Commercial kitchen appliances

[Dannypipe]

Anyone on here qualified for commercial kitchen appliances?

I look after the plumbing/heating for four pubs owned by two different people.

Both have now asked me if I want to look after their kitchen appliances. Said, I can't as I'm not qualified.

Does anyone know of a firm in Kent or Sussex who train in this area. If its not too expensive, I'll do it, even if the work at the pubs just covers the costs, as it's another string to the bow, and who knows, there could be other businesses I could offer the service to as well.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I use Steve Willis at Burgess Hill.

 

[Dannypipe]

Thanks Mike, I'll give them a call. Is there much to it? How long does it take?

 

[Mike Jackson]

I've not done it but I've seen people there doing the assessments. They're normally very helpful there.

 

[acecharly]

I get on well with a guy from a pizza shop and do quite a bit for him at mates rates. He keeps asking me to do catering stuff he reckons the guy he has come out charges him £100 no matter what the job minimum.

 

[Dannypipe]

That's the problem with mates rates. They suit the mate and not the poor sod working for em!!

 

[WHPES]

I used to look after commercial dishwashers at one time.

The manufacturers of the appliances sometimes run courses.

Others try to force people to use their own engineers, such as Hobart.

Don't think there are any special qualifications other than the usual Gas Safe, electrical Part P etc etc

 

[Dannypipe]

I'm pretty sure there is a commercial catering difference with most appliances....and I would be working out of scope if I worked on them.

 

[hydrotherm]

Was offered a job last week fitting gas interlock to kitchen extractor in a care home. Had to turn it down as it deffo came under commercial catering qualification. Shame because they were paying good money. Think we are going to see a lot more of this type of work as environmental health is cracking down, that includes your local takeaway.

 

[Dannypipe]

I haven't had the chance to look into it properly yet, but I'm sure you're right.

 

[WHPES]

I expect most will depend on the function of the appliance.

 

[Bernie2]

Hey! guys commercial kitchens are common sense and easy enough to work out. Plenty of books to help you. Not hard to do. Have a go. The competition are the likes of Hobart, Lynx, and a few others I have forgotten. But make sure you have plenty of insurance and I am told the big companies prefer PLC's than single traders. Also on many jobs you need a bit of support so try to get a few mates to help out.

 

[WHPES]

Hobart charge a fortune to service and maintain equipment and I've found loads of work in this field, particularly at a cafe for a local attraction. They use plastic beakers and they're always getting jammed in the dishwasher on a weekly basis and each time it's a call-out to unjam it.

 

[Dannypipe]

Hobart charge a fortune to service and maintain equipment and I've found loads of work in this field, particularly at a cafe for a local attraction. They use plastic beakers and they're always getting jammed in the dishwasher on a weekly basis and each time it's a call-out to unjam it.

Are you qualified to work on commercial gas appliances? That's an area that interests me.

 

[Rob Sale]

Most guys I talk to say they hate working in catering cuase of the greece, but prefer shoving their hands down a shunky clearing number 2 jams.

 

[Dannypipe]

I don't clear number 2 jams, been there, done that.

I'll leave that to someone who has a stronger stomach, and immune system!! LOL.

I say this, I still do the odd drain survey and that's always a nice job. Lot's of poo to wash off the equipment after.

 

[Rob Sale]

I don't do drains. I get my mate in to do the number two pipe mechanics.

 

[on31ll]

Once i get my gas i will be looking into commercial gas mainly pipework and comcat stuff ! Seems exciting and seems to be wanted but as with everything there will soon be 5 million unemployed commercial gas engineers with comcat quals ! Everyone thinks theres a bright light in commercial ! Sadly not happening !

 

[migoplumber]

why do you say that mate ?
gas will be there forever.
we are told its gonna run out along with the oil and everything else that involves.
do you really think the government or powers that be would let that tax income dissapear ?
we may well run out of everything stated above, but you can bet your life, they will still manage to pipe something into the ng mains that we will have to buy that does the same job.
thats just life.

 

[Barry98]

Yea from Russia with love

 

[on31ll]

why do you say that mate ?
gas will be there forever.
we are told its gonna run out along with the oil and everything else that involves.
do you really think the government or powers that be would let that tax income dissapear ?
we may well run out of everything stated above, but you can bet your life, they will still manage to pipe something into the ng mains that we will have to buy that does the same job.
thats just life.

This in response to my comment ? I mean by the fact that everybody is raving on about commercial now ! Everywhere is fast track commercial this commercial that ! I have been working commercial eg nandos, wagamamas, marks an sparks etc for a while and working hard and building my name ! And now im offered all the gas etc for these so i wanna progress towards that but it just seems everybody cant get work in domestic so the do the fast track and call themselves commercial

Hyped market ! Not happening !

 

[Rob Sale]

It should be the case that you do a commercial gas nvq over min off 12 months rather than a few days on a conversion.

 

[on31ll]

Ive worked with a fair few commercial gas lads and coming from a few of them they said do the commercial gas qual on its own not the conversion ! They said its so diverse !

 

[Rob Sale]

My former college Carnegie college used do a NVq level 3 in Commercial gas and heating for 10 months min. To get on it you had to have min of 2 yrs domestic and did not do a conversion. I wanted on it it was a excellent course but with the cuts they have stopped it and doing the standard conversion and initial 2 weeks.

 

[on31ll]

Its terrible the skills are lacking and to be honest there lacking because the courses are going or being converted to stupid courses that get good numbers passing ! From what i know you used to learn domestic and commercial off your dad or as the apprentice ! Now you cant do this ! Its dissapeared i would love to be sombodys apprentice and learn the commercial and plant type of things and learn things inside out but nobody does this anymore everybody os the enemy and its really sad. I havent done my domestic gas because the person i was under the wing of let me down and not towards the end either and i cant afford to go to college another year or two ! So sadly for me i would be a fast tracker at gas ! But it is just a shame about the skills in the industry ! All the colleges get there way in the end and flood all markets they can ! And hard to say it really is i love plumbing but it may be time for me to shut up shop soon because all my calls now are gas gas gas ! I havent got the money lying about for fast track courses !

 

[WHPES]

Are you qualified to work on commercial gas appliances? That's an area that interests me.

No, I only do machinery and not burners.

 

[on31ll]

What type of stuff comes under plant ?

 

[Bernie2]

Yes the old type of apprenticeships were better for learning in depth. But as has been said colleges are in it for the cash, so it is in their interest and the governments to make as many paid courses as they can out of what was once one course. I think they learned the trick off Ryan Air. Gas courses that relate to safety should be free to all. There is no need for much else, if you get it wrong you go to prison simple as that.

 

[on31ll]

Bernie for prime minister ?