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About Jim Wixson, CFSP
Expertise
I can answer any questions about food production process, alternate food process methods, new technologies, layout and design, energy choice issues, ventilation, health codes, productivity, profitability, and labor staffing issues.
Experience
32 years in the food equipment business. Familiar with all phases of the commercial restaurant business, specializing in appropriate equipment selection. Cutting edge in production techniques.
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You are here: Experts > Industry > Beverage Distribution > Food Service Equipment & Supplies > Gas pressure to cooking equipment
Expert: Jim Wixson, CFSP - 10/22/2009
Question
We've installed recently installed cooking equipment in a (new construction) hospital kitchen. As you know, the equipment require prox. 5" w.c. pressure to operate properly. The plumbing contractor has supplied much higher pressure than this (five to six times higher). While we've asked him to reduce the gas pressure, he refuses to do so - insisting that we use regulators to throttle the gas pressure to our equipment. How do I explain to the owner that he has to intercede and get the plumber to reduce the pressure. The owner if of the opinion that it is our responsibility - since we supply pressure regulators with our equipment. Help!!
Answer
David,
Are you the dealer? I love this question, because I am the Cooking Products Manager for Georgia Power Company. I support electric cooking equipment, and we never have these problems with electric cooking. I'm sure that on this job you probably had no choice if it was a bid / award project. Anyway, I feel your pain, because when I was a dealer, I ran into this situation on numerous occasions. I used to call it, "let the finger pointing begin".
Anyway, you are correct. Commercial cooking equipment is designed to operate properly with gas pressures between 3 and 7 w.c", so your request for 5" was correct. This being a new construction kitchen, I would have assumed that the architect hired a mechanical engineer that would have specified the gas piping. The engineering specs for the job should have called for the appropriately sized gas meter and pressure regulator. The contractor would have had that in his spec, and the plumber would have installed it under his scope of work. Ultimately, the equipment needs the appropriate fuel service. The dealer is not responsible for gas supply. The regulator on the equipment itself is for minor pressure reduction. When the gas pressure gets up over 15 w.c.", the regulator in the equipment slams shut and you get no supply at all.
Do you have a statement in your bid or quote that says something like; "delivered, uncrated, and set in place, leveled and made ready for final plumbing and electrical connections by others"? We always put that on our contract bid documentation because we didn't want to get into the finger pointing game. Food equipment dealers are not plumbers, and plumbers are not food equipment dealers.
The architect will probably need to sort this out. If your contract specifically called for you to provide all materials and labor to install cooking equipment, and to provide start up, then you would be compelled to leave it fully operational. Your contract is the final judge of your responsibilities. You might also want to call the gas company that serves the job and tell them to double check the gas pressures on your job.
Good luck.
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