Tundra’s Tech Talk

Tundra’s Tech Talk helps you learn how to fix you restaurant & food service equipment on your own – DIY. Ask one of our experienced technicians a question, or learn about other equipment we’ve already helped other readers with.

Identifying Electric Cooking Equipment Elements

There are five types of elements in electric food service equipment: 1. Calrod (metal) type 2. Glass tube (quartz) type 3. Ceramic type 4. Wire type 5. Solid type These five elements are either submersible, dry, or both.  No matter what type of element you’re trying to replace, the most important piece of information you …

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Repairing Countertop Warmers

Summary – Countertop warmers keep pre-cooked foods warm.  In this Tech Talk, learn how to replace all 4 components that could fail in your countertop warmer. Critical Note – Never run the warmer without water! For best results, use the model and serial number on your warmer to identify the right …

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Replace Commercial Refrigeration Thermostats Yourself

There are two types of temperature controls used in commercial refrigeration: 1. Thermostatic (either an air sensing type or evaporator coil sensing type) 2. Low pressure control Let’s start with thermostatic type controls.  An air-sensing thermostat does just that: it senses air temperature.  The control sensor tube is usually mounted in the …

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Replacing Gas Safety Valves

There are many different types of safety valves. These are the most common types: FMDA BASO TS Combination Type 1. The FMDA safety valve is the only type with the thermocouple permanently attached to it.  This means the thermocouple cannot be replaced; the entire safety valve must be replaced if the …

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Repairing Overhead Warmers

Overhead warmers are fairly simple devices.  They are typically used to keep food that is ready to be served warm before it goes out on the server’s tray.  Overhead warmers have three main parts: 1. Element 2. On/off switch 3. Infinite Control Warmers come in different voltages such as 120V, 208V, and 240V, and …

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