Twin stack MM360 "S"

[boatnut]

About to purchase a double stack of refurb MM360 “S” gas ovens with the modulating gas valve upgrade for our second location. Feel it is a great price we have been offered ($11,000) Yes full refurb, not recon…
For the same price point is there something else I should look at to cook our heavy topping/cheese load pies?
We cook in 1-1/2" deep aluminum stacking pans. Currently use an XLT 3270TS and it works fine. Would duplicate but can’t come close on the price…
Will the MM cook the same? I suspect we will have to make adjustments because of the 55 vs 70" bake chamber, can we expect to get the same bake as the XLT after “tweeking” it? Would the same time/temp in theory produce the same results? I know the XLT’s have a way higher output capacity, however, we do not anticipate the second location to max out the MM360’s so not an issue. Truth to be known we wish we could “use up” the twin 3270’s output lol…
Anything “bad” about this venerable old oven I should know about?
Any and all advise/input appreciated. Thanks in advance…

 

[system]

Is it in a location where you could take a dozen pies and run them through to see what you get?

 

[perfect_pizzas]

You will probably have to bake your pizzas for 1 - 2 minutes longer in the 360’s to get a similiar bake. They should produce a consistent product and if truly rebuilt should be fairly reliable. If you had an extra 10k laying around you might want to consider a stack of edge 60’s brand new. With a 5 year parts and labor warranty and probably $200-400/month utility savings you would be ahead of the game in a couple of years.

 

[George_Mills]

Hi Boatnut.

The modulating gas valve is defiantly an improvement but without replacing the burner with the new hi efficiency unit you will consume more gas than the New XLT ovens, also the gas feed line requested by Middleby is larger than that required by XLT.The Middleby will also give you a higher electrical bill .

The Middleby oven is a bear to clean, much disassembly is required. You will not have a five year warranty.

Within a few years you will have paid as much or more than it would cost you to buy a set of XLT 3255 That would have the same or better production capacity and cost Less to run.That additional cost will go on for as long as you use the Middlebys.

George Mills

 

[boatnut]

qcfmike… No, they are going to be refurbished when I order them.
George: I appreciate your input. A sincere thank you. I should have stated that my XLT’s are 2003’s, as in prior to their new “Quite Fire” burners.
I am trying to dance between making sure I have enough oven to meet the “slam” and not “over ovening”…
I suppose I’m trying to err on the side of caution by reducing my initial outlay yet having the ability to meet the anticipated volume. If the volume that I expect is in fact there, I will be upgrading real quick. If not, running one deck the majority of the time will work and I will not have overspent…
So as to not muddy the waters I will start another thread describing the new location and will be real interested to see what others feel the potential volume is…

 

[eupher61]

I thought a lot about the worth of the modulating valve. Weighing the difference between the oven with it and without it, and looking at the saving in gas usage Edge showed, it just doesn’t seem worth the added expense. It had something like a 178 month payoff. I certainly like the idea of saving gas, for economic and environmental purposes, but the price simply doesn’t work for me.

 

[boatnut]

I must say that I find the claim of 30% reduction in gas usage a little hard to accept?
Does anybody have any real world percentage savings before/after??

 

[paul7979]

boatnut:

I must say that I find the claim of 30% reduction in gas usage a little hard to accept?
Does anybody have any real world percentage savings before/after??

I switched in 2008 from a 2007 XLT and 2006 Lincoln to a stack of Edge 60’s and saw my gas bill decrease substantially. It’s not quite the same as replacing an on/off valve with a modulating one but a 35% reduction in usage is enough for me to be sold on the modulating valves. My three months gas usage prior to installing the Edge ovens were : 603, 604 and 636 therms(july through september). In July through September 2011 my usage was 362, 337 and 392. The only change other than ovens is a new hot water heater last spring. This lowered the usage a bit as I was consistently in the 400 therm range prior to the water heater change.

 

[boatnut]

Thanks Paul. Appreciate that info. I assume that your 2007 XLT was not the “Quiet Fire” model then? I believe your right in that there is more going on apart from the valve difference between your old ovens and the Edge.
Would really like to hear from anybody that has had a before/after experience with the MM360’s and the “modulating valve” upgrade…

 

[brad_randall]

Sorry, not MM’s but we did put modulating gas valves in one of our 3270 Blodgett triple stacks. After the retrofit the ovens had a noticeably better bake, but we never saw any real reduction in gas usage - we were told/expecting to see a 10% savings. We didn’t change out the valves on the stack at our other store as a result.

I think it’s like trying to squeeze more mileage out of an old car with a big block engine, there’s only so much that can be done. An some point if you want a to consume less fuel, you’ve got to buy a newer car built with efficiency in mind.