgett Combi or Hydrovection (single or double).
