Condenser Coil Check in Coolrooms and Freezers

26 September 2017

A repair technician’s best friend, a systematic approach to troubleshooting, opts for an all-inclusive condenser coil check when coolroom conditions are less than ideal. What if there’s a build-up of dirt in the freezer area? Besides being an unhygienic way to run what’s lawfully defined as a food-safe enclosure, that messy accumulation is hindering the refrigeration unit. Intent on his exhaustive maintenance check, the tech checks the condenser section.

Condenser Coil Checks: Troubleshooting Environmental Issues 

As any hygiene expert will tell us, clean coolrooms and freezers aren’t just recommended, they’re a necessity, as outlined by any government regulated food safety authority (www.foodstandards.gov.au). If that assiduously sanitized room isn’t kept free of dirt, then the food is at risk of contamination. Furthermore, the condenser coil will become less effective because the collecting dust and dirt are acting as an insulating layer. As a knock-on effect, the compressor mechanism works harder to offset the effects of this dirt jacket and maintain the required low temperature. In the end, however, the compressor is fighting a losing battle, one that results in system failure, for that layer of dust and dirt isn’t going anywhere, not unless a compressor coil check rectifies the issue.

Discussing Performance Hampering Factors 

A walk-in freezer can limp along for years if the condenser section is dirty. Sure, the heat exchanging mechanism is attenuated, the compressor is working harder, and an overall efficiency drop is unavoidable. Still, the appliance will limp along, at least until the strain breaks the back of that mechanically exhausted compressor. What should be happening is a maintenance check, a program that adds a full page of inspections that highlight condenser coil operability. Is there unhampered airflow in and around this heat exchanger? Is the coil clean and undamaged? Finally, large capacity units rely on more than open space and ventilation. They use powerful fans to push excess heat through a vented duct. The inspection not only troubleshoots the condenser coil in this high-capacity system, it also ensures those fans are clean and operating at their best.

If coolrooms and freezers depend on a refrigeration unit, shouldn’t we properly identify that cooling system? After all, that cold airflow is produced by heat exchange science, not magic. The condenser coils receive the vapourised refrigerant. That gas then cools until it’s a liquid. On the coil surfaces, the heat exchange mechanism produces thermal energy, which is blown away by a fan or simply vented. The duty of the tech here is clear, with his troubleshooting skills focusing on maintaining coil conductance. Consequently, these coiled surfaces must be kept clean, and the airflow around the surfaces must flow freely.

Mark Connelly
C&M Coolroom Services
E-mail: markconnelly@cmcoolrooms.com.au
Mobile: 0412 536 315

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