Small Commercial Kitchens: 5 Checks Before You Buy Your Equipment
What to measure, check and plug in to avoid common mistakes
Nationwide Catering Equipment | nationwidecatering.co.uk
When equipping a small kitchen, measuring feels like the obvious job. Measure the space, measure the equipment, check one fits in the other. That's it, right?
But there's a lot more to equipping a small commercial kitchen than that, and the things that catch our customers out are usually the ones they hadn't considered. We've put this list together from the mistakes we help our customers with on a regular basis.
Here's one from recently. Our driver turned up with an oven and found the door was a domestic-sized one, far too narrow for it. In the end he had to take the door frame off to get the oven through. That delayed the delivery, and the owners then had the extra job of refitting the frame afterwards. Things like this happen more often than you imagine.
The oven fitted the space perfectly, but it just couldn't get to it.
So before you order, run through these five checks. Most of them take a few minutes, and they can save you a lot of time and money.
1. Will It Get Through the Door?
Don't just measure the kitchen. Measure the whole route in, like the front door, corridors, stairs, tight corners and the kitchen door itself. Your equipment has to get from the van to its spot, and the narrowest point on the way can stand in the way of it getting to your space.
Domestic doors are the usual culprit. A standard door is about 762mm (30 inches) wide, and the gap you can actually carry something through is a little less once you allow for the frame. A lot of commercial equipment is wider than that, or only just fits.
For example, our Foster two-door counter fridge is 142cm long, 70cm deep and 90cm high. It will go through a 76cm door, but only end-on, and with about 6cm to spare at best. That's before you think about the packaging, the handles, or the turn at the end of a narrow hallway.
What to do:
• Measure the width of every doorway on the route, and the narrowest turn.
• Compare it with the width, depth and height of the equipment, not just the space it's going into.
• Tell us if there are stairs, steps or a long carry, so the driver turns up ready.
• Not sure? Let us know the measurements and we can advise if it's likely to fit.
2. Have You Got the Right Power?
This is one we hear about all the time. A customer rings to say their new equipment isn't working. We ask what it's plugged into, and it turns out to be three-phase equipment in a single-phase socket.
That doesn't work because most small buildings have single phase power. It runs at 230V down one live wire, and it's what a normal three-pin plug uses. Three phase runs at 400V and uses three live wires. It can carry far more power, which is what bigger, high-performance equipment needs. A 10-grid Rational combi oven, for example, can pull more than 147 amps across its three phases.
A single phase supply simply can't carry that. At best the equipment won't switch on, and at worst you've got a safety problem.
The tricky part is that we always ask customers if they have three phase, and some say yes without checking first. Many of them don't know it makes a big difference, or that their building only has single phase.
What to check:
• Look at the spec sheet. 1PH or 1N means single phase (230V). 3PH or 3N means three phase (400V).
• Equipment drawing under 13 amps usually comes with a normal three-pin plug. Anything bigger has to be hardwired by an electrician.
• If you're not sure what supply your kitchen has, ask your electrician before you order.
If your kitchen only has single phase, just let us know. Plenty of catering equipment runs on single phase, and we can point you to the right equipment for your kitchen.
We've covered this in more detail in our Single Phase vs Three Phase guide.
3. Where Does the Water Go?
Anything that uses water needs somewhere for it to go. Some equipment doesn't have a drain pump of its own, so it relies on gravity to get rid of the water. That means it has to sit above a drain line. Some ice machines, dishwashers and glasswashers work this way.
For example, say you buy an ice machine and put it in the far corner of the kitchen, because that's where there's space. If it has no drain pump, the water has to run downhill to the drain all the way along the pipe. If the drain is across the room, or lower than the machine can reach, it simply won't work properly.
So before you buy, check whether the machine has its own pump. If it doesn't, it needs to sit close to a drain, and above it. Ask us if you're not sure.
Don't forget the hand basin
Then there's the plumbing you can't skip. The usual rule is that you need a separate hand basin, with hot and cold running water and a hygienic way to dry your hands. That's on top of any sink you use for washing food or equipment. Your local council can tell you exactly what they expect in your area, so it's worth checking with them early.
In a small kitchen, this can be tricky due to space. A stainless steel single sink is around 110cm wide and 65cm deep. Add a glasswasher and an ice machine, and you've used up a lot of wall before you've found room for the hand basin.
