If you’re operating a walk-in freezer, you can’t afford a catastrophic breakdown, not when this environment is responsible for storing spoilable food, pharmaceutical products, or some other temperature-sensitive product. In the real world, we employ preventative maintenance strategies and advanced troubleshooting procedures. Better yet, we recognise certain important breakdown telltales. Here are 5 telltales that indicate your freezer room is on the verge of failure.
Icy Build-up
A thick layer of frost is developing on the walls. It’s jacketing the stored commodities in ice. Instead of sending an unlucky employee inside to scrape the frosty surfaces, troubleshoot the issue. Moist air is likely leaking through a damaged gasket or wall panel, and it’s freezing. Call out the experts to find and seal that leak.
Water Puddles Form
Again, the wall panels may be damaged. Perhaps the door seal is broken or the cooling unit is underperforming. Before investigating deeper, check the thermostat, just in case someone has knocked the temperature controls. If a simple fix isn’t on the cards, the walk-in freezer room needs an energy audit, which is a special procedure that’s designed to see how much energy is being lost. Remember, standing water breeds mould.
Food Spoilage
Capable catering managers make note of food expiry dates. If the food is losing its fresh taste before that date has arrived, an optimally controlled environment isn’t being maintained. Leaks are a possibility, as is a malfunctioning refrigeration unit. Foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products are susceptible to different temperature fluctuations.
Odd Sensory Impressions
A noisy fan indicates the cooling unit is about to fail. Strange smells suggest a coolant leak, and a mercury thermometer inside the cooler proves something is amiss because it’s measuring a higher temperature than the readout blinking on the digital thermostat. These are mechanical and electrical problems. They’re detectable when someone pays attention.
Elevated Utility Bills
The likely culprit in this scenario is the freezer room. More than likely, it’s reached the end of its lifespan, in which case a replacement product needs to be considered. If it’s not a decrepit remnant, the problem needs to be investigated further. A quick door test is advised. This is a common energy leakage site. Otherwise, the dramatic energy hike is either being caused by a malfunctioning thermostat or a fault inside the freezer.
These are 5 of the most common signs that your freezer room is starting to fail, but it’s by no means a complete list. You should pay attention to audiovisual clues, to the sounds and smells inside the sealed cooling chamber. Beyond that, actively search out icy build-ups, water, mould, and temperature fluctuations. Go no further, though, not until you’ve consulted an expert refrigeration engineer.