Summer is here and tis the season when all your equipment problems come to light. It’s basically Murphy’s Law when equipment goes out in the summertime. Imagine having a restaurant packed full of customers for your lunch rush and your dining room Air conditioner just went down….hopefully you are located someplace that isn’t Arizona. There are more things to consider in the summertime than just your air conditioning units. Walk-In freezers and coolers are no exception to this law as well.
When temperatures rise so does the workload on your equipment running like walk-in freezers to maintain its set temperature. Just like a car your walk-in cooler, and any equipment for that matter, will last you a lot longer if it’s properly maintained. Even if you have a preventative maintenance company it’s always good to glance at these items every so often to ensure equipment is in good working order.
Here are 6 Tips that will help:
- Visually Inspect: Look for:
- Corrosion on fins, copper tubing and solder joints
- Excessive or unusual vibration of fan blades when the unit is on.
- Oil stains on headers, return bends, and coil fins.
- Cleanliness: It’s always a good idea to keep the coolers/freezers clean. Soap and water are the best methods to clean avoiding any harsh chemicals as they may harm the metal surfaces.
- Not Just Inside: be sure to clean evaporator coil and blades using a brush and pressurized water.
- Inspect Door seals and hinges quarterly
- Ensure that the door is getting a good seal and is not damaged. Make sure the hinges are properly lubricated and not sticking.
- Check condensing units to ensure there is proper airflow and nothing is obstructing the evaporators and condensing units.
- Monitor temperatures Daily
- If you are not currently documenting and monitoring temperatures there is no way to ensure your freezer or cooler is meeting it’s setpoint temperature. a unit that is unable to meet its setpoint could have something fundamentally wrong and may be in serious need of maintenance or repair .
- If you are not currently documenting and monitoring temperatures there is no way to ensure your freezer or cooler is meeting it’s setpoint temperature. a unit that is unable to meet its setpoint could have something fundamentally wrong and may be in serious need of maintenance or repair .
- Talk with your refrigeration tech to ensure you have a scheduled maintenance program set up.
Small Box Energy’s Director of Deployment Jim Parker installs the chameleon™ platform in the field and has seen a little bit of everything. Jim talked with me about 
common problems he sees in the field, “One thing I always hear is when the unit ices up we just add more defrost…this does not solve the root issue of why the unit is icing up, but making it. This extends the run times as well as the wear and tear on the system, ultimately reducing the efficiency and life of the equipment.” Jim lists common problems with Walk-In units that he comes across:
1. Dirty Coils
2. Fans not Functioning
3. Low Refrigerant
4. Tune-Ups Not Up To Date
5. Bad Door Seals
6. Evaporator Not Sealed Allowing Moisture Intrusion
Most of the above problems can be remedied by using the tips provided above. We hope you found these tips useful and remember to stay COOL!
