Functions and Proper Maintenance of Evaporator Fans in Commercial Refrigeration

13 August 2020

Commercial refrigeration units have been utilised by various establishments and facilities for a long time now because of their value and purposes. They basically regulate the temperatures of food products to effectively preserve their freshness and quality. Keeping food products under cold temperatures helps slow down any bacteria activity that is taking place inside them and causes food spoilage.

One part of commercial refrigeration that is vital in its whole operations is the evaporator fans. These fans are typically found in the freezer compartment of refrigeration units, which are intended to maintain constant airflow within them. They ensure that the air is moving and flowing over the evaporator coils and that the refrigerant can effectively absorb any heat from the refrigeration unit.

Functions of Evaporator Fans

As mentioned, the main function of evaporator fans is to keep the air moving inside the refrigerator unit. They receive air from the evaporator coil and subsequently circulate them inside the whole unit. These fans work closely with the damper assembly of the unit, which controls the amount of cold air being supplied into the unit’s fresh food compartment.

Evaporator fans function very closely with the compressor. But once the evaporator fans start to malfunction, it will be difficult for the refrigeration unit to maintain its needed temperature since the cold control sensing bulbs will have to signal the compressor to work for a much longer time. Even after compensating for any possible issues of the fans, the compressor will eventually reach its own limits. The evaporator coils will consequently freeze over, which then increases the overall temperature of the refrigeration unit.

Once the evaporator fans, compressors, and coils become non-functional, your whole refrigeration unit will then obtain increased internal temperatures, accumulate abnormal amounts of ice, and acquire many more damaged components. 

Maintaining Evaporator Fans

To avoid encountering these issues, you must maintain the evaporator fans of your refrigeration unit regularly. One type of maintenance that you can do is to defrost your refrigeration properly. Without defrosting properly, you are risking your evaporator to ice up and obstruct the blades. Your energy bills will also increase significantly if you do not defrost appropriately.

And before you decide to have a professional check your refrigeration unit, you must first assess its condition by switching off its power and have a look at its evaporator fans. If you have spotted some things that prevent the fans from moving, then you must remove them right away. Afterward, you must remove any ice build-up, dirt, and debris from the coils by wiping them with a cloth soaked in hot, soapy water.  Otherwise, if there are no blockages that prevent these fans to move, then your unit should be fixed right away. At this point, professionals may have to replace your evaporator fans since they might already be old or weary. Replacing these fans will significantly bring back the functionality of your refrigeration unit. If you have concerns about your evaporator fans, just give us a call 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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