3 Important Tips on How to Defrost Commercial Freezers

14 December 2020

Many food-related businesses such as bakeshops and restaurants are utilising the capabilities and features of commercial freezers when it comes to their basic food storage and preservation. Through these pieces of equipment, these businesses can guarantee that their food products and ingredients retain their quality and freshness whenever they will be used for food preparation processes.

Commercial freezers, as part of their normal operations, normally run at optimal temperatures that can easily meet the needed storage temperatures of food products. However, some of these freezers tend to accumulate frost on their evaporator coils. Without troubleshooting the said accumulation, the freezers can eventually result in food spoilage, reduced efficiency, higher energy bills, and costly repairs.

To effectively avoid the consequences of frost accumulation to your business, you may want to consider the following tips on defrosting your commercial freezers.

Prevent and Minimise Frost Build-up

The process of defrosting is only recommended for commercial freezers that have already acquired some frost accumulation. And so, if you want to make your freezers run optimally throughout your business operations, then you must prevent the accumulation of frost. Walk-in freezers and other types of freezers must be closed right away whenever you will be entering or getting some food products. This act will help prevent warm air from entering the freezer and subsequently cause the compressor to continue running.

If ever you will be restocking or repacking food products, the best thing that you can do is to turn off your refrigeration system and fan motors of your freezers. Doing this can help you prevent air turbulence or negative pressure, which normally causes warmer air to enter the freezers.

Maximise Auto-Defrost Features

Many commercial freezers today have auto-defrost features that can help minimise the effects of frost accumulation. With auto-defrost systems, they can easily turn off the refrigeration system once the frost has become abundant. There are important elements to consider with regards to the type of auto-defrost system a freezer has. Some of these are the products being stored, the freezer model, the running temperature, and the frequency of doors being opened.

Some freezers have normal compressor off-cycle that keeps the condenser coils free from frosting. Others, alternatively, have a defrost timer that shuts off the compressor while allowing the evaporator fans to run continuously. There are also freezers that utilise a timer in shutting off the fans before allowing defrost heaters or elementsto melt any frost off the coil surfaces and make the drain pan warm.

Maintain and Follow Defrost Cycles

The humidity level of commercial kitchens can be erratic and even soar high as various cooking and cleaning activities are carried out. And as these kitchens become a humid place, they can easily develop moisture that can infiltrate the commercial freezers. As the moisture finds its way into these freezers, it can easily cause condensation and eventually lead to the frost formation.

To maintain the performance of commercial kitchens, they should carry out around three to four defrost cycles per day. The defrost cycle should be done whenever there is enough frost. Freezers with automatic defrost control must be checked and serviced by professionals regularly. Other parts such as coils, refrigeration system, and others must also be checked regularly.

If you want to know more about these defrosting tips, feel free to contact us at C&M Coolroom Services.

Mark Connelly
C&M Coolroom Services
E-mail: markconnelly@cmcoolrooms.com.au
Mobile: 0412 536 315

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