Cleaning and Maintaining A Pizza Oven

Cleaning and Maintaining A Pizza Oven

Pizza restaurant operators should invest in a planned maintenance agreement to ensure the deck oven´s design specifications are met and for the purpose of inspecting its condition.

When cleaning deck ovens, use a brush to remove food residue from beneath oven doors. Thoroughly scrape deck stones, and polish the exterior with stainless-steel cleaner. Given that doors play a critical role in maintaining consistent production, regularly inspect the hinges and gaskets. Doing so can help prevent temperature or baking inconsistencies brought upon by poorly sealed or loose doors.

Operators should not slam deck oven doors or place items on top of open doors. Occasionally, operators will need to verify the oven still maintains the set temperature by using a calibrated internal thermometer. As for the service life, some deck ovens will last 20 to 30 years, but on average, this equipment has a 10- to 15-year life cycle.

Care and maintenance can vary greatly with conveyor ovens. Flour is the enemy of conveyor ovens, as is oil and grease. These factors can do a number on cooling vents, motors and fan guards. If cooling fans aren’t working properly, this can cause high temperature issues that impact more expensive oven parts, like motors and temperature sensors.

Service technicians will check and repair electrical components, clean air vents, adjust combustion blowers on gas units, and check belts and bearings.

Depending on the volume, operation and environment, break down and thoroughly clean a conveyor oven on a quarterly basis. Staff can use soap and water with scrub brushes to clean conveyor belts and components. When reassembled, check the bushings on shafts and brackets for damage and excessive wear and tear. Conveyor ovens have a service life of up to 30 years but generally average about 20 years.

Maintenance for wood-burning ovens differs from conveyor and deck ovens. But like other ovens, improper cleaning causes most problems for wood-burning units.

Flue pipes need to be cleaned by a chimney sweep or hood cleaner that specializes in solid fuel cleaning quarterly to prevent flue fires. For solid fuel ovens, ash mitigation is necessary. The wood ash and coals stay hot for a long time, so if a shop vac is used for cleaning, it could start a fire. Staff need to scoop embers into a fireproof container.

Most wood-burning ovens have both gas burners and solid fuel. Regularly clean gas orifices and check gas pressure. In the cooking chamber, an inexperienced cook will just scrape off the deck and push debris to the back and into the burner chamber. This will clog up the burners and ignition system. The debris needs to be removed. A damp cloth should be used to wipe down the cooking deck surface every day to keep carbon from building up.