Cold Rooms for Food Storage: Maintenance and Care Tips

The cold room is an important asset in the food production and service industry. The space is designed to keep raw perishables and processed food products fresh for human consumption. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that the cold room is maintained properly. The care practices will improve performance and energy efficiency in your business. Moreover, the preserved food will limit the growth of microorganisms, which can cause food poisoning and other conditions. Here are simple guidelines to help you maintain and care for your food storage cold room.

Inspect the Cooling Components

You should examine the components that directly affect the continuous cooling processes. The practice is important because even temporary failure will lead to the spoilage of your food products. Check the level of the refrigerant in the system, and ensure that the compressor component is not leaking. You will find the position of these parts outlined in your owner's manual. You should also assess the evaporator, which is exposed to varying temperatures. Call a technician for assistance if there is ice forming around the component.

In addition, it is prudent to regularly check the temperature settings, because simple oversight will compromise your food. Consider creating a monitoring schedule to avoid confusion of responsibility by your personnel.

Uphold Interior Care Practices

You should perform regular cleaning of the cold storage space to protect your personnel and prevent contamination of food. Cold room storages that are poorly maintained often have wet and slippery floors, so your employees can easily slip and experience significant injury. The shelves, walls and floors should be wiped thoroughly and frequently. You should also check for unexpected frost and roof leaks, which usually contribute to general wetness in the storage space. These problems can be resolved through professional repair, but frost may be produced by inappropriate temperatures. 

Perform Preventative System Efficiency Care

There are specific components that can improve the energy efficiency of your cold storage when maintained appropriately. You should ensure that condenser, evaporator and cooler fins are clean, because they are responsible for heat removal. The cleanliness will enhance their general performance. In addition, engage a technician periodically to check control valves, defrosting functions and the reverse blowers.

Finally, you should promote proper placement of goods in the cold room according to the manufacturer's recommendations. In addition, the food items should be checked regularly during inventory to ensure that they are in good condition. Finally, control the traffic to the cold room, because excess warm air flow can compromise the goods.


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