For your business to keep firing on all cylinders, you need to have the best equipment. For your equipment to operate at its best, it needs to be properly maintained.
To help you out, we’ve assembled 5 tips for commercial under bench fridge maintenance. Follow this guide to ensure your under bench fridges are always able to perform.
Why is under bench fridge maintenance important?
Under bench fridge maintenance is crucial for many reasons:
- Longevity: Appliances that are cared for will work better for longer. This means that you won’t need to worry about frequently replacing them.
- Energy efficiency: Properly functional appliances don’t just save you money by preventing you from needing to replace them. They also work more efficiently, saving you money on your energy bills. This also helps your business operate more sustainably.
- Temperature: Well-maintained fridges do a better job of staying at the correct temperature. This is crucial for preventing food spoilage in your business and ensuring your customers get the best fresh food and drinks you can serve them.
- Reliability: Maintaining your appliances over time reduces the risk that they will break down during a busy service, and all the mayhem that might entail.
With these benefits, you’ll find that the time spent on under bench fridge maintenance is well worth it in the end. By purchasing the best suited fridge for your needs, you can ensure maintenance is an efficient and effective process.
For more information, check out our complete guide to choosing the right under bench fridge for your venue.
5 under bench fridge maintenance tips
Now that you understand why maintaining your under bench fridge is so important, here are our top 5 tips to keep your appliances functioning well into the future.
1. Establish a regular cleaning schedule
Cleaning is essential for maintaining your fridge. It’s also necessary to comply with food safety regulations in your local jurisdiction.
Your maintenance cleaning schedule should outline weekly and monthly and periodic programs. Your weekly and monthly tasks can be easily completed by a trained member of staff. These cleans simply involve thoroughly cleaning both the interior and exterior of your fridge, with careful attention to all surfaces, door seals and major contact points.
Another task that can be completed on a weekly and monthly basis is cleaning your fridge’s condenser. To do this, disconnect the fridge’s power and use a stiff-bristled brush and or a vacuum with a brush attachment to clean it.
Other tasks, including cleaning air filters and condensers, should be done by a professional maintenance technician. On a less frequent basis, you should enlist a refrigeration technician to perform a general professional inspection of your fridge and ensure all components are functioning properly.
These technicians can check elements including refrigerant charge and probe calibration. They can also perform a deeper cleaning of fridge components. Finally, they can assess settings like defrost cycles, differentials and temperature setpoints.
Establish this schedule and ensure it is accessible for members of your team. It’s the perfect first step for maintaining your commercial refrigerator.
2. Remove the fridge while cleaning
Under bench fridges are often in close proximity to walls and cabinets, so it’s important to remove your appliance from its location when cleaning it.
By removing it from its under counter location, you can ensure you are giving it a proper, thorough clean, including the surfaces behind, underneath and around the fridge. This is another important area for regulatory compliance, especially for food service businesses.
Thankfully, Bromic under bench fridges come with castors, or small wheels on the base of the units. This makes it easy for you to remove your fridge from its under bench location and give it the best possible clean.
By regularly removing your under bench fridge and giving it a comprehensive clean, you uphold standards of cleanliness in your business.
3. Ensure adequate ventilation
Ventilation is essential for the proper functioning of your under bench fridge, both during the initial setup and throughout its operating life. Your manufacturer will provide guidance on how much clearance is required for proper ventilation. Bromic under bench fridges require 150mm of clearance between the fridge and the wall or cabinet.
Set up your under bench fridge to have proper ventilation when first incorporating it into your layout. You’ll also need to regularly ensure that the fridge has not shifted position and had its ventilation impeded.
Cleaning is another important element of maintaining ventilation in your fridge. Dusty and dirty condensers prevent your fridge from proper ventilation and its ability to transfer heat, adding even more significance to proper cleaning procedures.
Ensuring adequate ventilation ensures your fridge functions better for longer, and prevents overheating and other issues. It’s well worth the time to ensure that your fridge maintains proper airflow.
4. Monitor temperature and humidity
Issues with your fridge can quickly become apparent if you are monitoring temperature and humidity in your fridge.
Monitoring temperature inside your fridge is significant from a regulatory standpoint, as different kinds of foods are required to be stored at or below specific temperatures. For example, potentially hazardous food must generally be stored at 5°C or below (or 60°C or above).
Establish regular temperature checks for your under bench fridges using digital thermometers. You can also use hygrometers to monitor humidity levels within your fridge.
If your under bench fridge is failing to maintain desired temperature and humidity levels for undetermined reasons, get in touch with a professional technician to find out why.
5. Regularly inspect door seals
Door seals are an essential component of any commercial refrigeration unit. They ensure cold air remains inside your fridge and hot air remains outside.
However, if your door seals are damaged, it can cause significant temperature control issues and allow warm, humid air to enter the fridge. This can damage goods, cause condensation build up and potentially reduce your fridges efficiency.
Establish a regular schedule for inspecting door deals. Check for any cracks or splits in the seals. You should also clean door seals for long-term durability, as build-ups of food and grime can result in door seals becoming damaged.
Generally, it should be possible for you to replace door seals yourself when necessary. However, you can also get professional assistance if required.
Browse Bromic under bench fridges
When it comes to high-quality under bench fridges with proper maintenance support, look no further than Bromic. We offer 1, 2, 3 and 4-door under bench fridge options, meaning our reliable and dependable range is ready to meet the needs of your business.
Our Customer Service team is also here to help connect you with qualified technicians to help service our under bench fridges. This ensures you have the assistance needed to keep your commercial fridges always working like they should.
Browse our range of Bromic under bench fridges today and begin working with Bromic to boost your business.
