GB2419277A

GB2419277A - Warewashing system

Info

Publication number: GB2419277A
Application number: GB0521321A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Roy Mitchem; David Michael Goodey; John Taylor
Original assignee: BWFU DUBLIN Ltd
Current assignee: BWFU DUBLIN Ltd
Priority date: 2004-10-20
Filing date: 2005-10-20
Publication date: 2006-04-26
Also published as: IE20050704A1; GB0521321D0; GB0423233D0

Abstract

The system comprises one or more warewashing machines 1 and a water reservoir tank 32 fillable from a mains water supply. Water pipe 3 connects the reservoir 32 and the warewashing machine 1. Water can be pumped to transfer water, on demand, from the water reservoir 32 to the warewashing machine 1. Water level detection means may be present so that an alarm is sounded when the water level becomes too low. The arrangement is preferably used in a beverage serving area.

Description

24 1 9277

WAREWASHING SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a system for washing glassware and the like, for example in a licensed or catering establishment. More particularly but not exclusively, it relates to apparatus for washing glassware and the like that is suitable for use where water supplies may be unreliable. '' In establishments such as pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, hotels and the like, it is important to wash glassware, kitchenware, crockery, cutlery and so forth rapidly and effectively. Not only is this extremely important on hygiene grounds, but a pint of beer, for example, served in a glass with trace surface contamination, may be unable to form a head or may lose its head very rapidly. The very demanding combination required of speed, volume to be cleaned and thoroughness of washing has led to commercial "warewashing" machines differing significantly from domestic dishwashing machines (a typical cycle time for a warewasher may be only one or two minutes per load, for example, compared to a domestic machine where the cycle time may be 20 to 40 minutes).

A typical glasswasher will begin operation with a charge of wash water of perhaps twenty litres. In conventional practice, at least in the UK and Eire, this is heated to around 55 C, a specially selected detergent is added, and a load of glassware, etc. is washed thoroughly therewith, taking perhaps two minutes. There is then a final rinse with a fresh charge of water, heated to around 65 C. The rinse takes perhaps ten seconds, and typically uses a further three and a half litres of water. This substantially clean rinse water displaces an equivalent volume of the wash water charge from the machine. There is often a weir arrangement in a warewashing machine so that the wash water displaced is from an upper layer of a tank. A substantial proportion of the particulate matter cleansed from the, glassware and held in suspension by the detergent will be present in this upper layer, so the, , remaining water held for the next wash cycle will be relatively clean or refreshed. The, ', warewashing machine can thus run for many consecutive cycles, only needing to be supplied, with a three-and-a-half litre charge of rinse water for each cycle, and an appropriate detergent. ' charge.

Unfortunately, this may lead to problems when the mains water supply is unreliable. In certain regions, the spread of housing and consequent demand for water has outgrown the infrastructure for providing fresh water. When usage has been high, for example by late in the evening, the mains water supply can be low in pressure, arrive at a low flow rate, or fail entirely. For example, it is not uncommon in these regions for buckets of water to be kept for flushing toilets when the mains water supply is too low to refill the corresponding cisterns.

Thus, a warewashing machine that has been operating as described for part of an evening may attempt to draw a charge of rinse water, but fail. It will continue regardless, leaving glassware unrinsed and with surface deposits of detergent. The wash water will also not be refreshed. The glasses with detergent present will look clean but head formation and retention will be inferior. I his poor "presentation" may lead to an otherwise satisfactory pint being returned to the bar. Some drinkers would even detect taint from low levels of unrinsed detergent on the glass.

Worse, over successive cycles, contamination may build up in the unrefreshed wash water and the glassware may not be washed hygienically.

: ',.' As a result, a reluctance to use detergents has arisen where rinse water supplies cannot be guaranteed. However, without a detergent, it is difficult to clean ware effectively; while glasswasher detergents also act as sterilants at 55 C or so, plain water must be heated above 96 C to sterilise the ware, which must be exposed to these conditions for at least two minutes. Many deposits on the ware will not be effectively removed by hot water alone. The contamination that is removed would not be held in suspension by the detergent, ensuring that it is led off to drain, but can accumulate in deposits within the warewashing machine.

