Category: Maintenance & Repair

The temperature alarm is going off, or someone has noticed the cold room is warm. Stay calm: there’s a lot you can check in ten minutes, and quick action protects your stock.

Safety first: don’t open electrical panels, handle refrigerant or work on live equipment. These checks are visual and safe for kitchen staff.

Step 1: Check the obvious (2 minutes)

• Is the door fully closed? Check that the gasket seals all the way round and nothing is blocking the door.
• Is there power? Is the controller display on? Check whether a breaker has tripped. If it trips again immediately, leave it off and call a technician.
• Check the set point. Has someone changed the thermostat or controller setting?

Step 2: Look at the evaporator (3 minutes)

• Is the fan inside the room running?
• Is the coil covered in thick ice? If so, the system may be stuck or failing to defrost, and airflow is blocked.
• Are stacked boxes blocking the airflow in front of the evaporator?

Step 3: Look at the condensing unit outside (3 minutes)

• Is the fan spinning?
• Is the coil blocked by dust, grease, cardboard or plastic?
• Is the unit enclosed or surrounded by hot air? Clear any obstructions around it.

Step 4: Protect your stock (2 minutes)

• Keep the door closed. A closed, well-insulated room holds its temperature for some time.
• Move the most sensitive products (seafood, dairy, meat) to other working units if you can.
• Record temperatures and times. You’ll need them for food safety decisions and any insurance claim.
• If food has been above safe temperatures for too long, follow your food safety procedures and your local authority’s guidance. When in doubt, throw it out.

When to call a technician immediately

• The breaker trips again after resetting
• The compressor is silent, humming, or clicking on and off
• There’s an oily residue on pipes (a possible refrigerant leak)
• Heavy ice keeps returning on the evaporator
• Nothing above explains the problem

Preventing the next breakdown

Most emergency call-outs we attend could have been avoided with regular servicing: clean coils, working defrost, good door seals and a temperature alarm that alerts you early. Our maintenance checklist shows what to check, and a maintenance contract means we take care of it for you.

Most refrigeration breakdowns in commercial kitchens don’t happen out of nowhere. They build up over weeks: dusty condenser coils, worn door seals, blocked drains. In a UAE summer, equipment that was just coping in April can fail in July.

Here’s the checklist we recommend to kitchens we look after. Your team can handle the daily and weekly items; the rest is for a qualified technician.

Daily (kitchen team)

• Record temperatures of every fridge, freezer and cold room at opening and closing. Chilled units should hold 5°C or below and freezers -18°C or below.
• Check doors close and seal properly; a door left ajar is the most common cause of warm units.
• Don’t overload: keep air vents inside units clear so cold air can circulate.
• Look for ice build-up on evaporator coils or frost around door frames.

Weekly (kitchen team)

• Clean door gaskets with warm soapy water and check for tears or gaps.
• Wipe down interiors and check drain pans are not overflowing.
• Make sure nothing is blocking the airflow around condensing units: boxes, crates, cleaning equipment.

Monthly (technician or trained staff)

• Clean condenser coils. In kitchens, grease and dust clog coils fast; a dirty coil makes the compressor work harder and run hotter.
• Check and clear condensate drain lines.
• Check that fans (condenser and evaporator) run smoothly without noise.

Quarterly (qualified technician)

• Check refrigerant pressures and look for signs of leaks.
• Inspect electrical connections, contactors and compressor amp draw.
• Test and calibrate thermostats, controllers and alarms.
• Check defrost operation on freezers and cold rooms.
• Inspect door heaters, hinges and closers on walk-ins.

Before summer (every year)

Book a full service in spring, before the heat arrives. Deep-clean coils, replace worn gaskets, and fix any marginal components while you still have time, not in the middle of a busy August service.

Warning signs to act on now

• Temperatures creeping up during service
• Compressor running constantly or short-cycling
• Heavy ice on the evaporator
• Water pooling under units
• New noises: rattling, buzzing or clicking
• Condensing unit hot to the touch or tripping the breaker

If you see any of these, call a technician before it becomes a breakdown. And if a unit does fail, our emergency checklist will help you protect your stock while help is on the way.