Southbend R18A-4 - Manual (Page 8)

INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL,
ELECTRIC COUNTER CONVECTION STEAMER, MODEL R18A-4
MANUAL 1195734 REV0 (11/22/2011) 8 HEAVY DUTY STEAM
WATER QUALITY
The water supply connected to this steamer should contain no more than 2.0 grains of
hardness per gallon with pH from 7.0 to 8.5. This degree of hardness and pH can easily be
obtained with the use of a properly maintained water softener.
Water supplies vary from one location to another. A local water treatment specialist should be
consulted before installing any steam generating equipment.
Untreated water contains scale producing minerals which can precipitate onto the surfaces in
the boiler. Due to the temperatures in the boiler, the minerals can bake onto the surfaces and
components. This can result in early component failure and reduced product life.
Mineral scale on components causes several problems:
1. The surfaces of the heating devices become coated with scale, reducing the heat transfer
efficiency. This can produce hot spots on the heating elements and result in premature
failure.
2. The water level probes become coated with scale. Scale will bridge across the probe
insulator from the metal extension which senses the water level in the boiler cell. Once this
scale becomes wet, the water level control is unable to maintain the proper water level in
the boiler. This situation may cause an electric heating element to fail if the element is not
adequately covered by water.
Strainers and filters will NOT remove minerals from the water.
Refer to REMOVAL OF LIME SCALE DEPOSITS, page 20.
VENT HOOD
Some local codes may require the steamer to be located under an exhaust hood. Information
on the construction and installation of ventilating hoods may be obtained from Vapor Removal
from Cooking Equipment, NFPA standard No. 96 (latest edition).