Walk-in and commercial refrigeration guides
A warm walk-in or reach-in puts the food at risk before it puts the equipment at risk. These guides start with the food, then work through the checks in the order a technician makes them.
Guides
- Walk-ins · CoolersWalk-in cooler not coolingA walk-in cooler running warm: what to do with the food first, then the checks in the order a technician makes them, which ones you can do yourself, and what the repair costs.
- Walk-ins · FreezersWalk-in freezer problemsIce on the ceiling, a door frozen to its frame or hard to pull open, a frozen drain, or a freezer that will not hold temperature: what each one means, what you can check, and what to do with the food.
- Refrigeration · True reach-insTrue freezer not freezingWhy a True reach-in freezer or refrigerator won’t get cold: the condenser True says to clean every 30 days, airflow and loading, defrost, start-up time, electrical rules that void the warranty, and what needs a technician.
Start from what you can see
| What you see | Go to |
|---|---|
| Cooler running warm, fans running or not | Walk-in cooler not cooling |
| Coil solid with ice, in a cooler or a freezer | Walk-in cooler not cooling — the ice section applies to both |
| Ice on the ceiling, fan guards or fan blades | Walk-in freezer problems |
| Freezer door frozen to the frame, or hard to pull open | Walk-in freezer problems |
| Water or ice on the floor, ice in the drain pan | Walk-in freezer problems |
| A reach-in freezer or refrigerator (True, and similar) not getting cold | True freezer not freezing |
The numbers that matter
- 41°F — the maximum for refrigerated food. Above that, a clock starts; after 5 hours or more, emergency guidance says the food must be destroyed.
- 0°F — USDA's target for frozen storage. Food that still has ice crystals, or is no warmer than 40°F, can be refrozen.
- Your health department has the final word on what can be sold.
A walk-in is two machines
The fan box inside, near the ceiling, is the evaporator. The compressor and condenser outside, on the roof or on top of the box, are the condensing unit. Whether each half is running is the first thing a technician wants to know, and the first thing the guides help you check. Doors, airflow, ice on the coil and a dirty condenser cause a large share of warm walk-ins, and all of them can be checked without tools. Refrigerant work needs an EPA Section 608 certified technician.