Residential Kitchens
Welcome. Here you will find some of the questions frequently asked by our customers. If you cannot find the answer to your question, simply contact our Customer Service. We look forward to helping you.
Franke uses nothing but the best when it comes to top quality stainless steel. Their sinks vary anywhere from 16 gauge, which is commercial gauge, to 20 gauge sinks. Franke has a line of Professional Series sinks at 16 gauge giving you the highest quality stainless steel used in commercial kitchens.
Stainless steel sinks should be punched prior to purchase. Order the sink requesting the extra hole. Drilling holes may dent a stainless steel sink and cause a brown discoloration around the hole due to heat caused by friction. Granite sinks have predrilled "knock-out" holes in the deck. Instructions for the knocking out the holes are as follows:
Do not ever use steel wool, scouring pads, steel brushes, etc. Their particles may become embedded in the sink surface and cause a rusty discoloration.
No. They trap water causing iron deposits and surface discoloration.
The gauge is the thickness of the stainless steel. An easy rule of thumb is, the lower the number of the gauge, the thicker and better the stainless steel. Therefore, 18 gauge is better than 20 gauge.
As with most things, your stainless steel sink WILL scratch with use. However, over time as the sink ages, scratches will become less apparent and in fact blend into the surface.
Stainless steel stands up to high hot or cold temperatures, along with sudden temperature changes. That means you can drain hot boiling pasta in your sink, followed with a rinse of ice cold water, without causing any damage to your sink's surface.
If water is left standing anywhere on your stainless steel sink, it will evaporate and leave a film (spots) on the surface of the steel. This film can be removed with regular dish soap and water and a soft cloth. For removing heavier residue, you may use a mild solution of vinegar and water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and towel dry.
Sink tip: Regularly rinse and towel dry your sink after use to keep its surface exposed to oxygen. (Oxygen reacts with chromium in the steel to form a strong, highly protective chrome oxide film on the surface of your sink. It is this film that makes stainless resistant to corrosion and gives it a remarkably long life.)
Stainless steel is a wonderful material that does not rust. However, if given the opportunity, iron particles that do rust will bond to its surface - from metal cooking implements for instance. To remove this surface corrosion, place a small amount of Autosol® on a damp or dry cloth. Rub in the direction of the grain on the bottom or sides of the bowl. You may also use Scotch-Brite® on the bottom or sides of the bowl but NOT on the mirrored surface. If the mirrored finish has dulled, use a metal polish such as Peek® to restore its lustre. Please do not use a silver dip cleaner. Thoroughly rinse and towel dry.
Sink tip: Regularly rinse and towel dry your sink after use to keep its surface exposed to oxygen. (It is the oxygen that reacts with chromium in the steel to form a strong, highly protective chrome oxide film on the surface. It is this film that makes stainless resistant to corrosion and gives it a remarkably long life.)
Franke believes in having a sink for every style home. For this reason they incorporate color and texture into their line of sinks. Aside from stainless steel, Franke produces sinks made of Granite, Titanium, Fireclay and Polished Brass.
No, Franke sinks are available in the finest stainless steel, fireclay, and granite. These materials are all non-porous.
A topmount sink has a lip that folds over the countertop and is therefore resting on top of the countertop cutout. Fasteners securely mount an undermount sink underneath the countertop so that a polished edge of granite, marble, etc. is exposed above the sink. An undermount sink cutout requires more polishing and installation labor than a topmount sink cutout and is therefore a more expensive option.
Bowl configuration really is a personal preference. If you tend to use a lot of large platters, roasters or pots, a combination bowl sink might be a good choice. An equal sized double bowl is a good wash and rinse model.
Food preparation, cooking, and cleanup all involve the kitchen sink undoubtedly making it the most used appliance in the kitchen.
Read more on how to Select the right sink.
Yes. In fact, some stainless steel sinks look bright and shiny at first, but rust or corrode in time. All stainless steel sinks are not equal in quality and material content. Look for the best combination of chromium and nickel for superior corrosion resistance and durability.
Very. The thicker the steel, the less susceptible it is to denting, bowing and noise transmission from pots and pans hitting the metal surface.
The thickness, called "gauge", can be determined by its number. The lower the number, the thicker the steel. Most sinks come in 18 or 20 gauge steel. The 18 gauge is the thicker of the two and more than ample thickness for residential sinks.
Look for a rich, deep, satin-smooth finish rather than a surface gloss. The luster comes from machine and hand-finishing operations, which enable the sink to keep its beauty for years - without cracks, chips, rust or stains. Many feel that the look actually improves with age, taking on a soft patina glow.
The 3 basic measurements for comparing sink sizes are:
The deeper the bowl, the straighter the slope and the tighter (smaller) the radius, the more capacity there is in the sink.
