Ensuring consistent, quality service to your customers and patrons is crucial for any business owner in the food and beverage industry. A significant factor in this is keeping all of your appliances in the best possible condition, including your commercial freezer. We offer a few tips on how to get the most out of your fridge and keep your produce in optimal condition, from stocking point to when it’s ready to be prepared.
Space Is Crucial
For your commercial freezer to operate correctly, there needs to be sufficient space for air to circulate. This is achieved by ensuring that your freezer isn’t confined to a tight space – always leave room around the freezer area for air to circulate and avoid placing your freezer near other appliances that generate heat, such as cookers and ovens. Never overstock your commercial freezer with items, as it needs open spaces to effectively circulate throughout the unit and keep all items equally cold.
Routine Maintenance
As with any other appliances, your commercial freezer will need to be inspected and serviced regularly to ensure that it continues to cool and operate at maximum performance. Maintenance also helps prevent complete device failure by correcting smaller issues before they further affect the entire unit. Damage to doors or strip curtains through normal wear and tear can cause cold air to leak out and waste energy. Evaporators and condenser coils also need to be cleaned and maintained; otherwise, they will become blocked by dirt and reduce the overall efficiency of your freezer.
Organise Items In Your Freezer
Where you place your items in a commercial freezer can affect the quality of the product and its lifespan. For meat products, the lowest shelves in the unit are ideal. Delicate produce which spoils quickly need to be stored away from fans. Maintain a labelling system by allocating specific areas for items to be saved. This will increase staff efficiency as they’ll be able to locate or restock items faster, while also optimising freezer temperatures due to less time being spent with the doors open.
Check Your Refrigerant Charge
Refrigerant levels have a significant impact on your commercial freezer’s effectiveness, and when these levels are low, it places unnecessary strain on the compressor. A quick way to test if your refrigerant levels are low is to check the sight glass on the condenser: if you can see bubbles, your freezer needs a recharge.
Keep Display Cases Covered
While they’re a great way to showcase available food options, keeping open case displays uncovered causes a great deal of energy to be wasted to keep the freezer at expected temperatures. Add covers during the evening to help reduce strain on your unit when your business is not open.
If you’d like assistance with finding the right commercial freezer, or need help with a repair or service, contact us for professional service.