Crystaltech has the technical resource to detect even the most obscure glass and dishwashing issues.  As the UK’s only specialist warewasher maintenance company, Crystaltech uses the latest, most reliable on-site test equipment which can detect bacteria from a specific water source.

As well as the hygiene implications, the presence of high levels of bacteria in water can affect wash results, leading to problems such as flat beer from using contaminated glasses.

“We are always on the look-out for innovative technologies to assist our services and, investment in new test equipment has enabled our engineers to locate the source of water issues quickly and fix the problem with minimal disruption to the customer.  Many water treatment companies only look at the quality of the water and not bacterial levels. Our on-site test provides results in minutes, removing the lengthy process of sending samples to a test lab,” comments Derek Maher, MD of Crystaltech.

Now known as 3M™ Clean-Trace™ Water Plus – Total ATP (AQT200), the test is designed to rapidly assess equipment sanitation processes and the efficiency of Clean In Place (CIP) procedures by the improved, more accurate detection of organic contamination from microbial or product residues.  The test gives an objective indication of cleanliness in water samples in seconds and provides the ability to gain more consistent and reliable results, providing greater confidence in hygiene monitoring procedures.

The Issue – Flat Beer at a Busy Central London Pub

Crystaltech was called in to investigate and solve the problem of flat beer from using a glasswasher in the upstairs bar of a central London pub.   The issue was more complex than many call-outs as the glasswasher in the basement bar presented good results, and the lager held its head, and yet the moment glasses were washed in the machine upstairs the beer went flat.  All of the usual processes to determine the problem were carried out but pin-pointing the cause was proving difficult.

Using the Rapid Hygiene testing equipment the Crystaltech engineers were able to swab the dry glasses for levels of bacteria with test results revealing no cause for concern.  However, the problem of flat beer appeared to be worse the more recently that the glasses had been washed.  Further 3M water quality test swabs and samples taken from the water supply to the upstairs glasswasher were found to have a high level of bacteria.

This finding explained why the problem was worse immediately after the glasses had been washed.  As a precaution for the customer, a test was also carried out on the water supply to the taps used for salad washing and to the ice machine as well as various other points around the pub, all of which were well within acceptable levels of contamination.

The Solution

One option to resolve the problem would have been to chlorinate the water system but this would have meant that the pub would have to close during the process and would lose trade.  Another option was to use a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system developed by Crystaltech which not only removes minerals and salts but also bacteria.   Crystaltech installed the RO system on one month’s free trial and the bacteria levels were significantly reduced from 236RLU to 3RLU (150 is the maximum acceptable limit).  The effect was an immediate resolution to the problem of flat beer, chemical usage was reduced by 70% – enabling lower wash temperatures, and the cleanliness of the glasses is now, near perfect.

“We were really impressed with the meticulous determination of Crystaltech to fix our problem with flat beer.  Not only did they find the source of the problem but came up with a solution that will save money in the long run and one that did not impinge on the daily running of the pub,” commented Pub Manager, Gareth

To find out more visit our website or call our team on 0370 350 2424