Commercial Refrigeration Maintenance

A restaurant is not able to operate without good working commercial refrigeration. This refrigeration needs to be maintained through scheduled cleaning. If you’re not regularly keeping your refrigeration clean inside and out you’re going to end up spending money that you would otherwise not need to spend. 

If a cooler or freezer breaks down you may lose money from loss of product on top of a service call as well as missed sales.

A quick and simple way to keep your cooler and freezers operating efficiently is to clean the condenser coil and fans. You want to do this fairly often to ensure theirs no dust buildup which would lower the efficiency of the cooler or freezer. When the dust is allowed to buildup the machine has to work harder shortening its lifespan as well as costing more money in power as well as any repairs or loss of product that may occur. Too much dust on the coil or fan can lead to compressor failure which is essentially the most expensive and important part of a cooler or freezer.

All that you’ll need is a stiff brush, a vacuum, and a screwdriver. A can of compressed air can be quite helpful as well. Compressed air what you’d use when cleaning your computer or home entertainment center. If during the cleaning process you happen to notice any of the coils being bent then your going to need a special tool known as a fin straightener.

Address Spills and Messes Immediately

Large quantities of food almost always lead to spills and messes. A tiny glob of crushed fruit here, a puddle of oil over there, all of these minor incidents will only get worse over time. Leaving spills and messes where they are cause certain items to freeze or cool over, creating a messy environment that could last for years. If someone lets a spill get out of hand, the only way to clean up the mess is to thaw out the walk-in cooler until the mess gets back to room temperature. Keeping a commercial freezer clean means addressing spills immediately before the material starts to harden.

Take Care of Your Cooled Air Condenser Cable

The most vital part of any commercial fridge is the cooled air condenser cable. If the cable collects dust and debris over time, it means that the fridge has to work that much harder to keep things cool. Replacing this cable can be expensive. Business owners can avoid having to replace the cable or their equipment all together by keeping an eye on the cable on a regular basis. A member of the staff should wipe down the cable at least once a week.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals

All of those powerful chemicals aren’t doing the refrigerator any favors. In fact, some chemicals can actually make the walk-in fridge a toxic place to be. It’s best to just use soap and water when cleaning out the fridge. Walk-in coolers and freezers don’t usually have a lot of ventilation. All of those potent chemicals can linger in the same spot for days on end.

Check Door Seals and Gaskets

When cleaning commercial refrigeration equipment, business owners shouldn’t forget about their door seals and gaskets. These areas tend to get bogged down by dirt, sticky substances, and all sorts of debris. When the seal gets clogged, it hurts the equipment’s ability to insulate the space, leading to costly cooling bills. Remember to wipe down all of those tiny nooks and crannies along the entryway.

Here’s how to clean your condenser coils and fan:

• Make sure that your unit is unplugged or turned off from the circuit breaker.
• Next, you’ll want to locate the condenser coil and fan. Some models may have the coils in the front on the bottom or top of the unit depending on whether you purchased a bottom or top mount unit. It’s easy to tell if it’s bottom or top mount, if top mount then the door will go all the way to the bottom. If bottom mount then you will see maybe 12” from bottom of the door to the bottom of the unit where the casters start. Rarely older models may have coils across the back of the unit but this is more residential style. You can always ask u for help if your having trouble finding the coils.
• You then need to remove the grate whether on top or bottom to access the coils. It may snap on and off easily but usually it’s held on by screws on the left and right.
• Using the stiff brush, you’ll want top gently clean the coils as well as the fan. Take care not to damage the coils. Also, do not remove any foam that you may see wrapped around a coil inside.
• Vacuum up the dust or use compressed air and then carefully vacuum or use the air on the coils to make sure no dust is leftover.
• If you notice any of the fins bent, then you’ll want to use a fin straightener to correct them.
• Put the grate back on and make sure to put all screws back in.
• Now you can plug your unit back in!

It’s usually a very quick job taking only a few minutes once your use to it, and chances are if you were to check your condenser coils right now, you’d notice they probably need to be cleaner. As always contact us if you need any help.