Southbend STRE-5EZ, STRE-3EZ owner manual HOW the Steamer Operates

HOW THE STEAMER OPERATES

The steamer is a manual fill, “connectionless” steamer. The internal components of the steamer are shown in Figure 8.

The only utility required for operation is electrical power. The unit is available in 208, 220, and 240V single or three phase.

To fill the unit approximately 3.0 gallons of water should be poured into the trough just above the door. Water can also be poured directly into the cavity, if desired.

Water poured into the upper trough will fill the reservoir tank at the top of the steamer. This water is gravity fed through a solenoid valve that is controlled by a time delay relay that is controlled by a capacitive discharge water level sensor on the side of the tank. As the water level in the interior of the steamer drops below the midpoint of the sensor the level switch will close. After 30 seconds of continuous close the time delay relay will trip closing the circuit to the water solenoid. The water solenoid will be energized opening the valve to allow water to flow from the tank into the cavity. Water will continue to fill the cavity until the water level sensor has opened and remained open for 30 seconds.

A pressure switch is located on the right side toward the rear of the control compartment. The high pressure side of the switch is open to the interior of the cavity, the low pressure side is open to atmosphere. When the cavity pressure rises, because the product is absorbing energy from the steam the interior pressure will rise. When the interior pressure reaches approximately 3″ W.C. the switch shuts off power to the contactor coil, which shuts off power to the heating elements. This is intended to reduce consumption of water. When the reservoir is full (3.0 gallons) the steamer will operate for 4 hours in an empty cavity.

Any excess steam is vented out the pressure-relief valve located at the top left rear corner of the steamer. The dial thermometer on the control panel is connected by a capillary tube to the sensor bulb located in the pressure-relief vent. The thermometer does not affect the operation of the steamer.

A mechanical timer activates when the timer times out. The timer does not affect anything else! When the control valve is turned to OFF, power to the electronic circuitry is turned off, which de-energizes the contactor and shuts off the heating cartridges. Turning the control lever to OFF also de-energizes the water solenoid (turning off the water) and mechanically opens the drain valve, permitting all water to drain from the bottom of the cooking cavity into the drain pan.