Almost three quarters of chefs surveyed (70%) are unaware that combi oven manufacturer warranties won’t cover breakdowns caused by limescale.
The survey of 164 professional chefs by The Craft Guild of Chefs and BRITA Professional also found that over half of chefs surveyed (59%) aren’t aware that water filters need changing regularly.
Andrew Green, director of operations at The Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “The right water treatment is key to combi ovens functioning effectively, but these results have highlighted a serious knowledge gap. It’s concerning that half of chefs don’t know that untreated water can affect the functionality of a combi oven.
"As a vital piece of equipment in professional kitchens, a breakdown mid-service would have a serious knock on effect, for both the customer and the business’ bottom line. Chefs invest time and money to get the right combi oven for their site, but don’t necessarily consider the need for water treatment to keep equipment running and protect that investment. It’s really important to understand the correct installation and ongoing maintenance required for the kit in your own kitchen.”
Other findings in the survey included, almost two thirds (63%) of chefs don’t know that untreated water can cause a combi oven to breakdown and although 68% knew that a combi oven needs to be installed with a water treatment system, over a third (34%) didn’t know why.
Half of chefs (49%) asked were unaware that untreated water can affect the overall functionality of a combi oven and 45% of chefs didn’t think that water filtration needs to be part of their regular housekeeping programme.
Miles Dawson, sales director at BRITA Professional, added: “These findings demonstrate that there’s a job to be done to educate the industry on water filtration – what it is, what it does, and how it needs to be looked after in order to keep equipment running smoothly.
"We see these misconceptions in practice every day, so we want to raise awareness around the importance of the right water filtration and the problems that untreated water can cause. With competition in the eating out sector as fierce as ever, ensuring a smooth running kitchen and avoiding costly downtime is paramount to retaining customer loyalty.”