A Guide to Commercial Freezer Defrosting

Your commercial fridge and freezer can be prone to frosty ice buildup. Ice is an indication something is wrong with proper function, especially in fridges. Plus, frost buildup in commercial freezers interferes with optimum performance. When frost accumulates on the evaporator coils it can wreak havoc with your food storage leading to spoilage, waste, increased energy bills and eventually the need for costly repairs. Therefore it’s important to know how to defrost your commercial freezer. Here’s our step by step guide to commercial freezer defrosting.

Start With Prevention

A good rule of thumb is to start with prevention. Some best practices to introduce to your team to reduce risk for frost include:

• Keep everything organized to minimize the amount of time the freezer door is open
• Limit the number of times people have to access the freezer

• Invest in a freezer with a stainless steel door to improve insulation

• Make sure the unit door works properly with a strong seal to reduce moisture

This will help keep the freezer at the ideal temperature while reducing moisture.

Auto-Defrost Features

Commercial freezers with defrost heaters melt accumulated frost off the evaporator coil. They then warm the drain pan, so the melting frost has an easy way to exit down the drain line to avoid leaks as well as the water refreezing. This allows for a quick and easy defrost that takes up little time and requires no man hours from your team.

Keep an Eye on Defrost Cycles

Commercial freezers use defrost cycles to manage humidity and frost buildup. On average the cycle happens four times a day. Make sure the defrost cycles are working. The process just takes about 15 to 30 minutes so it can be easy to miss. Proper maintenance of your commercial freezer also helps make sure the defrost control is working.

Check the Coils

Always check your freezer coils for excess frost. If everything is working properly, you shouldn’t see frost on the coils.

Check the Drain

Also check the drain to make sure the water from the defrost process is exiting the system properly through the drain line.

Choose the Right Defrost Cycles

An evaporator removes moisture from the freezer by condensing on the evaporator coil. Defrost cycles keep frost from building up. However, the number and duration of defrost cycles need to be programmed properly.

Timed or auto-defrost cycles keep the evaporator coil ice free. The cycle shuts off the compressor and a small heater melts the frost. You want to optimize the cycles to avoid frost buildup and make sure each cycle is long enough to heat and melt the ice. Another consideration is how often the door is opened. The more often the door is opened, the more moisture enters the freezer. We can advise you on the proper defrost cycles for your unit.

To learn more about defrosting commercial freezers, call Ancaster Food Equipment at (855) 888-9644 or contact us here.

Please reach out if you have any questions about our Industrial freezers!