Case Study: Restaurant Pass Heat Lamp Repairs near Spitalfields Market, London

Client	National restaurant chain
Location	Near Spitalfields Market, London
Problem	Heat lamps above the pass not working, with new lamps burning out on the day they were fitted
Trade	Commercial electrical
Outcome	5 lamp holders and 10 × 300W catering lamps replaced, 2 spares left on site, and the manager happy with the work

The problem

A national restaurant chain reported that the coordination lights (the heat lamps above the pass) were faulty in several places at its site near Spitalfields Market. Some lamps weren’t getting power at all, and some new heat lamps had burned out on the same day they were installed. Without working heat lamps, plated food cools on the pass before it reaches the table, which directly affects the customer experience during service.

The investigation

We sent one of our electrical engineers to investigate. On inspection, several heat lamps had failed and some of the lamp holders inside the coordination units were faulty. The engineer opened the units to reach the internal lamp holders, which sit inside the metal framework above the pass.

One lamp holder had a loose internal contact pin that had bent and was stopping the lamp from making proper contact. The engineer adjusted it during the visit and the lamp worked again. By the end of the first visit, most of the lamps were back in operation. The engineer also found several failed lamps and a number of worn lamp holders that needed replacing to give a lasting fix.

Poor contact in a worn lamp holder is a common reason new lamps fail quickly, so simply fitting more new lamps wouldn’t have solved the problem.

The quote

No parts were used on the first visit. We sent a separate quotation for:

• Supply and install 5 × lamp holders. This meant taking apart each section of the coordination unit to reach them.
• Supply and install 10 × 300W catering heat lamps, plus 2 extra lamps left on site as spares.

The fix

Once the quote was approved, our engineer dismantled each section of the coordination unit, replaced the five worn lamp holders and fitted ten new 300W catering lamps. The two spare lamps were left with the team so a single failed lamp can be swapped straight away without waiting for a callout.

The result

After the work was completed, the restaurant manager reviewed it and was happy with the result. The kitchen can now keep serving great food at the correct temperature.

Heat lamps or kitchen electrics playing up?

We repair pass heat lamps, kitchen power, lighting and hand dryers for restaurants across London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. See our restaurant maintenance services or more case studies.