Combi-Ovens… Key maintenance points

"We only roast meat in our combi"

If you only ever roast meat in a combi, or use it mostly in convection mode, it will need to be cleaned more often to remove the build-up of food soil and fats. For machines with a self-cleaning option, run this cycle once a day. Running the machine on a steam cycle for an hour will help clean the cavity and flush the drain. The fat filters should be removed and cleaned to avoid any risk of fat residue catching fire.

"The meat probes keep breaking"

If you leave the probe in a joint of meat when taking it out of the oven it could damage it. The probe must be put back in the holder every time after use. If the meat probe is externally connected, make sure you don't damage it when shutting the door.

"The glass in our combi door shattered when the door was shut"

Always make sure that rack inserts are pushed fully home into the combi, especially when using a roll-in trolley system. If the rack sticks out, it can shatter the glass when you shut the door. Also ensure that the machine is level.

"The door seals are always splitting or falling off"

Periodically clean, then lubricate the door seals with an approved silicone grease to prevent them sticking together. Make sure that the roll-in trolleys are properly lined up before pushing them into the oven and always replace the door seal when a split starts - it will only get worse.

Don't ignore the simple signs that something is wrong before doing something about it:

• If the fan or elements are cream coloured when hot - or grey when cold - there is limescale on them.
• If the program says to start the cleaning cycle, don't ignore it - do it soon.
• If the electronic message says "limescale", you need to have the steam generator descaled.
• If you have a cartridge filter fitted, check the water meter reading with your supplier to make sure it's not exhausted.
• If you don't have cleaning agents approved by the manufacturer, get some - don't use a scourer to clean the oven, inside or outside.
• If it's a gas combi, to be on the safe side get it checked for gas safety at least once a year.
• If you're having a gas combi serviced, check the engineer has a valid Gas Safe Card. Check the back of the card, it should read Non-Domestic (Catering) Gas (NG) or LPG with a valid date. If you're not sure, you can call Gas Safe to check their registration.

Source: Serviceline01438 363000