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Commercial Kitchen

8 Reasons Restaurants Need a Make Up Air Unit For the Kitchen

by Michael Rosone |

chef standing in kitchen with air make up unit

What exactly is a make up air unit for a kitchen?

When you add a make up air unit for your kitchen, it adds replacement air for what’s being drawn out of the kitchen by your exhaust hoods.

What is make up air? Simply stated, a make up air unit pulls air in to your space from outdoors and conditions it to the indoor temperature, to replace air that’s pulled out by your kitchen exhaust equipment. Without it, you get back drafting, poor temperature control, negative air pressure and air quality problems. Poor ventilation can also contribute to the spread of disease.

Let’s explore the reasons why a make up air unit is so essential for restaurant kitchens.

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6 Steps to Maintaining Your Commercial Refrigeration Equipment

by Michael Rosone |

commercial refrigeration equipment

Chances are, you know that preventative maintenance keeps your heating and air conditioning systems running reliably and efficiently. What you may not realize is that regular service is just as important for your commercial refrigeration equipment.

After all, your commercial refrigerators and freezers are mission-critical equipment that can quickly cost you a fortune when they go down. Even when you think they are working properly, your refrigeration units can be consuming too much energy, which costs not only your wallet but the entire planet. Preventative care will save you some green and also help you do your part to be environmentally conscious.

Here’s what you stand to gain by scheduling regular cleaning and tune-ups for your commercial refrigeration equipment:

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A Commercial Refrigeration Maintenance Checklist to Help You Stay Cool During the Busy Season

by Michael Rosone |

Restaurant chef looking into refrigerator as part of a refrigeration maintenance checklist

The holiday season is coming fast. You’re probably scrambling to get ready for the onslaught of New Yorkers and tourists lining up for a chance to enjoy the trendiest and tastiest fare the city’s restaurants have to offer.

But if your refrigeration equipment fails, you’ll be sending all those customers home dissatisfied or worse. So, today we are sharing some great tips and resources on how to keep your equipment (and your head) cool!

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What You Need to Know About F-Gases and HVAC Service

by Michael C. Rosone |

In today’s world, it would be very difficult to live without air conditioning and refrigeration, let alone run a business. But the refrigerants these systems use to preserve our food and keep us cool are doing just the opposite to our planet. When leaked into the atmosphere, older refrigerants like freon cause depletion of the ozone layer, and newer refrigerants called F-gases contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

As long as these chemicals stay where they belong, inside your cooling equipment, there is no cause for alarm. The problem comes in when the systems develop slow leaks, or are serviced by technicians who don’t use the right equipment and techniques for working with refrigerants.

As a facilities manager, it’s your job to ensure the safe handling of refrigerants in your building. You could face hefty fines if found to be in violation of the EPA’s Clean Air Act. And as global warming increasingly wreaks havoc on the climate, our grandchildren will pay a much higher price.Read More

Ice Machine Cleaning Checklist for Restaurant Refrigeration Service

by Michael C. Rosone |

ice machine maintenance

In a 2013 study by the Daily Mail of ice cleanliness at British food establishments, 6 out of 10 restaurants were found to be serving ice that contained higher levels of bacteria than the water in their toilets.

Experts attributed this finding to the likelihood that the toilets were regularly cleaned, whereas the ice machine cleaning and maintenance was neglected.

Have you been regularly cleaning and servicing your ice machine? Do you know how to clean an ice machine the right way? If you neglect ice machine maintenance or do it wrong, you’re putting your customers at risk for illness, and your restaurant at risk as well.Read More

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