Cool Room Ice Buildup Destroys Fan Motor

A Small Problem Ignored

A restaurant chose to ignore a small section of ice forming on the back of their cool room evaporator. It seemed minor at the time, so no one logged a service call. But the ice kept growing.

What Happened Next

As the ice built up, the cool room temperature began running too high. Before anyone took action, the ice grew so thick that it stalled the fan motor and burnt it out completely. To make matters worse, excess water runoff had been dripping onto prepared food stored on the shelving below.

What started as a small patch of ice resulted in a burnt out fan motor, compromised food stock, potential health and safety issues, and a loss of production while the cool room was out of service.

The Lesson

A lack of proactive maintenance turned what would have been a quick, inexpensive fix into a far more costly repair. The damaged food stock and lost production added even more to the final bill. Regular refrigeration maintenance visits would have caught this issue early, before the ice had a chance to cause any damage at all.

Have you considered regular refrigeration maintenance? Ask us about our commercial refrigeration maintenance agreements.