Troubleshooting Commercial Refrigeration
Commercial refrigerators are found in supermarkets and large restaurants around the world. Their job is to keep everything from frozen peas to full racks of beef protected from spoilage and bacteria. While it usually takes a repair technician to work on these units, even shop and restaurant owners can troubleshoot them if they learn a few troubleshooting steps.
Knowing a little about troubleshooting your commercial refrigerators can help you possibly avoid a service call or at least give the technician information about what the problem might be. The result may be a huge savings of time and money.
1. Start simple. Is it plugged in? Is there power to the outlet and/or has the circuit breaker been tripped?
2. Is there is an on/off switch on the unit. Is it working?
3. Is the unit freezing up? Make sure the evaporator fan is running and is rotating correctly. You may have to melt the ice before you turn it on again. Make sure the coil is clean and that the drain line is clear, so it will not happen again.
4. Is the unit too close to a heat source? Is hot air blowing into the condenser coil from another appliance? Is there good airflow around the unit?
5. If only the first section of evaporator piping is freezing up, it is possible that you have a low charge or a restricted drier, liquid line or metering device.
6. If the refrigerator is not keeping things cold or you do not hear it running, it is possible that the compressor is not working. Check the temperature of the compressor. If it is really hot, there may be a problem with it.
7. Check to see if the basic parts are clean and operating properly. For example, is the condenser fan running and is the condenser coil clean?
8. Make sure that the gaskets around the unit are clean, in good condition, the right size and sealing well.
9. Check your operating manual, for the unit, to determine that no controls or safeties are bypassed and the operating temperatures are within normal range.
10. If you still cannot determine the cause of the problem, you may have to call a technician. Your time spent troubleshooting may save time since you can relate your findings to the technician.