This requires frequent scouring of the warewasher with aggressive cleaning agents to prevent it becoming a source of contamination. Similarly, with glassware, where time has to be dedicated, every week, to renovating the soiled glassware.

Although these problems might appear worse than those resulting from unrinsed detergent, nevertheless many publicans will not use detergents where they believe that they cannot rely on a rinse water supply. In newly-built premises, large extra water tanks may be installed, but the cost penalties are high, and for existing premises have usually been found to be prohibitive; the cost of installing conventional piping between the tanks and the warewasher(s) and redecorating afterwards is often particularly high.

While it might be possible to redesign warewashing machines to overcome such problems, the market is unlikely to be large enough to justify such development, and licensees or publicans would in any case probably be unwilling to replace existing machines which are otherwise in perfect working order.

It is hence an object of the present invention to provide a warewashing system that obviates the above disadvantages, allowing a user to wash ware effectively, using detergents, fully,, , : '' confident that thorough rinsing will take place. ', ., ' . :.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a warewashing system. '; ' . comprising at least one warewashing machine, water reservoir means tillable from a mains. .. . water supply, water pipe means extending between the reservoir means and the at least one.; : warewashing machine and pump means adapted to transfer water, on demand, from the water reservoir means to the warewashing machine.

The warewashing machine may be located in or near a beverage serving area, the water reservoir means is located remote therefrom, in a beverage storage area, and the water pipe means are adapted to extend substantially alongside pipe means adapted to deliver beverage from the beverage storage area to the beverage serving area.

Preferably, the water pipe means extends through conduit means adapted for the passage of said beverage pipe means therethrough between the beverage storage area and the beverage servmg area.

Advantageously, the water pipe means extends together with the beverage pipe means along an interior of an insulated flexible tube means.

Said insulated tube means may comprise a conventional "python" beverage delivery arrangement.

Preferably, the beverage serving area comprises a bar or the like and the beverage storage area comprises a beer cellar or the like. ; , , The reservoir means may comprise a sole water supply for the at least one warewashing,,,,, machine.

The reservoir means may be dimensioned to hold sufficient water to supply the at least one ' . . warewashing machine for an entire predetermined period of use.

Alternatively, the reservoir means may be dimensioned to hold sufficient water to supply rinse water to the at least one warewashing machine for an entire predetermined period of use.

The reservoir means may be provided with water level detection means operatively connected to audible and/or visible alarm means.

Said alarm means may operate when insufficient water remains in the reservoir for a predetermined number of rinse cycles.

The reservoir means may be provided with pump means connected to the water pipe means.

The pump means may be operable in response to a signal from the at least one warewashing machine.

Alternatively, the pump means may be operable in response to flow switch means detecting water being taken from the water pipe means by the or a warewashing machine.

The reservoir means may be provided with water-softening means, waterdeionising means and/or water filtration means.

The reservoir means is preferably provided with monitoring means, optionally accessible by radio or mobile telephony means.

The reservoir means may comprise a plurality of individual reservoir tanks.

The system may optionally be so adapted as to prevent initiation of a wash cycle in the or a warewashing machine when insufficient water remains for a respective rinse cycle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of warewashing comprising the steps of providing at least one warewashing machine in or adjacent to a beverage serving area, providing water reservoir means in a beverage storage area, connecting the at least one warewashing machine and the water reservoir means with water pipe means extending along an existing conduit means which extends between the beverage storage area and the beverage serving area and is adapted for the passage of beverage delivery pipe means therethrough, and operating the at least one warewashing machine using water supplied at least in part from the reservoir means.

Preferably, the method comprises the step of operating the at least one warewashing machine using water supplied solely from the water reservoir means.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: . . Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional elevation of an existing warewashing., machine; and,, Figure 2 is a schematic crosssectional elevation of a water supply, ;, arrangement for a warewashing machine embodying the present invention. . Referring now to the figures and to Figure 1 in particular, an existing warewashing machine 1 comprises an internal chamber 2 into which racks or baskets, carrying glassware, crockery or other ware to be washed, are placed (not shown). An array 3 of pipes extends around the chamber 2, the pipes being apertured such that water pumped therethrough will emerge as jets or sprays 4 directed on to the ware to be washed.