The undercoating on your sink absorbs sound, protects against condensation and helps maintain sink water temperature.
Read more about Why Franke?
Finishes are durable if cared for correctly – do not use abrasive and damaging cleansers. Warm water and a soft cloth should be all that is needed. Overall chrome is usually the most durable.
Sure, many tap manufacturers offer taps designed for one or two holes. Most common sink configurations have either 3, 4 or 5 mounting holes on the sink top. Look under the sink to determine the number of holes in your sink because the holes may be covered by an existing tap. Also, note that once you have purchased a tap without a sprayer that you generally can't just add a sprayer. You need to decide before you purchase a kitchen tap whether you want a sprayer or not.
Absolutely. Standard-size sink openings and tap dimensions are used throughout the plumbing industry. Generally, the standard distance between hot and cold inlets or the mounting hardware for both single and two-handled kitchen model taps is 8" inches.
Franke accessories can help keep your kitchen and prep area clean and organized, adding to the enjoyment of the food preparation. Greater efficiency in your efforts is the result of the customization of the cutting boards and grids to each unique sinks design.
We recommend that you clean your Franke accessories with Bon Ami or Bar Keepers Friend.
The grids are coated to protect the sink, especially for Shelf grids which don't have plastic feet.
Vinyl coating. The coating is not resistant to heat, it will melt if a hot pan, etc, is placed on it.
Please contact your Franke Consumer Products technical department to get replacement feet.
Call 400 882 9898.
Yes, the grids are Stainless Steel that is Electro Polished. This is an electronically-controlled chemical process that removes surface material leaving a clean, bright finish. The process also removes a great deal of iron contamination and helps create a surface more impervious to potential corrosion.
The C stands for Coated.
You may wish to add water to thicker concentrated liquid soaps, in a 1/3 water to 2/3 ratio to reduce the possibility of clogging. Regular cleaning of the soap dispenser is also recommended.
Franke's original spare parts are provided by the Franke authorized service centers network. For the nearest authorized service center contact Franke 400 882 9898
For warranty and non-warranty repairs Franke uses a network of aurorized care centers. For the nearest authorized service center contact Franke 400 882 9898
To turn on any burner equipped with a safety valve, press down and hold down the knob for 5 seconds. If doing so, the flame is not lit, then check that the gas outlet holes at the safety thermocouple are not accidentally obstructed. In this case, rinse the burner components and dry them with a cloth.
The safety valve is a device that protects against accidental gas leakage. Through the operation of a thermocouple the gas passage is blocked in the event of an abnormal shutdown of the flame due to, for example, liquid overflow or an air flow.
Do you hear the ceramic candle discharge noise ("tic tic") when you try to turn on the burner? If you do not, check the presence of the power supply.
If the burner flame does not turn on, check first if the plate and the spreader are incorrectly positioned on the burner. Also check that the white ceramic spark plug that kindens the spark is not dirty and therefore can not discharge the spark on the spark flame. In this case, the candle must be cleaned with a damp cloth and dried.
The noise you are hearing is generated by the electric ignition candle discharge. It may have dampened, due to fluid overflow, the hob area containing the ignition control unit. Try to disconnect and leave the power supply unplugged for a day. If the problem persists, contact a Franke authorized service center.
For proper maintenance, the cast iron parts of the hob should always be hand-washed with a neutral detergent. Washing in the dishwasher is not recommended as this type of washing turns out to be too aggressive and would cause opacity on the cast iron surface.
For the cleaning of the Franke stainless steel cooking stove, we recommend our cleaning products. In the case of satin steel (smooth surface) we recommend the use of "Inox Creme Franke", while for the "Dekor" or "Microdekor" (scratch resistant) surfaces we recommend the use of "Franke Inox Pasta". Products can be purchased through our authorized service centers network.
The Franke cooking hobs are also designed for operation with LPG gas. When installing, replace the nozzles mounted on the burners with the special ones for LPG gas. Burners do not need any air regulation as they are self-regulating. It is advisable to carry out the operation to a specialized technician.
Franke's cooking hobs are tested at 20 mbar pressure to be used with methane gas. In the case of other types of gas, the burner flames must be adjusted. Adjustment modes are given in the instruction manual supplied with the hob.
Induction hob generally have an absorption higher than the power of 3 kW available at home. However, to allow the use and containment of Franke consumptions (on some models of the range) it allows the setting of the highest absorption level of the induction hob. It is logical that reducing power limits the ability to exploit the product to maximum performance.
Induction cooking hobs require that the pots in use to have a diameter bigger than a certain dimension, which is specified on the product instruction booklet.
