Commercial refrigerators are essential for many businesses like pubs, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and so on. Farm shops, butchers, fishmongers and hoteliers also favour commercial refrigerators over regular ones. Indeed, these appliances contain larger compressors, ensuring that items kept in them are effectively preserved. That said, you don’t have to worry about losses caused by food waste. Moreover, they are more durable, energy-efficient, and easy to deep-clean. However, commercial refrigerators may lose functionality despite these benefits if they aren’t properly maintained. This article offers insight into the importance of routine maintenance for your commercial refrigerators.
Why is routine maintenance for commercial refrigerators essential?
Routine maintenance for commercial refrigerators transcends checking some parts every few months. Commercial fridges require regular cleaning, inspection, evaluation, and adjustments. Moreover, regularly fixing or replacing faulty components is essential to ensure optimal performance. Some businesses may ignore routine maintenance, but that may be more harmful than beneficial. You risk the following if you skip this process:
- Loss of products and money: a good refrigerator can store your products safely while maintaining freshness. However, one that isn’t properly cared for can’t work according to standard, and your items can rot. This can cause you to incur avoidable losses, and your business can suffer.
- Poor health inspection grade: the last thing businesses want is to receive negative reviews from a health inspector. But you risk falling into this category if your fridge isn’t at the right temperature, and lack of proper maintenance can cause this.
- High energy costs: certain faults in your appliance can cause it to overwork, causing it to use more energy. That said, you can prepare for increased utility bills.
- Costly repairs and replacements: if you perform the necessary checks regularly, certain faults can go undetected until they cause bad or irrevocable damage. In this situation, your appliance would need replacements or repairs that may be very costly.
Eventually, you can spend more than the maintenance costs you initially avoided. Your best to avoid these is to invest in routine maintenance. You can also enjoy the following benefits:
1. You can minimise downtime
A major refrigerator breakdown can take a long time to fix, as the technician has to replace critical parts and correct other damages. Worse, this can happen anytime, so keep this in mind. But with regular maintenance, you can avoid this lengthy process and not lose valuable work time or sales.
2. Your refrigerator can last longer
Imagine your refrigerator stops working earlier than expected. Replacement becomes essential to avoid losing your business. But what happens if you aren’t prepared for this unexpected expense? You can avoid this stress by caring for your appliance as you should.
3. You can reduce food poisoning
A good refrigerator can prevent food poisoning, as the right temperature can quickly kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Therefore, you can rest assured that you’re serving fresh food and drinks to your clients. Moreover, you can serve clean ice devoid of mould, which is common in places with unkempt fridges.
How can you ensure that your commercial fridges get their routine maintenance?
Routine maintenance comprises many steps, and you can DIY some aspects. However, other aspects are best left to the professionals. Here are some you can do on your own:
1. Clean your fridge’s interior and exterior
Admittedly, cleaning is never fun; it can be boring and repetitive. However, its benefits outweigh its tedious nature. For starters, a clean refrigerator doesn’t have to overwork to cool your items, meaning you can save on your energy bills. Furthermore, your foods and drinks can stay fresher for longer, so keep this in mind. You can also eliminate harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning and other illnesses.
First things first! You want to unplug your appliance to avoid electrocution. Consequently, empty each shelf of every item, eliminating any spoilt or mouldy food. Gently wipe down the interiors with warm soapy water and a clean sponge, and disinfect with a sanitiser. It’s also prudent to clean the top and bottom areas of the fridge. Ensure that your refrigerator is dry before restocking.
2. Inspect your gasket seals
Your refrigerator gasket or door seal is a flexible elastic strap attached to its outer edge. It is an air-tight seal and barrier between warm external air and the cool air inside the fridge. Moreover, they are an efficient aspect of temperature control, ensuring that your items are always fresh. However, damaged gaskets can let cold air seep out, causing your compressor to work harder than normal. This can wear it out while increasing your energy bills. And you still have to deal with spilt food or other items in the fridge. To prevent these, regular gasket seal inspection is essential. You can look for brittle or cracked sealing strips, loosening adhesive bonds, and hardened rubber.
Replacing damaged gaskets may seem daunting, but you can leverage the right steps for optimal results. Ensure that you purchase one best suited to your commercial refrigerator, and inspect the door liner beneath the seal for warps or cracks. If you find any, replacing the liner will be beneficial.
3. Don’t forget your air filter
Your commercial refrigerator’s air filter is beneficial for many reasons. For starters, it eliminates dirt, dust and other impurities from the air in your appliance while eliminating bad odours and bacteria. This, in turn, helps your food and drinks last longer. Seeing its importance, you want to constantly ensure it’s in top shape. However, not all fridges have air filters, but yours may have one if it’s modern.
To clean it, you should remove and tap the dust on it. You can also leverage a brush for dirt that’s still stuck to the filter. Using a vacuum to eliminate the dirt is also helpful, although you want to use the lowest setting. Consequently, soak the air filter in water if it’s caked in dust. However, you want to air dry it for 24 hours and avoid fixing it back in your fridge if it’s damp. This is because a damp filter will restrict air flow, so keep this in mind.
4. Clean your condenser and evaporator coils
Since your condenser coils are exposed, they are vulnerable to dust and dirt buildup. And this can cause your commercial refrigerator to overwork, increasing energy bills. Moreover, an overworked appliance is likely to break down earlier than expected, and your fridge is no exception. Therefore, cleaning your condenser coils regularly is imperative to prevent these issues. Experts advise cleaning them thrice yearly to achieve the best results. Removing the protective grill according to the manufacturer’s instructions is prudent to prevent damage. Consequently, eliminate dirt from the coils with a stiff bristle brush, and you can also vacuum the dirt away, so feel free to consider this.
The evaporator coils cool your refrigerator by absorbing the heat from the warm air unit. One way to ensure its efficiency is to clean its surroundings, so keep this in mind. You also want to avoid cramming your fridge, as this can block the airflow inside your appearance and cause your evaporator coils to freeze.
5. Clean the tubes and drain pans
Sludge and slime can quickly accumulate in drain pans, causing harmful bacterial growth and freezing your unit. However, cleaning them regularly can prevent these. You can consider cleaning your drain pan weekly or bi-weekly to achieve the best results. Although you don’t have to clean your tube often, ensure that you inspect it each time you clean your fridge to ensure that it isn’t clogged.
When do the professionals come in?
For some people, DIY maintenance is not their thing, and working with professionals can work if you fall within this category. Moreover, there are some tasks that just cannot be completed without an expert. A maintenance technician can clean your fridge’s coils, check the filters and inspect your gasket. Additionally, they can quickly detect hidden issues you would have otherwise overlooked, saving you the stress and expensive repair costs. Admittedly, your fridge can develop issues from time to time, and fixing them promptly can be beneficial. These tasks are best left to professional technicians, as it’s easy to damage your appliance without the proper skills.
For instance, compressor malfunction may require repairs or replacements to keep your fridge functional. However, its complex nature requires a trained technician to perform these tasks. Therefore, avoid DIY to cut costs, as you risk causing more damage and spending more to correct your mistakes. Likewise, wirework and all electrical issues are best left to an electrician, as they can fix the problem without increased electrocution risks. Moreover, they have the required tools to do the job, so keep this in mind.
Mitchells: The Refrigeration Specialists
When it comes to your commercial fridge, there is no doubt that you want it to be in capable hands. For expert maintenance, installation and servicing, look no further than Mitchells.
Feel free to get in touch with a member of our team to discuss your requirements.
Call us now on 01452 302206 or send an email to webenquiries@mitchells-glos.co.uk.