Galley Problems & Failures
Thread Starter
Galley Problems & Failures
Having recently started with a galley manufacturer (no names!), I'm curious what the principal issues, most frequent unserviceabilities and breakages are that you get with them in service; also what you like about them and what you don't?
I've tried internet searches, asking through internal sources, etc. but not come up with much. Any help much appreciated!
I've tried internet searches, asking through internal sources, etc. but not come up with much. Any help much appreciated!
Last edited by Mechta; 30th Dec 2012 at 14:41. Reason: spelling
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There too small, theres no heating in them, usually stock issues, occasionally we have too many passengers in them!
If you can deal with all of those, it would be most appreciated! hehe!
Seriously though, main problems in galleys for me is sink blockages, nine times out of ten thats the crews fault for putting coffee and wine down the plug!
If you can deal with all of those, it would be most appreciated! hehe!
Seriously though, main problems in galleys for me is sink blockages, nine times out of ten thats the crews fault for putting coffee and wine down the plug!
Thread Starter
Thanks for the feedback Benji.
I'm not sure what we can do about all the pax congregating in the galley; maybe its the Cabin Crew's wonderful personalities and conversation?
Do these blockages happen in galleys with small holes in the sink strainers, or when the strainer has been removed?
Please keep comments coming, anything to do with galley air, vacuum, water or electrical components as well as galley structure (trolley compartment doors, etc.) much appreciated.
I'm not sure what we can do about all the pax congregating in the galley; maybe its the Cabin Crew's wonderful personalities and conversation?
Do these blockages happen in galleys with small holes in the sink strainers, or when the strainer has been removed?
Please keep comments coming, anything to do with galley air, vacuum, water or electrical components as well as galley structure (trolley compartment doors, etc.) much appreciated.
Last edited by Mechta; 29th Dec 2012 at 13:30.
Multiple cart stowages with doors, where you have to open all the doors just to access one cart, are a PITA! Very annoying after a few hours... (Airbus mostly guilty of this I notice) Would be neat if the external doors would fold back into a recess, while leaving the cart latches able to be secured if needed (meaning not having to open the outside door every time you want to reach into a cart- otherwise, many aircraft this means if you leave the door open for ease of access the only way to secure the cart is the brake. Much prefer the doors which 'cover' the carts and latches, to the ones where the latches close the door (if that makes sense!) looks better too. And you know the latches are secure otherwise the door won't close in the first place.
Trash compactors are generally crap, though I think these come from separate companies.
Many of the fold down seats are too high to comfortably balance a meal tray on one's lap.
Sinks are generally down to the crew, and many galley 'issues' are really down to airline taking certain options and omitting others (like GWDU which is fab and should be mandatory on all ULR aircraft in my opinion!)
Th ability for chillers to switch off for a bit when they reach the required temps would be great (i.e. auto chilling) since often the galleys become iceboxes on long flights, and most times it's the only place for crew to go when outside of the cabin. If the chillers were able to self-regulate the temp to the preset/required level I am sure this would reduce the 'freezer effect' somewhat.
Trash compactors are generally crap, though I think these come from separate companies.
Many of the fold down seats are too high to comfortably balance a meal tray on one's lap.
Sinks are generally down to the crew, and many galley 'issues' are really down to airline taking certain options and omitting others (like GWDU which is fab and should be mandatory on all ULR aircraft in my opinion!)
Th ability for chillers to switch off for a bit when they reach the required temps would be great (i.e. auto chilling) since often the galleys become iceboxes on long flights, and most times it's the only place for crew to go when outside of the cabin. If the chillers were able to self-regulate the temp to the preset/required level I am sure this would reduce the 'freezer effect' somewhat.
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I saw "Galley problems" and was inclined to post.
Maybe ask around the engineering section on here as well, im sure more of the seasoned engineers can tell you common faults.
In my short career in the maintenance side.
Blockages & and taps sticking on.
Maybe ask around the engineering section on here as well, im sure more of the seasoned engineers can tell you common faults.
In my short career in the maintenance side.
Blockages & and taps sticking on.
Last edited by The90sAME; 30th Dec 2012 at 00:34.
Thread Starter
Boeing Eng, Thanks for your reply.
I'm aware of the approach you suggest, however I'm interested in issues across galleys from all manufacturers, as well as feedback directly from the cabin crew and maintenance personnel who use and repair them.
It is possible that not everything gets reported, particularly if it is an inconvenience rather than a safety issue.
Please keep the replies coming!
Mechta
I'm aware of the approach you suggest, however I'm interested in issues across galleys from all manufacturers, as well as feedback directly from the cabin crew and maintenance personnel who use and repair them.
It is possible that not everything gets reported, particularly if it is an inconvenience rather than a safety issue.
Please keep the replies coming!
Mechta
If you want more arrange a visit to a customer when an aircraft is on heavy maintenance. You can then get face to face chat with maintenance crews who will happily point out weak points and you will also see how the equipment stands up to in-service wear and tear!
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From my time in maintenance most of the problems are with water heaters and ovens that fail.
When it comes to the construction of galleys the biggest problem that I had was with the use of rivnuts to secure things, get a bit of corrosion on a fastener and when you try to remove to the rivnut turns, by the time you have drilled the rivnut out the chances of the hole taking the same size of rivnut are likely to be small. My request would be for if posable standard anchor nuts to be used as these are a stronger and a lot less troublesome to replace.
