Southbend STRE-5EZ - Manual (Page 19)

S TRATO S TEAM EZ C OUNTERTOP S TEAMER S ERVICE
O WNER ’ S M ANUAL 1189953 (10/08) P AGE 19 OF 56
H OW THE S TEAMER O PERATES
The steamer is a manual fill, “connectionless” steamer. The internal components of the steamer are shown in
Figure 8.
The only utility required for operation is electrical power. The unit is available in 208, 220, and 240V single or
three phase.
To fill the unit, pour approximately 3.0 gallons of water into the trough near the front of the top of the steamer. Also
pour 2.0 gallons of water directly into the steamer cavity.
Water poured into the trough will fill the reservoir tank at the top of the steamer. This water is gravity fed through a
solenoid valve that is controlled by a time delay relay that is controlled by a capacitive discharge water level sensor on
the side of the tank. As the water level in the interior of the steamer drops below the midpoint of the sensor, the level
switch will close. After 30 seconds of continuous close the time delay relay will trip closing the circuit to the water
solenoid. The water solenoid will be energized opening the valve to allow water to flow from the tank into the cavity.
Water will continue to fill the cavity until the water level sensor has opened and remained open for 30 seconds.
A pressure switch is located on the right side toward the rear of the control compartment. The high pressure side of
the switch is open to the interior of the cavity, the low pressure side is open to atmosphere. When the cavity pressure
rises, because the food is absorbing energy from the steam the interior pressure will rise. When the interior pressure
reaches approximately 3
″ W.C. the switch shuts off power to the contactor coil, which shuts off power to the heating
elements. This is intended to reduce consumption of water. When the reservoir is full (3.0 gallons), the steamer will
operate for 4 hours in COOK MODE with an empty cavity (longer in IDLE MODE).
Any excess steam is vented out the pressure-relief valve located at the top left rear corner of the steamer. The dial
thermometer on the control panel is connected by a capillary tube to a sensor bulb. The thermometer does not affect
the operation of the steamer.
A mechanical timer activates a buzzer when the timer times out. The timer does not affect anything else (the steamer
continues to operate)!
If the Cook-Idle switch is set to IDLE MODE, heat is reduced to the cavity. The water temperature is held in the range
120°F to 190°F. Set the switch to COOK MODE to resume normal operation.
When the control valve is turned to OFF, power to the electronic circuitry is turned off, which de-energizes the
contactor and shuts off the heating cartridges. Turning the control lever to OFF also de-energizes the water solenoid
(turning off the water) and mechanically opens the drain valve, permitting all water to drain from the bottom of the
cooking cavity into the drain pan.