Installed a little over a year ago (with a matching oven that allegedly “can’t be calibrated”)
For months an alert has been popping up there’s something wrong with the humidity sensor. No idea what level it’s at but when it’s on we set it to 0 and still insanely humid in there. When it’s “off” it’s still pulling water and I assume adding humidity, hence the puddle at the bottom.
My favorite feature is that it doesn’t fit standard (US) sheet pans. Management bought (slide 3) horrible pans that do fit – super heavy when stacked, rusts so quickly (for something I assume is made to go into a humid box for hours???), impractical to actually put in the deck since they’re so flat it would be hard to get back out, and our parchment paper/silpats hang over the edge.
Chef that ordered it maybe knows what we’re doing wrong but quit a month or two before it even came in. I’m not sure if ordering European sheet pans is out of the question, but our dishwashers certainly wouldn’t be happy about it and the line/banquets would probably end up with half of them before we could even use it so it’s not super practical.
Maybe this is just a vent post but any advice on how to make this less of a pain is appreciated!
by culinarybimbo
17 Comments
That looks like a dough retarder what are you guys using it for ?
Sell and buy something standard.
Bong
Bong arder the dough retarder
Hard water build up used to cause humidity/water pooling issues with the proofer I worked with.
Paid with a credit card? Some cards automatically cover beyond the manufacturer warranty. Visa or Amex could be eating this one for you.
I’m a lurker on this sub and I thought it was a joke it’s called a retarder
Hah bong
Google the model number to see if there is online training information. Most manufacturers, Bongard included, have training videos on YouTube.
Reach out to the manufacturer if that doesn’t work.
Did the chef order this online or work with an equipment dealer?
Those ‘pans’ give me the vibe of the owner knowing a guy and getting some custom shit cut. No way they should be rusting like this if they’re legitimately foodsafe and meant for proofing.
Reach out to manufacture and contact technical or warranty. Even if out of service window, they can help diagnose. May be a simple fix.
Contact customer service or sales and ask them for the size of sheet pans that fit the unit. See what they sell directly for or if you need to use a dealer to purchase.
Chef pocketed loot in the purchase
18 year food service equipment business veteran here 🙋🏻♂️. I looked up the unit and it seems to be a French brand. It certainly takes European size sheet pans. Not sure why the ones you have are rusting, but make sure that you get aluminum pans, not stainless steel.
The following is copy and pasted from Google “Bongard offers proofers that accommodate different pan sizes, including 400x600mm, 400x800mm, 460x800mm, and larger options. The specific size depends on the model of the proofer or retarder-proofer.”
Best thing to do is reach out to the manufacturer for service advice. Most likely only had a one year warranty from the factory which it seems you’ve exceeded. It’s under the ITW umbrella, which owns Hobart, Traulsen, Vulcan-Wolf and other high-end brands so I’m sure it wasn’t cheap. Hope this helps.
FBM Baking Machines1 Corporate Drive
08512 NJ – CRANBURY
800 449 0433
Their distributor in USA.
If it’s pulling water when powered off, I suspect a stick water solenoid valve.
nice box. Buy it off your boss for one grand. Fit it out too slowly, ferment, black garlic. Make sure you put it far away from where you live, cause that shit stank.
Find model number. Ask ChapGPT to find common errors for specific model. Either you’ll fix it or know it needs a part or tech. Have you unplugged it for 5 minutes?