Make-Up Air Winterization Advice

By Michael Angello – Branch Manager, Tucson

There is a rule of thumb in the foodservice equipment repair industry which is, the busier the end-user gets, the quieter service gets. This short advice blog offers a way to make use of this rule of thumb and get ahead of the curve with the winterization and shut down of your Make-Up Air. Better still, this advice may well save both time and money when it comes to your spring start-up.

To avoid burst pipes and potential flooding, your Make-Up air system needs to be shut down before any freezing temperatures are forecasted. As this normally coincides with the holiday season, your service company will probably have additional capacity. This presents a great opportunity to undertake a proper and complete shutdown. This shutdown should include:

1. Turning off the water supply to the unit/units.

2. Draining the water lines and the reservoir.

3. Removal of all scale and repair any leaks in the reservoir.

4. Leak check.

5. Inspection and if necessary, the replacement of the pads.

6. Replace the belt and lubricate the motor bearings.

These six simple steps will help ensure that not only is your unit protected from the winter freeze, but your spring turn on will go nice and smoothly. From our experience, we know that an overlooked or not properly winterized unit can lead to a major service call in the spring. Not only will all the work listed above need to be done, but it is likely the water lines will need to be repaired or replaced which can be time-consuming.

Remember, by spring service companies will be getting busy with HVAC calls which can lead to longer wait times, so preplanning your shut down and startup can remove a lot of headaches. Better still, your start-up call should be less than an hour, rather than a call that can last the best part of a day.

Our last tip is this, make sure your service company brings a water pump for the spring start-up, this is the only item which may need to be swapped out – but do not worry, water pumps are inexpensive.

If you would like to plan a winterization and advanced start-up with General Parts Group call (888) 498-1238. Find your nearest location here.