Cleaning your roaster

We have a Diedrich IR-7 with an afterburner. It is a really beautiful machine, but I think that we haven't been cleaning it as well as we should be. We've stayed of maintenance as far as checking that all the components are working and do some vacuuming after every roasting session, but there is a good amount of black grime that has built up on the doors and walls where the chaff is collected and where the impeller is housed. I read in roast magazine that the grime that builds up, like chaff, can cause a roaster fire and even before reading this it didn't make sense to me to let it get so dirty in the first place. So my question is am I right to be concerned with this build up and if so what are some tips for cleaning it up. I spent two hours scrubbing one of the doors with a sponge and simple green and I was only able to clean 1/3 of the door. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Pellizzer on July 13, 2011 at 6:27pm
Hello! I have a IR12 and it is almost as clean today as the day it was delivered. You are right to be concerned about build up of tars/grime. Fire is always a concern with a dirty roaster as well as air flow. My cleaning is rather simple. I vac out chaff every 4 batches and clean all the surfacing both outside and in the roaster after each roasting shift. This includes cleaning the impeller on the fan motor. Cleaning every roasting shift takes about 35-45 minutes but in my case is well worth the time. All the metal in my chaff bin as well as fan impeller is very clean. I would take the time to scrap or knock down all your build up and then start fresh.
Permalink Reply by Mike Mierzejewski on July 15, 2011 at 2:32pm

Thanks Tim, I was expecting/hoping someone would say that. I have tried to removed the build up by brushing vacuuming and scrapping it with a putty knife. However vacuuming and brushing aren't strong enough and the putty knife removes the grime, but also the paint which makes me nervous. Does anyone know of any good degreaser type cleaners that are safe to use on a roaster?

Permalink Reply by Timothy Pellizzer on July 15, 2011 at 4:35pm

Mike,

I keep hearing how simple green works good with roasters. I would email Jason at Diedrich for their recommendations. Just make sure you do not use anything with an residue odor. Also ask Jason about the paint removal. I bet they would prefer you remove all the grime and not worry about the paint.

Tim

Permalink Reply by Mike Mierzejewski on July 15, 2011 at 8:38pm
thanks

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