A commercial coffee machine is one of the hardest-working pieces of equipment in many hospitality businesses.
But how often should it actually be serviced?
There is no single service interval that is right for every site.
A restaurant serving 40 coffees each day places very different demands on its equipment from a busy bakery producing hundreds of drinks every morning.
However, every commercial espresso machine should have planned preventative maintenance rather than simply being repaired whenever it breaks.
What affects coffee machine service frequency?
The biggest factors are:
Drinks volume
The more coffee you produce, the greater the wear on valves, seals, group components and steam systems.
Water quality
Water is one of the biggest factors affecting the life of an espresso machine.
Poor water treatment can cause scale to build up inside boilers and valves, which can lead to expensive failures.
Cleaning
A well-maintained machine with an effective daily cleaning routine will generally experience fewer avoidable problems.
Equipment age
An older machine may require more frequent attention as components naturally begin to wear.
How important coffee is to your operation
If losing one machine means your café cannot serve coffee, downtime has a much greater commercial impact.
Preventative maintenance versus reactive repair
At Modern Standard Service we strongly favour preventative maintenance.
Our commercial coffee machine service plans combine planned maintenance with breakdown support.
This allows engineers to inspect equipment before something fails rather than waiting until the machine stops during service.
Our Bronze, Silver and Gold service packages are designed for different levels of operational requirement, including options with 24-hour response times.
What happens during a commercial coffee machine service?
The exact work depends on the equipment, its age and its condition.
A professional engineer may inspect or service components including:
- group seals and shower screens
- steam valves
- pumps
- boilers
- solenoids
- safety systems
- water filtration
- grinder performance.
They will also look for warning signs that could cause future downtime.
Don't forget the grinder
Your espresso machine is only half of the system.
Grinders also need maintenance.
Modern Standard Service supplies and supports a wide range of commercial coffee grinders, including the Mahlkönig E65 Series, Victoria Arduino Mythos and Mazzer Super Jolly V Pro.
Worn burrs and poorly maintained grinders can affect both consistency and extraction even when the espresso machine itself is performing perfectly.
Build servicing into the cost of your machine
When buying new equipment, servicing should be considered part of the investment rather than an unexpected future cost.
Before purchasing, make sure your site also meets the correct coffee machine installation requirements.
Correct installation, suitable water treatment, regular cleaning and scheduled maintenance together give commercial equipment the best chance of a long and reliable working life.
If you need a service plan for one coffee machine or equipment across multiple UK sites, contact Modern Standard Service.