Preparing the Site Before a Separator Arrives

Most installation problems are decided before the machine arrives — by the bench it has to stand on, the supply it has to run from, or the fact that nobody decided where the outlets would drain.

This guide covers what to settle beforehand. It is site preparation, not installation: the electrical connection and the running procedure belong to the operating instructions and to a competent electrician respectively.

The surface

A separator runs at speed, so the surface matters more than it would for a static machine.

Rigid, not springy. A bench that flexes under load will transmit movement into the bowl. A sturdy table on a solid floor is preferable to a thin worktop on brackets.
Level. Check with a spirit level in both directions. A machine that has to be shimmed heavily to sit level is on the wrong surface.
Able to carry the machine plus its batch. Use the unit weight from the specification and add the vessel you will fill — do not judge by the machine alone.
Dry. Standing water under the machine makes cleaning harder and the surface less stable over time.

If the machine is to be fixed down, decide that before it is placed: drilling a bench with the machine already on it is how bowls get dropped.

The electrical supply

Confirm the supply matches the build ordered — voltage, frequency and plug. This is a check against the quotation, not an assumption from the wall socket.
Decide where the machine plugs in, and whether the cable reaches without an extension lead across a walkway. A trailing lead is a trip hazard and a bad connection waiting to happen.
Have the circuit checked by a competent person. The installation requirements for the model govern protection; they are not something to infer from a similar machine.
Leave the plug accessible. Cleaning involves water near the machine, and the ability to isolate it quickly matters.

Where the outlets drain

This is the item most often decided on the day, and most often badly.

Both outlets need a receiving vessel — cream and skim milk leave separately, and both need somewhere to go at the moment the machine starts producing.
The vessels must stand lower than the outlets, or the flow will not run freely.
The floor under the outlets should tolerate spills, because there will be some, especially while an operator is learning the settings.
Do not drain to a shared open container if you need to keep the two streams separate — that defeats the separation.

Clearances an operator actually needs

Manufacturer dimensions describe the machine, not the working space around it. Allow for:

Opening the bowl — the lid and the bowl assembly need vertical clearance, and the operator needs room to lift.
Standing safely — space to stand beside the machine, not behind it, while it runs.
Reaching the controls without leaning across the outlets.
A place to set parts down during cleaning — a tray or mat within reach, so components stay in order and nothing is balanced on the machine.

Water and cleaning

A water source within reach, warm water for rinsing, and somewhere to put the bowl parts down.
A drain or a bucket plan for the rinse water, decided in advance.
Storage for the cleaning items used on the machine, kept away from the milk vessels.

What to have on the day

The operating instructions for the exact model.
The quotation, so the electrical build can be checked against what was ordered.
A spirit level, tools for the feet, and a tray for parts.
A camera — photograph the model label and the installed machine before the first run. Those photographs are what every future parts request will depend on.

After it is in place

Site preparation ends where commissioning begins: the first-start checklist covers what to check once the machine is installed and before the first batch of milk goes in.

Before that, the receiving inspection checklist covers what to verify on arrival, and the model identification guide covers recording the identification the installation depends on.

Related maintenance resources

Use the ANDUUK replacement parts catalog to match seals, discs, outlets, motor components and cleaning tools to the correct machine assembly.

Browse replacement parts · Read the cleaning and reassembly checklist · Read separator FAQs