Meet the Engineer: Marcus on Warewash

We spoke to Marcus, one of our experienced field warewash engineers, to get his take on one of the most common call-out culprits in commercial kitchens: warewash equipment.

What's the most common cause of warewash problems?

"Poor machine cleanliness. Grease, fats and food debris build up over time, blocking filters and drainage, clogging wash arms and reducing water pressure. The knock-on effects are noticeable — poor cleaning results, leaking doors, fault alarms and bad odours."

Can operators avoid these issues themselves?

"Absolutely. Wipe down the machine with a damp cloth daily, clean the filters and drain the machine down at the end of every service. In a busy kitchen, you might need to do this twice a day. Pre-showering dishes and removing obvious debris — like lemon slices from glasses — makes a bigger difference than people realise. It's simple stuff that goes a long way."

What does a professional service pick up that operators might miss?

"A lot happens underneath. We inspect the peristaltic dosing pump tubes for wear and splits, check wash arms for damage that affects flow, test heating elements for current and insulation, and tighten fixings that vibration has worked loose over time. These are the things that cause bigger, more expensive failures down the line if they're not caught early."

How often should a warewash machine be serviced?

"Annual servicing as a minimum — biannual for high-volume kitchens. Customers on a PPM plan see a big reduction in callouts. A warewash machine is like a member of staff in a busy kitchen and our goal is to keep it healthy and reliable."

At Catercall, our engineers don't just fix problems... they prevent them. If you're thinking about a PPM plan for your warewash equipment or full commercial kitchen, get in touch with the team to go through your options.