When your business revolves around food, you need to ensure that your food is top quality and in great condition for your customers. Maintaining the temperature and function of your refrigeration units is crucial to keeping the food fresh, but if your fridge isn't functioning properly, you'll lose quite a bit of money on repairs and wasted produce.

Take a look at a few of the problems you might see in your refrigeration unit and the steps to take to keep your food just right for your customers.

Faulty Sealing System

If your food gets too warm or expires too fast, you may have a problem with the gaskets around the doors. The good news is that repairing the gaskets now will save you from large electric bills and major repairs down the road, as long as you address the problem early.

You should also look into replacing the sealing system if you find a lot of condensation on the door or mold in the gaskets. These are early warning signs that your fridge is working too hard to keep its contents cool, and the earlier you catch it, the more money you'll save.

Inconsistent Temperature

Is the temperature in your refrigeration unit not as cold as the thermostat says, or vice versa? Does the thermostat say something different every time you open the doors? Your refrigeration unit should be designed for consistency, so if you get inconsistent readings or readings that don't match the actual temperature, something isn't right.

You may just have a thermostat problem, which is a simple fix, but you could also be low on refrigerant, a vent could be clogged or dirty, or the insulation could be on its way out. Whatever the case, your compressor will work overtime to get the thermostat reading correct, so you need to have someone check it out before it leads to worse problems.

Unusual Ice

While a small ice buildup is not a reason for immediate concern, too much of it may indicate that your unit has problems. Ice buildup could be due to many things, from the thermostat to clogged vents to overworked motors. Some frost in your freezer is normal, but chunks of ice in the wrong place can cause circulation problems and wind up costing you. 

There's no rule to how much ice buildup is too much, but you should know your machine and what it does under ordinary circumstances. Generally, if you have to chip ice out of your refrigeration unit or freezer more than once a year, you'll want to look into getting repairs done as soon as possible.

Climbing Bills

Especially if you don't spend much time in the refrigeration unit yourself, you may notice your bills getting higher before anyone tells you there's a problem. While some times of year will be pricier and others will be lower, if the bills rise when nothing else changes, your refrigeration unit is one of the first places you should look.

If your refrigeration unit is older than 15 years old, you should probably look into a newer model. In the last 15 years, refrigerators have become more energy-efficient and hi-tech, so having an older unit means you spend more than you need to on your bills. Enjoy the advances technology has made - and the money that it saves your company.

If you're not used to repairing your refrigeration unit, have no fear. A M Refrigeration Service is here to help meet all of your needs. With years of experience behind us, we'd love to help you handle all of the difficulties you may encounter. Contact us today for more information.