The Importance of Maintaining Your Juice Equipment

Sometimes we will receive a frantic call from a panicked juice bar owner – their juicer is down! When they can’t make juice, their whole business comes to a halt. Usually it’s something simple that can be resolved over the phone, but sometimes it is something more serious that can cause the machine to be down for a day or two before it’s repaired. This is a very unfortunate thing to happen for a juice business. Usually (9/10 times) it turns out that the issue could have been completely prevented by doing regular, standard maintenance that only takes a few minutes per day.

When trying to understand why companies don’t maintain their equipment, it’s usually because they don’t understand the importance and severity of preventative maintenance. Seemingly small issues, if left unaddressed, can become serious problems that need serious repairs. As a juice business owner, it’s important to remember when you are manufacturing juice you are running a factory, and like any factory, it needs constant care and attention to operate efficiently, just like the engine in your car.

Here’s some advice to keep your equipment running optimally:

1. Don’t make a habit of relying on outside help for regular maintenance. This can be expensive, and is harder to manage than having an internal employee maintain the equipment. Maintenance should be done every day.
2. Make someone accountable for the machines being maintained. Keep a maintenance checklist log book, and have someone check every box and sign off on it at the end of each day.
3. Address equipment issues at the first sign, don’t wait until they get worse, as by then it might be too late for a simple repair.
4. If you can afford it, keep an extra juicer around. If there’s ever an issue with your main juicer, you can relax knowing that you have another one to fill the void until the first one is repaired. Business operates as usual.

Any equipment manufacturer should supply you with detailed maintenance instructions. Here are details for Goodnature’s most popular equipment.

Preventative Maintenance for Goodnature Cold-Press Juicers

Click on the machine name to view the maintenance guide:

• Goodnature X-1 Mini
• Goodnature X-1
• Goodnature X-6
• Goodnature Countertop CT7

Regarding Blades, Bags & Press Racks

Blades, bags and press racks should be replaced on a regular basis and below are our recommended time frames. However, you may find that they may need be replaced more or less often depending on use of that item.

Blades:

Replace every 1-3 months. The grinder blades should be replaced when they are dull. This will happen gradually with use. They should not be sharpened because this will alter the size of the holes and may affect yield.

Bags:

Replace every 2-4 months. If the bags become clogged over time or develop loose threads, replace them with new bags.

Press Racks:

Replace every 3-9 months. Press racks should be washed by hand. Check for cracks and if major cracks are apparent, replace the press racks with new ones.

Learn how to extend the life of your press bags by caring for them properly – tips for cleaning them can be found on our knowledgebase here. You can also find the solutions to many technical issues on our knowledgebase, as well as more tips, owner’s manuals, and other guides available for download.