We cover what inspectors look for in our guide to preparing for an EHO inspection.
4. Is There Room Under the Extraction?
Gas cooking equipment has to sit under an extraction canopy, and the canopy has to be big enough for it. Most people measure the equipment and forget about the space around it.
The usual rule for gas equipment is a 300mm overhang at the front and on each open side. A side that's against a wall doesn't need it, and the front edge of the canopy should also be at least 2 metres off the floor, with a ceiling height of at least 2.15 metres.
For example, our Falcon Dominator gas char-grill is 60cm wide and 86cm deep. Put it in the middle of a run and you need 30cm either side, so the canopy has to be at least 120cm wide. It also needs to stick out 30cm past the front of the grill, which means a canopy around 116cm deep. Add a fryer next to it and the numbers go up again. The grill fits the space, but does the canopy?
Two more things to know if you're buying gas equipment:
• The extraction should be linked to the gas (gas interlock). If the extraction fails, the gas should cut off automatically. Bypassing this link isn't allowed.
• Used gas equipment needs a flame failure device. This cuts off the gas if the flame goes out. If you're buying second-hand, ask whether it has one.
The exact requirements can vary with the equipment and the installation, so check the manufacturer's instructions and ask whoever fits your canopy before you order.
5. Fridges: Height and Room to Breathe
Two things catch people out with fridges in a small kitchen: how tall they are, and how much air they get.
Height
In a tight space, every centimetre counts. If height is the problem, ask us about bottom-mounted refrigeration, which can suit tight spaces better as top-mounted ones will be pulling hot air in a kitchen with low ceilings (see ventilation considerations below).
Room to breathe
A fridge doesn't “make cold”, it actually moves heat out of the inside and pushes it out the back (or the top/bottom, depending on where the motor is). To do that, it needs air around it.
If you wedge it into a gap, the heat has nowhere to go. It builds up, the compressor overheats and the fridge cuts out. It looks like a broken fridge, but it isn't.
For example, a customer recently rang to say her back-mounted fridge had stopped working. We went to take a look and found she'd squeezed it into a space with no room around it for air. As soon as she gave it room to breathe, it started working again.
Before you plan your layout, check the manufacturer's instructions for the gap they want around the fridge, and keep that gap clear. Don't stack boxes against it or push it hard up against a wall. We've covered more in our guide to why a commercial fridge isn't cooling.
Measure Twice, Order Once
Measuring the space and measuring the equipment is still where you start. But now you know the five things to check after that... the route in, the power, the water, the extraction and the room your fridges need.
We've also put these checks into a free one-page PDF you can print off and keep with your plans. Download the Small Kitchen Planning Checklist.
Planning a small kitchen and want a hand? Have a look at our refrigeration range, or get in touch and we'll talk it through with you.
Best wishes,
Norman and Richard
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before buying equipment for a small commercial kitchen?
Check that it will get through every door and corridor on the way in, that your kitchen has the right power supply for it, that there is a drain for anything that uses water, that there is room under the extraction for gas equipment, and that fridges have space around them to breathe. Measuring the space is only the start.
Can I plug three-phase equipment into a single-phase socket?
No. A single phase supply can't carry what three-phase equipment needs. At best it won't switch on, and at worst it's a safety problem. Check the spec sheet (1PH means single phase, 3PH means three phase) and, if you're not sure what your kitchen has, ask your electrician before you order.
Do all dishwashers and ice machines have a drain pump?
Not all of them. Some have no pump and rely on gravity, which means they have to sit above a drain line. Check before you buy, or ask us.
How much space do I need around gas equipment under an extraction canopy?
The usual rule is a 300mm canopy overhang at the front and on each open side, with no overhang needed on a side against a wall. Electric equipment doesn't have this rule. Check the manufacturer's instructions and ask your canopy installer.
Do commercial fridges need space around them?
Yes. A fridge pushes heat out the back, top or bottom, depending on where the motor is. If the heat can't escape, the compressor overheats and the fridge stops. Leave the gap the manufacturer asks for, and keep it clear.
Do I need a separate hand basin in a commercial kitchen?
The usual rule is yes: a separate hand basin with hot and cold running water and a hygienic way to dry your hands, in addition to any sink for washing food or equipment. Check with your local council for what they expect in your area.