Conventionally, mains or tank supplied water is taken in through an inlet 5 controlled by a solenoid, heated to a working temperature and dosed with a predetermined quantity of a preselected detergent. A typical charge of water to initiate a wash cycle comprises about twenty litres. This water is pumped through the array 3 of pipes, is sprayed on to the ware in the chamber 2 and collects in a sump 6, from which it is pumped back through the array 3 of pipes on to the ware, and so forth. A warewashing machine I for use in a bar will typically take around two minutes to clean a full load of glasses, etc. in this manner.

Once the above wash cycle is complete, a fresh charge of mains water is taken in (typically around three and a half litres) and heated to a working temperature, optionally with the addition of a rinse-aid. This water is sprayed through the array 3 of pipes on to the ware, to rinse off detergent residues. The rinse cycle usually lasts ten to fifteen seconds.

This rinse water also collects in the machine's washtank 6. However, the sump 6 has a weir ' outlet 7 which is arranged so that water in excess of the standard charge of water needed for a., wash cycle flows out to drain. The wash water in an upper portion 8 of the washtank 6 will.,,, contain a high proportion of any contaminants, especially particulates, that have been washed. I,,

off the ware, and suspended in micellar form by the detergent. Thus, when the rinse water reaches the washtank 6, this more polluted portion of the wash water will be preferentially displaced through the outlet 7. The remaining wash water mixes with the rinse water, to form the wash water for the next wash cycle of the machine. Once the machine 1 has been filled, it can, for example, run throughout an evening's business, only needing to take in a charge of rinse water every cycle.

However, if the mains water or tank supply begins to run low, the machine I will not be able to take in sufficient rinse water to perform a thorough rinse, and eventually may be unable to take in any more water at all. The ware will emerge from the machine 1 with detergent residues present, potentially affecting the presentation and taste of beverages served therein.

Also, the same charge of wash water will be used cycle after cycle without being refreshed, becoming increasingly dirty and washing less and less effectively. There will be no indication that these problems have arisen until customer complaints arise, when it is too late to correct, or to delay washing until the water supply is restored.

Where there are several warewashing machines in use, a possible solution might be a dedicated central storage tank dimensioned to supply all the machines on a premises, should the mains water supply fail. However, it is highly unlikely that there would be room for such a large tank adjacent the warewashing machines themselves. In a newly-built premises, it might be possible to arrange for a larger than standard storage tank to be included in a roof space, for example, with pipework extending therefrom to the warewashing machines. . However, in an existing premises, even if the available roofspace were large enough and the structure strong enough to take the tank, the cost of the construction work needed to fit the, i necessary pipework, make good and redecorate appears prohibitive. , 1 1 However, most pubs, clubs and so forth have cellars or the like where beer and other beverages are stored, and the system shown in Figure 2 takes advantage of this.

In a pub or the like, beer and other beverages are normally served in a bar 24, but are stored in a cellar 25, close to the bar 24 but at a lower level. The beer, lager, etc is kept in barrels 26 and/or cooled storage vessels 27, and is pumped up to the bar 24 along pipework known as beerlines 28. Particularly where cooled beverages are involved, the beerlines 28 may take the form of flexible plastics tubing, and a plurality of beerlines 28 are bundled together, extending along an interior of a flexible insulated tubular casing, known as a python 29. The python 29 extends from the cellar 25, through an aperture 30 in a cellar wall or ceiling created therefor, up to a bar counter 31 in the bar 24, from which the beverages are dispensed. lO

The warewashing machines I are normally located in the bar 24 or in an adjacent room. It is normal for a bar cellar 25 to have a water supply (e. g. for washing equipment) or at least to be close to an incoming mains water supply, and while floor space may be limited, there is usually ample wall space. One or more wall-mounted reservoir tanks 32 are therefore located in the cellar 25, conveniently containing around one hundred litres each. Each tank 32 is filled from the mains supply via an inlet connection 33, the mains water optionally being passed through a filter 34 (and/or a deioniser, and/or a water softener) before it enters the tank 32, where local water properties make such treatment necessary. Each tank 32 has a pump 10 connected to its outlet. A flexible plastics water pipe 35 extends from the pump 10, enters the conduit containing the python 29 along with the beerlines 28 and extends up to the bar 24, where it splits off from the beerlines 28 and the python 29 and leads to the inlet 5 of the warewashing machine 1, in or near the bar 24.

