Maintenance – Foodservice Equipment Reports Magazine

Pro Tips To Avoid Downtime With Ice Machines

Lauren Coughlin — Fri, 01 May 2026 14:19:28 +0000

Spring cleaning may be top of mind currently, but anyone who’s faced downtime with their ice machine also knows the importance of regular, year-round upkeep. Refrigerated Specialist Inc.’s Dustin Hensley, a master CFESA technician and trainer, says following a planned maintenance schedule is the best way an operator can avoid downtime with ice machines. Tasks to focus on include cleaning the…

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Best Commercial Refrigerator Gaskets in 2026: A Buyer’s Guide

AllPoints — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:00:44 +0000

Of all the products a purchasing manager buys in a year, commercial refrigerator gaskets might be the most frustrating. They seem so simple, yet gaskets are the number one cause of health department citations, skyrocketed energy bills, and emergency “warm box” service calls. For service companies and facilities managers, sourcing gaskets is often a massive time drain.

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Spring Cleaning for Commercial Kitchens: Essential Equipment Maintenance Tips

AllPoints — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:00:31 +0000

Winter takes a toll on commercial equipment. Heating systems run overtime, grease congeals faster in colder drains, and condensers collect layers of stagnant dust. As the weather warms up, the load shifts heavily to refrigeration and ice machines. If kitchens don’t prep their equipment now, they’ll be facing walk-in disasters during a heatwave. For a service company, this is the perfect…

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A Technician’s Advice for Weathering Winter

Lauren Coughlin — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:00:19 +0000

When the weather outside gets frightful in select portions of the U.S., operators just might be in for disruption indoors, as well. For some insight on potentially sidestepping downtime and added costs, we checked in with Jason Williams, Delaware Valley field service supervisor at Baltimore-based EMR. FER: What are the main wintertime equipment issues you see in the mid-Atlantic?

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CFESA Launches New Technician Competition

FER Edit — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:31:54 +0000

In 2026, CFESA will debut a new competition, entitled Top Tech Throwdown. The new offering, kicking off Jan. 16 in Region 4, will be held in step with regional meetings, putting hot side and cold side master technicians through the paces. They’ll take on a series of hands-on stations and written challenges to evaluate technical expertise, mechanical aptitude and real-world problem-solving…

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Why Choose Mavrik™ OCM Parts Over OEM? The Secret to Skipping Backorders

AllPoints — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 23:16:02 +0000

You know the drill — one of your technicians is at a job site with a down fryer. The restaurant manager is hovering over their shoulder, asking when it will be fixed. You go to order the specific manufacturer part, and you see the dreaded status: Backordered. ETA: 6 Weeks. For a purchasing manager, this is the “Dead End.” You can’t wait six weeks, but you also can’t risk buying a cheap…

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Walk-In Running Warm? 4 Quick Checks Before You Replace the Compressor

AllPoints — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 21:51:13 +0000

It might be every restaurant manager’s worst nightmare: opening up on a Monday morning only to discover that the walk-in cooler or freezer is running warm. The call comes in, panicked about lost inventory, expensive repairs, and days of downtime. But before you quote a pricey compressor replacement, take a few minutes to run through these four quick checks. The pros know that condemning the…

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Setting Up a First-Time Fix

Allison Rezendes — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:30:47 +0000

Operators and techs alike want to see a first-time fix on a service call when a piece of equipment goes down. For operators, it means less downtime and more cost savings. For techs, it gives them a boost of confidence and lets them move on to help other customers. Of course, repeat service calls happen. But with good communication, preparation and true partnerships, operators can increase their…

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How Service Techs Can Use Predictive Maintenance to Prevent Equipment Failures

AllPoints — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 19:13:28 +0000

When it comes to maintaining commercial kitchen equipment, there are three primary approaches: reactive, preventive, and predictive. Reactive maintenance means fixing something after it breaks. This is usually at the worst possible time for the customer. Preventive maintenance, while better, still relies on schedules and assumptions rather than actual equipment condition.

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Get Smart About Back-to-School Maintenance

Lauren Coughlin — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 17:00:54 +0000

Summer’s end can bring numerous surprises, particularly for a kitchen that sat vacant for several months. John Kearns, learning and development manager at Smart Care, recalls one “sort of extreme situation” at a K-12 district in Alabama which returned to find “ants in their ice.” The operator called pest control, but when pest control advised that they couldn’t open any equipment…

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