When it comes to the construction of galleys the biggest problem that I had was with the use of rivnuts to secure things, get a bit of corrosion on a fastener and when you try to remove to the rivnut turns, by the time you have drilled the rivnut out the chances of the hole taking the same size of rivnut are likely to be small. My request would be for if posable standard anchor nuts to be used as these are a stronger and a lot less troublesome to replace.
Last edited by A and C; 31st Dec 2012 at 12:35.
My company seems to have had some problems with the ovens recently. Some bent or broken bits in the racks containing the meal plates have caused the whole rack to slide back and make contact with the oven fan. The results varied but were never too pleasant: be it a simple CB pop, the fan grinding up the rack or massive overheating.
Maybe these parts could be made more solid with proper spacers or a protective basket installed around the heating filaments and the fan.
Maybe these parts could be made more solid with proper spacers or a protective basket installed around the heating filaments and the fan.
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Ah! Galley's. Ordered by those that don't fly.....
I agree with what others have said regarding galley temperature, particularly on Airbus. We eventually were rewarded with underfloor heating in the front galley after showing a series of photo's showing the temperature mid flight to be -6 by the base of the D1L, -2 up by the bustle and 1 degree up on the galley counter. Boeing seem to be slightly better, although far from perfect.
I also agree with givemewings regarding the lack of latches. This is a particular issue in the front galley of Airbus when you have two single carts in a double cart stowage. When that stowage is at the front of the galley, you often find you remove the first cart only to have to catch the second one as it comes barreling out behind it. Our 737's and 777's all have double catches inside to stowage to hold the second cart in place, even if the caterers have left the brakes off. A particular issue on short flights when the aircraft still maybe climbing.
My real bug bear though are ovens in the front galley that are placed on the forward galley bulkhead facing the rear. Again, on short flights, when you open the ovens, you have to make a mad grab for everything to try to stop the whole oven insert sliding out of the oven, complete with hot meals and all the sauce that has spilled out of them. All ovens should either be side on or facing the front of the aircraft.
As far as the sinks go, could a fine mesh of metal not be placed over the plug hole to stop things like coffee dregs etc blocking the sink.
But definitely more storage room!
If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!
I agree with what others have said regarding galley temperature, particularly on Airbus. We eventually were rewarded with underfloor heating in the front galley after showing a series of photo's showing the temperature mid flight to be -6 by the base of the D1L, -2 up by the bustle and 1 degree up on the galley counter. Boeing seem to be slightly better, although far from perfect.
I also agree with givemewings regarding the lack of latches. This is a particular issue in the front galley of Airbus when you have two single carts in a double cart stowage. When that stowage is at the front of the galley, you often find you remove the first cart only to have to catch the second one as it comes barreling out behind it. Our 737's and 777's all have double catches inside to stowage to hold the second cart in place, even if the caterers have left the brakes off. A particular issue on short flights when the aircraft still maybe climbing.
My real bug bear though are ovens in the front galley that are placed on the forward galley bulkhead facing the rear. Again, on short flights, when you open the ovens, you have to make a mad grab for everything to try to stop the whole oven insert sliding out of the oven, complete with hot meals and all the sauce that has spilled out of them. All ovens should either be side on or facing the front of the aircraft.
As far as the sinks go, could a fine mesh of metal not be placed over the plug hole to stop things like coffee dregs etc blocking the sink.
But definitely more storage room!
If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!
yotty, do you mean the liquid disposal? I love those things and wish my current employer would fit them, having to get rid of liquids down the lav looks disgusting and is a pain in the rear end....
The GWDU my former airline had was a dream, you could put milk, wine, coffee etc down it all at the same time, even milky cereal or youghurt if you needed to. (Must admit many crew put stuff down it just for fun to see how it worked since most had never seen one before!)
The GWDU my former airline had was a dream, you could put milk, wine, coffee etc down it all at the same time, even milky cereal or youghurt if you needed to. (Must admit many crew put stuff down it just for fun to see how it worked since most had never seen one before!)
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How about having a drain in the front AND the back of a sink? If they're located in a side galley, left AND right?
The strange thing about aircraft in flight is, they're very rarely exactly level.
Also, a fold-down grate is very helpful, as they're often used as stowage space.
The strange thing about aircraft in flight is, they're very rarely exactly level.
Also, a fold-down grate is very helpful, as they're often used as stowage space.
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I have to agree with the above post. Bev makers especially on the airbus just love to leak. The amount of times I've had to move like a ninja to avoid being soaked on landing at the back is unreal.
I find chillers a nightmare too. Especially on the 777/747. I know they're needed for food safety reasons etc but my god it makes the galley really REALLY cold!! Maybe they can temporarily turn off once they reach a certain temperature.
Having to open two doors just to open the door of s cart is also a hassle. This seems prominent on the airbus in the stowages towards door 2L.
I could go on forever but I think that will do for now!!!
I find chillers a nightmare too. Especially on the 777/747. I know they're needed for food safety reasons etc but my god it makes the galley really REALLY cold!! Maybe they can temporarily turn off once they reach a certain temperature.
Having to open two doors just to open the door of s cart is also a hassle. This seems prominent on the airbus in the stowages towards door 2L.
I could go on forever but I think that will do for now!!!
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Where do I start?
Bev makers, specifically the drainage points beneath them which get clogged with minute particles. Sinks, every a/c type just about but the 767 and the Airbus fleets particularly useless. Dedicated airvent in Airbus galleys which shoots out tiny hail stones when you are least expecting them. Double cannister stowages above head height which are a manual handling nightmare. Finally, my least favourite, static waste bins which cannot be accessed for emptying without opening the aircraft door!
