Here are some suggested tools to keep your roaster working its best.
1. Multimeter (a standard multimeter from Home Depot or Harbor Freight is fine, ensure that it has >200V AC Voltage and continuity modes.) A multimeter is extremely helpful for troubleshooting issues with the roaster's electrical components and can significantly decrease the amount of time and expense incurred if your roaster shuts down unexpectedly.
2. Compressed air - ideally the roasting facility will be plumbed for compressed air but in the event it is not, a mobile compressor or even cans of compressed air can still be helpful. Compressed air is extremely useful for cleaning out hard-to-reach areas and for limiting fire hazards.
3. Putty knife - a putty knife is great for scraping off built-up chaff, creosote, or other gunk in the roaster.
4. Wire Brush/Rollster- A wire brush is also great for removing chaff, especially from the cooling tray perforated metal. The Rollster is a wire brush specifically designed to remove chaff from cooling trays of coffee roasters.
5. Grease gun - this is used to grease the rear bearing of your roaster and can be used with any high temp grease (>500°F) [REAR BEARING ONLY - FOOD SAFE GREASE FOR THE FRONT BEARING]
6. Food Safe Grease for the front bearing - the front bearing of your roaster needs to be lubricated with food safe grease. We use Mobil FM222.
7. Pipe Dope / Thread Sealant - to ensure optimal operation of your roaster's burners, it is important to ensure that they have a good seal against the burner manifold. To do this, use a high temperature pipe dope (> 400°F). This thread sealant is rated for 550°F. For information on how to clean the burners, check here.
8. Coffee Roaster Cleaner - such as Roaster Soakz or Roaster Sprayz. Cleaning the built up gunk out of the various components of the roaster ensures longevity and performance. Urnex makes coffee roaster-specific cleaning products which can be very helpful for removing creosote and residual oils.
9. Crescent wrench - a very handy and easy to use tool, a crescent wrench can help when removing the burners and in many other maintenance tasks.
10. #60 or #69 Drill Bit - These drill bits are used to clean your roaster's burners. #60 is for Natural Gas (NG) and #69 is for Propane (LP). For instructions on how to use these to clean the burners, check here.
11. T-handle or Allen Wrench Set - Many of the fasteners on your San Franciscan Roaster are socket head cap screws which require an Allen Wrench to tighten or loosen.
12. Razor blade - eventually the roaster's sightglass will become covered with coffee oil. To clean it, it is easiest to carefully use a razor blade to scrape off the collected oil. NOTE: Be sure to wear cut-resistant gloves when performing this cleaning.
13. Small flathead screwdriver - in the event that any wiring connections come loose, it is important to have a small flathead screwdriver to tighten the connections.
14. Small Phillips head screwdriver - many of the switches in the operator panel of your roaster have small Phillips head screws.
15. Shop vac / industrial vacuum cleaner - to aid in cleanup and fire prevention, it's important to remove chaff from the chaff cyclone before each roasting session. NOTE: Never vacuum up hot chaff or embers as it can cause a fire in your shop vac.
