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When's The Best Time To Replace Your Catering Appliance?

1 Mar 2021, 4:21 PM

Repair or replace?
When's the best time to replace your catering appliance?

If you operate a business that depends on its catering appliances, you have a tricky decision to make if one malfunctions - do you get it repaired? Or do you just bite the bullet and replace it? You might think that the lesser cost associated with repairing your existing equipment makes it the obvious, and best, choice, but there are many more things to consider when it comes to deciding if it's the right decision for you. In many cases, replacement can actually be the best overall choice.

Here's what you should consider, to help you make the best decision for your business.

Think about ongoing reliability

If commercial appliances have broken down once, they are likely to break down again soon after - that's just the reality of it. An appliance breaking down can be down to many things, whether it's manufacturer or installation error, or straightforward wear and tear. In either case, breaking down and requiring repair signals that machine is a cause for concern. This may be a risk you're willing to take in an appliance that you don't use too much, say a commercial blender, but in the case of commercial fridges, for example, it can give you serious pause for thought. The consequences of a commercial fridge breaking down again can be considerable, both in terms of potential spoiled stock and the business downtime required for a critical appliance to be fixed.

When you invest in a new machine you get the peace of mind that comes with knowing it's right at the start of its useful service life. That means you can depend on it, and that peace of mind can be worth far more than the purchase price.

Modern developments and efficiency

Something else to consider is that technology is always pushing forward and that new appliances have many new features designed to make your life easier and make them more affordable to run. Take, for example, the Winterhalter Pass Through Dishwasher PT-L-3 Energy. More than just a simple dishwasher, it features a number of unique specifications to make operation costs lower and minimise the input required - for example, a steam heat recovery hood, and an integrated waste water heat recovery system. Both of these are designed to lower energy costs and reduce the time needed to ensure hot water is delivered on tap for cleaning.

These efficiency improvements and technological advancements are designed to make new commercial fridges, freezers, dishwashers, and a whole host of other commercial appliances easier to use and more energy-efficient.

Eco-friendliness

A new appliance is going to cost you less power to run, which makes it more energy efficient. Manufacturers are taking great stride to enhance the efficiency of every piece of equipment they make, in every way possible. True Refrigeration is a front runner in this respect as they’re committed to replacing dangerous substances with eco-friendly alternatives. Instead of the use of harmful and toxic refrigerants, True use Hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants, which are natural and non-toxic gases.

Long term running costs

A more complex financial calculation involves the long term savings you can make on running costs. This is what you need to consider against the cost of repairing your current equipment and the cost of continuing to run it less efficiently. You might be surprised just how much you can save by investing in a much more energy-efficient appliance, rather than continuing to power an old one. Leaps forward in efficiency are being made all the time, and in many cases, energy bills are one of a business' largest consistent outgoings. This is why investing in new appliances makes a more financially sound decision than many first think.

Runaway costs can be a serious hurdle to every catering business. Energy-efficient equipment can help keep those costs under control, allowing you the stability and more freedom of investment required to further grow your business.

When is it time to replace?

A good rule of thumb is to use the length of an extended warranty as a measuring guide on any catering appliance you have. If it breaks down within an extended warranty period, it's likely still new enough to be worth repairing and continuing to use. If, however, your extended warranty period has come to an end, a breakdown can signal that the machine's useful service life has come to an end. After this, the cost of ongoing repairs and higher energy usage are going to rapidly overtake the cost of a new appliance.

Take the preceding factors that have been discussed into account - namely reliability, technological advancements, feature developments, environmental friendliness, and improved long term running costs, and you will see it's the right choice.

Buy from Restaurant Supply Store

When your commercial appliances have come to the end of their useful service, choose Restaurant Supply Store to replace it. We have a broad range of choices and options available, to suit every business size and requirement.

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