You may know that it is important to keep proper acidity levels in a swimming pool. Pool owners test their pool water’s pH for acidity levels on a weekly basis to keep it from reaching levels that would be dangerous to swimmers and the pool itself. You might be surprised to learn that it is also important to maintain low acidity levels in your commercial refrigerator as well. If you find yourself asking why, there are several reasons. For starters, highly acidic gasses from foods stored in the refrigerator mix with the moisture in the air and attach to the refrigeration components. This can actually cause significant corrosion damage to the metal panels and components in the unit. If left untreated, the corrosion can become so significant that the unit will fail, leading to costly repairs and even full scale replacements. By learning to manage the amount of acidity entering the air inside your unit, commercial refrigerator owners can avoid these issues.
Another major issue that contributes to high acidity levels is the storage of uncovered, high-acidity foods. Foods such as tomatoes, onions, pickles, and citrus fruits can let out ethylene gas as they age which is highly corrosive. These foods should be stored separately in plastic, non-corrosive food storage containers that have sealing lids. Even processed and cooked foods such as tomato sauce and salad dressings should not be left uncovered, not only for food safety reasons, but for the health of your refrigeration unit as well.
Even if your food storage is top-notch, corrosion can happen simply from the moist air mixing with environmental contaminants such as dirt, dust, and salt. It’s important to ensure that your unit is cleaned frequently and that special attention is paid to the evaporator coil, as this is the most common refrigeration component to fail from neglect and the most important to the functioning of the unit. SPECS offers expert-quality refrigeration preventative maintenance that includes cleaning these components and removing any dust or debris that inevitably leads to corrosion.
Lastly, if you are planning to open a restaurant or business and are planning on having a commercial refrigeration system installed, there are specially coated evaporator coils that are available for purchase. While these coils are more costly due to the added feature, the specialized coating protects the aluminum from all of those dangerous contaminants and acidic gasses that can destroy standard evaporator coils. This coating also makes the coils easier to clean, lowering costs of preventative maintenance, future repair bills, and even your energy bill!
If you are looking for preventative maintenance, interested in coated evaporator coils, or are already experiencing issues with your unit, call SPECS today and talk to our expert refrigeration technicians!
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