Water saving tips for your cafe, restaurant or foodservice business

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Australia, we’re in a drought!! Why waste your hard earned money on water going down the drain? So many commercial kitchens, restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars & domestic facilities have water going to waste for no good reason!

Most “city folk” don’t usually consider what’s going on at the farm. I have regularly visited Oberon, west of Sydney, for the past 20 plus years and have seen the hills in 3 different colours: white = snow, green = recent rain, brown-grey = drought. The last one is obvious, but the first 2 don’t always tell the truth. The only sure way to know is by the level of the dams & wow, right now, they are low. The lowest I can recall seeing.

You might think: “my city living water usage is not going to affect the level of the country folks dam”. I think: “irrelevant!”. Our country is vast and we should always use resources conservatively. Remember the 3 R’s? Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.

Right now go and check every water supply and connection you have, and if it is leaking, get it fixed. You’ll save not only water but money. Arrange for your plumber to come for an hour or two at his off-peak time, and to bring plenty of spare washers. If you have specialty fittings, take photos and show him the brand, in case he needs to order parts in advance. It’s called preventative maintenance.

Do you know how much you spend on leaky taps? If you are leaking 1 litre every 5 minutes = 288 litres every 24 hours = 105,120 litres per year. Multiply that by your cost per litre to see how many dollars you could be saving, and adding to profit.

At $2.658 per kilolitre (thousand litres), that’s 105 x 2.658 = $279 on unattended drips per year!

Check these water connections for leaks, split hoses, worn out washers or broken pipes:

Kitchen:

Sink taps and faucets
Spray Arms and Dishwasher
Woks and Pasta Cookers
Combi Ovens and Provers
Misting canopies…and anything else that uses water

Laundry:

Sink taps and washing machine taps
Cleaner’s sink taps and cleaning hoses

Bathrooms:

Toilet cisterns - is a leak running inside the pan?
Toilet tap on the wall - yes there’s a tap, aka the stop cock or shut off valve.
Hand basin taps
Shower taps - ever stayed in a hotel room with a dripping shower? Report it to reception immediately – they’ll thank you!

Bar:

Ice machine tap and inlet hose
Post mix tap and inlet hose
Glass washer

The next thing to do is check your equipment for water & power efficiency. Why use more than needed? If you’re not sure where to get the information about consumption or who best to repair the leak, let me know, chances are high, if you are in Australia, I can point you in the right direction.

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By Cathy Goodwin CFSP | Senior Consultant

Cathy Goodwin & Associates - Foodservice Equipment Consultants. Your fresh set of eyes...

+61 404 093 863