Water containing limescale in commercial kitchens

Goodbye killer lime!

“They also only cook with water” and use it every day. It is the basis for taste, cleanliness and quality. The tap water from your water supply is enriched with various ingredients. Calcium and magnesium, for example, “float” along and this hardness in the water can become a problem.

Machine killer lime

There should actually be a warning: “Hardness in your water will cause considerable damage to your machines.” Because it does. Limescale deposits in combi-steamers and dishwashers can be damaging and not only have a negative effect on the washing result, but also make your service technician a regular guest sooner or later. The life expectancy of your sensitive devices decreases.

This is a costly business. And it’s not just repair costs that are incurred. Every little crumb of “killer limescale” deposited in nozzles, on heating rods or pipes costs you money. A not inconsiderable amount can be incurred annually if you ignore the hardness in the water and allow calcium and magnesium time to build up in your machines. According to the Working Group for Commercial Dishwashing, a limescale layer of just 0.4 mm (that’s about the width of a hair) on the heating rods of front-loading, hood-type, rack-type and conveyor-type dishwashers causes an increase in energy consumption of around 25 %. This leads to a considerable increase in ongoing operating costs.

For a simple front-loading dishwasher, 25% more consumption means additional electricity costs of approximately €600/year for five operating hours/day, 365 days a year. The more water is used per day for flushing and the thicker the scale, the higher the additional electricity costs. For larger companies that have to use rack and/or conveyor dishwashers, this can cost several thousand euros per year.

Another resource in the scullery is the detergent. The dosage depends on the local water hardness (total hardness). The harder the water, the more detergent needs to be dosed. With hard water (total hardness > 14° d) this can be several g/liter. Several thousand euros of purifier are needed just because the water is not treated.