Infographic Details When Business Owners Should Replace Their Commercial Fridge

Is Your Refrigerator Running? Keep it That Way

As a business owner, you can expect a good commercial refrigerator to give you 10-20 years of service, provided you keep it well maintained. Get the most from your investment by:

• Keeping the condenser coils clean
• Frequently checking door gaskets and auto-closing mechanisms to ensure they work properly
• Maintaining minimum clearances all around refrigeration units to allow proper airflow.
• For store refrigeration, use motion-sensing lighting to save on energy

Whether you’re running a food service or a flower shop, a working commercial refrigerator is crucial to your operations. Watch for these signs that your fridge has reached its end of life and it’s time to shop for its replacement.

When to Repair or Replace Your Business’s Refrigerator

It’s the lynchpin of restaurant kitchens and stores.

Yet, despite having staff and customers use them hundreds of times a day, commercial refrigerators are often overlooked, that is, until they stop working.

Ancaster Food Equipment put together an informative infographic to help restaurant, bar, café, and store owners know when it’s time to replace their refrigerator equipment.

A Broken Fridge is More than an Inconvenience

There are several types of refrigerators, and many businesses own more than one kind.

From reach-ins to walk-ins, countertop coolers, to undercounter fridges and tall coolers, each serves a function from keeping cupcakes fresh to storing meat at a safe temperature.

When something starts to go wrong with one, it’s not just inconvenient.

A broken refrigerator can pose serious health consequences. In addition to checking the temperature every day, there are other signs to look for that indicate a problem with your commercial fridge.

That’s Not Cool! (and Other Signs it’s Time for a New Fridge)

Obviously, the biggest indicator that there’s something wrong is when it feels too warm inside, or the thermometer shows that the fridge isn’t as cold as it should be.

Other indicators, according to the team at Ancaster Food Equipment, include:

1. Spotting leakage and frost buildup, indicating old, worn seals that allow water and air leaks. Not only does it keep your food from staying cold and fresh, but condensation can lead to bacterial growth. And that’s a side dish nobody wants.
2. Opening the door and getting hit with the funk. If the inside of the fridge smells of spoiled food (even if it’s nowhere near expired), it probably means it’s not cooling and keeping food fresh.
3. A spike in your power bill. If your electric bill suddenly goes up and there’s no other obvious reason for it, it may mean your refrigerator is struggling to maintain a cold temperature. Bad seals will cause your refrigerator to use more power trying to regulate the temperature.
4. Loud rattling or clicking noises often indicate that the condenser fan is not working effectively or is about to give out. A malfunctioning condenser unit may cause the refrigerator to turn off and on, increasing the chances of food spoilage.
5. Knowing the names of your appliance repairperson’s kids and pets. If you’ve had someone out repeatedly to fix your fridge, it’s probably time to part ways with it.