Keeping your Commercial Walk-In Cooler – Cool

By Pat Finley – Master Certified Lead Technician

Your walk-in cooler is one of the biggest workhorses in your kitchen. It is responsible for keeping food fresh and in the safety zone. If your food is not properly stored, it can spoil quickly or grow harmful bacteria. The ideal temperature for a walk-in cooler is between 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit.

What you can do to help ensure your walk-in cooler is working properly.

1. Ensure the door is closing properly and on its own. There are multiple ways a cooler door will close. Self-closing hinges or a door closer of some type will ensure the door is fully closed. If it is missing or malfunctioning, reach out to your local General Parts to have it properly serviced.
2. Check your door gasket, seal, and sweep. If your door is fully closing, but any of these have failed and or are missing, will cause air intrusion. Warm air is drawn in and will cause extended run times and higher than desired temperatures. A damaged or improperly installed door sweep can drag on the floor and cause issues with your door closing properly.
3. Inside your cooler there is a fan or multiple fans. Make sure they are all spinning. If you have a bad fan motor, it will cause poor performance, due to improper air flow, and lead to the system freezing up. This can cause all sorts of damage to your system, as well as loss of product.
4. Product placement can lead to a lack of airflow issues. If boxes or other items are stacked up next to and touching the evaporator, the system cannot move air properly. Lack of airflow will lead to extended run times and cause the coil to freeze up.
5. Loose bags or paper in your cooler can get sucked into the back of the evaporator and impede the airflow through the coil. This again can cause extended run times and eventually lead to the coil freezing over.
6. If you see ice on your coil, call a trained professional to properly thaw out your unit. Never use sharp instruments to chip away the ice or anything to try to break the ice. This can lead to serious damage to the copper tubes in your coil. If damage is severe enough, you may have to replace the evaporator and that is a big expense that could have been prevented.

If you notice your cooler is struggling to keep up, and none of these is the issue, please call your local General Parts office and have our trained technicians take care of your walk-in cooler repair.