Pythons 29 are sized to take a large number of beerlines 28, and it is intended to be straightforward to pass further beerlines 28 along the python 29 from the cellar 25 to the bar 24 or vice versa. Passing one or more water pipes 35 in the same manner should be similarly straightforward. There must be a conduit or the like through the fabric of the premises to allow the python 29 to pass, so installing the water pipes 35 involves little structural work, except perhaps for a short final section once the python 29 has entered the bar 24.

The tanks 32 may be sized to provide sufficient water to run the warewashing machines 1 from opening time to closing time, or may be sized to provide sufficient rinse water to cover a period when the mains water supply is expected to be weak or fail. They may be used as a sole water supply for the warewashing machines 1, or kept as a reserve. The pump 10 may be turned on, to deliver water to the machines 1 at the requisite flow rate and pressure, either by an electrical signal from the warewashing machine l needing water, or by a flow switch detecting that water is being taken from the water pipes 35.

In a further embodiment (not shown) the tank 32 is provided with a diaphragm to separate the water from a pressure zone. In this case, when the water reaches a predetermined level within the tank, the pressure zone is supplied with air or other gas to such a pressure that, on demand, substantially all or all of a required amount of the water is delivered to the warewashing machine(s) without the need for the water to be pumped. 22.

A water level switch may be provided in each tank 32, connected to a low water warning, , lamp mounted to the tank and a repeater lamp on or adjacent the warewashing machines 1. , Audible low-level alarms may also be fitted, as may be monitoring and control systems, ,,, operable by radio or mobile telephony links, to turn the tanks 32 on and off, indicate a, volume of water in each tank 32, check for faults and so forth. This would obviate the need for frequent visits to the cellar 25 to check up on the tanks 32.

Claims

1. A warewashing system comprising at least one warewashing machine, water reservoir means tillable from a mains water supply, water pipe means extending between the,, reservoir means and the at least one warewashing machine and pump means adapted,,, I, to transfer water, on demand, from the water reservoir means to the warewashing. , :''''' machine.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the warewashing machine is located in or. :'2 near a beverage serving area, the water reservoir means is located remote therefrom, in a beverage storage area, and the water pipe means are adapted to extend substantially alongside pipe means adapted to deliver beverage from the beverage storage area to the beverage serving area.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the water pipe means extends through conduit means adapted for the passage of said beverage pipe means therethrough between the beverage storage area and the beverage serving area.

4. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reservoir means comprises a sole water supply for the at least one warewashing machine, and is so dimensioned as to hold sufficient water to supply the at least one warewashing machine for an entire predetermined period of use.

5. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reservoir means is so dimensioned as to hold sufficient water to supply rinse water to the at least one warewashing machine for an entire predetermined period of use.

6. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reservoir means is provided with water level detection means. .

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, further provided with audible and/or visible alarm means, operatively connected to said level detailing more. .

8. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pump means acts either to force water along the pipe means, or to pressurise the reservoir means.

9. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pump means acts to pressurise the reservoir means.

10. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reservoir means is provided with water-softening means, water-deionising means and/or water filtration means.

11. A method of warewashing comprising the steps of providing at least one warewashing machine in or adjacent to a beverage serving area, providing water reservoir means at a remote location, preferably in a beverage storage area, connecting the at least one warewashing machine and the water reservoir means with water pipe means extending along an existing conduit means which extends between the beverage storage area and the beverage serving area and is adapted for the passage of beverage delivery pipe means therethrough, and operating the at least one warewashing machine using water supplied at least in part from the reservoir means. . 1 .