Charbroilers are a smart addition to any restaurant kitchen line. This user-friendly piece of commercial kitchen equipment is ideal for cooking flavorful steaks, hamburgers, vegetables, chops and sandwiches. Known for its distinctive smoky flavor profile and gorgeous grill patterns, charbroilers offer a unique flavor and visual appeal to food. Because of their versatility, durability and performance, charbroilers are an excellent investment for today’s restaurants. The degree to which you make the most of that investment, however, depends on how well you maintain it. Here’s a closer look at best practices for maintaining your restaurant charbroiler.

Routine daily cleaning is just the start to keeping your charbroiler in optimal working condition. Follow the steps below to ensure your charbroiler remains in tip top shape.

• Proper ventilation is essential to charbroiler performance and safety. Your charbroiler’s exhaust hood should be examined and cleaned at least twice a year.
• Valves also require regular maintenance. As soon as you start to notice signs of sticking, it’s time to call in a trained technician who will use high-temperature grease to lubricate them.
• When you choose a Vulcan charbroiler, you also gain access to Vulcan's nationwide network of Hobart Service experts and authorized independent servicers. Take advantage of this network when searching for service technicians.
• Follow instructions in your user’s manual to properly clean debris from unit. Avoid covering the surface of your charbroiler with objects in an effort to “burn off” debris to minimize the chance of damaging components of the charbroiler.
• Never cover the surface of the charbroiler with sheet tray pans or other objects in attempt to “burn off” or clean debris from unit.  This will cause an excess buildup of heat that can potentially damage and warp components of the charbroiler.
• Avoid heat buildups by ensuring air can flow. Never cover anywhere that air flows through with foil. 

Preventative maintenance is everything when it comes to keeping your charbroiler performing efficiently and effectively. Keeping an eye out for signs of an issue can help you avoid excessive downtime and costly repair bills later. Common warning signs that your charbroiler may require service include:

• Uneven heating or burning on the sides of food. This could be a sign that burners and/or burner valves have been improperly adjusted or fluctuating gas pressure.
• Extreme top heat. This could be an indication that your burner valves could be adjusted too high. Other possible causes include faulty ventilation, overrated gas pressure or an improperly adjusted burner.
• Uneven side-to-side heating. Possible causes include improperly adjusted burners or burner valves, poor leveling, or improperly maintained / installed deflector or crumb tray.
• Uneven front-to-back heating. Possible causes include improper leveling, faulty ventilation, improperly adjusted burners or improperly maintained / installed deflector or crumb tray.
• Pilot outages. Possible causes include low pilot settings preventing sufficient gas flow, low gas pressure and obstructions in the pilot orifice.
• Yellow burner flames. Open the burner shutters until flames are blue and touching the burner.
• Lifting burner flames. Close the burner shutters until flames touch the burner and are no longer yellow.
• Fluctuating gas pressure. Check the vents on the charbroiler regulator for clogs.

Again, trained service technicians can help you identify and correct these and other small problems before they turn into big ones.

Charbroilers are a go-to piece of equipment for restaurant kitchens thanks to their many beneficial qualities. Get the most from your investment and extend the life of your charbroiler by adopting a routine cleaning and maintenance schedule.