By Jens Bolleyer

Whether you own and operate a full service fine dining restaurant in the largest cities in the world, or a quick service trailer at your local county fair, hot water is at the essence of food service. Running out of hot water or not meeting necessary temperature can be troublesome for a restaurant. Not only is it required for cooking, it is also required by code:

–          Hand washing in the kitchen or in restrooms requires 105°F*

–          Food Preparation areas – including the sinks are typically 120°F*

–          Sanitation requirements for dishwashing or other wash downs are 140°F up to 180°F * 

*please check local or state requirements.

When opening a new store, or due to a random site visit by a health inspector; should any application not meet national or local codes, the establishment runs the risk of being shut down, and essentially be out of business till the problems is fixed.  And that is cutting into profits! Potential cost risks include:

–          Dirty or unsanitary dishes – bacteria growth – foodborne illnesses

–                   –           Bad reviews – damaged reputation – loss of customers – loss of income

–          Health code violations and shut downs – public record – loss of permits – loss of business

Permit holders are responsible for meeting all codes.  The HHS and USDA are continually taking progressive steps in food safety, and are committed to reducing the incidence of foodborne illness in the United States.

Don’t risk it!

Electric tankless water heaters are a perfect solution to any and all hot water requirements, and the vast array of models and configurations Eemax offers makes code compliance easy and ensure that you can count on endless hot water when you need it.

Eemax heaters provide many benefits:

Common Problems and Solutions

Below are a few common scenarios in the foodservice industry where Eemax electric tankless water heaters ensure code compliance or meet hot water needs.

Hot water runs out:

For many restaurants, getting hot water is not a problem – except during peak times, when restaurants often use more hot water than the tank water heater can heat. Two things may be responsible for that: One, water in the tank has is colder on the top, a phenomenon called stratification, which may leave the restaurant subjected to inconsistent water temperatures. The other is simply running out of hot water, because the tank will require a long time to recover and bring the water back up to the desired temperature.

In both cases, install an Eemax water heater right after your primary system, and the Eemax will only activate when needed.  Choosing the correct unit will allow you to run efficiently and effective while knowing you will always be able to supply your required hot water even if your current system completely fails. 

Eemax solutions for this scenario:

Water doesn’t reach desired temperature:

When hot water demand is up, and the existing infrastructure cannot handle the additional hot water requirements, because it was never designed to, install an Eemax water heater on the hot water line for key applications and boost the water temperature up to 180°F.

Eemax solutions for this scenario:

Water takes too long to reach desired temperature:

When the point of use for hot water is too far from the installed water heater, and it takes too long to get the water up to temperature. This is a common issue in many restrooms. And rather than running more water until you get warm water, install a point of use electric tankless water heater. Eemax products are sophisticated enough to recognize the incoming and outgoing temperature and will react accordingly to provide the water at the desired temperature on demand. Once your primary hot water heater finally delivers the set temperature, the Eemax water heater will turn off.

Eemax solutions for this scenario:                           

Other considerations:

The installation of the right Eemax electric tankless water heater is obviously dependent on the existing electrical infrastructure.

On some occasions, there may not enough power available where it is needed. But there are other options to consider that may require less power:

Pre-Tank Booster: Consider a pre-tank heating system to your current tank to increase the longevity of your existing tank and decrease the recovery time, expanding your hot water capacity

Point of use Mini-tank: Often used as a remodel option, when available power is limited to 120V outlets.

Recirculation Setup: Design a hot water system with pumps, timers and aqua stats powered by an Eemax electric tankless water heater.

Example Applications:

Bellissimo’s Pizzeria: Naugatuck CT.

Problem: Business is up – a good problem to have, but the tank heater that is installed cannot handle the hot water needs during peak hours. Another problem is space. To install a larger tank you would have had to renovate the space and lose some key storage or seating area.  And as if that wasn’t enough, the existing tank runs on gas and a bigger tank would require for the venting to be enlarged as well.

Solution:  Eemax PHD SpecAdvantage AP036480 Eemax PhD heater was installed to be a booster for a tank that was in need of an upgrade.

Key Specs: 36kW 480V 43 amps

62°F degree rise at 4.0 gpm

 Hava, the owner, couldn’t be more thrilled with the results: “Ever since we installed the Eemax water heater as a booster I haven’t had to worry about running out of hot water. It is just one less thing I have to stress about when things around here get busy.”

Another benefit to the install of the Eemax heater as a booster is that even with the increased hot water demand, health code compliance is ensured 100% of the time.

 Roti Mediterranean Grill – East 43^rd Street, NYC              

Problem: In NYC space is a premium.  Tight on space and time, the owner was looking for a reliable source of endless hot water that would stand up to the heavy traffic expected in this prime location.

Along with a huge crowd and some of the most stringent health codes, Roti Mediterranean Grill knew they needed to insure compliance to codes, no matter what time of the day, or night – and a required size tank heater would take up too much space.

Solution:  Eemax Series Six ED036480T24T was install in series with a small storage tank without heating capacity. The recirculation system was designed with timers and aqua stats. This energy efficient set up allows for minimal energy usage during low demand times, and enough power to withstand the rigors of heavy hot water use.  

Key Specs: 36kW 480V 43 amps

62°F degree rise at 4.0 gpm

Outcome: “Being the store manager I have to understand the working and ins and outs of everything in my restaurant. Being new to this type of system there was a bit of a learning curve, however with that aside, I can tell you, as an operator of a busy NYC food establishment, we have unlimited hot water, from 6am, till 11pm, every day of the year”

For help finding the right Eemax water heater for your need, call 855-99-EEMAX or visit www.eemax.com.