When you have a commercial refrigeration unit installed, you typically focus on things like the interior capacity, overall size to ensure it fits in your store, restaurant, or supermarket, as well as the efficiency of the unit and how much it costs to operate. However, one thing that you really need to consider is how to keep your unit safely operating.

There are a few safety guidelines that should be followed when you have any type of commercial refrigerator installed in your business. Not only does following these guidelines increase the longevity and optimize performance, but it also keeps your business safe from potential damage that could be caused by a faulty installation or poor maintenance.

Refrigerant within the system is required in order to be able to reach lower temperatures needed to preserve food and prevent it from spoiling. If your refrigerant is low, this indicates that there is a leak somewhere within your system. Instead of simply refilling the system, the leak must be detected and repaired. Failure to do so results in the refrigerant being released into the atmosphere, which is a violation of the Clean Air Act’s regulations and can result in heavy fines.

Another important guideline to note is that you should always make sure that fans are unobstructed. Since these fans work to push out hot air to keep the interior of a cooler cold, blocking them can not only run up your utility bill, but it can be dangerous for the components in your unit. Your unit should never be pulled out from the wall a bit, particularly where there are fans or vents to prevent overheating. Read more in our previous post on maintaining proper commercial refrigerator temperatures.

The thermometer and all parts should be kept in working order to maintain the proper temperatures. Temperatures that are too low can result in food that is frozen and spoiled, while higher temperatures can help bacteria breed and spoil everything contained within your unit.

If a leak is detected in your drain line or around any other part in your unit, you should have it immediately inspected and repaired, as this can result in standing water that can lead to slips and falls by your employees or customers.

Regular maintenance is a must to ensure complete safety of your product. Faulty wiring can result in failure at best, or at worst, a fire that can damage your property. All electrical components should be checked at least semi-annually or quarterly. Other important components including the condenser coils, evaporator coils, and drain lines. If any of these components fail, your refrigerator will not maintain its temperature, your energy bills may rise significantly, and you put your whole unit at risk for damage.

Several times a year, a licensed commercial refrigeration professional should fully inspect your unit and should make repairs as needed. While you can certainly take a look at certain components yourself, the more extensive maintenance and repairs should out be performed by a licensed and experienced professional.

Whether you own a convenience store or manage a grocery store or the kitchen of a restaurant, you probably rely a lot on refrigeration units. Whether you’re storing cold drinks for your customers on the go or you’re keeping your meats, cheeses, and other vegetables cold before you cook a delicious meal, you need a commercial refrigerator. Modern refrigeration systems for commercial use have come a long way since their early beginnings.

Hundreds of years ago, the first buildings made for storing snow and ice were built. Straw and sawdust were used to insulate these buildings. Later in the 1700s, William Cullen made a breakthrough with a very impractical cooling box. At this time, there was no use for such a box. Benjamin Franklin and John Hadley later experimented with ways to cool using volatile liquids. While this wasn’t the direct invention of commercial refrigeration equipment, these breakthroughs did help lead to later development.

In the mid-1800s, Ferdinand Carre developed the ice machine Three of these machines were brought to New Orleans when the city could no longer get ice from New England. Throughout the 1800s, more people continued to advance upon these discoveries. In the 1840s, refrigerated boxcars were used to transport dairy products. In the late 1800s, ships were equipped with units that allowed food to be transported longer distances.

In the 1900s, commercial refrigerators became very important for many industries, particularly the meat-packing industry. Big companies like Armour and Wilson purchased units to be used on box cars and in storage facilities to keep meat cold and fresh. These early units were very large, many weighing between five and two hundred tons, and they relied on toxic gases for cooling power, making them quite a hazard.

Throughout the 20th century, advances were made to make commercial refrigeration systems more lightweight, less expensive, and more readily available for a variety of businesses, including supermarkets and restaurants. Improvements were also made in safety, and volatile gases or very harmful chemicals were no longer used for cooling. Not only are today’s systems smaller, more lightweight, and affordable, but they even come equipped with modern features like digital thermostats, clear glass display doors, unique designs, and LED lights.

The history of commercial refrigeration goes back for centuries, and the advances and innovations made to these systems have made them a staple in many industries. The years of research, development, innovation, and improvements have led to the modern systems found in convenience stores, restaurants, hotel gift shops, grocery stores, and many of the establishments that we frequent daily.