Commercial Refrigeration Maintenace

Doing commercial refrigerator maintenance isn’t the best part of owning a commercial kitchen, but it is a necessary one. In order to make this task simpler and easier for anyone who has to tackle it, we’ve compiled some of our best tips for maintaining both Walk-in and Stand-alone commercial refrigerating systems.

For Walk-in Refrigeration Units or Coolers
It isn’t the most glorious job that you will do in a commercial kitchen, but maintaining your walk-in cooler equipment is something that needs to be done every few months. Always remember to turn off power while performing thismaintenance or any maintenance of electrically power equipment. Here are a few tips for doing this maintenance:
-          Do it in Pairs: Cleaning and maintaining your walk-in fridge or freezer isn’t a one man job. For safety and to ensure that it gets done properly always make sure that there are at least two sets of hands available for the task.
-          Remove or Seal Product: Before you get to dusting condensers and cleaning fan buildup, be sure to seal food or remove it from the area. If you don’t, you will likely have to toss a portion of it. Dust travels everywhere. Don’t underestimate it.
-          Vacuum the Condenser: One of the hardest to clean spots on a refrigeration system is the condenser. It seems to encourage dust clinging to it and can be a messy clean. Avoid moving the dust around too much by taking a Shop-Vac or industrial vacuum hose to it. I’ve found this to be the easiest and fastest way to dust your condenser.
-          The Damp Cloth Trick: For most of the fans and covers a cloth is likely going to get the job done, but a second cloth is also going to keep dust from rising out of your garbage bin. Place a damp cloth at the bottom of your bin to avoid dust clouds when dumping. This will lower the dust that is released into the air.

For Standalone Fridges
Standalone cooling units are a bit of a different story. They don’t always need to be cleaned in pairs (depending on size) and they are more accessible. Like all electronic equipment, disconnect the power before you begin maintaining it. Here are a few tips for standalone fridge maintenance:
-          Remove Removables: Unlike a walk-in cooler, your standalone fridge has a lot more parts that can be removed. If you want to do the best job of cleaning and maintaining them you should remove them when cleaning. This includes grills, covers, and even the compressor itself.
-          On Vacuuming: Unlike a walk-in fridge, use the vacuum to clean the rear cabinet and condenser. Once the condenser is removed it will clean easily and allow your vacuum to get at the coils and corners of your fridges engine. Also remember to use the blowing feature (by reversing the airflow on your vacuum) to ensure that your cabinet and coils are dust free.
-          Wipe, Wipe, And Wipe: Maintaining a standalone fridge or freezer is a dusty business. Before you put the condenser and grill, give them and the entire back cabinet a wipe. This will ensure that your fridge or freezer is in tip top shape the longest.

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