DIY guideCommercial kitchen
Walk-in cooler checks: gasket, temperature log, condenser clear
Check the inside release works, read and log the temperature, test the door's seal, look for ice on the coil, and keep the space around the condenser clear.
- 10 to 15 min
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Before you go in, check the release inside the door pushes it open, so nobody can be shut in.
Never block, tie or tape the inside release.Read the thermometer outside the door and the one inside. Both should sit in the range your food safety plan sets.
Write both readings and the time on the log sheet, as often as your plan says.
Close the door on a strip of paper all around its edge. It should grip the paper everywhere, with no tears or gaps in the seal.
Inside, look at the coil and fan box near the ceiling. A light frost is normal; thick ice isn't.
Outside, keep boxes, leaves and trash well back from the condenser unit so it can breathe. One up high is the refrigeration technician's to clear.
Too warm, a block of ice, water on the floor or a door that won't seal: move the food as your food safety plan says and ask Handyman for a refrigeration technician.
What you need
- The temperature log sheet
- A strip of paper
- A flashlight
Call a pro if
- It reads too warm
- Thick ice on the coil, or water on the floor
- The seal is torn or the door won't close
- The condenser is noisy, iced or not running
Handyman says: Too warm? I'll find a refrigeration tech.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
More appliances guides
See all 34
Rather have
a pro do it?