Yearly Repair Costs

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DaveH

New member
I have a high volume pizzeria that has been in business for nearly seven years. All my equipment was purchased new when we opened. This past year we have spent almost $3,000 on repairs for my refrigeration equipment. My list of equipment includes: pizza prep table, sandwich prep unit, 2-door chef base fridge, 2-door worktop freezer, ice machine, 3-door upright freezer and a walk-inn fridge. Are my bills typical considering their age and usage?

I have one double stack Bakers Pride Y602 oven that is pushed to the max. I know these things are built to last, but we seem to be doing repairs on them regularly. Over the years I don’t even want to tell you how many times we’ve had to change the thermopile. In the last 2 years alone we’ve replaced it four times for our top oven. Our repair guy says this is not unusual. I’ve tried another repair service in the past, but their service was not what I wanted. Whether it’s the thermopile, thermostat, or pilot burner it always seems to be something. Is this usual for an overworked oven? What can I do on my end to better maintain my equipment.

Thanks
Dave
 
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I can’t comment on the oven as i’ve never been around that style of oven. However, for your refridgeration equipment, I usually take an air compressor and blow out all of the condenser coils (coils on outside of equipment) once a week or once every 2 weeks. The cleaner you keep these coils, the cooler the equipment will run, the better they will cool, and the longer they will last. You should also keep an eye on the evaporator coils (coils inside the equipment) and make sure they stay fairly frost free. A slight amount of frost is normal, but if its solid ice, its a problem. If you are getting solid ice on your evap coils that doesnt disappear overnight, you should check all your door gaskets to make sure they all seal properly.
 
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Sounds like a lot for a bakers pride. You could have bought a whole other one to put right next to it with that 3,000.(not the y602)

Ps. The y602 is by far my favorite oven i ever worked with. Its def solid, durable, and long lasting. it seems like something is wrong. i have never seen the same part fixed twice on a bakers pride. been using them for 9 years. Thanks for jinxing me though, my oven should be breaking right about now.
 
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I tell ya it goes in spurts. But i think over the years we have realized if WE maintain the equipment we can prolong costly repairs. Things like the ice machine. Knowing how to clean and regularly maintain prolongs the motor. As for your oven are you cleaning out the inside where the burners are every now and again?

Things like walk ins making sure condenser are clean. Same with the maketable.

We have a rooftop motor on our cooler/ freezer. Without fail EVERY SINGLE year around June July one of the motors go out. We were paying appx. 500 bucks to have them replace it. I found the motor online for about 100 bucks. My husband is able to install it. His electrician buddy comes by and helps for a pizza.

Same with some of the happenings with our dishmachine, dough roller etc. You can find information all over online to help you learn how to maintain and repair some of the basics.

Sometimes it is worth calling a repair man but sometimes you can take care of it yourself.
 
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Dave,

We budget around $3500 a year for all the repairs we are going to have to make to all refrigeration and moving parts equipment we have.

So to answer your question, that amount is inline for equipment that old…the ovens are another story. Seems like a lot of replacing for the ovens but this past year we had to replace the pilot safety valve on our blodgett 5 times :evil:

As another poster said…it goes in spurts, but be prepared to do work just about every year…
 
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my advice is to go with remote refrigeration whenever possible…the flour and the heat of the kitchen definitely makes them not last as long
 
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My refrigeration bill was always high due to an antiquated coolroom system we inherited. It was getting something done every 3 - 4 months at about $300 - 500 per time. It finally failed and we installed a new out on the roof system (previous one inside on top of the coolroom - very hot running), plus an new evaporater inside the coolroom - cost $7,500. Got $4.750 back from insurance and a $3,750 reduction in reportable income (50% plant & equipment GFC stimulus incentive from our federal govt for small business under $2m per year). Since installation electricity costs have decreased by 25 - 30% so will pay for itself in under 2 years.

I pay to get my others equipment serviced reguarly to try and eliminate breakdowns. Touch wood (my head 😛 ) everything will keep going without any major problems, especially our old reliable workhorse MM PS360 oven.

The way I look at it now after forking out over the years on continually faulty equipment is to take the bite and replace it with new more efficient and less costly to run equipment. The cost is recouped fairly quickly from the continual repairs costs.

Dave
 
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We are in year 11 and our repair budget is $3000. Sometimes it comes in a little higher or lower. Your number does not shock me at all. Take good care of your equipment, the cost will be much higher if you do not.
 
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Maintenance of appliances can really surge up high if you are not careful. Maybe you should schedule a weekly or daily check-up service for your equipments to avoid future damages. You can also consider buying two sets of equipment so that the other one will not be over used.
Refrigerator Water Filters
 
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A little over a year ago I had posted on here about a device that I use in my walk-in-coolers. It’s called the coolbot. It allows you to cool your walk-in with an air conditioner. About a year and a half ago my compressor crapped to bed and at that time I really didn’t have the money to buy a new one. After searching the internet for compressors, I came across the coolbot (http://www.storeitcold.com). It was $299 and I picked up an air conditioner on clearance at Home Depot for $150. The coolbot works great! It can keep the walk-in as cool as 35 degrees. Knock on wood, in the year and a half since I bought it, I have not had any problems and my electric bill has dropped drastically as well since I know longer have the big evaporator fans running constantly. My one concern was whether the Health Inspector would approve of it, but he had no problem with it. My compressor at my other shop broke this past summer so I installed a coolbot and air conditioner in that as well.

Anyways, I just thought I would mention this for anyone that has to replace a compressor and is looking for a cheaper alternative. I’m a sucker for gadgets so when I first came across it, I had to buy it just to see if it really worked. It’s a really cool invention.
 
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Big fan of what stebby1 is doing with their equipment, and that takes discipline. Cuts out some work for us, but if you’re a hands-on person, then this will really save you energy and maintenance costs in the long run.

Keeping your equipment clean is a huge part of cutting maintenance costs, but when something does go down, an established relationship with a factory-trained service company can be a great value. You might also want to think about creating and equipment action plan: http://www.cpsohio.com/cpsforum/index.php?topic=7.0

If you need parts information or service and operation manuals for your equipment, feel free to check us out at http://www.cpsohio.com. We offer the information free of charge.

Best of luck to you and your operation.
 
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