7 Tips for Frost-Free Ice Machines and Freezers

Icicles and frosty snowmen are wonderful holiday décor, but no one wants frost to build-up in ice machines, freezers, and refrigeration systems this time of year. 

All around Ocala, The Villages, and Central Florida, you can find restaurants, food suppliers, and other businesses bustling with holiday activity.  This is no time for a refrigeration system issue or failure, which is why United Refrigeration, Heating and Air has put together a few tips to help keep your systems clean and frost-free this season.

Refrigerator System Maintenance and Cleanings

Ice machines, soft serve machines, slush machines, commercial walk-ins, coolers, and freezers require regular maintenance checks. Here are seven tips for frost-free operation:   

1. Create a Maintenance Schedule: First, create a maintenance schedule for both professional and in-house care of your systems. It is important to clean ice machines, freezers, and refrigeration systems on a regular basis.
2. Monitor Thermostats and Refrigerant: Assign the task for consistently monitoring and adjusting thermostats, temperatures, cycling, and refrigerant levels in your cooling systems for proper performance.
3. Maintain a Tight Seal: Always monitor the proper functioning of doors, auto-closers, hinges, and gaskets. Gaps, air leaks, and breakage will both waste energy and waste food.  The system will need more energy to maintain temperatures and food could spoil if the right temperatures are not consistent. 
4. Perform Stringent Cleanings: Follow manufacturer guidelines in cleaning and maintaining your ice machines and other refrigeration equipment. An ice machine’s removable parts and bins will require frequent scrubbing. Also, follow instructions for washing evaporators and sanitizing measures for reducing contamination and odors.
5. Give Your System Space: You can promote airflow and energy efficiency by providing several inches of space around your heat-exchange coils and systems.
6. Add Special Features: Machine alarms, special covers, night curtains for open cases, and motion sensors for case-lighting systems could help you keep systems running more efficiently and help you avoid frost now and into the New Year.
7. Call in the Professionals: You might find quick-fix ideas on the Internet, such as defrosting with a blow dryer, but those tips cannot compare to professional services.  United’s experts offer preventative maintenance and cleanings to eliminate frost, remove build-up, clear drain lines, inspect fans, check compressors, and ensure all hardware and coils are problem-free to improve efficiency and prevent the need for costly repairs.

United Refrigeration’s team is prepared to provide emergency cleanings, repairs, and maintenance for an array of makes and models of refrigerators, coolers, freezers, and ice machines. For over 30 years, we have been keeping commercial refrigeration systems operating efficiently for businesses throughout Sumter and Marion Counties. 

Call United Refrigeration, Heating and Air today at 352-629-1187 to speak with one of our experienced professionals about installations, system maintenance, or repair services.