You have food to prepare, customers to serve, regulations to follow. You’re busy getting everything ready to go for the next guest—and then your walk-in fridge breaks down. There’s only so long your food can survive in there before it becomes unusable, and you need to act quickly or face losing customers (and possibly find yourself in legal entanglements).
Or maybe you’ve never had a breakdown in the kitchen. You might not anticipate ever having one. While the odds are generally in your favor from day to day, there is still a chance that something will go wrong. Three ways your commercial kitchen equipment—and more particularly your refrigeration units—could malfunction include:
- Thermostat malfunction: If the thermostat is stuck, it can lead to either constant cooling or no cooling at all, neither of which is good for food items since they will either freeze or spoil. The thermostat may also be miscalibrated, leading to temperature fluctuations.
- Compressor issues: The compressor moves different pressured gases around to draw heat out of the air inside the unit and transfer it outside. If the compressor stops working as it should, it can mean fluctuations in temperature, poor cooling, motor failure, and unusual noises.
- Fan motor issues: The compressor works to cool the air while the fan distributes that air throughout the unit. It will also push heated air out of the refrigerator. If the fan motor fails or malfunctions, it won’t perform this task as effectively, meaning uneven cooling or none at all. Often, the fan will have issues as a result of filthy condenser coils since the debris will get in the way of the fan motor’s job, putting stress on it and wearing it out.
Preventing these issues is key, which is why you need regular commercial refrigeration maintenance to keep your kitchen in full working order. Climate Tech Air Conditioning and Heating can help you there. Feel free to contact us to schedule an inspection.