The induction hob operates by means of a magnetic field that generates heat on the bottom of the pot when the latter is placed in contact with the surface of the plane. The pot used on this type of cooking stove must be made of special material containing iron and its bottom must be smooth for optimum yield of the inducer. Non-magnetic, aluminum or copper stainless steel pans as well as terracotta or ceramic pans are not suitable for use with induction.
The great benefit of the induction hob is given by the speed of cooking. For example, boiling water for making pasta is much shorter than using a normal gas counter. Ease of cleaning should also be considered as the surface of the induction plane is completely flat. Another important factor is the total electronic control of the zone settings which allows total security and various functions of use.
We advise you to clean when the hob surface is still warm and the residual heat indicator lamps are off. For cleaning, use a scraper to remove all food residues, taking care not to scratch the surface of the glass. Then rinse with water and dry well with a clean cloth. Constant use of the scraper reduces the use of cleaning chemicals.
The ceramic hob works by means of radiant electrical resistors, placed under the glass that diffuse the heat in the corresponding cooking zone. The induction hob, on the other hand, operates by means of coils (inductors) that trigger a magnetic field only if the pot (with iron base) is placed on the hob surface at the selected cooking zone.
Before calling Technical Support to request an intervention, refer to the instruction manual of the hood for "Use" and "Maintenance" paragraphs to see if the spy is actually an alarm on the hood that can be turned off simply by running a reset on the controls of the appliance.
Verify or ask the installer to verify the installation has been made according to the steps described in the instruction manual supplied with the hood. If the installation is correct and the noise actually comes from the product, the Authorized Technical Support Center should be contacted
Verify or ask the installer to verify the installation has been made according to the steps described in the instruction manual supplied with the hood. If the installation is correct and the low suction is due to a defect in the product, the Authorized Technical Support Center should be contacted
Contacting our Technical Assistance Centers and telling them the model of the hood, you can order all the necessary accessories and spare parts.
Referring to the instruction manual you can find all the information that is useful for proper installation. You can also contact our Technical Assistance Centers, who will be able to respond and intervene for your needs. (NB the eventual intervention of the Technical Assistance Center, is chargeable).
The noise of a hood is generated by the airflow that passes inside it during operation. We have built the internal components of our hoods so that the airflow finds few obstacles to its passage, with excellent results in terms of effectiveness and low noise emission. An effective way of avoiding the increase in noise is to use, for the outflow of air, well-sized pipes (120-150 mm in diameter). Dirty or saturated filters can hinder air flow: Periodic cleaning (or replacement) of filters ensures smooth air flow.
The hood must be installed at a minimum distance of 65 cm from the hob. We recommend that you do not install it more than 75 cm from the hob to properly suck the vapors. The exhaust fumes must also be as close to the hood as possible. Choose pipes of 150 mm in diameter (or no less than 120 mm), not longer than 3-4 meters and with a maximum of 2 curves. WARNING: The warranty does not cover any damage caused by failure to observe minimum safety distances.
We recommend installing the aspirating hood that is the most effective, safe and silent solution: effective because it emits polluted air outside through an exhaust pipe; safe because it recalls inside new air. And security is important, especially in the presence of gas appliances; silent because the rotation speed of the motor unit is generally much lower and less internal vortexes are formed.
The model of each hood is listed on the label within the product (accessible by removing the metal / grid filters) with a code of assistance in the upper right of 7 or 9 digits starting at 63 ..., or a code of 10 digits with 110.xxxx.xxx format.
Because the aesthetic defect must be "claimed" by the installer, directly during the installation, or at the opening of the hood pack. Subsequent complaints can not be recognized as warranty claims and any assistance from the Technical Assistance Center will be out of warranty.
It is easy to have the hood always beautiful and clean: you need a soft cloth and a neutral, chlorine-free detergent so as not to damage the finish.
Filters are an integral part of the hood, their maintenance affects the efficiency, safety and noise of the hood. Anti-grease filters protect the engine from the grease contained in vapors aspirated by the hood. The metal filters on the Franke hoods ensure a high level of catch of fat particles. To keep them efficient, just wash them by hand or dishwasher, on average every 2 months. Synthetic filters, possibly on some old models, are not washable and should be replaced when fat impregnated, about every 2 months. The odor filters are activated charcoal cartridges to be installed exclusively on the hoods in the filtering version. They are not washable and should be replaced periodically, on average every 3 months.
A pipe diameter of 150 mm. It is the ideal for hoods with a capacity of 300 mc / h up. If it is not possible to install this pipe, we recommend a 120 mm diameter pipe. Smaller pipes adversely affect the flow rate and noise of the hood.
through our on-line shop or by contacting our Technical Assistance Centers and telling them the model of the hood, you can order all the necessary accessories and spare parts.
